One of Hamilton’s biggest festivals is underway and organizers say they anticipate “huge” numbers for the event which had been cancelled and scaled down during the pandemic.
Friday marked a full in-person return for Supercrawl to James Street North with the music stages expected to be the “big draw,” according to Sonic Unyon Records director of operations Lisa La Rocca.
“But there are visual artists, theater performances, fashion vendors, food trucks, all kinds of stuff.”
Prior to the pandemic in 2019, Supercrawl drew more than 250,000 visitors over three days and had an economic impact of more than $20 million, according to Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism.
La Rocca says the hope is to once again achieve similar numbers with their first full-on affair in two years.
“We know this season some festivals have kind of had record attendance. People are excited to get out, especially outdoor events,” La Rocca told 900 CHML’s Good Morning Hamilton.
“People are comfortable, more comfortable coming to outdoor events in huge numbers.”
The co-owner of Sonic Unyon – the label that puts on Supercrawl – is a little more cautious with his assessment of how many will attend the weekend event but says he “feels the energy.”
“We do expect to have some incredible attendance. We’ve got incredible weather ahead of us and an incredible lineup of things for people to do,” Tim Potocic told CHML’s Hamilton Today.
Tim Baker, The Dirty Nil, Hamilton All-Stars, Sarah Harmer, Lido Pimienta and Charlotte Day Wilson are just some of 40-plus performers that will hit the stage during the full return Friday through Sunday at James Street North.
The full musical lineup and can be seen on the Supercrawl website.
Squonk is one highlight of the 2022 edition bringing a “Hand to Hand” jazz production to the family stage with a signature twist – the company has made purple hands each twenty-feet tall. Mounted on wheels, the hands interact with the audience with an opportunity for the audience actually take control the hands themselves.
Steve O’Hearn, co-artistic director of Squonk, says the idea for the hands comes from the multi-fingered appendages ability “to do things in the world.”
He says they are modeled on the bioengineering of the human hand, which has sinews and tendons going up and down each finger.
“So it’s rigged like a sailboat,” said O’Hearn. “All the muscles that operate your fingers are in the body of your hand in the palm, and that’s what makes them work … you stand at the bottom and pull ropes and the fingers move.”
Fashion showcases will include Ark Collective, highlighting BIPOC businesses, and True Hamiltonian who will be launching a ‘Hollywood North’ collection.
The Author’s Tent is on Colbourne Street featuring book signings and readings from local authors.
Food will include not only the local restaurants on James Street but more than 30 food trucks.
The three-day event closes James Street North from King Street West to Strachan Street as well as York Boulevard from Park to Hughson.
Municipal parking includes the York Boulevard Parkade at Vine Street, which has capacity for 770 vehicles with a Saturday rate (in after 6 a.m., out by 6 p.m.) at $12, an evening rate (in after 6 p.m., out by 6 a.m.) at $8 and Sunday all-day flat rate of $8.
Hamilton Street Railway’s MacNab Transit Terminal is located a block west of Supercrawl.
The south end of Supercrawl is two to three blocks northwest of the Hamilton GO Centre and the north end is beside the new West Harbour GO Station and a connection with the Lakeshore West line.