Central Florida hosts many annual events! Art festivals, flower and garden festivals, the Daytona 500 and many seasonal events. SeaWorld Adventure Park, Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando bring the fun with parades, live entertainment, stage shows, special fireworks and laser light shows and much more.
Events For Central Florida:
Dolly Parton Opens Dixie Stampede – Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede Dinner & Show Grand Opening is June 18 at the new $28 million attraction on I-4, adjacent to the Premium Outlet Mall. A press conference with Dolly will take place at 11 a.m., followed by Orlando’s first ever performance at the Dixie Stampede, complete with Dolly performing her original song “Color Me America.” For more information, call (407) 838-1719 or visit www.dixiestampede.com.
FRANK BIELEC OF TLC'S "TRADING SPACES" TO BE FEATURED SPEAKER AT ORLANDO HOME SHOW, DEBUTING THIS SEPT. 26-28 AT NEW ORANGE COUNTY CONVENTION CENTERConsumers can experience the newest in home and gardening trends and gather countless ideas from exhibitors and seminar experts representing 50-plus home improvement-related disciplines at the Orlando Home Show, debuting September 26-28, 2003 at the new Orange County Convention Center North Building on International Drive. The largest consumer home show in Central Florida, the Orlando Home Show will feature the very latest in remodeling, building, decorating and landscaping products and services. Highlights include:
- Frank Bielec, head designer on the popular TV show Trading Spaces appears Friday, Saturday and Sunday for seminars and autograph sessions
Show hours are Friday, September 26, 10:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m., Saturday, September 27, 10:00 a.m. -9:00 p.m., and Sunday, September 28, 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Tickets are available at the door, $7.00 for adults, $3.50 for children ages 6-12, and free for children ages 5 and under. Seniors are $5.00 on Friday only. Ample, convenient parking is available at the new Convention Center lot. For more details, visit www.dmgworldmedia.com, or call 800/274-6948, ext. 207. The Orlando Home Show will be the public's first opportunity to experience the new Orange County Convention Center. The show is produced by dmg world media, one of the world's leading exposition companies.
- Home Improvement Stage, presented by the National Kitchen and Bath Association, will feature seminars on kitchen trends and other topics
- Four Celebrity Water Gardens designed for local TV and radio personalities
- Millenia at Home - Interior Design Showcase features retailers from the world-class Mall at Millenia, including Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale's and Macy's
- Home Decorating Solutions is a special area highlighting 65 exhibits
- Free children's hands-on activity provided by the Mennello Museum of American Folk Art
- Plus, live entertainment, giveaways, contests and more.
Florida Theme Park Events and Info:
SeaWorld Adventure Park in Orlando: 2003 Calendar of Events
Packed With All-New Entertainment and Excitement . SeaWorld Orlando's 2003 calendar of events features a variety of exciting festivities planned throughout the year -- from a lip smackin' barbecue to a lively celebration of Hispanic culture. Best of all, every event is included with regular park admission.
SeaWorld Orlando Celebrates Latin Cultures with "Viva La Musica"
Orlando, Fla. -- SeaWorld employees Jannet Busto and Julio Lopez showcase some of the many tantalizing Latin specialties to be featured during the park's "Viva La Musica" event May 3rd and 4th, 2003.
Viva La Musica is a spicy and sensational weekend fiesta of music, concerts, dance, food sampling and crafts. The park-wide, two-day event features the sights, sounds and tastes of various Latino cultures, and is included with regular park admission and all SeaWorld annual passes.
SEPTEMBER 2003
VIVA LA MUSICA
A Celebration of Hispanic Music, Food and Culture - Sept. 27, 28
SeaWorld Orlando celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with "Viva La Musica," the second of two spicy weekend fiestas of Latin music, dance, culture and food with a flair. This sensational event features the many sights, sounds and tastes of various Latin cultures, with music, concerts, dance, food and crafts.OCTOBER 2003
SHAMU'S HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR - Oct. 25, 26
A festive fall feeling sweeps through SeaWorld Orlando during a ghoulishly good weekend of trick-or-treating, children's costume parades, story tellers, face painters, a pumpkin patch and plenty of kid-friendly spookiness. It's a safe and fun-filled family "spooktacular."NOVEMBER 2003
JACK HANNA ADVENTURE WEEKEND - Nov. 8, 9
Jack Hanna, renowned animal expert and host of TV's "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" and SeaWorld's "Shamu Adventure" show, showcases some of his furry and feathered exotic animal friends from all parts of the world. Hanna shares some amazing animal stories and hilarious bloopers during SeaWorld Orlando's popular "Jack Hanna Weekend."DECEMBER 2003
A NORMAN ROCKWELL HOLIDAY SHOWCASE: TAKE A WALK THROUGH THE COVERS OF "THE SATURDAY EVENING POST" - Nov. 15 - Jan. 5
Park guests can create yuletide memories and celebrate the American spirit during
"A Norman Rockwell Holiday Showcase." This holiday event transports guests into the world of one of America's beloved artists, Norman Rockwell. Life-size sculptures straight from the covers of The Saturday Evening Post weave a tale of family, friends and the warmth of the season. A 48-foot-tall Christmas tree adorned with brilliant lights and stunning ornaments, nightly story tellings, musicians and daily appearances by Santa Claus add to the celebration.
Walt Disney World Resort Events:
Epcot World Music Concert Series at America Gardens Theatre, June 13-Sept. 1, 2003 The Epcot World Music Concert Series will take place at the Walt Disney World Resort, June 13 – Sept. 1. The lineup of global performers includes: the Grammy-nominated Russian country and bluegrass group, Bering Strait (June 13-29); Canadian fiddler, Richard Wood (July 1-13); Australian rockers, Brother (July 15-27); African/Celtic group, Baka Beyond (July 29-Aug. 10); Brazilian musical artists, Mestre Ambrosia (Aug. 12-24); and Senegalese and West African fusion group, Vieux Diop with Wassalou (Aug. 25-Sept. 1). The concert series is included in the regular admission to Epcot.
The Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ return to training camp in July and August at Disney’s incredible Wide World of Sports Complex. For the second year in a row, Super Bowl XXXVII Champions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will be conducting their 2003 training camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. The team will be occupying all 115 rooms of the Celebration Hotel July 18 – Aug. 15.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 4 at Disney-MGM Studios has launched a new drop sequence that takes riders to a new level of terror. The cutting-edge technology of the Tower of Terror allows ride engineers to re-program new twists to the ride, in this case launching riders to the top of the tower in breathtaking speed then dropping them faster-than-free-fall to the bottom again and again -- more drops than ever before.
House of Blues at DownTown Disney's WestSide (concert events, singing engagements,gospel brunch and food and fun)
Universal Orlando® Resort Events: Theme Park Highlights
GRAND OPENING OF “SHREK 4-D” - ORLANDO, FL – On Thursday, June 12, join thousands of Universal Studios guests toast Shrek and Fiona with green “champagne” and bear witness as the ogre couple cuts into the World’s Largest Wedding Cake at the premiere of "Shrek 4-D", the all-new multi-sensory and multi-media continuation of DreamWorks’ “Shrek” fairy tale adventure. This all-new animated saga that picks up where the Oscar-winning feature film “Shrek” left off, as Shrek and Fiona embark on their Honeymoon.
ROCK THE UNIVERSE Music. Ministry. 2 Colossal Theme Parks. 1 Weekend. September 5-6, 2003 - 17 Of Christian Rock's Top Performers Electrify Audiences With a Weekend Of Cutting-Edge Sounds At Universal's Rock The Universe Concert Event – The biggest names in Christian Rock, combined with thrilling rides and attractions, will electrify audiences during one of the nation’s most powerful and inspiring music events this September at the sixth annual Rock The Universe at Universal Studios Florida. In addition to the performing artists, guests attending Rock The Universe will experience all of Universal Studios Florida’s thrilling attractions throughout the weekend, including JAWS, MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack, Back to the Future – The Ride, Twister…Ride it Out, the new Jimmy Neutron’s Nicktoon Blast and Shrek 4-D, opening this June, with select attractions open until 1 a.m.
Halloween Horror Nights
October 3-5, 10-12, 15-19, 22-26, 28 - November 1, 2003
This event may be too intense for young children.
It's totally different and totally unpredictable, with scares coming where you least expect them. From the moment you enter the park until the moment you leave, you'll be immersed in a blanket of fear with nowhere to escape. In addition, the rides and attractions that make you scream will be open.
Gatorland
Historic Bok Sanctuary:
Pointe Orlando and XS Orlando
Cypress Gardens:
Kennedy Space Center
“Camp Kennedy Space Center” 2003 Includes Simulator Rides, Astronaut Encounter and Mars Rover Exercise - KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – “Camp Kennedy Space Center” 2003 blasts off with a wide variety of exciting new activities and free 12-Month Passes to the Visitor Complex for all campers. The weeklong day camp educates children in 2nd through 9th grades about the dynamic world of space exploration and the amazing accomplishments of America ’s space program. Campers will ride a 3D-360 simulator, G-Force Simulator, and 1/6 Gravity Trainer; climb a Zero-G Wall; operate a simulated Mars rover; meet an astronaut; design space exploration vehicles; and much more.
Sessions run weekly from June 2 – August 8. Campers also receive four tickets to bring family members to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. For more information call 321-449-4444. www.KennedySpaceCenter.com.
- Shuttle Launch Update: Next Shuttle Launch: (unknown)
- When: Kennedy Space Center Events!
The Orange County Regional History Center presents Florida Remembers WWII from June 28 through Oct. 12. The 3,250-square-foot exhibit shares the stories of Florida’s heroes and includes memorabilia with a local historical impact. Children’s activities, veteran presentations, preservation workshops, and a three-part lecture series will run in conjunction with the exhibit.
The Orlando Science Center will launch the exhibit, Touch the Sky: An Action Science Exhibit on Sept. 18. Collaborating with several major community sponsors, the exhibit will explore the science and history of powered flight while also highlighting the contribution Central Florida has made to the aviation and simulation industries, including the opportunity to participate in the construction of a flight-worthy experimental aircraft. The exhibit is part of the national centennial celebration of the Wright Brothers’ historic first flight and will be the first time a science center has ever constructed an aircraft within its walls. Community sponsors include the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc., Experimental Aircraft Association of Orlando, Florida High Technology Corridor Council, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, National Centennial of Powered Flight, Progressive Aerodyne, Inc., Warbirds Museum, Air Orlando Aviation, Inc., Fantasy of Flight and Aerial Innovations. 407-514-2000, www.osc.org
TIFFANY LAMPS TO ILLUMINATE THE MORSE - WINTER PARK, FL – On February 4, The Morse Museum of American Art opens The Illuminated Vision: Tiffany Lamps and Lighting, the museum’s most comprehensive exhibition ever of Tiffany lamps and lighting from its permanent collection. The exhibition – on view through January 4, 2004 – will include more than 40 Tiffany lamps that taken together illustrate Tiffany’s visually dramatic and innovative design achievement in an era when electric light was poised to revolutionize the way we see. They will include examples of rare and prize-winning designs; selections made for his own home, Laurelton Hall; and lamps of virtually every sort.
The Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins College presents its summer exhibition, Double Vision: Artists’ Responses to the Collection, May 30 through Sept. 14. Twelve Central Florida artists were invited to interpret one artwork each from the Cornell’s distinguished collection. The exhibit will show the 12 pieces selected, which include paintings, prints, sculptures and decorative arts, together with the artists’ interpretation of the artwork. 407-646-2526; www.rollins.edu/cfam
The Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival recently announced its 2003-2004 Signature Series. Plays include “Cyrano de Bergerac” (Sept. 18 – Oct. 12), “Dracula: The Journal of Jonathan Harker” (Oct. 16 – Nov. 23), “Private Lives” (Jan. 15 – Feb. 8), “Othello” (Feb. 26 – March 28), “Antony & Cleopatra” (April 8-25), and the special holiday production of “A Christmas Carol” (Dec. 3-21). 407-447-1700, www.shakespearefest.org
