For the third year in a row, you can experience the world’s largest outdoor light, sound and multimedia show – THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI in Mississauga. THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI is a multimedia show that spans 600,000 square feet with more than 20 million LED lights. The centre piece of this experience is the world’s largest tree of lights. At 47 meters high, it is twice the size of Rockerfeller Centre’s Christmas Tree in New York City.
THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI is developed by Cavalia, a Canadian entertainment company that specializes in creating, producing and marketing large-scale live shows and events. They are best known for their eponymous acrobatic and equestrian show featuring 70 horses and acrobats. This multimedia show has the scale that you would expect from Cavalia.
I missed THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI* the first two years, and made a point of going this year to see if it lived up to the hype. As always, I am sharing everything that you need to know before the review:
What Will You Find at THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI?
In addition to the details that I have already provided, you will find displays of giant snowmen, candy canes, reindeers, gnomes, sparkling snowflakes and more bring to life more than 16 magical themed universes. You can even meet Santa Claus until December 24th. The approximate duration is 75 minutes, has complimentary parking and it is accessible.
Where is THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI?
7174 Derrycrest Drive Mississauga, Ontario (closest intersection is 407 and Hurontario)
How Long Will is it Running?
It opened on November 15th and it runs until January 5th – plenty of time to enjoy even when the holidays are over.
Ticket Information
*Starting at $21.00 for children (Three-14 years old)
*Starting at $29.00 for general admission
*Children two years old and younger enter free of charge
*VIP admission for adults starts at $49.00 which gives you access to skip-the-line privileges, a meet and greet and photo with Santa (printed) , access to The Balloon Ball and The Dazzling Carousel and VIP parking.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI
- Check the weather – this is an outdoor attraction. You need to dress appropriately. It was -7 Celsius (before wind chill) the night that I went. That meant, winter boots, warm socks, long johns, leggings a Uniqlo Heattech t-shirt under my sweater, winter coat, mittens, scarf and earmuffs. You don’t want to rush through the experience. This is a night to think of function, not fashion.
- Take a look at the map so that you don’t miss anything.
- If you don’t have young children, go after 8pm. We arrived at 8:15, which gave up plenty of time. We practically had the place to ourselves, which meant that we could take photos galore and not have people in them. There was also plenty of parking.
- Before you buy tickets, look and see if you can find a promo. Right now, they have a buy two, get one free ticket promotion happening. Why not save if you can?
Final Thoughts
THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI is a magical experience. Whether you are a kid, a kid at heart, or you are just looking for that perfect, Instagrammable attraction, you will love it. Many displays are holiday inspired, but there are cultural displays that will take you to an Middle Eastern bazaar, to Asia, on a bit of a safari and you will even be able to celebrate man’s best friend. The music will take you back to your favourite holiday memory, but also to your favourite episode of The Muppets (I won’t spoil it by telling you too much). Whether you are a little bit country or a little bit rock and roll, you will feel right at home.
There are places where it’s set up perfectly if you are just trying to get that perfect shot for Instagram, but mainly, it is just fun in parts, breathtaking in others and a real escape from your day to day. One recommendation – unless a photo with Santa is really on your bucket list, save yourself a little bit of money and get the general admission ticket. VIP makes sense if you want to skip the line and go on your own timetable. If you can get there on-time, go for general admission. The attraction itself is exciting enough without any extras.
I highly recommend THE HOLIDAYS AT ILLUMI. It is magical and will get you into the holiday spirit. It is hard to take a bad photo there. If you live in the Greater Toronto or if you are just visiting, head over before January 5th.
*Tickets were provided free of charge for editorial consideration. Opinions are my own.
