Santa Claus is a very busy man around Orlando beginning in early November and continuing through Christmas Eve. From special events at shopping malls, breakfast celebrations, and parades, Santa Claus is out in full force around Orlando throughout the Holiday Season. Mrs Claus also is known to make an appearanceRead More →
When it comes to holiday parades, Thanksgiving Day may belong to Macy’s in New York City but Christmas day belongs to Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in Anaheim. While the Thanksgiving Day Parade is filmed live on Thanksgiving day, the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade is filmed in earlyRead More →
Beginning on select nights in the early part of November and continuing through December 18th, 2015, Disney World offers a separate-ticketed Christmas party at the Magic Kingdom called Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. With fireworks, stage shows, parades, holiday character dance parties, complimentary hot cocoa and cookies, and snow, MickeyRead More →
One of Disney World’s hidden gems during the Christmas Season is the Voices of Liberty Christmas Caroling that takes place from the day after Thanksgiving through the end of December. A Capella Christmas Caroling Before there were popular television A Capella shows like Glee, there was the Voices of Liberty.Read More →
Each year, the city of Winter Park commemorates the Christmas season by holding an event to turn on the lights of a large Christmas Tree in Central Park. The lighting ceremony features a children’s choir and Santa Claus. The Holiday Tree Lighting took place this year on Friday, December 5th, 2014 at 5:15pm. Holiday Movie in CentralRead More →
During the holidays of Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, and the weeks in-between, the Gaylord Palms Resort resembles an Orlando attraction more than it does a fancy resort (which it is). With breakfast experiences with Shrek, Cirque performances, Dreamworks Animation Meet and Greet Experiences, and a signature Ice Sculpture attraction,Read More →
Sometime between 672-754 AD, Christian lore states that St Boniface of Germany cut down a tree of Thor in order to disprove the legitimacy of the Norse gods to the local German tribe of the time. Spotting a fir tree growing in the roots of an old oak tree, BonifaceRead More →
Park Avenue is Winter Park’s main street with shops and restaurants that cater to the affluent citizens of Orlando and beyond. What Palo Alto is to California, Winter Park is to Florida. While Palo Alto’s main street starts with Stanford University, Winter Park’s main street starts with Rollins College. WhileRead More →
The 36th annual Christmas in the Park celebration in Winter Park, Florida begins at 6:15 pm on Thursday, December 4th, 2014 when the Morse Museum presents nine illuminated Tiffany windows in Central Park. Christmas in the Park To help usher in the Christmas season the 150-voice Bach Festival Choir, Children’s Choir, andRead More →
The 2014 Winter Park Christmas Parade will take place on Saturday, December 6, 2014 at 9 am along the streets of Park Avenue in Downtown Winter Park. The parade features over 100 parade units including marching bands, police and fire departments, and Disney World and Sea World floats. After the parade, goRead More →
Orlando Local Guide is pleased to announce an all new website and travel guide to help visitors and residents celebrate and organize their Christmas celebrations in Orlando with the launch of OrlandoChristmas.com. Orlando Christmas Guide Orlando Christmas Guide is the ultimate resource for all events and things to do aroundRead More →
On Thanksgiving and Christmas Day at the Rosen Shingle Creek Hotel on Universal Boulevard, just off International Drive, a grande holiday buffet and brunch is prepared for guests and visitors to the hotel from 11:30 am until 7 pm at the Café Osceola Restaurant. We were invited guests to theRead More →
Living on the east-side of Orlando for the last few years, my family has enjoyed visiting UCF during the Christmas season to attend their Light Up UCF event that features Christmas Caroling, outdoor movies, and an ice skating rink. In 2012, the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel launched their inaugural WinterRead More →
There are three signature hotels owned by hotelier Harris Rosen around the Orange County Convention Center around International Drive that celebrate the Christmas Season with holiday carolers and Santa Claus on Friday and Saturday nights on select weekends in the month of December. During a visit to the Rosen CentreRead More →
Visiting Disney World during the Christmas Holiday each year is one of the best times to visit the parks as special holiday shows, lights, and fireworks are on display each year as Disney celebrates the season and rings in the new year. During the holidays, the Magic Kingdom holds aRead More →
Part of the main allure of any Disney vacation for children at Disney World is watching the classic Disney Characters perform on stage in front of Cinderella Castle at the Magic Kingdom. During the Christmas Season, the characters put on a show with comedic performances of the Nutcracker and ChristmasRead More →
Disney World has two great fireworks shows to celebrate the season with a holiday tag to it’s Illuminations show at Epcot and Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season at the Magic Kingdom. Whereas the Illuminations edition is a short segment added to it’s traditional Fireworks show, the HolidayRead More →
The Gaylord Palms resort has several shows and activities to celebrate the Christmas season in the months of November and December and a highlight of those events is Christmas Caroling in the main atrium of the resort. The highlight of the caroling shows is the Christmas Tree Light Show called LuminescenceRead More →
The Gaylord Palms Resort is known for their holiday ICE! attraction during the Christmas season but another hidden gem not publicized as much is their Christmas Tree Lighting and Light Show that is held on select nights at the resort. With a live band and caroling bringing the season toRead More →
The Christmas Season is the best time of the year to visit the city of Winter Park, Florida to take in the sights, sounds, and shopping. From outdoor ice skating, parades on land and boat, and Christmas lights displays on neighborhood homes, Winter Park is the perfect place to spend theRead More →
A holiday tradition for many families at the Walt Disney World Resort is to ride the monorail and other Disney transportation to look at all of the decorations around the resort and the hotels. The most popular destination outside of the theme parks is the Grand Floridian Resort that hasRead More →
The Gingerbread House at the Grand Floridian gets a lot more attention but there is another Gingerbread House at Disney World that stars Donald Duck getting stuck in a chimney and Daisy Duck taking a look at Santa’s List. Gingerbread House at the Boardwalk Resort: Stitch munches on Gingerbread MenRead More →
Christmas Lights, some 200,000 of them, are added to Cinderella Castle each year at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Beginning in 2007, Disney started adding the Christmas Lights to the castle and the lights have been a great addition to help celebrate the season. Castle Lighting Ceremony EachRead More →
Jack Kazanzas graduated from Orlando High School (now Howard Middle School) in 1949 and lived his entire life in the city of Orlando when a Christmas star was erected between the two big department stores of the time in Downtown Orlando by Ivey’s and Dickson & Ives in 1955. DowntownRead More →