Holiday Festivals Bring Fun and Cheer to Orlando

With all the fun holiday festivities that the Orlando theme parks have to offer, you may not want to stray outside the parks for seasonal fun this winter. However, you and your family would definitely be missing out if you didn’t, as Orlando is home to several exciting and unique holiday festivals. From a holiday festival that takes you back in time to a cultural holiday celebration, be sure to check out some of these fun events happening soon in the Orlando metropolitan area.

On December 6th, one of Orlando’s largest holiday celebrations will attract over 8,000 people when the Navidad Jibara festival comes to town. Located on the TG Lee Boulevard Grounds near Orlando International Airport, the 7th annual festival is Central Florida’s largest Hispanic-focused holiday celebration. The highly anticipated Navidad Jibara festival celebrates the holiday season traditions of Puerto Rico and the rest of the Hispanic community. However, that’s not to say that this is a Hispanics-only event; anyone can come and enjoy the music, exhibits, and traditional Latin food.

And what place is more appropriate for a holiday festival than Fort Christmas? Located twenty miles east of Orlando, this fort replica was modeled after a fort and stockade created by a force of 2,000 US Army volunteers and Alabama volunteers on December 25th, 1837. One of over 200 forts built during the Second Seminole Indian War, the fort was abandoned in March 1838 and reproduced by Orange County Parks Department in 1977. Today, the replica of the fort houses historical exhibits and presentations, as well as ten restored historical homes and structures built in the “Cracker” architecture of East Orange County.

During the Cracker Christmas Weekend on December 6th and 7th, the fort celebrates its namesake holiday with an annual festival of arts and crafts. Visitors can enjoy a large craft fair, special exhibits, and lots of great food. There’ll also be Florida Cracker demonstrations of arts from pioneer times, including broom making, spinning and weaving, blacksmithing, wood carving, Dutch oven cooking, and more.

Finally, on December 13th, the city of Kissimmee in Orlando-neighboring Osceola County will host a scaled-down version of its annual Holiday Extravaganza. From 4 to 6 pm at Toho Square, families can enjoy Santa’s Social at Toho Square, where kids can visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. And at night, the downtown streets of Kissimmee will illuminate with the Festival of Lights Parade at 6 pm, featuring Santa Claus and Scott & Erica from the Morning show on Mix 105.1. Food vendors will also be present offering tasty holiday treats during this seasonal spectacle.

So this winter, take a break from the parks to enjoy some of the sights and sounds of the season around Orlando and its neighboring cities. Be sure to also check out Celebration Town Center’s “Now Snowing” event, which features carolers, Santa, carriage rides, and nightly snowfall. And on December 4th and 5th, stop by Winter Park to see the Holiday Stroll & Tree Lighting Ceremony, along with the annual lighting of a special Tiffany’s window holiday display in Central Park. With all the fun and magic of these seasonal events, there’s no place like Orlando Florida for the holidays.

Unique Holiday Attractions in Orlando

As the holidays are approaching, every visitor to the Orlando area simply must take advantage of all the fun to be had – not only in Orlando theme parks such as Walt Disney World and Universal Studios, but outside the parks as well. This big metropolis of ours hosts so many unique and interesting holiday attractions that often go unnoticed, so we’re pointing them out! Be sure to check out these one-of-a-kind shows and events that only come ‘round once a year.

From November 12th through January 11th, 2009, check out Holidays at the Waterhouse Museum. One of the Maitland Historical Society’s Museums, this traditional Victorian home normally reflects the life of a middle-class Victorian family during the early days of Maitland. During the holidays however, the museum undergoes a holiday makeover with trees, decorations, and traditions that are both Victorian and Floridian. And guests will find an extra treat on their tour as they get to search for the annual visitor, the Waterhouse Mouse. This is a fun holiday attraction that’s both educational and merry.

Another fun attraction that the kids will especially love is Santa’s Holly Follies Spectacular Marionette Show. On stage at Pinocchio’s Marionnette Theater inside the Altamonte Springs Mall (on the first floor next to Sears) until November 26th, this show takes its audience on a fun look at holiday traditions around the world. Santa’s Holly Follies Spectacular is a David Eaton marionette show; Eaton has been an actor/puppeteer with several troupes in New York and Paris, and he appeared on Ohio television for eight years as Bozo the Clown. Kids will love this holiday show, and by the end, they’ll have even forgotten they’re watching puppets.

And of course, no Christmas is complete without catching A Christmas Story on television. But why watch it on TBS when you can catch it live on stage? That’s right – you can watch A Christmas Story performed live, complete with exploding fireplace, BB gun, and everything, at the Orlando Repertory Theater near Downtown Orlando. From November 21st through November 23rd, you can relive this classic Christmas tale of presents and adolescent yearning.

While you’re in the area, be sure to stop by Leu’s Holiday House at the Harry P. Leu Gardens. From November 27th through January 1st, the house will fill with Christmas trees trimmed with ribbons and bows, gorgeous ornaments, and amazing diorama displays designed by Roy’s Miniature Shop & Museum.

And after you’ve filled your belly on Thanksgiving, you may want to take a long nap to prepare for all the fun of the next day – and no, we don’t mean shopping. November 29th is the day that many cities have their annual Tree Lighting Ceremony. Celebration, Mount Dora, and Winter Park are just a few of the cities “lighting up” after Turkey Day.

So if you’re in town for the holidays, don’t forget to explore the city and all the seasonal merriment it has to offer. After all, Mickey Mouse isn’t the only one who celebrates the holidays – the rest of Orlando does too!

How to Have a Disney Fourth of July

Here’s what’s happening at Walt Disney World to celebrate the Fourth of July. Fireworks abound this year, along with cool concerts, new parades and special shows. Best of all, the Disney theme parks are all open late!

Disney Fourth of July - The Magic Kingdom

• Opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 1 a.m.
• Disney’s Celebrate America! – A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” – 9 p.m.
• “SpectroMagic” nighttime parade – 10:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.
• Disney ticket required for admission

Disney Fourth of July at Epcot

• Future World opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m.
• World Showcase opens at 11 a.m. and closed at 10 p.m.
• Historic character appearances throughout the day at the American Pavilion
• Extra shows by the Voices of Liberty, the American Adventure musical group
• Special Fourth finale added to “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth” – 10 p.m.
• Sounds Like Summer Concert Series performers: Bjorn Again, an ABBA tribute.
• Disney ticket required for admission

Disney Fourth of July at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Open 9 a.m. till 10 p.m.
• New! Block Party Bash interactive parade at 3 p.m.
• Fourth of July fireworks are at 9 p.m.
• The “Fantasmic!” show goes on at 10:30 p.m.
• Disney ticket required for admission

Disney Fourth of July at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

• Open 9 a.m. till 8 p.m.
• Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade 4 p.m.
• Disney ticket required for admission

Disney Fourth of July at Downtown Disney

• Fourth of July fireworks at 10:30 p.m.
• No Disney ticket needed to explore the dining, entertainment and shopping at Downtown Disney!

There are a few places on Disney property, besides the Disney parks themselves, that offer a fine view of the Fourth of July fireworks at Walt Disney World. And you don’t need a Disney ticket to get in!

To see the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show from a different perspective, dine atop Disney’s Contemporary Resort at the California Grill around show time, and you’ll be served a delicious treat that is not even on the menu!

Or check out the Fourth of July celebrations going on at Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios from Disney’s Boardwalk. From this vantage point, you can see the fireworks from both Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios!