The City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board is hosting the annual Downtown for the Holidays celebration all through the month of December, featuring a long lineup of free holiday events to enjoy at Lake Eola.
Be sure to stop by the amphitheater to enjoy the beautifully illuminated Eola Wonderland Christmas Tree and watch as the lights dance to popular holiday music and sync with the iconic Lake Eola fountain at 5:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m., 8:45 p.m., and 9:45 p.m. every night by the intersection of East Washington Street and North Rosalind Avenue.
Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, shoppers can enjoy the Merry Market, featuring local vendors with products ranging from soaps and candles to jewelry and more, between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., through Friday, December 23. And Santa will be making special appearances those same nights just around the corner at the Eola House between 5:30-9 p.m., where “snow” will fall at 6:15 p.m., 7:15 p.m., 8:15 p.m., and 9:15 p.m. for 15-minute intervals.
The City of Orlando will host a Sensory Night on Sunday, December 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. where you can enjoy the magic of the holidays in a sensory-friendly environment with no/low music, noise-canceling headphones, quiet places to enjoy snacks and water and “calming vibes,” and a train ride line system where you can hop on a holiday train, stress-free. The train will run on the North East Lawn 5:30-9 p.m. on the weekends.
Be sure to check out the Explore DTO app to enjoy augmented reality content for your selfies, including dancing with a gingerbread man, or taking a photo with a swan in a Santa hat.
Downtown for the Holidays will culminate on Saturday, December 23 at 8 p.m. with a dazzling display of synchronized drones flying in formation over Lake Eola Park, creating beautiful holiday-themed designs in the night sky. Attendees can sit back and watch a 12-minute light show featuring 500 drones from the comfort of their own blankets and lawn chairs.
Just up the street in Parramore, the newly opened Luminary Green Park has been illuminated with a number of holiday activations, including a “mesmerizing art installation and a dazzling holiday light show segment.” Temporary interactive art installation Loop is a retro-futuristic marriage of a music box, a zoetrope, and a railway handcar that invites visitors to step inside and become part of the magic by pumping a bar to activate the zoetrope and watch animated images come to life.
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