It is rare for me to write about something before going to it but I did so for CandyTown 2016. The promise of candy was just too hard to resist, even on a super crappy rainy day in Vancouver.
I braved the elements and took a bus and Skytrain down to Yaletown and was so grateful the event was literally right outside the station.
Many other people did too. It is November in Vancouver. It is going to be wet and it was very wet as you can tell by the sea of umbrellas along Mainland Street.
But I did not see roaming characters. I saw some blow-up Christmas characters like this snowman.
I also had a hard time seeing where the candy was. I walked all the way to the end of the street and made my way down past the food trucks, the retail vendors…
I finally saw this lineup at Ganong’s booth and joined, hoping for the best.
They were actually giving out free samples of their jellies and chocolates. Candy! Finally!
I got this lovely chocolate covered-caramel (which was hard as a rock thanks to the cold weather) and a coupon. Very nice.
But that was kind of it. Everyone was selling just about everything from women’s razors to pies, to jams and jellies to oysters but what about the candy? And oysters? Seriously? Because oysters and candy go hand-in-hand?
The Christmasy big band music could not cheer me up. I was soaking wet at this point, freezing and getting angry.
The six dollar chocolate bars could not put a smile on my face. Finding candy amongst all the other stuff with umbrellas getting stuck in my face all the time was no fun for me at all.
I did find the maple guys who were really making maple taffy for just $3!
Mine immediately started to fall off the popsicle stick. I barely caught it in time. It was delicious but I was done.
I know it was a free event but me getting there cost a lot. Not just because of bus fare but because I have a disabling disease and getting there was brutal on me. I was promised candy, ice sculptures, roaming characters… Three little booths with treats amongst other items that had nothing to do with candy was not worth the trip downtown in the pouring rain.
They could have done such a better job. For me, this was a total fail. I am sorry I promoted this event. I won’t do it again and I won’t be back.
That maple taffy on a stick — is that it? Is that all you got for your 3 bucks?
Yes, that’s it! And that was super cheap in comparison to the $6 small chocolate bars. Crazy!
Man, Suzie. I’m sorry it went down like this. And that little wee bit of candy for three bucks? Ouch.
Yes and that was a steal in comparison to the $6 chocolate bar. I don’t get it. What a waste of my time and energy.
Yikes, sounds brutal!!
It was!!!!
That sucks! Your face in the last photo says it all, Suzie!
LOL, thanks Debra. I took that when I got home and fully pissed off, LOL. Glad it shows!
They could have done so much better. Maybe they’ll learn from this one and improve next year. Love the facial expression for sure! lol
I hope so Fran! It’s one of the reasons I still write the article. I think they should know it was a letdown and what they can to do make it better. Yeah, that was my look of serious disappointment and anger at being so cold and wet by the time I got home.