THE MAYHEM CONTINUES! EXPERIENCE

MUSEUM EVENTS

History Book Club: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Thursday, February 16, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Participation is free. RSVP requested.

Celebrating Black Arts and Culture

Saturday, February 18, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Admission is free.

Brechner Series – Joy and Pain: Black Music of the United States Global Praxis

Sunday, February 26, 2 – 3 p.m., free.

FOR MORE EVENTS, VISIT THEHISTORYCENTER.ORG/EVENTS

DISCOVER THE STORY of how Orlando concert promoter Figurehead invigorated the area’s musical landscape between 1985 and 2001. Explore what made this time in Orlando’s music scene so special – the bands and the clubs, the community and the chaos.

Lunch & Learn: Legends of Tinker Field Friday, March 3, noon – 1 p.m. Participate virtually or in-person.

First Saturdays: History Alive! Florida’s First People Saturday, March 4, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Activities are included with regular admission.

Coffee & Conversations: Dance Music in Central Florida

Sunday, March 5, 2 – 3 p.m. With Orlando DJ John Gardner. Admission is free.

Women’s History Month Breakfast

Thursday, March 9, 8 – 10 a.m.

Honoring Architects Ida Ryan and Isabel Roberts

Totally ’80s Pop Culture Trivia Happy Hour

Thursday, March 16, 6 – 8 p.m.

Cost: $15, members $10 (includes first 2 drinks).

Brechner Lecture Series – Good Day

Sunshine State: The Beatles in 1964 Florida

Sunday, March 19, 2 – 3 p.m.

Admission is free.

APRIL 2-15

UCF Celebrates the Arts Almost 40 different events showcasing creativity: theater, dance, visual arts, architecture, storytelling, literature, opera, classical, jazz and more. Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, 445 S. Magnolia Ave.; free; 407-358-6603; arts.cah.ucf.edu.

Orlando Record and CD Show 7 am; Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W. Colonial Drive; $3; 407-295-3247; facebook.com/lpand45man.

Sanford Indie Market Spring Edition Vintage, handcrafted, art and boutique items. 11 am; Tuffy’s Music Box, 200 Myrtle Ave., Sanford; facebook.com/tuffysmusicbox.

APRIL 14

Sideline Wine & Dine Enjoy wine and bites in the suites at Camping World Stadium. 7-10 pm; Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place; price TBA; 407-423-2476; floridacitrussports.com.

APRIL 14-15

Tampa Bay Screams Horror Convention Film fest with special guests Fred Olen Ray, Tamara Glynn, April Hunter, Denice Duff and more. Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore, 700 N. Westshore Blvd., Tampa; $35; gatorbladefilms.com/tampa-bay-screams.

APRIL 14-23

32nd Annual Florida Film Festival

Ten days and more than 160 films plus first-class events where film lovers mingle with filmmakers and celebrities. Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland; 407-629-1088; floridafilmfestival.com.

APRIL 15

28th Annual Earth Day Mount Dora 9 am; Downtown Mount Dora, East Fifth Avenue and North Donnelly Street, Mount Dora; mountdoraenvironment.org.

Orlando Book Festival A day-long celebration of books. Panels and talks from bestselling authors from all over the state, including a keynote from R.L. Stine. 10:30 am; Orlando Public Library, 101 E. Central Blvd.; free; 407-835-7323; ocls.info.

Spring Jazz ’n Blues Concert Outdoor concert featuring multiple jazz artists. 7-10 pm; Harry P. Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Ave.; $18; 407-246-2620; leugardens.org.

APRIL 15-16

Florida Groves Fest Tunes, cannabis, live art, tattooing, glassblowing, sneakerheads, foodies and more. Noon; Orlando Amphitheater, 4603 W. Colonial Drive; $45-$1200; 954294-4915; floridagrovesfest.com.

APRIL 16

Taco and Margarita Festival Tantalizing tacos and myriad margaritas, live professional wrestling, live DJs and musical performances, local arts and crafts artists, kids activities. Noon; Camping World Stadium, 1 Citrus Bowl Place; $12-$79; 407-423-2476; campingworldstadium.com.

April 22

The 18th Annual Central Florida Earth Day An exciting day of colorful and educational exhibits and activities. 10 am; Lake Eola Park, 512 E. Washington St.; free; cfearthday.org.

Earthday Birthday: Breaking Benjamin, Falling in Reverse, The Pretty Reckless, Beartooth, Sevendust, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Bad Wolves, Dorothy, New Years Day 11 am; Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W. Colonial Drive; $55-$199; 407-295-3247; wjrr.iheart.com.

Hannibal Square Heritage Center Folk & Urban Art Festival A celebration of Central Florida’s richly diverse culture through art, music, food and more. 10 am-4 pm; Hannibal Square Heritage Center, 642 W. New England Ave., Winter Park; free; 407-539-2680; cityofwinterpark.org.

NAMIWalks A 5K walk and community event through the National Alliance on Mental Illness supporting mental health awareness. 8 am; Cranes Roost Park, 274 Cranes Roost Blvd., Altamonte Springs; free; 407-253-1900; namiwalks.org.

Record Store Day The 16th annual celebration of the brick-and-mortar record store and the music, art and entertainment you take home. 8 am; Park Ave CDs, 2916 Corrine Drive; 407-447-7275; facebook.com/parkavecds.

APRIL 23-29

Winter Park Paint Out Live painting event. Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, 633 Osceola Ave., Winter Park; free; 407-647-6294; polasek.org.

APRIL 29

Orlando Pottery Festival Spring Arts Market 9 am-5 pm; Florida National Guard

Armory, 2809 S. Ferncreek Ave.; free; 407897-2713; orlandopotteryfestival.org.

APRIL 29-30

11th Annual St. Johns River Festival of the Arts A fine arts and crafts event with artwork from some of the best artists in the country. 10 am; Historic Downtown Sanford, First Street; 407-416-1779; stjohnsriverartfest.com.

MAY 1-2

APC National Pie Championships Pies from across the country go crust-to-crust for the national title. Embassy Suites South of Lake Buena Vista, 4955 Kyngs Heath Road, Kissimmee, 407-597-4000; free; piecouncil.org.

MAY 13

Bizarre World A unique vendor experience for the strange and unusual artist or merchants. Bring your wares and tears to this one-day extravaganza of all things odd and unusual. 10 am; Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W. Colonial Drive; $5; 407-295-3247; lunattix.com.

MAY 16-29

The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival Hundreds of ticketed performances from playwrights, performance artists and musicians from around the world will be on offer, along with food, drink and hobnobbing on the Fringe lawn. Various times and venues; ticket prices TBA; orlandofringe.org.

MAY 18

Bach Vocal Artists: Marriage of Music and Poetry 7:30 pm; Tiedtke Concert Hall, Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park; $15; 407-646-2000; bachfestivalflorida.org.

MAY 18-21

Welcome to Rockville: Tool, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, Pantera, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Deftones, Queens of the Stone Age Daytona International Speedway, 1801 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach; $289.99-$1,079.96; 904-2537223; welcometorockville.com.

MAY 19-21

Spooky Empire

An enormous room of vendors, a film and tattoo festival, music, celebrity speakers, and more to satiate even the most diehard aficionados of the spooky season. 1 pm; DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando, 5780 Major Boulevard; $40-$250; spookyempire.com.

MAY 20

Beer ’Merica

100 different craft brews to sample from, all from the good ol’ U.S. of A. Ages 21+. 3 pm; Gaston Edwards Park, 1236 N. Orange Ave.; $30-$65; beermericaorlando.com.

MAY 26

Culture Fete Weekend

The biggest soca artists from around the Caribbean perform live. 8 pm; Culture Fete Village, 9755 Delegates Drive; $50-$100; 352-874-3304; culturefeteweekend.com.

MAY 26-28

Orlando Carnival Downtown

Caribbean American festival with a wide assortment of DJs, Caribbean cuisine, and an enormous music lineup. Lorna Doone Park, 1519 W. Church St.; price TBA; orlandocarnivaldowntown.com.

BY SETH KUBERSKY

Last week, Ron DeSantis’ lapdogs in the Florida Legislature finally caught the Minnie Van they’ve been chasing and voted to replace Walt Disney World’s half-century-old Reedy Creek Improvement District with a nearly identical entity overseen by the Governor’s appointees. The transition will take a couple of years, and the effects are unlikely to be noticed by the average visitor during the near term, but it’s difficult to digest right now how this devouring of democratic norms will impact Orlando over time. In the meantime, I’m drowning my sorrows with a deep dive into the three theme park food festivals currently competing for your dining dollars. Because if you’re going to be living in a fantasyland that’s fumbling toward fascism, you might as well have a full stomach …

You’ve only got until Tuesday, Feb. 20, to enjoy this year’s International Festival of the Arts, the youngest, shortest and (in my opinion) best of EPCOT’s never-ending seasonal events. Disney’s food festivals continue to set the area’s gold standard in terms of ingredient quality and execution, and the Festival of the Arts outdoor kitchens present Instagrammable plates that look worthy of being eaten off fine china instead of a trash can. Unfortunately, the menus boast gourmet prices to match, and no discounts are available. In a restaurant, I’d be willing to pay $10.50 for Canada’s roasted bone marrow, or $7.50 for Craftsman Courtyard’s PEI mussels, but $9.25 for Italy’s two measly mushroom ravioli would be a rip-off anywhere. And although there’s a good variety of alcoholic options — I vouch for America’s spiked drinking chocolate on a cool evening — portion size and pricing ensures you’ll be broke before you get a buzz.

Between bites and beverages, be sure to check out the daily Disney on Broadway concerts culminating on Monday with a supersized show starring Ashley Brown, Michael James Scott, Kissy Simmons and Josh Strickland. The meet-and-greets with Disney artists and hands-on crafts also remain highlights of the event. But as a child of the ’80s, my No. 1 don’t-miss at this year’s EPCOT Festival of the Arts is Figment’s Inspiration Station inside the old Odyssey restaurant. It has been transformed into a tribute to the Imagination pavilion, complete with animation from the original ride and pin tables from the old ImageWorks playground. Seeing my palm once again in shimmering silver, the same as when I was 6, was nearly as intense a time-warp as the nearby Cosmic Rewind coaster.

SeaWorld’s Seven Seas Food Festival, which is now running Thursdays-Sundays through May 7, may be the relative newcomer on the block, but since launching in 2017 it has aggressively expanded to the point that it now boasts being “Orlando’s largest theme park food festival,” with more than 200 items (including 50-plus dishes and over 150 drinks) on offer.

I attended a hosted media preview of the festival and emerged impressed by many of the items highlighted for the press, especially the Moroccan lamb chop with truffle fries and the lobster shrimp cake from Sharks Underwater Grill (despite my longstanding edict that when eating at SeaWorld “fish are friends, not food”).

However, as I visited the festival booths and examined the menus — no easy feat, given the park’s wandering dead-end pathways, which are currently exacerbated by construction on the Pipeline coaster — I discovered confusing inconsistencies in pricing and preparation.

The same $12 buys you a sizable slab of Brazilian picanha steak, which was wellseasoned but served cold; a tiny bowl of tomato-forward Irish stew; or a three-inch segment of Mexican street corn. It’s obvious SeaWorld wants you to invest in sampling lanyards, which drop the per-item prices down to $7 or less, but even then you’ll need to perform mental gymnastics in order to extract maximum value, since most drinks are served in significantly smaller sample sizes. A happy exception are the shots of skubersky@orlandoweekly.com

Caribbean Moonshine.

Last but not least, Universal Orlando’s longrunning Mardi Gras celebration continues its evolution into an “International Flavors of Carnaval” food fest, and this year the good times are rolling until April 16 not only inside Universal Studios Florida, but at select spots in CityWalk and Islands of Adventure as well. Menus have expanded beyond the obvious New Orleans standbys with lesser-known NOLA specialties like yakamein, and standout ethnic additions include Japanese stuffed buns and Mexican shrimp ceviche.

Comparing Universal’s menus head-tohead with its rivals, it both undercuts them on some similar entrees, and outdoes them in others. For example, Universal’s street corn is $4 cheaper than SeaWorld’s for an entire ear, and although their Indonesian soft-shell crab costs more than twice as much as EPCOT’s, it’s a far meatier crustacean and comes served in a rich chili stew with sweet rolls.

Universal’s secret weapon is their Mardi Gras food and beverage card, which offers a 13-20% savings on purchases not only at booths during the event, but beyond at most restaurants in the parks; annual passholders get their usual discounts to boot. Just don’t burn through your entire card before the signature parade begins, lest you be too stuffed and/or sloshed to safely snag beads.

In summary, here’s your TL;DR for this season’s theme park food fest face-off: EPCOT is still the most upscale and expensive; SeaWorld is the most expansive, but it can be an exhausting, uneven value if you’re paying out of pocket; and I ultimately found Universal’s Mardi Gras the most satisfying overall, especially as an annual passholder. Now excuse me, I’ve still got dozens more dishes to try before the next wave of festivals rolls around.

Love Fest

Sunday, March 5 1pm - 6pm in front of Quantum Leap - enjoy music, food, drink & art at this family & dog friendly event

St. Paddy's Day Pub Crawl

Friday, March 17 7:30pm - 2am Buy $10 wristbands at Ten 10 Brewing or Wally's to take advantage of specials at 18 bars & restaurants

Backyard Oasis Tour

Saturday, April 15 2pm - 5pm Tour six beautiful backyards in Colonialtown North www.mills50.org for details

Spring Pup Paw-ty

Sunday, April 16 1pm - 6pm Buy $5 wristbands at Quantum Leap WInery to take advantage of specials for pup parents at numerous Mills 50 businesses. Proceeds to benefit Orlando Pet Alliance.