Audiences come to Supercrawl to enjoy a weekend of music, art, dance, fashion, talks, theatre, food trucks, street vendors and family fun — and they do so in large numbers. The 2023 festival attracted more than 275,000 visitors, so it’s a good idea to anticipate crowds at Supercrawl 2024 and plan accordingly. Organizers want to make sure that all festival-goers have a range of convenient options when it comes to getting here and getting around.
ROAD CLOSURES
Street closures will begin Thursday September 12 from 1:00am on James St. N. from King to Wilson/York (Wilson/York remains open most of Thursday for east-west traffic), Wilson/York to Cannon (Cannon remains open to westbound traffic), Cannon to Barton (Barton remains open to east-west traffic), and Barton to Strachan (Strachan remains open to east-west traffic). Additional closures will take place on King William, Rebecca, Vine, Mulberry, Colbourne and Murray Streets. Starting Thursday September 12 from 7pm, York Blvd/Wilson St. will be closed from Park to Hughson (MacNab will remain open to north/south traffic). All road closures will remain in effect until Monday September 16 at 5am.
During Supercrawl 2024, additional lane closures will be in effect just west of the festival corridor. The City of Hamilton will be undertaking roadwork that will impose lane restrictions on York Boulevard between Dundurn Street North and Caroline Street, as well as Cannon Street West between Queen Street North and James Street North. This will create its share of traffic congestion, which is all the more reason to walk, cycle, or take transit to the festival.
GO TRANSIT
GO Transit’s Weekend Pass makes day trips to Supercrawl easy and stress-free, giving you unlimited Saturday/Sunday travel throughout the GO network for a budget-friendly price. One-Day Pass allows you to ride on any GO train or bus, to and from wherever you’re going, for $10 each weekend day. Buy your pass online, activate it 15 minutes before your trip via your smartphone, and you’re good to go.
It’s never been more convenient to visit Supercrawl by GO. The south end of Supercrawl’s festival corridor (James & King) is 2-3 blocks northwest of the Hamilton GO Centre and the north end (James & Murray) is beside the new West Harbour GO Station. GO Trains on the Lakeshore West line run from Union Station, with bus connections between Aldershot GO Station and Hamilton GO Centre or West Harbour GO.
For the most up-to-date departure info, visit the Trip Planner to get the next available trips for your train or bus.
Detailed information on GO schedules can be found at gotransit.com.
MORE TRANSIT OPTIONS
GO Buses run regularly between Union Station Bus Terminal and Hamilton GO Centre. GO Buses also run between York University and Square One Bus Terminal and the Hamilton GO Centre.
Hamilton/Toronto Express Bus service between Union Station and Hamilton GO Centre runs regularly throughout the day.
407 West bus service runs hourly between Square One & York University and Hamilton GO Centre, making stops at the Oakville, Meadowvale, Streetsville and Bramalea GO Stations as well as four Park & Rides along Hwy. 407, terminating in Vaughan.
Throughout Supercrawl, the Hamilton/Richmond Hill Pearson Express connects to Hamilton GO Centre with hourly arrivals and departures, making stops at the Hwy 407 Park & Ride, Square One GO Terminal, Dixie & Renforth Transitways, Pearson Airport and Richmond Hill Centre.
Lakeshore West bus service connects Hamilton GO Centre to Aldershot GO Station, providing access to Lakeshore West GO Train service outside of weekday rush hour as well as convenient connections for VIA Rail and Amtrak Maple Leaf passengers.
For the most up-to-date departure info, visit the Trip Planner to get the next available trips for your bus.
Detailed information on GO schedules can be found at gotransit.com.
CITY TRANSIT
The Hamilton Street Railway’s MacNab Transit Terminal, located a block west of Supercrawl, hosts HSR Mountain routes 21-27, 33, 35. Crosstown service is just as convenient: Eastbound HSR routes 1, 5, 10 & 51 stop by the south end of the MacNab Terminal; westbound HSR routes 1, 5, 10, 51 & 52 stop at the terminal’s north end. HSR cash fare is $3.50 as of Sept 1; PRESTO fare for adult riders age is $2.70.
Burlington Transit’s Route 1 bus route also stops in downtown Hamilton, offering connections to Burlington GO Station and Appleby GO Station. All Burlington Transit regular service routes are serviced by an accessible bus. BT’s MyRide application provides real-time bus arrival times. Final outbound buses on this route leave the stop on the northeast corner of King & James at 11;45pm, 12:00am, and 12:25 Friday, 11pm, 11:30pm and 12am Saturday and 8:30pm, 9pm and 9:30pm Sunday. BT cash fare is $3.50; PRESTO fare for adult riders age is $2.75. BT also offers free fare for adults 65+ and children 12 and under all day, every day, and free fare for youth 13-19 weekdays after 6 and all day on weekends.
TRIPLINX
Triplinx, the official trip planner and transportation information resource for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area, can help you travel around the region via transit. Planning your trip is easy: Simply enter your starting location and where you want to go, and Triplinx will tell you how to get there. It offers travellers wheelchair-accessible trip plans and info on paratransit providers across the GTHA. You can also find transit schedule, fare, service and other useful information you may need before you go.
BIKE SHARE
Hamilton’s bike share system will get you to Supercrawl! Hamilton Bike Share has a fleet of more than 825 smart bikes at roughly 130 hubs throughout the city, including West Harbour GO Station, James and Colbourne, James and Mulberry, James and Vine, York and MacNab, Gore Park, and Hamilton GO Centre. Hamilton Bike Share is affordable and convenient — you can sign up at hamilton.socialbicycles.com or at a kiosk at the GO Station hubs. The hourly (pay as you go) option is recommended for visitors who want to ride in style to Supercrawl. If travelling from downtown, the two-way protected bike lanes along Cannon St will get you there quickly and safely. Supercrawl is only minutes away by bike from either GO Station and the MacNab Street Transit Terminal.
PARKING
Supercrawl encourages those traveling to the festival by automobile from out of town to use the City of Hamilton’s York Boulevard Parkade, entering from Vine St., located on the south side of the road just after MacNab St. N., near the heart of the festival. The Parkade has a capacity of 770 vehicles and contains an EV charging station with two Sun Country Highway Chargers (CS40, 30 amp) and 3 Chargepoint EV charging stations on level 1B. The York Parkade can be reached by the following means:
• From Toronto/Niagara: Exit off the QEW Hamilton onto York Blvd. Follow York until Bay St. and turn left. Turn right onto Vine St.. The parking lot will be on the right hand side after MacNab St..
• From London/Brantford: Exit off the 403 onto Main St. E. Follow Main St. until Bay St. and turn left. Turn right onto Vine St.. The parking lot will be on the right hand side after MacNab St.
Aside from the Vine St. parking lot, there are a number of inexpensive parking lots operated by the City of Hamilton within a short walk of Supercrawl — you’ll find a map here — as well as abundant surface parking within a two-block walk that will be open for business throughout the festival.
If a parking lot’s not your speed, the City of Hamilton also uses the Passport Parking app and curbside location ID signage to enable drivers to pay parking fees, track time remaining or add time to their parking directly from their smartphone. (App accepts Visa and Mastercard payments only.)
