Dec
2020
A dazzling event: Illumi sparkles for the holidays and beyond
Okay, so there hasn’t really been a ton of things to do this holiday season. In years past, we would go for so many dinners, spend lots of time with friends and family, walk around and go for drinks or coffee, take in some shows, you name it. This year the only thing to do was to basically just walk around and take in the lights. Which isn’t that bad and still magical, but doing that every day kinda takes away the magic of the season.
Since so many events this time of the year were cancelled, it definitely has been a different holiday season. I’m still here in Montreal and the city really knows how to do the holidays right. There are tons of lights around on the streets and it’s really beautiful and magical to walk around. I’m such a sucker for Christmas lights and driving around and looking at all the houses with their lights, which where we live here, I wasn’t able to do.
One night I was watching Instagram stories and I came across an event happening in Laval (Laval in Montreal is like what Mississauga is to Toronto, it’s a separate city but pretty much side by side). Illumi is presented by Cavalia, an entertainment company that specializes in marketing, producing, and putting on live-scale shows. If it sounds familiar, that’s because their touring show Odysseo is like Cirque du Soleil but with horses (it’s gone through Winnipeg twice and I saw it both times and loved it).
Illumi opened earlier this year in October and goes on until January 31, 2021. The event features 18 spaces that you either drive through or walk through (depending on the ticket you purchase). Each scene features multiple light structures and has a certain theme with music to go alongside it (there are signs prompting you tune your radio onto a certain station). In total, there are 30,000 structures and 20-million lights.
I actually attended the event earlier this month and we had a car ticket, meaning that you drive through the event. If you have a car ticket you cannot exit your vehicle, but there is a spot if you need to use a washroom and there are also food trucks on the premises if you feel like a snack. Also, with a car ticket, dogs are allowed to travel with you, but if you choose the walking path, you’ll have to leave your canine bestie back at home.
Due to the pandemic, you must purchase your ticket online for a certain time slot, but I actually like that idea since that means you don’t have to wait in line or anything. Just show up at your designated time, show them the ticket and away you go. In total, the event takes about an hour to drive or walk through and is a three-kilometre route.
If you live in the Montreal area, I highly recommend checking the event out. It is quite expensive as they charge by each person in the car, but considering that there isn’t really much to do this time of the year, the cost more than makes up for doing something exciting. Plus, I’ll be honest, the production value really is top notch and its definitely quite the spectacle.
Have you been to Illumi?
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