Individual Florida Vacation Advice

Keep up-to-date with all the special events happening throughout Florida by checking here regularly.

Events:

Hard Rock Live - Orlando

A 3,000-capacity concert venue located at Universal Orlando's CityWalk, showcases music from national acts to emerging artists.

March 8th 2011 at 8:00PM
Kid Rock with Jamey Johnson
ON SALE NOW

March 13th 2011 at 7:00PM
Foreigner with Eddie Money
ON SALE NOW

March 17th 2011 at 8:00PM
KISS
ON SALE NOW

March 18th 2011 at 7:00PM
The Heavy Weight Factory Presents Friday Fight Nights
ON SALE NOW

March 20th 2011 at 7:00PM
Michael McDonald
ON SALE NOW

For more information of concert dates, or to book tickets Click Here

Universal Studios Mardi Gras Concerts 2011

Every Saturday and Select Nights February 12 to April 23. Celebrating over 15 years of Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando this years special concert line-up feathures headliners in Rock, Country, Pop and R&B including OneRepublic, Foreigner, Thirty Seconds To Mars and The Beach Boys. The Fire, Air Water and Earth themed Parade of elaborate, hand-crafted and authentic floats along with beads thrown from the costumed dancers and performers and float performers.

Note: Concerts are included in Theme park admission

Epcot - Flower and Garden Festival 2011

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival starts March 2nd - May 15th 2011 and includes a Toy story 3 themed display in the garden entrance of Future World, a larger than ever Bambi Butterfly House with over 1,000 native butterflies, gardening demonstrations and seminars, and Childrens play areas.

Disney's Hollywood Studios Starwars Weekends 2011

Starwars weekends dates for 2011 have been announced as May 20th-22nd, May 27th-29th, June 3rd-5th, and June 10th-12th.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party

Join Mickey and Friends for a fun Halloween filled evening at Magic Kingdom which is held most evenings in September and October after normal park closing between 7pm and 12am. Seperate admission is required. Guests of all ages are invited to dress up and collect sweets as the Trick-or-Treat their way around the park, there is also the special Mickey's "Boo-to-You" Halloween Parade and a special HalloWishes firework display featuring the Disney Villains. Meet Characters and Villains dressed in their Halloween best as you explore the park which has been specially decorated with special lighting and spooky music.
2011 Dates TBC

Christmas Decorations

Christmas decorations at the Walt Disney World Resort usually begin going up around the first of November. The decorations are gradually added at night and are completed by Thanksgiving weekend. The decorations start coming down around January 1.
The Disney resorts are all decorated for the holidays, as are the theme parks. Each theme park will have an enormous decorated Christmas tree and so will the Deluxe resort lobbies.
Deluxe Resort Edible Holiday Displays
Among the especially amazing decorations are the edible holiday displays whipped up by pastry chefs throughout Walt Disney World Resort. Gingerbread goodies are sold nearby.
The lobby of the Beach Club Resort usually has a fully detailed, life-sized gingerbread carousel.
The lobby of the Yacht Club Resort offers a miniature New England-style train racing through a sugary rock mountain surrounded by a candy-coated model village.
The lobby of BoardWalk Resort is home to Santa's Workshop as well as a customized BoardWalk train.
A holiday toy shop made of sugar and chocolate, featuring Pinocchio himself, is the sweet spot for Disney's Contemporary Resort guests to purchase treats and toys on the 4th floor of the tower building.
The biggest edible production is a gingerbread house at Grand Floridian Resort that is large enough that it doubles as a real bake shop. Featuring gingerbread using a classic Austrian recipe, the bake shop offers freshly baked items such as cookies, ornaments and miniature gingerbread houses. Other homemade items for sale include Stollen Bread, chocolate peppermint bark, lollipops and special Grand Floridian logo boxes filled with truffles. Demonstrations of how to decorate a gingerbread house take place in front of the bake shop six days a week.
American Adventure at Epcot
Santa's Gingerbread Bake Shop at Liberty Inn at American Adventure enchants guests of all ages. Guests peer inside the life-sized gingerbread house at goodies galore. The giant structure, made entirely of gingerbread, cookies and icing, features more than 800 pounds of sugar and more than 1,000 eggs. Inside the bake shop, Christmas cookies and hot and cold beverages, as well as souvenir gingerbread recipe cards, may be purchased. Opens in late November.

Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights - at Disney's Hollywood Studios

This elaborate holiday decoration display incorporating millions of Christmas lights, fake snow and various holiday vignettes was originally created by Jennings Osborne at his home in Little Rock, Arkansas. After he was forced to remove the display due to complaints by his neighbors, Disney agreed to use parts of it at Disney Hollywood Studios, where it has become an annual event.
In 2006, the spectacle was enhanced to include choreographed “dancing” lights which swirl and soar to an exhilarating medley of holiday music every 15 minutes, thanks to electronic wizardry featuring more than 400 dimmers. Every building façade, all the trees, wreaths, bells and holiday figures dance to classic tunes among “Florida snow” flurries.

2011 Holiday season dates: To Be Confirmed

Note: The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights is included in regular admission to Disney Hollywood Studios.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is held after the regular closing of Magic Kingdom and requires separate admission. (You don't have to have paid admission on the same day to the Magic Kingdom, in order to attend the special after-hours event.) The event is held from 7:00 pm to midnight on selected nights, usually running from the weekend after Thanksgiving through approximately December 18th.
Admission to the event includes complimentary hot chocolate and cookies, "snow" on Main Street, holiday stage shows, carolers, two performances of the holiday parade, and a special fireworks display. Plus, most of the major attractions will be open.
Special Note: Be aware that the same parades, shows, "snow" experience and fireworks (but not the hot chocolate and cookies) are offered as part of regular admission if you visit Magic Kingdom starting the day after Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party ends (December 18th) through New Year's Eve. So if you will be visiting Magic Kingdom between December 19th-31st, there is very little reason to spend the extra money to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party earlier in the month.
Although the number of people admitted each night is limited, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party can be quite crowded, particularly on weekend nights and the last couple of nights it's offered. It can be a lot of fun to attend if you want to get into the Christmas spirit in late November or early December, but don't necessarily expect to get on a lot of rides. The party is more about the parades and Christmas "atmosphere."

2011 Dates TBC

Epcot Holidays Around the World

For Holidays Around the World, Epcot's World Showcase transforms into a splendid display of international holiday traditions and storytelling. The special holiday fun takes place daily, usually from the end of November to December 30.
Holiday icons that delight children around the globe -- such as France's Père Noël and Italy's La Befana -- make special appearances in their respective countries, while Santa Claus himself pays visits to the American Adventure showcase. Guests see holiday traditions and legends as they are observed around the world, with Hanukah and Kwanza customs on display as well.
At 6 pm nightly, Mickey Mouse and his friends host a giant tree-lighting ceremony, complete with music and storytelling, in World Showcase Plaza. The Epcot evening spectacular of lights, lasers and fireworks, "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth," completes the celebration with a magical holiday finale.
Holidays Around the World is included with regular Epcot admission.

Holiday Sleigh Rides at Wilderness Lodge

Holiday sleigh rides are 30-minute "sleigh" rides through the woods from the Wilderness Lodge. (The horse-drawn vehicle is wheeled, but made to look like a red sleigh, complete with sleigh bells!)
This 25 minute sleigh ride departs every 30 minutes from 5:30 - 9:30pm. The 2010 dates have not been announced yet, but it customarily takes place during the month of December.
The cost is $60 (includes tax but not tip) per sleigh. A sleigh can hold up to 4 adults, or 2 adults and 3 kids.
Reservations are strongly suggested. The sleigh rides can be booked up to 90 days in advance. To reserve call 001-407-939-7529.

New Year's Eve & New Year's Day

Theme Parks
Magic Kingdom, Epcot and Disney-MGM Studios all stay open late on New Year's Eve and offer extra entertainment, usually including live performances, extra parades and fireworks. These festivities are included in regular park admission.
Disney's Animal Kingdom closes at the regular time and does not offer New Year's Eve events since they would disturb the animals. Christmas decorations remain up throughout Walt Disney World through New Year, and generally several days past the first of the year.

If you plan to visit any of the theme parks on either Christmas Day or New Year's Eve, be aware that the parks usually reach full capacity at some point during the day, and you may not be admitted (or re-admitted) to the parks after that point. (This is true even if you have a ticket, even if you're staying at a Disney resort and even if you have dining reservations in the park. If the park is full, it's full -- Disney has to follow fire regulations!) For that reason it's best to arrive first thing in the morning and stay in the same park all day. Bring any sweaters or jackets you may need later and stow them in a locker when you arrive (the lockers will also sell out). Get FASTPASSES right away if you think you will want to ride anything, because the lines will be very long by noon.