Festivals & Events in Central Florida This Weekend

Wow! What a weekend to be in Central Florida this weekend is going to prove to be. So much going on and so much to enjoy… I think we need another 48 hours to fit it all in!

So, where to start…

First up is the 2013 Sun ‘n Fun International Fly-In & Expo at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport. The event was founded in 1974 and includes participants in the fly-in that include owners who, oddly enough, fly their aircraft to the event from all parts of the United States and Canada.  Many of the pilots fly their own vintage, homebuilt aircraft or restored ex-military aircraft.

SUN ‘n FUN has a whole host of events lined up that can be seen at their web site at http://www.sun-n-fun.org/.  The event will also welcome Kermit Weeks, founder and owner  of Fantasy of Flight, home to The World’s Greatest Aircraft Collection™.   Located across the SUN ‘n FUN campus and in the Florida Air Museum, guests are privileged year-round to view aircraft on loan from the Weeks Private Collection.  Displayed on the Warbird Ramp during the 39th Annual SUN ‘n FUN International Fly-In & Expo campus are five historic aircraft including the 1944 Bell P-63C Kingcobra on the Warbird Ramp, a WWII US-developed fighter, later adopted by the Soviet Union.   Also included are a 1943 Hawker Tempest Mk2 – a British late-WWII fixed wing single-engine fighter;  a 1942 Westland Lysander IIIA – a British WWII STOL liaison and observation aircraft; a 1945 Grumman Duck – the first in a long line of seaplanes built by Grumman Aircraft and a 1943 Grumman Wildcat – evolved from the Grumman F3F biplane, originally designed to be a biplane, but a major design shift in 1936 turned it into a cantilever monoplane.

Coming back down to earth is the Celebration Exotic Car Festival. This weekend sees the 10th Annual Celebration Exotic Car Festival children’s charity event. This event showcases North America’s largest collection of exotic cars, race cars and iconic Hollywood movie cars, coming together to help children with life threatening medical conditions. It’s a chance to enjoy the world class exotic car concourse set along the waterfront of Celebration and meet world famous chefs at the Food and Wine Portofino event.

Since 2004, over $800,000 has been donated to children’s charities, including Make-A-Wish, Special Olympics, and Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospitals just to name a few through the efforts of this event!

Saturday morning, will see Celebration welcome some 250 of the planets most exotic cars, race cars and Hollywood movie cars.  You’ll be able to see cars from manufacturers like  Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Bugatti, McLaren, Lotus, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Aston Marti, Pantera, DeLorean, and many others. The vehicles and owners will also compete for Class Trophies and the coveted Best of Show. The Celebration Exotic Car Festival has been named one of the 5 Best Car Shows in the World by Made Man Magazine. It’s a great event and it’s entirely FREE!

At Walt Disney World, the Flower and Garden festival continues. It’s a chance to savor seasonal foods and refreshing tastes at Garden Marketplaces throughout World Showcase as well as enjoy the numerous enchanting topiaries and gardens. We previewed it a couple of weeks ago if you’d like to take a look here.

Both SeaWorld and Busch Gardens open their Viva la Música! Daddy Yankee features at the Bayside Stadium at SeaWorld Orlando this Saturday while over at Busch Gardens – Tampa, Ednita Nazario takes the stage at Gwazi Field. The concerts are free with theme park admission and other events feature Latin cuisine, concerts and arts & crafts. More information about Viva la Música can be found on the SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa websites.

At Universal Orlando it’s Mardi Gras time and you can take the whole family to a party filled with music and fun. The air will be filled with the sound of PitBull this weekend and you can catch beads by the handful as the dazzling parade winds its way through the park with some incredible floats and colorful street performers in glittering costumes. The French Quarter Courtyard sizzles with authentic Cajun food and yet more live music from bands direct from New Orleans. More details here : https://www.universalorlando.com/Events/Mardi-Gras/

 And, as if that wasn’t enough for you, there’s some serious sports on this weekend. We’ve already told you about our love for The Masters but we also love the game of soccer and on Sunday we’ll be at the Citrus Bowl as Orlando City play their first home game of the 2013 season as they take on Rochester Rhinos.  So far the Lions have won one and lost one as they began their season on the road so they’ll be looking to make sure of victory in their quest for a third successive division title. The game kicks off at 6 p.m and the game has added interest as Rochester will have former Lion and fan favorite, Matt Luzunaris in the squad. The forward scored nine goals in 2012 for Orlando, good for second best on the team behind Dennis Chin. Orlando is 4-0-1 all time against Rochester, including a 4-0 rout last July at the Florida Citrus Bowl.

Gates open at 5 p.m. Sunday, with pregame festivities including a concert by local band Dropa Stone, drink specials, fan giveaways, and more. Tickets can be obtained at www.OrlandoCitySoccer.com

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