BILD Lethbridge Executive Officer Bridget Mearns speaks about the upcoming Home, Garden & Leisure Show. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Home, Garden & Leisure show returns in March, bigger than ever

Mar 1, 2025 | 6:00 AM

One of Lethbridge’s biggest annual conventions is coming up shortly.

The Home, Garden & Leisure Show will take over the Agri-food Hub & Trade Centre from March 13-15, 2025.

Marc Belisle, co-producer of the event, says the building is once again completely sold out with over 300 vendors from a variety of related sectors. He says they had to get rid of one of the stages and find other ways to make more room for vendors to set up.

“That building is gorgeous, but it’s also huge, so to be able to have the entire showroom floor sold out is going to look fantastic. When attendees walk into that room, they’re going to be blown away by the amount of potential people they can meet at the show this year,” says Belisle.

Some of the new additions to the Home, Garden & Leisure Show this year include:

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• Food Court Alley with dozens of local food vendors
• Lounge where exhibitors can take a break or meet with clients
• Family-friendly fun with plenty of surprises for kids
• Exhibitors for Every Project, whether you are looking for professional landscapers, renovators or DIY solutions

BILD Lethbridge Executive Officer Bridget Mearns says she is excited about the lounge.

“It’s not just an opportunity for businesses to meet with their clients or the public to come up, but it’s an opportunity for [business-to-business] contact,” says Mearns. “This is a great place for businesses to come together that are in the same industry to chat and learn from each other.”

A major returning event is the third annual Who BILDs it Best competition. It sees high school students test their carpentry skills against the clock.

Mearns says the competition is a great opportunity to encourage youths who already have an interest in the trades.

“They’re in the dual credit program, but maybe not wanting to do that high Skills Alberta or Skills Canada competition, but something where they can still showcase their skills, have some fun, stretch their boundaries, and do it in a kind of live and fun way,” says Mearns.

The Home, Garden & Leisure Show also features special guest appearances by social media influencer Shaun Umscheid, known as the “No Way Guy,” as well as gardening authors Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau.

HALO Air Ambulance returns as the convention’s charity sponsor.

CEO Paul Carolan says the emergency medical service is based out of Medicine Hat but routinely flies to Lethbridge and the surrounding communities.

“This is an incredible opportunity for us to make sure that people understand that HALO is part of their community, and being connected to organizations like 1st Choice [Savings & Credit Union], and we’re thankful for their sponsorship, and the BILD Lethbridge, is a great opportunity for us to tell our story really well,” says Carolan.

HALO recently added a second helicopter to its fleet, which will ensure there are no disruptions to services when one aircraft is down for maintenance.

It also means that HALO is able to bring one of its choppers to the Home, Garden & Leisure Show. Guests will be able to look at, touch and even sit in it.

Attendees can download the Meibel Events app on their iOS and Android devices to learn more about the Home, Garden & Leisure Show, as well as see a map showing all of the vendors.

Details are also available on HGLethbridge.ca

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