Frost Bites is Hamilton’s biggest winter theatre festival, and we’re heating up the coldest weeks of the year with bold storytelling, FREE family fun, community events, and intimate performances in surprising spaces.

With six packed days over two weekends, this year’s festival features new works at Theatre Aquarius, family-friendly activities at the Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre, and—back by popular demand—form-busting immersive performances in the weird nooks and crannies of the historic Staircase Theatre + Lounge.

The artists in this year’s Frost Bites Festival took inspiration from the title of one of the festival’s key productions: Land, Place, Home. We invite you to consider your own relationship to this theme, to this land, and the ways that gathering in a shared creative experience can deepen, challenge, or reframe them.

We’re bringing together all the elements that have made Frost Bites one of Hamilton’s most anticipated winter traditions and making the 2026 edition our most exciting yet!

WEEK ONE (Feb 28 – Mar 1)

FREE Family Programming @ Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre

Things are gonna be warm all weekend at the Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre with free all-ages events and activities including bilingual storytelling, workshops on zine and booklet making, song, drumming, maker markets, and outdoor skating fun on the Serafini Family Ice Pad. In the Cafe, Indoors, and Outdoors—we’ve got it going on!

We’ll end Week One events with the Procession of Light at Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre on Sunday, March 1 starting at 6PM. Bring your own lantern or borrow one of ours and join an evening stroll through the neighbourhood, coming together in a shared moment of light and hope.

FREE Family Programming

Family Programming @ Theatre Aquarius

The Three Little Pigs
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The Three Little Pigs: A Musical for the Whole Family! Enchantment Theatre

11am – 11:45am | Theatre Aquarius Studio

Join us for an adventure on the farm as the three little pigs sisters navigate their unique styles and strengths in problem solving and house building!

The show includes original and classic folk songs, puppets, dances, and even audience participation!

The Three Little Pigs is ideally suited for children aged 2-8, but kids aged 1-100 are sure to enjoy it!

Company Members: Darcy Welch, Kathleen Welch, Emily Johnston, Nicholas Blanchard, and Benjamin Welch.

General Admission: $20 (+fees)

Kids Under 12: $15 (+fees)

Creative Development @ Theatre Aquarius

Spreadsheets Are Your Friend! Planning and Pathways for Producers

Theatre Aquarius Director’s Lounge | Sun MAR 1

1:00pm - 4:00pm | FREE

Led by Generator Toronto’s Director of Operations Bianca Guimarães de Manuel. Limited space, advance registration required.

*Brave New Works Festival

Theatre Aquarius Feb 27 – Mar 1, 2026

Various Times | FREE

*Theatre Aquarius’s Brave New Works Festival is an independent event, wholly produced, funded, and administered by Theatre Aquarius, and is not directly associated with Frost Bites.

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Evening Programming @ Theatre Aquarius

Land, Place, Home

Open Heart Arts Theatre | ABRAR Trauma & Mental Health Services | HFTco

FRI FEB 27 @ 7pm – 9pm* | SAT FEB 28 @ 7.30pm – 9pm | Theatre Aquarius Studio

Since Spring 2025, this ensemble of newcomers have been talking, writing, playing, and moving—shaping the stories they want the world to know. The result is a rich collection of voices and experiences about this new circle of friends and how they exist here in this place.

Tickets are Pay-What-You-Can (suggested $15).

* The premiere performance of Land, Place, Home on Friday, February 27 is preceded by a brief Frost Bites Opening Night Welcome event at 7pm

Land, Place, Home
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WEEK TWO (Mar 6 – Mar 8)

The Place-Based Series @ The Staircase Theatre + Lounge

It’s a full slate of 8 site-specific performances in the weird nooks and crannies of the building, and a rotating set of “Interludes” in the Lounge each night. Featuring works from Devin Bateson, Bawaadan Collective, Fareh Malik, Tapestry Theatre Collective, Mandy Roveda, SpiceBox, TransgendantCo., and Triple Futures (all pictured below).

Click HERE to see the full Week Two lineup!