Bubbles and oysters; dresses and heels; feathers and sequins; burlesque and beer; and even a few fresh powder turns in between. Cornucopia was a weekend to remember!

When I was invited to participate in Whistler’s Cornucopia 2009, I was beyond excited. I’d heard for years about the wine tastings and seminars, sensational gastronomic experiences and the exclusive parties where girls wear heels – even whistler girls – and inhibitions are set aside. Cornucopia – which was recently ranked one of the top Top 10 International Food and Wine Festivals by Forbestraveler.com – lives up to the hype, and then exceeds it.

My first stop was the House Party, Best of BC – a festival opener featuring a variety of food and wine tastings in the foyer of the Whistler Conference Centre, including Pemberton’s potato vodka and seared halibut by Windset Farms.

Then, it was on to ARTrageous, which is put on by the Whistler Arts Council.

Here’s a great little preview video of ARTrageous:

A feast for the five senses, this event featured artists creating live paintings and roaming characters wearing costumes created out of materials donated by home improvement stores – the work of Carey from Paintertainment. The craft table is my favourite station at ARTrageous, complete with glue guns, feathers, beads, sequins and all kinds of delightful crafty bits and bobs. This year, the theme was burlesque so the craft was nipple tassels.

The grand finale of the night was Big John Bates and the Voodoo Dollz, a rockabilly punk act featuring live burlesque dancers. The girls are sexy, the costumes are elaborate, and the nipple tassels are swinging – and occasionally on fire!

Friday night, I headed to the infamous Casino Royale at Ric’s Grill. Vegas show girls, topless Bond Girls painted head to toe in gold glitter, Vegas-style games with fake money, fire dancers, Go-Go dancers, a contact juggler and hula hoop girls were all part of the circus of colour, sex, and magic.

The showgirls were cute, but in high demand. My friend and I got shuffled out of a photo shoot with them by an affluent gentleman who wanted to take a picture with them. Our egos were wounded.

We enjoyed canapes, a buffet meal, and a decadent chocolate fountain. Of course the open bars throughout the venue made for a fun night – especially that strawberry-infused champagne.

Somehow, I managed to wake up the next morning for Whistler Blackcomb’s early opening to do a few turns – which were epic, by the way. After a quick disco nap, I was off to my third night of Cornucopia.

Cornucopia is a girl’s chance to get dressed up. So, a few of us ladies – including one girlfriend in bejewelled Manolos, braved the snow in heels and short dresses.

The first stop was the CRUSH Gala Grand tasting, one of the signature events of Cornucopia that takes place in the Whistler conference Centre ballroom. This sellout wine showcase has been expanded to two days due to popularity. I’m certainly no wine guru, but I know what pleases my palate. Some of my favourites were Dirty Laundry‘s Pinot Noir, Road 13‘s Riesling, Inniskillin‘s Ice Wine, Miner Family‘s Oracle, and Poplar Grove‘s Syrah. The Dirty Laundry clothes peg made my night.

After CRUSH it was on to our final – and most anticipated – destination, the Bubbles + Oceans Afterparty at Araxi Restaurant. The spotlights out front illuminated huge fluffy white snowflakes, and created a sense of anticipation for night to come.

Araxi does seafood and they do it well. The oyster bar was amazing as always, and the canapes were melt in your mouth.

We enjoyed sampling from the champagne stations along the perimeter of the room, including one of the more unique blends by Ayala, which should be available in Whistler in the coming months, according to the rep.

After a great night of socializing, drinking and eating, I finished the night off with a chocolate espresso cocktail in the lounge. I left Araxi with the most delicious feeling of contentment.

By the end of the weekend, I had consumed copious amounts of champagne and food – and slept very little. But I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat. Snow sports are the heart and lifeblood of this town I call home, but cultural events like this are what give Whistler its dancing shoes.