Cavalia Odysseo in Camarillo, CA
"The show itself is an indulgence to the senses. A visual delicacy, intensified by live music."
- Naza Holliman, Sweet P and Sky
It was hubby's Birthday weekend, and we celebrated by taking our two older kids to the latest Cavalia show, Odysseo, in Camarillo, CA. I am pretty sure I was more excited to attend this equestrian extravaganza, than anyone in my family. I have been pining to see a Cavalia show since the big white tent fist appeared in Los Angeles many years ago. Somehow, one way or another, I never made it.
We leisurely started our day and made the forty-five minute drive up to Camarillo. I don't know about you, but I'm a huge fan of the Camarillo Outlets, so the drive is familiar and flies by in the blink of an eye. Even the kids didn't complain. They were in the back seat eagerly watching videos of previous Cavalia shows to get themselves ready for what was to come.
We arrived early to check out the parking situation. As LA residents, we are used to parking being an issue. We were, once again, pleasantly surprised by a huge, well organized, FREE parking lot. You read that right, parking at Cavalia Odysseo is absolutely free and easy.
As we pulled up to the enourmouse white tent, excitement started to rise. We were all in awe of the tent's grandure and beauty as it rested against the early afternoon sky.
We had four tickets to the 2:00 pm show, (there are two shows daily, matinee and evening shows), and since we arrived early, we decided to get some breakfast at a local eatery, before going in to explore the Big White Tent.
If you arrive early like we did, don't worry, there is plenty to do.
The Big White Tent is filled with beautiful equestrian artwork. Paintings and sculptures adorn the the outside spaces, as well as the walls inside the tent. There is a gift shop, and of course, snacks.
There were plenty of photo ops for the family, and my hubby even got to use some of his photography skills, a hobby that hasn't been put to use much as of late, because he's been busy running a business. So, this little "day away" was a welcome treat for the four of us.
After exploring the inside of the Big White Tent, we settled down in an outside patio area equipped with picnic tables, heat lamps and a beautiful view of the tent.
This outside patio area is also where the restrooms are located. The restrooms are clean and neat, and while they are portable, these are not your usual porta-potties.
A word of advise, use the restroom before the show begins and do your best to avoid having to use the restroom at the thirty minute intermission. You will end up using your entire break waiting in line.
The show itself is an indulgence to the senses. A visual delicacy, intensified by live music. There are no prerecorded tracks here, only a fantastic singer and a handful of musicians who made the show come to life.
There are sixty five male horses doing incredible tricks, and showing off their sheer beauty, elegance and grace. And while the horses are enough to make the show, there is no abundance of human acrobatics to complete the show.
The cirque-style human acrobatics were breathtaking.
The entire show, including the thirty minute intermission, ran three hours. Hailey is fifteen years old and had no issue watching as long as she did. Princeton, who is turning four in less than a month, had a difficult time sitting through the second part of the show. This, however, was in no small part, due to a lack of a nap and an epic tantrum during the intermission. My baby, who never has tantrums, and I mean never, had a full fledged scream fest the entire time we were in line for the restroom.
He did settle down again and was especially amazed by the finale. We all were.
How does this show fare for a family with small kids and teens?
I am thankful that hubby and I had the wherewithal to leave Skyler, who turns two in a little over a month, at home. This is not a show that a two year old could sit through. It is simply too long, and would take away from the experience for the rest of your family, not to mention people sitting around you.
Princeton had a great time, but it was a bit long for him as well. However, had he taken even a short nap, I do believe this would have made the length of the show much easier for him to handle. So, advice to parents, make sure your little ones are well rested.
Our teenager Hailey, really liked Odysseo, but did think that some of the slower parts could have been shorter... so did hubby. Two peas in a pod, those two.
The both really enjoyed some of he faster paced parts of the show.
I loved the show from beginning to end. There was not a single part that I did not enjoy and I appreciated the length of the show. To be honest, I would have probably sat through six hours of Cavalia, had I been given the chance. I fully and completely enjoyed this magical experience and would highly recommend seeing it. Highly!
More than 30,000 tickets were sold two days before Odysseo's premier event, November 9th. Producers responded by adding four more weeks of the show to the limited run in Camarillo. That's an extended run of matinee and evening shows scheduled through January 7th, 2018.
Tickets to the newly added performances are now on sale and can be purchased at www.cavalia.com or by calling (866) 999-8111.
