Whether you’re an Orlando native, or you’re visiting to get away from the cold, CitySurfing Orlando wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!
Last year was the final year for the much loved Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which ran for 20 years at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. So we thought it would be fun to revisit our coverage of the holiday event.
Sunshine, sandy beaches, and temps in the 80s don’t invoke Christmas, but Orlando has a lot of ways to get into the holiday spirit. From theme parks to resort spectaculars to winter carnivals, Central Florida has plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays.
Here are our picks for the ten best ways to celebrate Christmas week in Central Florida:
Christmas at Gaylord Palms is a great time to visit the resort, with several shows and attractions that will make you feel like it’s the holidays.
Yesterday, I told you all about this year’s ICE! attraction, featuring vignettes from the classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. But that’s not the only reason to take in Christmas at Gaylord Palms.
Christmas at Gaylord Palms is in full swing for the 2016 holiday season, and the centerpiece of the celebration is ICE!, which this year tells the story of A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Carved out of more than 2 million pounds of ice by artisans flown in from China, the classic Christmas tale is told in life-sized full-color ice creations.
This is the last year of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and I recorded some video clips of the lights during my visits to the park in the last month.
This first one is shot at the backside of the canopy of lights, one of my favorite parts of the light display:
Holidays in Florida are not known for white winters, but the Orlando Science Center is changing that with their Winter Science Spectacular running December 19 through January 3, 2016.
Learn while you have fun, with exhibits like “Animals in Winter” which shows how different animals adapt to cold weather changes where they live, including hibernating, migrating, and more.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is normally a separately ticketed event that can’t be seen unless you buy said ticket. But this weekend, Walt Disney World is giving you the chance to watch the highlights for free and from the comfort of your couch.
The theme park is continuing its live streaming events on Sunday, December 6, with live streams of “Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade” and “Holiday Wishes: Celebrate the Spirit of the Season” fireworks live from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom.
After only two nights, the annual Festival of Lights at Cypress Grove has been canceled by the Orange County Parks and Recreation Department because it was too popular.
Located on Holden Avenue between Orange Avenue and Orange Blossom Trail near Edgewood, the lights have seen around a 400% increase in traffic. Normally it draws 200 to 300 cars on a weeknight, but they saw almost 850 cars on Monday, and over 1,200 on Tuesday.
Universal Orlando Resort‘s 2015 Holidays Celebration kicks off December 5 and runs through January 2, 2016.
Guest will be able to enjoy Macy’s Holiday Parade, live music from Mannheim Steamroller, and Grinchmas, all included with park admission.
On select nights in December, visitors to LEGOLAND Florida will get to enjoy the annual Christmas Bricktacular Celebration.
This year, the festivities expand with an exclusive yuletide fireworks spectacular presented each night, plus a more than 30-foot-tall Christmas tree made entirely of LEGO and DUPLO® bricks, a life-size LEGO model of Santa, his reindeer and sleigh, themed scavenger hunts and more.
Monday night I joined other local bloggers for a sneak peek at this year’s Christmas at Gaylord Palms, which includes the centerpiece ICE!, as well as a new show, Cirque Dreams, and I have to say this year’s celebrations are very entertaining.
We started the evening with a short performance by the singing group, The Mistletones, who will be stationed in the Alpine Village area by ICE! and the snow tubing.
As we’ve mentioned before, this is the last year of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
As part of its holiday live streams, Walt Disney World will be showing a live look at the popular lights on Wednesday, November 18, at 10:30pm.
Ivanhoe Village‘s annual Jingle Eve returns November 21, to help kick off the holiday season in Orlando.
The free event will feature the lighting of the tree, live music, shopping, and even a visit from Santa from 5-8pm.
One of the highlights of the Christmas season in Orlando for me is an annual trip to see ICE! at the Gaylord Palms, and the resort has just announced this year’s ICE! theme.
Get ready for a trip through the favorite Christmas fable, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, as nearly 2 million pounds of hand-carved ice will be transformed into vignettes from the famous poem.