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Florida Events, January 2008
Florida Events Calendar for January 2008
Early January sees the last of the holiday season attractions and events at the theme parks coming to a close but if you hurry you will still be able to see Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade at Disney's Animal Kingdom, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney's MGM-Studios, Christmas at Dixie Stampede at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede and ICE! at Gaylord Palms.
As always there are a number of New Year's Eve parties taking place throughout Florida, more details can be found here.
As of January 1st, the Disney MGM-Studios theme park is re-branded as Disney's Hollywood Studios. January also sees the switch over with the Disney water parks. On January 6, 2008 Disney's Typhoon Lagoon re-opens after its annual maintenance and Disney's Blizzard Beach closes until mid March 2008.
NASA had hoped to launch the Space Shuttle Atlantis that was delayed from its launch in December 2007 due to electrical problems with the engine fuel cut-off sensors but this is now pushed back to no earlier than February.
Once the holiday season ends, the theme parks will start to get quieter again.
As well as all the Florida events for January 2008 listed on this page, why not also check out our Florida Things to Do pages for more great ideas of what to do on your Florida vacation.
US National Holidays & other notable dates |
|
| 1st | New Year's Day heralds the start of a new year. Many of the theme parks, towns and cities around Florida ring in the new year with special New Year's Eve celebrations. |
| 21st | Martin Luther King Day commemorates the birthday of The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. who was an African-American clergyman who fought tirelessly for the civil rights of all Americans until he was assassinated in 1968. |
Theme Park Events | |
| November 12th to January 6th, 2008 | Disney's Animal Kingdom puts on a special festive Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade throughout the holiday season plus you can visit Santa Goofy's Wild Wonderland. |
| November 12th to January 6th, 2008 | The spectacular The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights lights up New York Street every night at Disney-MGM Studios (Disney's Hollywood Studios) with millions of twinkling lights set to holiday music. Included in standard admission. |
| November 23rd to January 5th, 2008 | The Holy Land Experience celebrates Christmas with their own Come To The Manger - A Bethlehem Christmas musical plus a host of other celebrations including Light the Lights! - The Story of Hanukah, The Mysteries of the Magi, KidVenture - The True Story of St. Nicholas, Talebearers, Ye Olde Christmas Carols and Christmas Southern Gospel (www.holylandexperience.com). |
| various dates |
Starting on January 21 and running on nine selected nights from 7:00 pm to 12:00 am,
until February 26 is the return of Disney's Pirate & Princess Party at the Magic
Kingdom where you can hunt for chocolate doubloons, see Disney's Enchanted Adventures
Parade, watch the Magic, Music and Mayhem fireworks spectacular and the Dream Along
With Mickey castle stage show.
Selected attractions will remain open and you can come in costume if you wish.
The party takes place on January 21, 26 and 29, February 2, 5, 9, 14, 22 and 26. Tickets cost US$43.95 for adults and US$37.95 for children if bought in advance or US$45.95 for adults and US$39.95 for children if bought on the day (all prices plus tax). |
| various dates | SeaWorld are hosting two Wild Weekends with Jack Hanna (January 12 to 13) and Julie Scardina (January 19 to 20) at the Nautilus Theater. Jack Hanna, host of TV's "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures" introduces you to animals from around the world, shares amazing stories and shows hilarious out-takes. Entry is included in the regular admission (www.seaworld.com) |
Parades and Carnivals | |
| 19th and 26th | The fun starts with the Gasparilla Extravaganza on the 19th in Tampa
featuring the Children's Gasparilla Parade and the Red Baron Frozen Pizza "Piratechnic"
Extravaganza.
The following weekend on the 26th, is the Southwest Airlines Gasparilla Pirate Fest which starts with the Gasparilla Invasion when pirate ship, the Jose Gasparilla sails into Hillsborough Bay. In the afternoon, the Gasparilla Parade of the Pirates starts at the intersection of Bayshore Boulevard and Bay to Bay Boulevard (www.gasparillapiratefest.com). |
Sporting Events | |
| December 21st to January 1st, 2008 | The Skydive City Annual Christmas Boogie is at Zephyrhills where you can witness over 1200 jumps every day. Over 700 skydivers from around the world take part in one of the largest parties in Florida. On New Year's Eve there is Pirate Day along with a fireworks display (www.skydivecity.com). |
| 4th to 6th | The Southeastern Circuit Finals rodeo is at Brighton (www.rodeoattitude.com). |
| 4th to 11th | The 4th Annual O'Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro Surfing Festivalis one of the top three surf events in mainland North America (www.oneill.com). |
| 10th to 12th | Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex is host to the 2008 Disney's Health & Fitness Expo ahead of the Disney Marathon. Amongst the guest speakers are running legends Bill Rodgers and Jim Ryun. (www.disneyworldmarathon.com). |
| 13th | The 15th Annual Walt Disney World Marathon also takes place at
Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex.
Around 18,000 people are expected to compete on the 26.2-mile race around the Vacation
Kingdom property, including all four theme parks.
Four times winner, Adriano Bastos, will be attempting to retain his title
Other race events including a half marathon take place during the preceding days of the Expo and those who complete the full marathon will receive a special 15th Anniversary Marathon Finisher's Medal. Finishers in other races including the half marathon and Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge will also receive medals (www.disneyworldmarathon.com). |
| 19th to 20th | The NAMSA North American Championship & Tradewinds Midwinter OpenCat Nationals features daily catamaran races in several classes opening the annual Harken Buoy Series at Islamorada (www.catsailor.com). |
| 21st to 25th | The Acura Key West 2008 features nearly 300 racing yachts competing for class championships (www.premiere-racing.com). |
| 25th to 27th | The 59th Annual Homestead Championship Rodeo in at the Doc' DeMilly Rodeo Arena at Harris Field (www.homesteadrodeo.com). |
| 26th | The Rolex 24 at Daytona will see around 100 sports cars race at the Daytona International Speedway (www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com). |
| various dates | The Florida Keys host a series of angling competitions
(www.fla-keys.com):
|
Concerts & Music Festivals | |
| various dates | Cypress Gardens have a series of concerts already lined up including Chubby Checker "The Twist" (January 5), Country music legends, Mel Tillis (January 6) and Willie Nelson (January 12), The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddy & The Buckinghams (January 13), John Conlee's Country Music Caravan with Special Guests Janie Fricke and Johnny Lee (January 19), Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers (January 20), Miranda Lambert finalist on Nashville Star (January 26) and The Elvis Presley Story featuring Ronnie McDowell, The Jordanaires, DJ Fontana and Millie Kirkham (January 27). (www.cypressgardens.com). |
| various dates | There are also some big name acts booked for Silver Springs including Willie Nelson (January 19) and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (January 26) (www.silversprings.com). |
| various dates | At the Historic Bok Sanctuary there are special concerts during January. On January 9 the day time concerts celebrate Edward Bok and on January 15th, it is the turn of Martin Luther King Jr. There is also a special Joseph Schwartz Piano Concert at Pinewood Estate at 4:30 pm on January 20th, by separate ticket admission (www.boksanctuary.org). |
| various dates | Busch Gardens Africa celebrate Irish music and dance with Irish Thunder
from January 10 until March 30.
January also sees the start of the Big Band Concert Series in the Stanleyville Theater including The Les Brown Band of Renown featuring Les Brown, Jr. (January 17 to 20), The Terry Myers Orchestra featuring Peter Appleyard (January 24 to 27, The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra (January 31 to February 3) and The Artie Shaw Orchestra featuring Dick Johnson (February 7 to 10) (www.buschgardens.com). |
Arts, Crafts and Film Festivals | |
| various dates | There are a number of weekend art festivals in January
(www.artfestival.com):
|
Airshows and Rocket Launches | |
| 17th to 20th | The U.S. Sport Aviation Expo 2008 takes place at Sebring Regional Airport and features Light Sport Aircraft, Sport Pilot and related certifications and includes fixed wing, trikes, powered parachutes and gyroplanes (www.sport-aviation-expo.com). |
| 18th to February 25th | The Collings Foundation start the Florida portion of their
Wings of Freedomtour with their Boeing B-17 Fortress, Consolidated B-24 Liberator
and North American B-25 Mitchell World War II bombers.
If you fancy seeing or even flying in one of them, head over to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (January 18 to 21), Pompano Beach Airpark (Januaey 22 to 24), Boca Raton Airport (January 24 to 28), Naples Municipal Airport (Januaey 28 to 30), Page Field Airport Fort Myers (January 30 to February 1), Venice Municipal Airport (February 1 to 4), Vandenberg Airport Tampa (February 4 to 6), Kissimmee Gateway Airport (February 6 to 8), Ocala Regional / Jim Taylor Field (Febraury 8 to 10) and finally Keystone Airpark, Keystone Heights (February 22 to 25). > Note that the Consolidated B-24 Liberator does not join the tour until the last Florida venue at Keystone Heights (www.collingsfoundation.org) |
County Fairs & Festivals | |
| 17th to 27th | The Florida Citrus Festival and Polk County Fair is
in Winter Haven and has been running since 1924.
The theme for this year's Festival is "We're Goin' Hog Wild".
This event showcases the Florida Citrus Industry and State of Florida agriculture, offering fairgoers fun and history including the Citrus Museum, competitions and fantastic rides (www.citrusfestival.com). |
| 17th to 27th | The 91st Annual Manatee County Fair is
in Palmetto and this year's theme is "What's Cookin' at the Manatee County Fair".
The fair has a midway from The Mighty Blue Grass Shows, livestock shows, pageants, cheerleading competitions, live music and food (www.manateecountyfair.com). |
| 17th to 27th | The 55th Annual DeSoto County Fair & Livestock Show features a midway, bull riding, live music, talent shows and pageants plus a livestock show (www.desotocountyfair.org). |
| 18th to February 3rd | The annual South Florida Fair runs for 17 days at the South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach. There are over 80 rides, games and attractions at the Wade Shows midway carnival plus the amazing Kachunga Alligator Show and a spectacular world class ice show (www.southfloridafair.com). |
| 19th | The 3rd Annual Florida Keys Seafood Festival is at Bayview Park in Key West (www.fla-keys.com). |
| 26th to 27th | The 23nd Annual Orange City Blue Spring Manatee Festival at the Blue Spring State Park features, over 100 arts and crafts booths, music and dancing, children's play area, Indian dancers and environmental displays (www.themanateefestival.com). |
Other Events including Holiday Season | |
| October 23rd to January 1st, 2008 | One of the first Christmas events of the year starts
at the Historic Bok Sanctuary with Christmas at Pinewood .
The Pinewood Estate 1930s Mediterranean Revival mansion is decorated for the holiday season and there are also family days, concerts, Santa visits and Shop at Bok night events (www.boksanctuary.org). |
| October 27th to January 5th, 2008 | Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede starts their
Christmas at Dixie Stampede towards the end of October, now in its 20th year.
For the holiday season, the Dixie Stampede combines the usual music, food and entertainment with scenes from the nativity including the three kings riding on camels plus snowfall, ice skating and an appearance by St Nicolas (www.dixiestampede.com). |
| November 17th to January 31st, 2008 | The 14th annual Nights of Lights in St. Augustine is decorated with two million tiny white lights adorning the palm trees and buildings of the city's historic district (www.getaway4florida.com). |
| November 19th to January 3rd, 2008 | Florida's answer to global warming has to be ICE! at Gaylord Palms !!.
Experience the 9 degree Fahrenheit winter wonderland walkthrough attraction made from nearly
two million pounds of ice. This year's theme is "A Holiday Road Trip".
Last year introduced several new scenes including a walk through holiday train and depot (www.gaylordhotels.com). |
| November 23rd to January 1st, 2008 | Historic Bok Sanctuary kick off the holiday season with Christmas at Pinewood: A Jolly Jazzy Holiday Home Tour in Pinewood Estate's 1930s Mediterranean Revival mansion plus parties, concerts, family days, Santa visits and Shop at Bok night events (www.boksanctuary.org). |
Also, why not download our free monthly Florida Desktop calendar/wallpaper to remind yourself of a Florida vacation past or yet to come and subscribe to our free monthly Florida newsletter which brings you all the latest news from the Sunshine State on the first of every month.
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