CITY NEWS

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

By Riesa Pascal

There is never a shortage of things to do when you live in the wonderful city of Orlando, Florida! Each new

month brings us an exciting plethora of new festivals, shows, family-friendly events and much more. Naturally,

the month of February was no exception so here are all the highlights, just in case you missed it!

Presented by Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies and the creators of “Dazzling Nights”, “Down the Rabbit Hole” and the annual IMMERSE festival in Orlando came another fantastical,

family-friendly journey that inspired audiences with wonder, awe, friendship and adventure. “Dragons & Fairies’ invited audiences to experience a moving story as live actors in beautiful costumes led visitors on a 3/4 mile journey through Harry P. Leu Gardens. Along the way, they encountered large-scale lighting installations, lots of surprises and even animatronic dragons. It’s a journey unlike anything you’ve ever seen and the installation runs until March 6th so you still have time to catch it for yourself.

February 5th kicked off Universal Orlando’s annual Mardi Gras celebration! Every night until April 24th, guests of Universal Studios are experiencing nightly parades with outrageous street performers, colorful costumes, and countless beads flying through the air. Of course you can’t have a great party without great food and music! In addition to authentic New Orleans bands and mouth-watering Cajun food available for purchase, attendees also get to enjoy live performances from some of the biggest names in pop, rock, country, R&B and more at the Music Plaza stage on select nights. Best of all, the festivities are included with Universal Studios theme park admission so don’t miss out on the fun!

Orlando’s Largest Pet Festival returned to downtown Lake Eola Park on Saturday, February 12th for a full day of four-legged fun! Paws in the Park featured dog games, shopping, a beer garden, food trucks, adoptable pets and much more with all proceeds benefiting Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, the region’s oldest and largest animal welfare agency. The support of everyone who showed will help Pet Alliance save over 5,200 dogs and cats this year by providing shelter, care and love until they find their forever home.

On February 22nd, Orlando International Jazz Festival returned to the City Beautiful with exceptional live-music, food, drinks, art and vendors that made this annual event bigger and brighter than ever for 2022. It all went down at the Apopka Amphitheater, an outdoor entertainment venue located within the Apopka Northwest Recreational Complex with fixed covered seating of over 1,300 and lawn seating capable of accommodating up to 5,000 patrons to

enjoy.

BIG Salsa Festival Orlando was a three day latin event featuring some of the greatest names in performing arts and music! Each day from February 17th-22nd was packed with dance classes, amazing performances, and latin dance parties into the early morning hours. Those who’ve always wanted to learn how to dance found the festival to be the perfect beginning. BIG Orlando offered classes for beginners, challenges for the advanced, and everything in between from the best dancers in the world and our local community. Attendees will tell you that once you experience BIG Salsa Festival, it will surely become one of the premier events you look forward to every year!

The EPCOT® International Festival of the Arts came to a close for

the 2022 calendar year on February 21st. The festival presented an inspiring way to celebrate the best of the visual, culinary and performing arts, all in one destination. The list of artful sights, surprises, and unique experiences to explore was virtually endless with just one highlight being the Disney on Broadway Concert Series at the America Gardens Theatre. The stage lit up nightly as some of the brightest stars on Broadway performed beloved songs from more than 25 years of award-winning stage productions.

The most anticipated food & entertainment festival of 2022 returned to The Drive Shack from February 26th-27th! The Orlando Taco Festival brought a piece of Taco Heaven to the City Beautiful with over 25 restaurants and food trucks serving up their signature tacos, complete with margarita bars and even a Tequila Expo Area. Attendees of the annual event also enjoyed everything from an interactive mariachi experience and lucha libre wrestling to mechanical bull riding and so much more!