On the weekend of April 11, 2026, UpHouse, alongside Travel Manitoba and with assistance from Taste Toronto, brought the wonders of Manitoba and one of Canada's best kept secrets to Toronto—the Northern Lights. Safe to say the secret is out!
"The Portal to Manitoba" pop-up experience gave Torontonians the chance to experience the vibrant culture of Manitoba through a series of activations, including the "honey dill happy hour," hard water-themed mocktails (created in collaboration with Nonsuch Brewing Co.), and a re-creation of the beautiful Aurora Borealis—created with video straight out of Churchill, Manitoba.
And they loved it!
“I am beyond thrilled with how everything came together,” said Cody Chomiak, Vice President of Marketing of Travel Manitoba. “The response from Torontonians was just a delight. From their surprise about the Northern Lights in Manitoba, to showing interest in camping in our great province, to raving about our honey dill sauce – we clearly struck a chord.”
“We heard from multiple people that this was the ‘best activation’ they had been to, and that more Canadians are choosing to explore within Canada, with many now considering destinations like Manitoba,” Chomiak said.
A survey was distributed amongst the roughly 2,500 people that came to the pop-up, racking up 643 participants. Several data points showed that after a taste of the prairies, Torontonians showed a major shift in:
- How likely they were to travel to Manitoba – which nearly doubled in the “Very Likely Category” from their intent prior to the activation
- How their perspective changed about Manitoba – where nearly 80 per cent reported a strong positive change.
- In their knowledge of Manitoba – where 88 per cent of participants learned something new.
Apart from the raw data, we received so much love from the people of Toronto. It wasn’t just the lightshow that was memorable, “Friendly Manitoba,” and everything we’re about—from honey dill to ice-fishing—left a lasting impression with our guests.
Manitoba has a lot to offer. We left Torontonians with their bellies full, a twinkle in their eye, and interest in Manitoba higher than ever. The next step is getting our own community to see the beauty that’s right in front of their eyes – it’s everywhere when you look for it.
