“Holidays at Legoland Florida” Kicks off with a Drone Show and a Date for the Opening of the Galacticoaster.

- Michelle Snow

Legoland Florida

CitySurfing Orlando was invited to help LEGOLAND Florida kick off their Holidays at LEGOLAND® Presented by Hallmark Channel this weekend, and it included a surprise announcement of the Galicticoaster opening date.

We started the day exploring the park, heading to Miniland USA to enjoy all the LEGO buildings and miniscapes. We especially loved the miniatures of the Daytona International Speedway (complete with a car doing donuts in the winners circle) and the Kennedy Space Center.LEGOLAND Florida

LEGOLAND Florida

LEGOLAND Florida

We checked out the Festival of Flurries featuring a song and dance show of holiday songs with LEGO Snowman in the LEGO Kingdoms area. It was energetic and the kids in the audience were dancing along.

LEGOLAND Florida

We then made our way to LEGO NINJAGO WORLD where we missed a meet-and-greet but saw a bunch of cool Ninjago-themed LEGO creations.

LEGOLAND Florida

LEGOLAND Florida

Hungry, we decided to swing by the Kickin’ Chicken Co. to try their special holiday burger: the Pretzel Brrr-ger, a double patty burger with a creamy garlic cheese spread, a layer of cranberry marmalade, and some maple-candied bacon on a pretzel bun, served with fries.

LEGOLAND Florida

Over all, it was delicious, but dry. I tried to grab some sauces from the sauce bar in the restaurant, but the pumps weren’t working right. I finally got some ranch for my fries, and went to sit down in the air-conditioned seating area, but it was too tiny for my ecv to be in there so we ate outside.

After we ate, we decided to take a break from the high energy of the park and visit the Cypress Botanical Gardens section.

Cypress Gardens

Prior to being LEGOLAND Florida, the area was known as Cypress Gardens, which opened on January 2, 1936, as a botanical garden. Over the years it became one of the biggest attractions in Florida, known for its water ski shows, gardens, and Southern Belles, and became known as the “Water Ski Capital of the World.”

It closed on September 23, 2009, and in January 2010, Merlin Entertainments bought Cypress Gardens with intent to use the site for the fifth Legoland.

Thankfully LEGOLAND Florida chose to preserve a part of Cypress Gardens for guests to still enjoy,

Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens

The entrance is located near Pirates’ Cove, and the tree-shaded walking paths showcase natural Florida with thousands of native plants and other flora, including the iconic 85-year old Banyan tree that is so huge you can walk between its trunks. There are also plenty of seating areas with scenic views of Lake Eloise, and reminders of Cypress Gardens like The Chapel Gazebo, as well as the fact you’re still at LEGOLAND Florida.

Cypress Gardens

Cypress Gardens

I would have loved more signage, as we got a little lost trying to get back out. Part of the problem is one of the main connecting bridges is not accessible to ECV’s, requiring us to back track several times.

Soon it was time to return to modern day Florida and head to a media meet with LEGO Santa.

Lego Santa

We then headed over to Granny’s Apple Fries to try another holiday treat: Claus’ Cookie Apple Fries. This decadent sweet treat features a layer of LEGOLAND’s famous warm apple fries topped with cookie butter soft serve ice cream, sprinkles and served with two crunchy speculoos cookies in a souvenir bowl.

LEGOLAND Florida

It was such a large dish it took three of us to eat it all, and we enjoyed every bite. We give this holiday treat two thumbs-up.

The only thing that disappointed me was the ramp that lead up to the order window had a corner that wasn’t big enough for an ECV. Thankfully one of our party could walk up steps, or we would have had to pass on trying the treat.

LEGOLAND Florida

LEGOLAND Florida

Our day at LEGOLAND Florida ended circled around the LEGO Christmas tree, waiting for the first official lighting of the holiday season.

Emily Calandrelli, acclaimed science communicator, beloved TV host, aerospace engineer, and the 100th woman in space, took center stage to lead the countdown with LEGO Santa, but just prior to the tree lighting, the sky over LEGOLAND Florida lit up with a special drone show that announced the opening date for the new Galacticoaster coming to the park in 2026.

The all-new indoor family space-themed rollercoaster, Galacticoaster will launch on February 27, 2026.

@zengrrl

At this weekend’s Holidays at @legolandflorida kick-off, it was announced via a drone show that the new indoor rollercoaster, Galacticoaster, will debut on February 27, 2026! More details at CitySurfingOrlando.com.

? 2001 A Space Odyssey – The New World Orchestra

Holidays at LEGOLAND continues on select dates through December, offering families a festive atmosphere filled with twinkling lights, holiday-themed shows, interactive experiences, exclusive LEGO build opportunities, and the beloved LEGO Christmas Tree.

LEGOLAND Florida

Guests can enjoy character meet-and-greets, limited-edition holiday merchandise, and dazzling seasonal décor, along with a kid-friendly New Year’s Eve celebration featuring an early countdown and spectacular fireworks.

For full event details, tickets, and special overnight packages, visit LEGOLAND.com/Florida.

About Michelle Snow

Michelle is the owner and editor of CitySurfing Orlando. She also owns Zengrrl.com, is a freelance writer specializing in travel and entertainment, has authored/co-authored four guidebooks on Orlando and Florida, and was head editor/writer at TheDisneyBlog.com for 10 years. She's lived in Orlando near Walt Disney World since 1995, and still finds there's so much fun to be had in Central Florida.
Scroll To Top