GlasGLOWing about.

Spent an incredible - and rare - evening out with the entire clan at Glasgow's annual Halloween seasoned event GlasGLOW in the Botanic Garden yesterday so thought I'd share (with comments from the brood) my thoughts on what was a thoroughly fantastic - and inclusive - night.

Running from 25th October until 10th November, with time slots every 15 minutes from 5pm, Glas-Glow promised to be a magical - and fun - interactive world (or 9) of colours, sound and light which it definitely delivered!

The doorway to adventure!

Fast-tracking was available to those who needed it with friendly and helpful staff to show us to the path leading to the first 'zone'.

The lighting and music on the path was amazing and not too overwhelming really giving visitors a chance to acclimatize to the new surroundings, I must admit that for me this was my favourite part purely because the mix of blue and red hues coupled with the almost filmic musical score ticked all my personal sensory boxes so I'd have been happy to stay there all evening!

Luckily the podlings (and mum Ro) had a bigger sense of adventure so we pressed on, Cassidy - our youngest was awe struck and commented that it was like "The Wizard of Oz" and this coming from a boy whose main source of chat is which chocolate he prefers is high praise indeed.

The first zone good and proper was called 'The Patch' and had a real Tim Burton-esque Nightmare Before Christmas vibe about it, with the smell of bonfires filling the air and the flickering lights from the huge carved pumpkin patch throwing spooky shadows across the gardens whilst a trio of creepy scarecrows waxed lyrical about life and the giant Pumpkin King belched smoke as we approached him.

Needless to say the podlings (and mum and dad) were squealing with delighted fright as he bellowed at the crowd.

The spooktacular Pumpkin King!

As the sound of scary Halloween spirits were replaced with electronic bleeps we entered The Arcade, a kind of tree-based Tron world featuring a mesmerizing tunnel cum walkway of light and sound that felt like a trip into the heady days of 80s video games that was, by far, Ro's favourite part of the evening.

As we left the Arcade we were quickly accosted by a mysterious Man In Black who after checking our security clearance ushered us into a quarantined area where a mysterious UFO, spotlit and mist enshrouded had crashed in a clearing, its occupants no doubt skulking in the shadows nearby....

The truth is, well right here actually!

Given the choice between toasting marshmallows in Marshmallow Land or searching for dragons our brood chose the latter so excitedly headed off to The Lair where a gaggle of huge dragon eggs hung ominously from a tree as a very nervous guide informed us that the aforementioned dragon had somehow gotten loose and was at that moment searching for food!

With the thought of being munched by a dragon at the forefront of our minds we bid a hasty retreat toward the less scary Wunderbar (and slightly more scary Zombie Tearoom) area but neither of these could match the sheer excitement that The Dance Palace held for the girls who were by this point chomping at the bit to throw some shapes (as the youngsters say) in The Kibble Palace greenhouse* that had been transformed for the occasion into a candy-coloured disco.

Suffice to say we (well they) danced their socks off for ages in what was the highlight of their night!

Captivated Cassidy.

With the podlings starting to flag after all the walking and dancing we decided to take a nice, slow stroll down the winding fairy light path to area X where a secret message was projected onto the bridge across the river Kelvin before heading home for snacks before bed and much excited chat regarding the magical journey we'd just undertaken. 

The girls say "It's a yes from us!"

Brilliant fun from start to finish, this years Glas-GLOW (and organizers Itison Events) seem to have really embraced the idea of making the event as autism friendly and accessible as possible, from the clear and concise sensory guide that's available to download before your visit to the handy lanyards you can show if you need extra help (alongside a convenient quiet area) and the friendly  approachable staff, I've always said that the best and most helpful way to make autistic folk feel welcome is to just be aware of us being there.

Autism friendly hours and sessions are all well and good but usually at times that are unsuitable or just appear as lip service whereas Glas-GLOW rather than go this route seemed to go all out to make the whole thing accessible - and more importantly welcoming - from the get go and must be applauded for this.

As an autistic parent of 3 autistic children, going out en masse is usually a logistical nightmare that's coupled with worries about how other people will react - whether it be fellow families or staff - but after seeing how friendly and welcoming the helpers were it felt like half the battle was won so we could just settle into having a good time.

Which we all most definitely did!

A sample of the sensory guide.

Obviously the event was - and is - very busy so like us it's best to aim for the earlier shows, we attended the 6:15 one so was just right as far as crowds go plus the staggered timings mean that you never feel too hemmed in.

Tho' as I mentioned earlier, knowing that at any time we could ask a staff member for help or to go to the quiet area adds a sense of safety not usually found at such huge events that just made things that wee bit easier and therefore added so much to the experience.

But who wants to hear/read my thoughts when the twin engines of destruction Amelia and Embeth have written a handy - and much more entertaining - review?

First Amelia:

And Embeth:

So the girls have spoken and it's a huge yes from them! - Tho' how the organizers will manage to fit in even more lights and dancing next year is anyone's guess!!

Brilliant fun all round and if Glas-Glow is anything to go by then the Christmas event Elfingrove (at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum next month)is going to be spectacular, Cassidy being a massive Santa fan is already counting the days.

Highly recommended!