Goodday Ladies & Gents! (or Other...never know)
After so kindly sitting thru All about me and my moment of personal glory of my star-self discovery, I owe you a good post about the actual experience along with the photos of the expo/venue...Don't worry, I'll try to keep my face out of this one 😆! No promises tho... Obviously it's a Christmas expo but I didn't get to see it until the very last day it was opened on Jan 1st. I kept trying to make it there but it kept falling thru, I had almost given up until finally, a day where I really needed it, it finally happened.
Perhaps a blessing in disguise. It was so dead, we almost had the place to ourselves. There was a few straggling families but most of the traffic was employees willing to help out and take photos and the "Princesses" and "Elf Fairies" walking around to enhance children's magical experiences along with photos. It was a photographer's paradise. Of course, this wasn't the case, being the last day of a 27 day exhibit that ran for most of December. I was just a late bloomer on that one, most have already gone Christmas week or leading up to. Perhaps everyone was all partied out and hungover from the eve's celebrations.
Regardless of the reasons for getting my own personal magical photo Christmas wonderland to freely prance around with my magical camera feeling like a princess of my own, it is probably one of the most visited Holiday attraction in the city, welcoming hundreds if not thousands of families most days it's open. Actually I just love lights, all kinds. It makes for great artistic and other creative type photos or selfie backgrounds, family photos. This exhibit is called GLOW. Although Christmas themed, it's pretty culturally friendly and has goodies and micro-themes for everyone.
Formerly called the Agricom Complex now the Expo Center originally was a hockey arena but with many inconveniences, then it was an attempted concert venue, it got converted many times over the years for one reason or another. Since I have moved to Edmonton, it's been used as an expo venue bearing it's current name well. It hosts various pop up niche exhibits especially holiday themed, also where I visited the Immersive Van Gogh from a few years back along with being adjacent to the latest Pumpkins after dark and many of our K-Days festival playground.
Despite it's changes in functions since it was built, the building has always proven to be a gem full of life and culture in our city that brings all it's citizens celebrating together one way or another. Where Edmontonians share and display their own personal colors collectively in any way imaginable all year long, year after year. I'm always happy to go get some of it on photo and add my own creative vision of it all, some things you can only see and experience once...Then it's gone...
As mentioned, the GlOW Exhibit ran for 27 days of the holiday season ending with January 1st as the last day before they begin to tear it down and time tells what our next "pop-up" goodie will be. I have been to the exhibit once before, either in 2018 or 2019, would be posted under my ladybug146 account someplace but that's too far for me to want to did up. For a brief recap, they filled a room full with millions of holiday lights themed into a mini "around the world" tour of each continent made up of various lighted displays.
It was magnificent and I remembered loving it. Even if some of these pop-up expos return yearly, they always change the layout meanwhile keeping a few old favorites. I had no idea what to expect or what the theme of the year would be, just that it would be different. I was anticipating finding out as always! Of course the party starts the minute we walked in the door greeted by a giant red carpet and a Christmas gate to walk thru to get to both the exhibit and thru another to reach the vendors and mini indoor food court and stage equipped with live music and seating area.
The vendor area was divided in the typical craft exhibit rows slowly leading to the stage and food/drink seating area or direct access could be taken right from entry to the venue. The little "shops" contained various natural and local crafts, goods and tasty treats including home made candies. I chose to stay away but I did get some organic dry vegetable dip mixes to blend with sour cream for some crisps and dip. I tried one, tasty indeed. They were 4 for $20, each yielding 2 cups when mixed. A bit pricy but organic and I like this stuff.
Other vendors had crafts including dream catchers and a silver and blown glass jewelry stand. I typically see them at these sort of events around town. You can see in the picture below, Alberta's home grown honey. Nothing like it. I wasn't in need but I typically buy 2 or 3 jars per year, a great sugar substitute. I didn't buy anything else but it had a nice variety for any holiday shoppers in search for niche local gems and small businesses as many have a store somewhere in the city. Generally, on the last day aka pack up day, most of them prefer getting rid of stock at a discount. Deals of 40% to 50% on the various merch was a common theme as the official closing of the exhibit was fast approaching.
Tickets to get in were around $25 CAD per adult, reasonable and comparable to other events of the likes. As mentioned in the last post, we spent easily 4 hours there enjoying lights sipping on our weird properly themed lightbulb sippy cups. Expensive $6 juice but why not! I took my lightbulb home with me, I love it. I like being an oversized kiddult anyway. I can be easily amused obviously! LMFAO 🤣 The entry times are listed hourly but once you are in, you are free to play until your heart is content or the obvious closing times. Alcohol is served both in the mini food truck court and the exhibit. Don't worry parents, you are not on your own with a bunch of kids gone wild. There is power juice just for you to ease your troubles...Just don't drink and drive M...kay?
To be fair, I'll probably end up using the sippy cup with other colored juices and koolaids, dies...whatever I can get my hands on see what other abstracts I can get out of it. Finally, I have found the perfect stupid useless festival plastic trinket of my dreams! That thing will keep on giving. you can turn the lights off when not in use, I asked how long it lasts and the lady said quite a while as some mentioned they were still using theirs from last year. We are about to test it's boundaries, maybe we can discover the results together overtime...that's enough about my silly cup and it's potential inspiration, back to the lights.
Of course we weren't there for the yummy smelly grease filled foods but we wanted to walk down the red carpet thru the magical star filled gates. Leading to the gate, we walked down the pathway of gifts, all along they had a brick lined path with giant light-up cloth presents around decorated trees, each micro-area with different color themes and live poinsettias generously surrounding many of the micro-exhibits on a snow-looking white liner to bring it all together in a perfect winter wonderland. Before even entering the actual gates, it was already over the top as expected and my camera couldn't stop clicking away getting a more up-close view. My company had gone to the washroom and I didn't even notice, when they came back I was still busy!! OMG 😝
Obviously, this event is indoor so no need to dress too warm, making it the perfect place for holiday pics with lights. It's much easier to enjoy and dress nice in a temperate climate compared to our usual -20 we normally would get this time of year. Although, not this year, it's been nice. I stuffed my jacket in my oversized purse and it was time to rock and roll like a star. I didn't fully think things thru getting my light-bulb, sippy cup...now my hands were full of stuff to carry! OOPSY! Oh well. It was slow enough to just keep my stuff in the corner while I did photo stuff.
Some of the displays were tall like mini-structures, the star cage, others being giant decorative tree ornaments equipped with benches to sit in or to take photos in the doorways. Last time I went, they had a liner on the floor, not this year. Just bare reflective floor, really enhanced the experience, we all know how much I like reflection, this was a whole new level. I hope they keep that trend in the future.
The room was divided with fences covered in white garlands and white lights to separate the different themed areas along with adding texture to photography creating a maze like experience. Along the white fence walls, many star displays with other gifts and curiosities lined the pathways. Many of the things I used as my selfie background, I was actually just sitting on the stone pathway in front of many of these simple things. Also why I wanted to do my slefie posts, if you only knew how simple many of these backgrounds were, one could probably find the same things in a shopping mall to recreate for those that don't have access but still want killer selfies.
There were little tucked away rooms equipped with hidden Elf information with a stamp to collect for a prize later to add to the interactive experience for children. the last time I went it was passports from each of the continents...I participated to that one but the elf didn't have that same feel for me but my friend's kid really loved it. Various princess oriented activities like story time and princess photos in the semi-rooms part of the maze while other processes walked around handing out sweet treats to visitors, also a nice touch to add to the magic, obviously not for me, I can't give you a review on their princess services but they seemed cheery and helpful so I'll trust the smiles they left behind and go with they probably deserved an A+ for their efforts.
Of course, one of the things I was excited the most about was the light tunnels. Last time, there was 2 of them made with white lights. This time there was only one but it was much larger and had a curved shape to it except it was made up of red garland mixed with white lights? You be the judge, I liked it nonetheless, with the reflection on the glossy floor, it had trippy effects. I tried to take selfies inside but red bleeds everywhere and it looked odd so I opted for the outside of it near brighter lights to help it out a bit.
The tunnel led to a not that secret santa area with a few santa thrones where available for photos along with a table full of holiday props, hats , decorative festive headbands, scarfs and other costumes that were free to borrow to add elements of selfie fun without having to drag along an old suitcase full of costumes along with you in order to really get into the spirit!
One area where I may have been slightly disappointed, is the lack of popular structures and temple replicas they had on my previous visit. I also didn't see any of the large glowing plastic structures either but there was at least one to enjoy with a nice mix of purple and white mock flower tree garden courtyard...LOVED IT. Not sure what temple this is for sure but it was impressive enough nonetheless. I'm not poo-pooing on the exhibit tho, they had soooo much of everything, there wasn't anything to really complain about when it came to Christmas cheer and wonder. Just like last time, extremely enjoyable even for a grown up.
Last but not least, the Choo-Choo that could was back! I'm to overgrown as a mile tall kid to get on it but didn't prevent me from enjoying the view while it went round and round for a few turns around the giant flashing Christmas trees and a giant light moose and his entourage to entertain small children. along with the train, there were other interactive activities, such had additional cost per activity, ranging from weird floaty balls in a pool with kids in them and a short virtual theater like ride to mock a flying expedition as it rocked around.
I have to say, I was as impressed as the first time I saw the exhibit. They may have kept about 10% to 20% of old favorites but as advertised, it was a brand new exhibit. Well worth the cover price for a day filled with interactive fun for all ages. I hope you enjoyed taking the tour with me. It seems late for Christmas stuff, here in Alberta, there is such a thing as Ukrainian Christmas that is actually celebrated on Jan the 6th. I guess I'm not late after all, just depends who you ask round here.
Oh wait, I had to stick my face in there one more time. Just had to...😍😘
cheers friends! xox