Odysseo by Cavalia – A Show For The Entire Family

For quite a few weeks I’ve driven by this site and I’ve been seeing this massive white tent being erected. I didn’t know what was happening and then I saw the signs: Odysseo by Cavalia was coming to Mississauga!

Odysseo at Hershey Centre

If you’re looking for a show that the whole family will enjoy then this is the show for you. From the moment you walk up to the massive white tent you can sense that something magical is about to happen.

It’s not a horse show, it’s not a play, it’s not Cirque du Soleil, it’s not a 3D movie, it’s not a concert. It’s all of these things, blended in a way that elevates the spirit. – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Odysseo is a massive production that employs 65 horses and 50 performers in a show that marries the equestrian arts, stage arts, and high-tech theatrical effects at never-before seen levels. As a matter of fact, it’s the world’s largest touring production.

Rendez-Vous Vip Package

If you’re considering going to see this show then the Odysseo Rendez-Vous VIP package is the way to go. When you arrive at the Rendez-Vous area you’re ushered into the spacious, air conditioned lounge where you can relax for up to 90 minutes before the show. During that time you can enjoy a full buffet dinner with an open bar. The buffet offered a variety of salads, cheeses, chicken and steak. My favorites were the smoked salmon and the steak with the chimichurri sauce.

Dinner in the Odysseo Rendez Vous tent

Dinner in the Odysseo Rendez Vous tent

The lounge is also family friendly so if you have little ones you’ll also find a “Kids Corner” offering up dishes that they might prefer such as beef sliders, hot dogs, pizza, and pop corn. Even though the popcorn was in the kiddie section I snuck a bag into the show.

Apart from the full dinner and open bar there are a number of other perks that make the Rendez Vous VIP Package so worth it:

  • VIP Pass
  • Centre row seats
  • Great selection on refreshments available at will
  • Dessert buffet, coffee, and tea served during the intermission
  • Exclusive stable visit after the show
  • An Odysseo souvenir

The Big Top

After the show we got the opportunity to go backstage and it was during this tour that you really get to appreciate the size of this whole production. The ‘compound’ is made up of five separate tents with the White Big Top itself being 210 feet wide and 110 feet high. The stage area was about the size of a football field! It’s so big that it takes 5.8 kilometres, yes kilometres, of cable to anchor it to the ground. The other tents house the Rendez-Vous VIP lounge, a climate-controlled stable for the 65 horses, the Warm-Up tent where riders rehearse with the horses before and after the show, and finally the kitchen tent which prepares more than 300 meals a day.

A performer from Odysseo and his horses

The Show Itself

This show had no problem keeping the attention of every one of the spectators in the audience. I sat there in awe of the co-ordination of all the horses on stage and how they respond in unison to the slightest signal from their trainers. The horses are the stars of this show but they aren’t the only performers that wow the audience.

There are 50 artists that are consist of riders, acrobats, aerialists, dancers, and musicians  from all over the globe, from next door in the U.S., to as far away as South Africa and Russia. The show is so fast paced at times that a performer may only have 30 seconds to do a quick costume change between numbers. Speaking of costume changes, there are 350 costumes and 100 pairs of shoes and boots in the show. Some artists may have up to seven different costumes.

Some of the performers are so acrobatic I almost got dizzy watching them perform continuous back flips across the football sized stage. There were also other performers wearing stilts that flew over the heads of others.

Acrobats from Odysseo flying through the air

If you haven’t seen the show as yet then there’s no need to worry. The show has been extended till August 13th and there are still tickets available for a few performances. You can purchase tickets here and use the code ‘SOCIAL’ for a 15% discount.

If you do make it to the show please leave me a comment below, I’d love to hear what you thought of the show.

 

Disclaimer: I was not compensated monetarily for this post but I was provided 2 Rendez-Vous VIP tickets. Opinions are 100% my own.

Permanent link to this article: https://www.goatrotichronicles.ca/odysseo/

2 comments

  1. Would love to win!

    1. Best of luck to you, it’s a fantastic prize.

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