Cavalia – Australia Review

Cavalia is the new MUST see show in Australia and if all the media hype has not piqued your interest then maybe this review will tempt you a little more.

When we were invited to attend the opening night of Cavalia in Brisbane (Australia) we were excited but didn’t really know much about it. The numerous flags and billboards around the city really built up our anticipation and expectation.

At no fault of the producers of Cavalia (unless they can control the weather outside) the rain poured and it poured and whilst the gigantic princess castle white top was dry, the walk in and out to our seating was not. It was raining with puddles and we not only got soaked walking from the car park, we got wet walking from the entrance (food, drinks, merchandise) to our seats and once again at intermission.

The show – It was as theatrical as you could expect and the set’s were amazing. At the start the horse was stepping in water and then next section the water was gone? How? The music was mesmerizing and the horses looked stunning.

If you are into horse shows and horse jumping, you would probably be disappointed with the performances. On the other hand, if you had no interest in horses you would not be able to appreciate just how hard it is to get a horse to move, let along dance/prance around.

As with our Cirque du Soleil review last year, we wished it had started earlier. (Saturday and Sunday are the best days to go as there are day performances but these are selling out fast)

Here are 2 tips if you’re planning to attend the show.

1: Don’t wear heels. There is a rubber matting down for flooring and it has small holes at the joins. I really wished I was looking down more often to avoid continually stepping on the lines (clearly I didn’t play the Crack jumping game enough as a child).

2: Either arrive early around 6:30 to grab a seat in the waiting area or go late. The cattle holding tent as I liked to call it was packed (no outside space due to rain). With 2 kids it was impossible to move left or right and if you were claustrophobic – well god have mercy on your soul.

Tickets and Show information can be found here Cavalia.com.au – The show will also be touring the rest of the metros in Australia after its run in Brisbane.

Tickets start at $59 (partially obstructed) – $289.00

I am a little bit in love with these kinds of stick and stitch embroidery designs, because they are exactly the sort of project that gets you started straight away instead of sitting in a pile while you overthink thread colours and transfers for three weeks. The Christmas Stick and Stitch Embroidery Pattern from HoopArtStitch is a water-soluble peel-and-stick hand embroidery transfer, not a machine embroidery file, and Etsy lists it under craft supplies with fabric stabilizer and ink as the materials.

What makes this set especially appealing is how approachable it looks. The listing images show a pack of 12 Christmas-themed designs including a tree, ornaments, mug, pudding, reindeer, presents, mittens, mistletoe, bells, a poinsettia, and a car with presents on top, with the motifs shown at around 1.5 to 3 inches. That size feels very manageable, which is often exactly what helps people stay motivated. You can actually finish one, feel clever, and then want to do another instead of burning out halfway through some giant “character building” hoop.

I also think these are a great option for beginners because the hard part of getting the design onto the fabric is already sorted. You just peel, stick, stitch, and wash it away when you are done. That simple setup is a big part of why stick-and-stitch packs are so satisfying. They remove a lot of the fuss, which means you get to the fun part faster, and that alone can make hand embroidery feel much less intimidating. This is an inference based on the product format shown in the listing.

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Another nice little sign that people are genuinely drawn to it is that the listing was posted on 15 January 2026 and already has 1,585 favourites, which is a pretty good indication that this style of project is resonating with hand stitchers.

Overall, this feels like one of those easy Christmas embroidery projects for beginners that is genuinely motivating rather than aspirational in a stressful way. It is cute, practical, and has that instant-start appeal that makes you actually want to sit down and stitch. And honestly, I completely get why you are in love with them. Sometimes the best craft supplies are the ones that make it easier to begin.

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