Seasonal events in Orlando

The Walt Disney World Marathon is a fantastic event held in January every year. It started in 1994 and has become a popular event at Disney for locals and tourists alike. Stretch those legs across different race distances, from a cool 5 km run – to a full marathon. Conveniently, you can look forward to having the parks to yourself as the races start early in the morning while it’s still dark and the rest of the world is still slumbering. Photo opportunities with various Disney characters along your run are part of the fun – and proof of your exploits for you to look proudly back on in years to come – and fret not, if you can’t run the distances, you could also just walk one of the shorter ones.

Megacon is one of North America’s largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming events. Pop culture icons, celebs, comic book illustrators and fans congregate for four days of remarkable festivities. Cosplay is a big part of it all – I saw almost 20 different variations of Spiderman last I was here, not to mention all the other many Marvel, Disney and DC Comic characters that I didn’t recognise but that stirred the child spirit within me.

Things in Orlando start looking up in March as the city bids farewell to the cold, rainy days of the winter. The EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival offers the perfect opportunity to usher in the warmer days – with topiary displays and living sculptures of your favorite Disney characters to cheer you up. Outdoor kitchens serving fare inspired by the surrounding gardens add to the magic – and it goes without saying that this also is a great place to let the kids loose.

UCF Celebrates the Arts Festival is an annual celebration of all things art, created by the University of Central Florida students and faculty. Similar to an exhibitor showcase this festival presents the student creative scene via band invitationals and short animation showings. Book narrations by well-known authors, interactive panels and other offerings are on show at this creative roadshow. Personally, these are two of my favorite weeks in the year.

Universal Orlando Mardi Gras is up there amongst the greats when it comes to Orlando’s events. Colorful parades, street performances and a thumping atmosphere to rival any other well-established carnival globally are but a few of the experiences to expect here. Fun for kids and adults alike, you can also gorge on various dishes from over 17 nations – all inspired by Mardi Gras traditions.

One of Orlando’s best-kept secrets and a personal favorite; the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Classics Series is a set of concerts that will blow your classical socks off! You can look forward to features such as the popular, three-night Resonate Festival – in themselves a world of their own within the Classics Series universe. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and the jazzy Zodiac Suite tend to feature in performances staged within this component of the Series, which is accessible for both lovers of the genre, general music lovers -and curious souls alike. Timeouts usually include a full-bar and light bites for purchase.

Get funky at the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival, held in May. Going strong for over 31 years, this event showcases the very best tricks and skills that local performance artists have up their sleeves – from theater performances to stunning art displays.

Performers have carte blanche to curate and manage their performances unhindered – and without too many bounds, so artistic freedom reigns supreme here. Befittingly, all the proceeds from the ticket sales are given back to the artist.

Disney World Gay Days were started in 1991 and only had 3,000 participants back then. The event now accommodates over 200,000 attendees in recent years. Disney World Gay Days were created with the intention of mobilizing the LGBTQ+ community, allowing them to enter parks such as Magic Kingdom to reclaim lost childhoods due to the effects of homophobia.

Join the other patrons of Gay Days by wearing red to symbolize unity and stand your ground as proud members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community.

You’ll also find several parties and events staggered around the festival (such as Girls in Wonderland, which is devoted to female-identifying members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Most locals in Orlando cannot wait for the day in the year that EPCOT’s International Food & Wine Festival returns to grace their calendars. Started in 1995, the event has been steadily expanded, due to popular demand, over the last few years. Dig into grub from the six continent pavilions – with drinks to boot. If you’re lucky, you may even rub shoulders with a celebrity chef.

Leave Orlando in August without watching an Orlando City soccer match – and you will have missed out on something truly spectacular. Soak up the sporting spirit of the city and share the enthusiasm of the players and fans as you join a din that can be heard almost a mile away. Featuring reasonably priced tickets and a prime downtown location, it’s both easy to get to, affordable and fun to be at the Exploria Stadium for a game.

If you’re a foodie looking to visit Orlando and you had to choose the best time to come, September would be a great bet. Orlando’s Magical Dining offers three-course meals from over 100 top-rated Orlando restaurants for just $40 per person. Since newly minted Michelin restaurants are also amongst the lineup, this is a great opportunity to sample great grub at a bargain.

Understandably, the dining experience is highly rated by travelers and locals like me who can’t stop eating but would also like to avoid burning a gaping hole in their wallets every weekend.

Considered one of THE ultimate nights at Universal Studios, Halloween Horror Nights are an Orlando staple and the perfect time to join in on the spooks. Sundown is round about the time when the frights start – as mazy trails lead you into frightful houses harboring no end of monsters, creepy-crawlies and terrifying prospects. As you may imagine, they are not for the faint of heart – and you may want to leave the toddlers at home but for those that are old and brave enough – expect a handful of memories from it all.

Orlando Come Out With Pride is one of the city’s marquee pride events. Floats laden with merrymakers from local and national businesses and good vibes all around are but a few of the offerings on the table here. It’s a time in which others like me can celebrate their identity freely with the community of Orlando.

Family-friendly components of the event include a rainbow ranch family zone where kids can take part in artistic activities, while those looking for a slightly more low-key activity can quench their thirst at the Sober Pride area, where mocktails of all tastes await. Show your support for the community by buying a trinket or two at some of the many marketplaces hosted by the event.

I’m told by those in the know that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is an absolute blast. Mickey is special, we can all agree – so unsurprisingly, the world’s most famous mouse celebrates his birthday over the entire month of December – with snow as well.

The fact checkers amongst you will note that it hasn’t snowed in Orlando since 1977 – but Disney and Mickey are no strangers to sorcery.

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, bespoke meals at the Disney restaurants, character meet and greets and unique merchandise specifically made for the holidays are a few of the things to look out for here. You can also just stand in awe of the many Christmas trees decked in tinsel and intricate decorations – and enjoy Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show, which well and truly sets the sky alight.