Arkells bring The Rally to Hamilton

For this summer solstice weekend in Hamilton, it was Rally weekend for all those who celebrate. Arkells brought “The Rally” to Hamilton Stadium (formerly Ivor Wynne) for the first time in 2018. In 2022, the city saw the second iteration. In between, Buffalo and Toronto got a taste of the party, but the Arkells brought it back to their hometown on June 21st, 2025 for the 3rd, and biggest Rally yet.
The Rally is not only a rock show, but a full weekend of community events, with street namings, basketball games, vendor markets and so much more. The Arkells did their best to make this show affordable and accessible to all those wishing to be a part of the show. Transit in the city was free to those who were ticket holders, and “cheap seats” were available throughout the stadium.
This year brought support from Portugal. The Man, Valley and Seago. With an early start time of 5:30, the crowd was steadily rolling in as the sun set closer to Arkells set time. Right before Portugal. The Man took the stage, there was a great tribute from the community for Indigenous Peoples Day which was an important moment to note for all the bands performing that night.
With every attendee receiving this year’s Rally towel, there was unanimous waving as Arkells took the stage. The crowd of 25,000 plus were out of their seats cheering and getting their dancing shoes ready. The show was filled with energy as Max Kerman, the lead singer bounced around the stage all night. Bringing their horn section along for the show, the whole night was filled with full sounds and was truly meant as a spectacle to be seen and felt by everyone in attendance.
Arkells never seem to disappoint. If you haven’t had the pleasure of attending one of their shows, put it on your bucket list, you won’t regret it.