Rooted in Community. Driven by Discovery. Committed to Arts and Culture.
Supercrawl is Hamilton’s premier multi-arts festival, fusing new and independent music with art installations, fashion, performance, literature, theatre, and artisanal craft. Supercrawl’s diverse multi-disciplinary program of sound, performance, visual and media arts is staged along a pedestrian-only creative corridor in the heart of downtown.
A not-for-profit arts organization, Supercrawl is committed to honouring, showcasing and celebrating all varieties of creative work, positioning local and emerging artists alongside significant provincial, national and international peers. The festival fosters and promotes arts and culture as well as the myriad benefits they provide.
A team of Hamilton artists and community builders founded Supercrawl in 2009 out of a desire to showcase the city’s cultural vibrancy and eclectic arts landscape.
Since its exception, Supercrawl has successfully evolved from a modest arts-based single-day occurrence to a multi-day event with national/international profile and attendance. The festival has gone from a one-day celebration on a single block to a weekend-long experience encompassing over two kilometres of downtown streets, with attendance growing steadily from 3,000 in 2009 to more than 285,000 in 2024. In addition to its namesake free festival weekend, Supercrawl also produces ticketed concerts and events throughout the year.
Supercrawl 2024 resulted in an economic impact of $32 million (calculated using the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture & Sport’s Tourism Regional Economic Impact Model). More importantly, festival audiences left with renewed conviction of the power of the arts and convinced of Hamilton’s cultural vitality.
Supercrawl was shortlisted for a 2019 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence for Tourism Event of the Year and 2017 Canadian Tourism Award for Event of the Year. The festival received the 2015 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence for Tourism Event of the Year, and has been recognized as one of Ontario’s Top 100 Festivals/Events in eight sequential award seasons (2015-2020, 2023-2024). In 2019, Supercrawl’s Family Zone programming earned a Festivals & Events Ontario Achievement Award for Best Youth Initiative. In 2024, the festival was awarded an FEO Achievement Award for Best Volunteer Program.
Supercrawl is a Keychange associate festival, dedicated to achieving gender balance among onstage talent; learn more here.
Supercrawl is a signatory of the Breaking Down Racial Barriers Declaration, committing to end anti-Black racism in the Canadian music industry.
Supercrawl is also a signatory of the Government of Canada’s 50 – 30 Challenge, pledging its commitment to gender parity (50%), and significant representation (30%) of under-represented groups in leadership positions (such as boards, committees, and management) of members of other equity-deserving groups, including those who identify as Indigenous Peoples, Racialized, Black, and/or People of colour (“Visible Minorities”), People with disabilities (including invisible and episodic disabilities), 2SLGBTQIA+ and/or gender and sexually diverse individuals.
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Supercrawl recognizes and acknowledges that the festival takes place upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Chonnonton (Neutral), Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississauga nations. Hamilton is known to the Kanien’kehá:ka or Mohawk, one of the six nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, as Ohròn:wakon (meaning “in the ravine”). The land on which the festival and its events takes place is covered by Sewatokwà:tshera, the Dish with One Spoon Wampum. This agreement, made between the Anishinaabe and the Haudenosaunee, was meant to ensure that the lands and resources around the Great Lakes were properly cared for, and that all nations sharing this territory would do so responsibly, respectfully and sustainably. This territory is also covered by Tékeni Teyohá:te Kaswentah, the Two Row Wampum, made between the Haudenosaunee Confederacy and the Dutch, signifying that these distinct nations, their cultures and traditions, could coexist without either being assimilated by the other. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Treaty No. 3, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We share this land and celebrate its gifts, and are thankful to live and work in a place that has sustained human activity for over 10,000 years.
As settlers, we acknowledge our responsibility to listen, learn, and evolve in the spirit of historic covenants as well as take on the important work of reconciliation. In doing so, we seek to forge new and respectful relationships with the Indigenous nations of this region and throughout Turtle Island. We strive to work collaboratively to keep the importance of our shared history, friendship and future relationships in our minds and hearts, and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners and caretakers.
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VISION + MISSION + VALUES
Vision
Supercrawl forges spaces of common ground and creative expression.
Mission
To foster meaningful experiences that promote the discovery of arts and culture, connect communities, and celebrate creators.
Values
Community: We serve Hamilton and believe in the power of our communities.
Diversity: We are committed to the principles of equitable inclusion and equity for diverse communities.
Discovery: We encourage creative exploration and cultural curiosity.
Sustainability: We promote local products and minimize our environmental footprint.
Integrity: We value trust and promise to be open, honest, and ethical in all that we do.
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AWARDS & DISTINCTIONS
2024 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2024 FEO Achievement Award – Best Volunteer Program
2023 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2022 FEO Achievement Award (No Top 100 Because of COVID-19 Restrictions on Events)
2021 FEO Achievement Award (No Top 100 Because of COVID-19 Restrictions on Events)
2020 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2019 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence – Finalist, Tourism Event of the Year
2019 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence – Finalist, Tourism Champion of the Year (Tim Potocic, Festival Director)
2019 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2019 FEO Achievement Award – Best Youth Initiative
2018 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2018 FEO Achievement Award – Best New Single Sponsorship
2018 Live Music Industry Awards – Nominee, Family Program of the Year
2017 Community in Motion Awards – Bike-Friendly Organization of the Year
2017 Canadian Tourism Awards – Finalist, Event of the Year
2017 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2017 FEO Achievement Award – Best Community Partner Outreach Program
2017 Live Music Industry Awards – Nominee, Family Program of the Year
2016 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2016 Community in Motion Awards – Transit-Friendly Organization of the Year
2016 Hamilton Music Awards – Musical Event of the Year Award
2015 Ontario Tourism Award of Excellence – Tourism Event of the Year
2015 FEO Top 100 – Top 100 Festivals/Events in Ontario
2015 Hamilton Music Awards – Musical Event of the Year Award
2014 Community in Motion Awards – Pedestrian-Friendly Organization of the Year
2013 Hamilton Music Awards – Festival of the Year Award
2012 RBC Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award – Tim Potocic, Festival Director
2011 Tourism Hamilton Awards – Runner-up, Best Large-Sized Festival of the Year
2011 Tourism Hamilton Awards – Volunteer of the Year (Dane Pedersen)
2011 Tourism Hamilton Awards – Arts Ambassador of the Year (Tim Potocic, Festival Director)
2010 Tourism Hamilton Awards – Best Mid-Sized Festival of the Year Award
2010 Hamilton Music Awards – Festival of the Year Award
2009 Tourism Hamilton Awards – Best Small-Sized Festival of the Year
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STAFF / BOARD / CONTACTS
Festival Director
Tim Potocic
Finance
Henderson Roller Smit
Operations
Lisa La Rocca
Logistics
Penny Dobson
Design & Communications
David Young
Social Media
Sylvia Bloomfield
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Board of Directors
Stuart Wheldon (Chair), Andrea MacDonald (Vice-Chair), Paul Ciapanna (Treasurer), Sophie Dixon (Secretary), Lisa La Rocca (ex-officio), Ian Brisbin, Claire Leighton, Jessica Myers, Rick Monture, Ella Shepherd
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Auditors
Henderson Roller Smit Professional Corporation
Chartered Accountant
151 Lakeshore Rd. W.
Oakville, ON L6K 1E5
Supercrawl Productions
PO Box 57347
Jackson Station,
Hamilton, ON L8P 4X2
