Currently, the people of Los Angeles are losing their minds over a new pop-up gallery called the Happy Place. Situated in the Arts District in Downtown LA, the place offers a perfect opportunity to forget about your everyday problems and promises to put a smile on your face. The project also prides itself on providing many cool selfie spots, which is indeed a clever trick to attract a younger crowd and get them to post photos with relevant hashtags to draw even more visitors.

For just under $30, the visitors can enjoy 13 themed rooms, each boasting unique attractions and installations. For example, you can find a huge rainbow and a pot of gold that you can jump into. Remember those childhood days, when jumping into a ball pit was all we needed for happiness? I bet it would still be fun but doing that as an adult might be frowned upon. Well, worry not – the Happy Place has no age restrictions so you can jump away into a pot of soft gold coins and feel young again.

“There’s nothing you can do but to get into the bathtub immediately and take some bomb selfies with the ducks in the background”

Another attraction in the gallery allows visitors to lie in colourful confetti and make confetti angels. And how can you get upsetti when you’re rolling in confetti? Since it almost never snows in southern California, this also presents a rare opportunity for the locals to experience the joy of making snow angels. To add to the happiness, there’s also a glass dome where you can enjoy a confetti storm.

The Happy Place wouldn’t be truly happy without delicious snacks. Luckily, the organizers got that covered – the visitors can enjoy cake pops, ice cream, and even rainbow-coloured grilled cheese. What’s more, a couple of 7-foot-tall high heels made of M&M’s, though not edible, make a perfect background for a squad photo. It’s even possible to stand inside of them! There’s also a kiss-themed room with shiny XO-shaped installations and a red lip sofa, which again seem to be targeted at young people – many will inevitably post pictures all over their social media, blessing the project with even more publicity. Similarly, in a bright yellow room with a cosy bathtub and walls made of rubber ducks, there’s nothing you can do but to get into that bathtub immediately and take some bomb selfies with the ducks in the background. You paid for this so might as well.

But wait, that’s not all! The gallery also contains a room with the furniture on the ceiling, which creates an illusion of you being upside-down; the Super Bloom exhibition, made of 15,000 flowers; and the mirror room, which allows you to observe yourself from many different angles and maybe even strike a pose or two for another selfie. And the list of attractions goes on and on!

The upside-down room // Instagram @wearehappyplace

The pop-up became a huge deal even before it officially opened its doors on 20th November, and the first week’s tickets were already sold out by the opening day. It’s scheduled until 7th January 2018, so if you’re visiting California for the winter break, you might want to check it out. Though $30 isn’t super cheap, there’s nothing wrong with treating yourself during the holiday season, especially after a challenging term. But let’s be honest – many of us won’t spend our Christmas in California. So can we still experience the Happy Place? It’s not unreasonable to expect that being called a pop-up it’ll eventually start popping up in other large cities in the United States or even internationally, should the project receive enough success and publicity. One can only hope it’ll arrive to London sometime, though very many US projects stay within the country, while the UK does its own thing.

“So stay strong and positive throughout the difficult study period, and don’t let anything or anyone mess with your Happy Place!”

I have to admit – once I saw the Happy Place in a vlog of a youtuber I follow, I immediately wished I was in LA again, which I visited 2 months ago. I caught myself thinking that people in the US have so many more opportunities and more access to cool events/things/etc., which may never reach Europe. And this made me realize how often we concentrate on what we don’t have and how much better our lives could be, instead of appreciating what’s already around us. After all, happiness comes from within, and we all have the power to create our own Happy Place, especially once we realize how much we already have to be grateful for. So stay strong and positive throughout the difficult study period, even with the upcoming exams and deadlines, and don’t let anything or anyone mess with your Happy Place!