What’s closed and open on New Year’s Day in Hamilton

The holiday season is officially drawing to a close, but there’s one last holiday to celebrate as 2026 rolls in and life returns to normal.

This year, New Year’s Day falls on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. While all essential services will be available, most non-emergency government offices will be closed, along with most major malls, grocery stores and small businesses.

Here’s what’s open and closed in Hamilton on New Year’s Day:

Open

• All critical services and organizations, such as police, fire, hospitals, paramedics and critical infrastructure providers, will continue to operate on New Year’s Day
• Hamilton parks and trails
• Most convenience stores
• Movie theatres
• Skating rinks: Bernie Morelli Recreation Centre – Serafini Family Ice Pad, Dundas Driving Park, Freelton Community Park, Waterdown Memorial Park, as well as outdoor rinks (weather permitting)
• Some drug stores, such as Shoppers Drug Mart and Rexall locations (call ahead to confirm)
• Some cafes, bars and restaurants will be open, but call ahead to confirm
• Splitsville Entertainment

Closed

• All City of Hamilton administrative offices, including Health Connections, the housing services office, the licensing and by-law services phone queue and service counters, the adult day program at Macassa Lodge, Animal Services, and the Hamilton Municipal Parking System office
• Public Health administrative offices, including the vaccine program phone and records line, Child & Adolescent Services walk-in clinic and dental clinics and bus, are closed
• Van Needle Syringe Program
• Sexual Health Clinics
• Ontario Works Program
• All non-essential federal, provincial and municipal government offices (including City Hall)
• Banks
• All Beer Store and LCBO locations
• Canada Post (no mail pickup or delivery)
• Most major grocery stores
• Hamilton Farmers’ Market
• Libraries
• All Hamilton Civic Museums, including Dundurn National Historic Site, Griffin House, Hamilton & Scourge National Historic Site, Hamilton Children’s Museum, Fieldcote Memorial Park, Battlefield National Historic Site, Hamilton Museum of Steam & Technology, Hamilton Military Museum, and Whitehern House & Garden
• Recreation centres
• Most major malls, including Lime Ridge
• The Tropical Greenhouse at Gage Park

Trash and recycling:

• There will be no waste collection (garbage, blue box, green bin, yard waste or bulk garbage) on Jan. 1. Collection will occur one day later for the affected routes
• Community Recycling Centres will be closed

Transit

• Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) buses will operate on a Sunday schedule. There will be no service on 12 Wentworth and 42 Mohawk East
• MyRide in Waterdown and Trans-Cab will operate from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m.
• DARTS: All subscription trips cancelled – except dialysis – for Jan. 1. Reservations are required to ride on New Year’s Day
• GO Transit will run on a Saturday schedule