Hamilton’s central city continues to shine bright in 2020 playing host to a series of fantastic events, including Food Truck Friday starting 28 February and Super Saturday on 7 March.
Food trucks are making their way into the CBD every Friday starting 28 February and running throughout March. Offering a range of culinary delights on Friday 6-8pm at Victoria on the River, enjoy a feast of food options in this magical outdoor setting. This series will finish on 3 April with a super Food Truck Friday from 5-8pm, with a line-up of some of the best food trucks in the region.
The Waikato River Festival provides a truly unique festival with experiences and activities along the Waikato River during the month of March. This festival commences with dawn karakia at Waikato Iti (at the beginning of the river) and concludes with dusk karakia at Port Waikato (at the end of the river). In between these two points and dates, a diverse and vibrant programme of public activities and events is provided, which this year includes two CBD locations Victoria on the River and Garden Place. There will be Kemetic Yoga, a Woo_Table Kōrero, a CBD e-bike cultural tour and Smart city initiatives. 7 March is Super Saturday and gets underway with Children’s Day back to delight for another year. Garden Place and Civic Square will be transformed into a fun fare of free kid’s activities. This free event comes jam-packed with activities for children of all ages, including amusements rides, chalk fest, face painting, sausage sizzle and live entertainment!
The weekend of entertainment continues with the return of the Boon Street Art Festival. Celebrating its 5th festival, watch local and international artists transform more walls in Hamilton's CBD! 6-8 March delight in seeing grey building walls transform as the giant artists canvas come to life.
Super Saturday keeps on going with Saw Wave at Victoria on the River between 5-8pm. A free, outdoor Summer concert featuring The Cthulus (Auck), Deadly Sam and The Summertime Bandit and Contenders. Grab some dinner from one of the great local restaurants, set a picnic blanket down at the park and listen to some great summer sounds with scenic backdrop of the Mighty Waikato River.
Victoria on the River is the place to settle in for the evening with Pecha Kucha starting at 8pm. The Japanese word for ‘chit chat’ Pecha Kucha’s theme of Creative Cities will be presented outside at the park for the public to enjoy.
And for your creativity ‘icing on the cake’, Mesoverse, a collaborative immersive art installation will be on display at 246 Victoria Street, opening on to Victoria on the River, to be enjoyed throughout the weekend.
13 March will see Outdoor Cabaret returning to Embassy Park - a variety show, a performance cafe, and an outdoor cabaret. Each show features cool local acts, 20-30 minutes each, which can be enjoyed in their entirety or in passing.
From 17-21 March, Balloons Over Waikato will be returning to Hamilton, with a very special CBD Events walk thru balloon being featured in Garden Place. From Tuesday – Thursday from 4-5pm and Friday 12-1pm, walk inside a real hot air balloon for a gold coin donation to KidsCan and while you're there, grab a photo in one of our balloon baskets!
March will continue to play host to our regular events including Tuesday Tasty Tunes in Garden Place, Wednesday lunchtime Summer meditation at Victoria on the River, Friday Lunchtime Live Music in Garden Place, Friday night movie screenings at Embassy Park and Stories in the Garden fortnightly on Saturdays.
For a full list of up-coming events in the CBD visit hamiltoncentral.co.nz