Mount Dora Art Festival
when: 6 - 7 Feb 2010 (annual)
where: Orlando
There is a reason why the Mount Dora Art Festival draws over 300,000 visitors annually. Held along the beautiful Lake Dora in Orlando, Florida, the two-day street festival offers original art, from photography to ceramics, live entertainment and family fun. Once upon a time, the Mount Dora Art Festival was a small event that debuted in 1975. The festival has grown from strength to strength, making it one of the largest in the state.
Over 285 artists from all over the world journey to Lake Dora annually with bags of paintings, jewellery, pottery and much more. Activities include live entertainment and a creative children's tent. For more information, visit the Mount Dora Arts Festival website.
Orlando Folk Festival
when: 13 - 14 Feb 2010 (annual)
where: Menello Museum of American Art
cost: Free
time: Daily 10am-5pm
The Orlando Folk Festival is an annual event hosted by Menello Museum of American Art. The two-day creative festival features storytelling, dance performances, demonstrations by folk and traditional craft artists and live music. A family-friendly affair, Orlando Folk Festival includes an array of events for children such as the storytelling stalls where children's imaginations are sparked. The grounds of the Menello Museum of American Art come alive with the colourful works of well-known regional artists.
Antiques Show & Sale
when: 19 - 21 Feb 2010 (annual)
where: Orlando Museum of Art
cost: US$10
time: Fri & Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 12pm-5pm
The Orlando Museum of Art's annual Antiques Show & Sale welcomes art dealers from throughout the eastern United States. They display a magnificent array of fine antique furniture, jewellery, paintings, garden ornaments, porcelain and much more
March
Arnold Palmer Invitational
when: 25 - 28 Mar 2010 (annual)
where: Bay Hill Golf Club
cost: Day ticket US$45
Weekly pass US$95
The Arnold Palmer Invitational is played at Palmer's Bay Hill Golf Club just outside Orlando each March. With a purse totalling US$6 million and over US$1 million for the winner, a first-class field is guaranteed. The Bay Hill Club is famous for its beauty and sweeps across 270 acres along the shores of the Butler Chain of Lakes, stretching 7207 yards. Tiger Woods won the championship both in 2008 and 2009.
NBA: Orlando Magic
when: 5 Oct 2009 - 14 Apr 2010 (annual)
where: TD Waterhouse Centre
cost: Various
The Orlando Magic play their NBA basketball games at the TD Waterhouse Centre. The regular season runs from early November until April. Please visit the NBA website for full details of all fixtures.
Florida Film Festival
The Florida Film Festival annually welcomes a wide range of features, shorts, documentaries, filmmaking forums and events to locations across Orlando and central Florida, including the Enzian Theater. The festival also includes various free seminars. Founded in 1992, the Florida Film Festival is produced by a local arts cinema, the Enzian Theater in Maitland, and has attracted sponsors ranging from local media to Universal Studios. The programming has a fairly wide remit, ranging from new studio and international releases to student films, works-in-progress and the work of local filmmakers.
The Florida Film Festival also features a competition for independent American features, shorts and documentaries (with audience awards plus juried prizes), as well its free seminars open to the public and aimed at film students and wannabe film makers.
AIDS Walk Orlando
AIDS Walk Orlando takes place in the beautiful environs of Lake Eola in the heart of the city. The three kilometre event helps to raise much needed funds for those suffering from AIDS in the Florida area. In addition to taking part in the walk, entrants can volunteer to head a team of ten participants or help set up the event. Please visit the AIDS Walk website for more details.
Orlando Greek Fest
when: 23 - 25 Apr 2010 (annual)
where: Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
time: Fri 6pm-11pm; Sat 11am-11pm; Sun 11am-6pm
The annual Orlando Greek Fest is held at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church. The family-orientated festival offers authentic Greek cuisine, music, dancing, live entertainment, church tours and lectures on iconography.
Cinco De Mayo festival
when: May 2010 (annual)
where: Universal Orlando
cost: US$7.95
With everything from strolling mariachis and Latin bands to tortilla-eating contests, Orlando's Univeral Studio celebrates the traditional Mexican holiday of Cinco De Mayo. The holiday commemorates the 1862 Battle Of Puebla, where an ill-equipped Mexican army of 4500 men defeated a well-armed 6500-strong French army.
Florida Music Festival and Conference
Revlers boogie at the Florida Music Festival in Orlando. Courtesy of www.floridamusicfestival.com
when: May 2010 (annual)
where: Orlando
Fifteen venues host around 250 bands over three days for the Florida Music Festival and Conference, held in Orlando, Florida. The event also provides the bands with a perfect opportunity to meet and network with other music industry professionals. The 2009 line-up is still in the making, but featured genres include acoustic, alternative, hard rock, pop, folk, country, indie rock, electronic and urban/hip-hop.
The Indie Film Jam, a nationwide short film and music video competition that represents the edgier side of the indie film festival scene, runs in conjunction with the event.
If music and movies aren't enough, then the Rock Walk art exhibition displays music-inspired pieces from concert art and album covers to sculptures and mixed media. For more information, please see the event website.
Orlando Fringe Festival
when:20 - 31 May 2010 (annual)
where: Loch Haven Park
The Orlando Fringe Festival takes hold of Loch Haven Park every year. The innovative festival encompasses an outdoor stage with nightly concerts and Kids Fringe to keep the little ones happy. Performers from all over the world make this part of their festival circuit, and are accepted on a first-come-first-served basis. This ensures diversity, as well as the all-important risk factor. Yes, you could be seeing the next Steven Berkoff at work, or you could be cringing at a group of amateurs struggling in their attempts to butcher a classic - it's all part of the fun!
Gay Days at Walt Disney World
when: Jun 2010 (annual)
where: Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World
For a few days each year Disney's magic is cast upon gays, lesbians and their families as the theme park itself, Universal Studios, Sea World and Busch Gardens open their doors for rides, movie mania and lots of parties. Visitors to the annual Gay Days at Walt Disney World can enjoy days out at the Animal Kingdom, a Gay Day at Disney/MGM Studios and the chance to relive their childhood at Magic Kingdom, with its glittering parade. There are nightly adult parties throughout the week too.
July
Vans Warped Tour
when: 25 Jul 2010 (annual)
where: Central Florida Fairground
The music and extreme sports behemoth that is the Vans Warped Tour rolls into Orlando's Central Florida Fairground. It presents leading punk and hardcore bands on ten stages, extreme sports demos, a Guitar Hero 2 Tent, Lucha Libre wrestling and more.
Running since the mid-1990s, the Warped Tour has now played hundreds of venues as it criss-crosses North America and beyond. Among the bands appearing in 2010 are After Midnight Project, Call The Cops, Emarosa and Sum 41.
You'll definitely break a sweat at the annual Downtown Orlando Triathlon which offers competitors challenging races. These include various different age group contests, over the sprint distances of a quarter-mile swim, 11.7 mile bike race and 3.7 mile run.
United States Dance Championships
when: Sep 2010 (annual)
where: Universal Orlando
cost: US$20-US$540
Contestants from over 30 countries dance their way to Universal Orlando for the United States Dance Championships. Spectators enjoy an atmosphere charged with Latin fire as both amateur and professional couples fight it out in the most elegant way possible. Related Information: Website
Wake Zone
when: May - Sep 2010 (annual)
where: Wet 'n Wild
cost: US$44.95; concessions US$38.95
time: Daily 12pm-dusk
Wet 'n Wild's Wake Zone lets you show off what you can do on a specially constructed half-mile lake. Visitors can take to the water to enjoy a waterski or skate while being pulled around on a special cable
October
Orlando Beer Festival
when: Oct 2010 (annual)
where: Orlando
cost: US$10
time: 5pm-late
Church Street turns into one massive celebration of amber nectar during the Orlando Beertoberfest. Over 40 brewers offer their wares to the thirsty public creating the biggest beer garden in downtown Orlando.
The restaurants along Orlando's promenade serve food and drink as well as providing live music and entertainment all day long, but let's face it, people are only here for one thing - the beer!
Children's Miracle Network Classic presented by Wal-Mart
when: Oct 2010 (annual)
where: Walt Disney World
cost: Day ticket US$20 • Weekly pass US$30 • Under 17s free with an adult
The Children's Miracle Network Classic, played on the Magnolia and Palm courses at Walt Disney World in Florida, is the final tournament in the newly-created seven-event Fall Series on the US PGA Tour.
Shamu's Halloween Spooktacular
when: Oct 2010; Weekends only (annual)
where: SeaWorld
Shamu's Halloween Spooktacular promises even more fun than usual at SeaWorld. Along with the killer whale shows, close-ups with dolphins and sharks and screamingly-good rollercoasters, there's lots of ghoulish entertainment and some special night-time shows. The Halloween fun for all the family includes trick-or-treating, a costume parade, a spooktacular show from Shamu the killer whale, plus a water-ski laser light finale show. Shamu's Happy Harbor is transformed into an autumn festival complete with bales of hay, scarecrows, corn stalks and many, many pumpkins. Throughout the day there are storytellers, a cowboy roper, stilt walkers and a pumpkin-carving contest.
Festival of Trees
when: Nov 2010 (annual)
where: Orlando Museum of Art
cost: US$10; children US$6
time: Daily 10am-5pm
The Orlando Museum of Art in Florida ushers in the holiday season with its annual Festival of Trees. The nine-day event features spectacularly decorated trees and wreaths, holiday vignettes, a gift boutique, special events and more.
Attracting around 80,000 visitors, the Orlando Citrus Parade marks the holiday season and two annual college football bowl games. It features marching bands, theme park characters from the nearby resorts and, most importantly, a procession of citrus-decorated floats.
The parade begins at 11am and proceeds past Lake Eola along North Rosalind Avenue, then down Orange Avenue and past the grandstands on South Street. Tangerines, clementines, oranges and grapefruit abound as locals and visitors unite for a massive party.
