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Florida Events, March 2008
Florida Events Calendar for March 2008
March is an important month for anyone of Irish descent in Florida when St. Patrick's Day is celebrated at a number of venues around the State.
If you are an 'old' music fan of the 60s and 70s then a number of well known performers will be playing concerts this month including the Beach Boys, Petula Clark, Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone, Peter & Gordon, Arlo Guthrie, Jose Feliciano, Gary Puckett and Tony Orlando.
Easter is early this year and some of the parks like Cypress Gardens will have special Easter egg events.
Spring Training gets into full swing as major baseball teams take part in the Grapefruit League.
March again is a great month for County Fairs particularly if you are a fan of strawberries with several strawberry festivals taking place in wonderfully appropriate places like Plant City and Floral City in Central Florida.
NASA also hopes to launch the second shuttle missions this year, during March.
As well as all the Florida events for March 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 |
|
| 17th | St. Patrick's Day - see Theme Park Events and Parades and Carnivals below for more details. |
| 23rd | Easter Sunday. Expect some shopping malls etc. to be closed. |
Theme Park Events |
|
| various dates |
Disney's Pirate & Princess Party continues in 2008 at the Magic Kingdom
on selected nights through March, April, May and June on March 1, 6, 11 and 14, April 1,
4, 6, 11, 16 and 23, May 2, 9, 16, 21, 26 and 31 and finally June 4. 2008, 7:00PM - 12:00AM
The party starts each night at 7:00 pm and finishes at midnight.
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. 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 | Busch Gardens Africa celebrate Irish music and dance with Irish Thunder from January 10 until March 30 (www.buschgardens.com). |
| February 22nd to March 30th | Cypress Gardens celebrate their annual lawn and garden show, The Festival of Flowers with Botanical Garden tours, gardening demonstrations and special entertainment (www.cypressgardens.com). |
| March 9th to June 1st | The 15th Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival has
increased from 60 to 75 days this year and features over 30 million blooms, gardens and
some 70 topiaries.
To coincide with the Magic Kingdom's Pirates and Princesses parties, Epcot have Peter Pan's Neverland Garden with Captain Hook's pirate ship created in topiary where you will be able to spot some of your favourite Disney characters in special Pirate and Princess costumes. You can meet top horticulturists at the new Garden Odyssey Festival Center or enjoy evening Flower Power Concerts in the American Gardens Theatre at 5:45 pm, 7:00 pm and 8:15pm. The schedule of performers includes TheGuess Who (March 19 to 22), Petula Clark (March 23 to 24), Paul Revere and the Raiders (March 25 to 29) The 5th Dimension (March 30 to 31), Rickey Nelson Remembered featuring The Nelsons (April 1 to 3), Jay Black (April 4 to 5), Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone (April 6 to 9), The Grass Roots featuring Rob Grill (April 10 to 13), The Happenings (April 14 to 16), Peter & Gordon (April 17 to 18), Starship starring Mickey Thomas (April 19 to 23), The Ventures (April 24 to 26), BJ Thomas (April 27 to 30), Arlo Guthrie (May 1 to 3), The Searchers (May 4 to 5), The Tokens (May 6 to 10), Davy Jones (May 11 to 15), Jose Feliciano May 16 to 17), Felix Cavaliere's Rascals (May 18 to 20), Gary Puckett (May 21 to 24), The Cowsills (May 25 to 27) and Tony Orlando (May 28 to June 1). Included with standard admission ticket (disneyworld.disney.go.com). |
| 9th | Disney's Blizzard Beach water park re-opens after its annual winter maintenance. Both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach will be open now until late 2008. |
| 14th, 15th and 17th | Most of the theme parks do not make too much of St. Patrick's Day but
Pleasure Island have a St. Patrick's Party over the weekend from 7:00 pm to 2:00 am
where may get the chance to meet a leprechaun and watch Irish artists, stilt walkers.
There are also live bands and DJ's at "Sham Rock 'n' Roll".
Club admission is not required to experience the outdoor entertainment.
The Raglan Road Irish Pub and Restaurant at Downtown Disney will celebrate on March 17 with live Irish music and dance, Irish food and a selection of Irish beers and whiskeys. There is a $15 cover charge after 4:00 pm. You will also see Irish dancing at the United Kingdom pavilion at Walt Disney World Epcot (disneyworld.disney.go.com). |
| 22nd | At Cypress Gardens there is the annual Eggstravaganza at the Gardens! where kids can hunt for thousands of Easter eggs (www.cypressgardens.com). |
| 22nd | At Silver Springs there is a Salute To America with the annual gathering of antique military vehicles, veterans groups, exhibits of local fire-rescue departments and fly-over by WWII aircraft. The Charlie Daniels Band are also in concert (www.silversprings.com). |
| to be confirmed | To celebrate Easter, the Holy Land Experience in Orlando presents Follow Me: The Road to Resurrection following the ministry, trial, death and resurrection (www.holylandexperience.com). |
Parades and Carnivals |
|
| selected dates | This year Mardi Gras is on February 5 and there are special Mardi Gras celebrations throughout the State including Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando® every Saturday night from February 2 to April 19. See the Mardi Gras celebrations page for more details. |
| 15th | In Coral Gables, they are holding their 30th Annual St. Patrick's Day Irish Festival in the Fred B. Harnett Park from Noon until Sunset (www.emeraldsocietysfl.com). |
| 15th | In Ocala, the Ocala St. Patrick's Day on the Square celebrations include Irish dancers, children's entertainment, traditional Irish food like corned beef and cabbage plus other food and crafts (www.ocalafl.org). |
| 15th | In Naples, they will be celebrating the 30th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade starting at 11:00 am (www.stpatricksparadenaples.com). |
| 15th | The 9th Annual Tallahassee Irish Society's St. Patrick's Parade takes place around along a 1/2 mile stroll around Lake Ella starting at 2:00 pm (irishtallahassee.org). |
| 17th | The St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Punta Gorda feature the Lee County Pipes and Drums, Irish dancers and traditional Irish music by Ron Donn (www.fishville.com). |
| 17th | The parade for the Annual St. Patrick's Day Celtic Festival in Lake Wales starts at 6:30 pm. There is also a Haggis Hunt (historiclakewales.com). |
Sporting Events |
|
| mid February onwards | The Atlanta Braves are due to start their Spring training at the Cracker Jack® Stadium at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex from mid February through to the end of March as the nations baseball teams head south for Spring training in Florida or Arizona. Their first game in on February 27 when they play an exhibition game against the University of Georgia. See the Spring Training page for more details of the all the teams training in Florida in 2008. |
| February 28th to March 2nd | Olympians, professional and amateur competitors will be taking part at the largest windsurfing event in the US at Merritt Island, at the 23rd Calema Midwinters Windsurfing Festival (www.calema.com). |
| February 29th to March 2nd | The ESPN The Weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios™
lets you get close up
to star athletes in a Hollywood-style motorcade, plus ESPN entertainment, ESPN telecasts
and interactive experiences for both sports fans and families.
Amongst the athletes scheduled to take part are Brandon Jacobs and Amani Toomer (New York Giants), Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis Colts), Donovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles), baseball legend Cal Ripken, Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic ), tennis legend Martina Navratilova and the famous Harlem Globetrotters. ESPN personalities include Jay Crawford, Peter Gammons, Mike Greenberg, Orestes Destrade, Mike Tirico, Colin Cowherd, Mike Golic, Linda Cohn, John Kruk, Karl Ravech, Jemele Hill and Trey Wingo (disneyworld.disney.go.com). |
| 7th and 8th | The Daytona Supercross by Honda is on March 7 and the Daytona 200 By Honda AMA on March 8, both at the Daytona International Speedway (www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com). |
| 15th to 23rd | If you are into parachuting, the Easter Boogie with Night Jumps runs at Skydive City, Zephyrhills is the place to be (www.skydivecity.com). |
| 20th to 23rd | The 44th Ron Jon Easter Surf Festival is at Shepard Park Beach and Cocoa Beach Pier. Join 100,000 surf fans to watch the East Coast's oldest and largest surfing festival (www.eastersurffest.com). |
| various dates | There are a number of yacht races this month including the Suncoast Race Week, BYC, TIYC, DIYC, SPYC, Tampa Bay (March 4 to 6) Performance Midwinters and Harken Buoy Racing Series, Key Sailing at Pensacola Beach (March 8 to 9), Conquistador Cup, Punta Gorda Yacht Club (March 8 to 9), Pot of Gold Regatta, Sarasota Sailing Squadron (March 15), Annual A-Class/F16 Regatta at the Gulfport Yacht Club (March 15 to 16), Tampa Bay CSI St Patrick’s Day Regatta, Distance, Dunedin Causeway (March 16), Shark Tooth Regatta, Venice Yacht Club (March 19), One-Design Midwinters, Sarasota Sailing Squadron (March 28 to 30) and Hobie Midwinters East, Panama City Cat Club (March 29 to 30) (www.catsailor.com). |
| various dates | There are several rodeos in Florida during March. The Arcadia All-FLA Championship Rodeo is at Arcadia from March 7 to 9, the Florida Gateway Pro Rodeo at Lake City from March 14 to 16 and the Southeastern Pro Rodeo in Ocala from Narch 21 to 22 (www.rodeoattitude.com). |
| various dates | The Florida Keys host a series of angling competitions
(www.fla-keys.com):
|
Concerts |
|
| various dates | SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Africa are holding their annual
Bud & BBQ over four weekends starting February 16 and ending March 9 with the
country’s hottest stars and classic rock bands.
On Saturdays at SeaWorld in March you can see Craig Morgan & Pat Green (March 1) and Joe Nichols & Jason Michael Carroll (March 8). Meanwhile on Sundays at Busch Gardens you can watch Clay Walker (March 2) and Gary Allan (March 9). All washed down with ice-cold Anheuser-Busch beers and southern style smokin' barbecue ribs and chicken (www.budandbbq.com). |
| various dates | At Busch Gardens Africa, the Real Music Series runs from March 13 until April 6 each Thursday through Sunday and features The Lettermen (March 13 to 16), Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone (March 20 to 23), Orleans (March 27 to 30) and Charo (April 3 to 6) (www.buschgardens.com). |
| various dates | The Historic Bok Tower Sanctuary are hosting
Twilight at Monticello: An Evening with Thomas Jefferson on March at the Visitor Center.
The actor J.D. Sutton plays the part of the third President of the United States.
There is a Wine and Jazz Festival on March 8 featuring Grammy nominee and Sea Breeze recording artist Dan McMillion with his 16-piece orchestra. There is a special food and wine tasting area and the evening kicks off with a performance by the Harrison School of the Arts. On March 17, the daytime carillon concerts celebrate St. Patrick's Day and then in the evening there is a St. Patty’s Day Concert with the Emerald String Quartet. A pre-concert authentic Irish dinner is also available including Guinness chocolate pudding. On Easter Sunday, March 23 there are special carillon concerts to celebrate Easter (http://www.boksanctuary.org). |
| various dates | Cypress Gardens continue their new series of weekend concerts including
Clay Walker and Heartland (March 1), B J Thomas (March 2), Restless Heart (March 8),
Wayne Newton (March 9), The Golden Boys (March 15), Oak Ridge Boys (March 16),
Sammy Kershaw (March 29) and Beach Boys (March 30).
All are included in the standard park admission, though reserved seats can also be purchased (www.cypressgardens.com). |
| various dates | Silver Springs are also running a series of music concerts including Kenny Rogers (March 1), Anne Murray (March 8), Oak Ridge Boys (March 15) and the Beach Boys (March 29) (www.silversprings.com). |
Art and Film Festivals |
|
| selected dates | The 15th Annual Renaissance Festival and Crafts Village at Quiet Waters Park, Fort Lauderdale each weekend between Saturday February 9 and Sunday March 9 allows you to travel back in time to the Middle Ages and cheer on jousting knights, play games and learn the proper etiquette of the day (www.ren-fest.com). |
| February 28th to March 9th | Miami is hosting their 25th Annual Miami International Film Festival with over 100 films from around the world (www.miamifilmfestival.com). |
| March 28th to April 6th | The 17th Annual Florida Film Festival takes place in Maitland, just north of Orlando and features over 160 films (www.floridafilmfestival.com). |
Car, Motorcycle and Boat Shows | |
| February 29th to March 9th | The 67th Annual Bike Week takes place in and around Daytona with a number of events taking place including the SuperCross by Honda and Daytona 200 by Honda motorcycle races at Daytona International Speedway (www.officialbikeweek.com). |
| 22nd | In Largo at the Heritage Village, they are holding the 22nd Annual Heritage Village Antique Car Show with over 100 original and restored antique cars on display. |
| 27th to 30th | The Antique Boat Festival in Mount Dora will be hosting over 325 antique, classic and historic boats (www.acbs-sunnyland.com). |
Airshows and Rocket Launches |
|
| 11th | The Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-123) is due to lift off on the 25th mission to the International Space Station with the Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Pressurized Section (ELM-PS) but the launch date is only provisional at this time. Read more on all launches.... |
| 13th | A United Launch Alliance Delta 2 is due to launch the GPS 2R-19 global positioning system satellite for the U.S. Air Force from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base. |
| 14th to 16th | The Tico Warbird Air Show takes place at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum, Space Coast Regional Airport, Titusville featuring a number of historic military aircraft. Note the museum itself is closed during the show but many of its aircraft will be on display outside (www.vacwarbirds.org). |
| 21st | A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket is due to launch the long delayed ICO G1 communications satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. |
| 29th | The 325th Fighter Wing hosts Tyndall AFB's Gulf Coast Salute to America's Heroes featuring the USAF Thunderbirds along with the US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, the USAF F-22 & F-15 Demos, Dan Buchanan, Aeroshell Team, the Aerostars, Ed Hamill and others. Free admission (tyndall.schultzairshows.com). |
County Fairs & Festivals |
February 22nd to March 1st | The Southeastern Youth Fair, Ocala features students from Marion County and includes lamb shearing and tractor driving. It is preceded by the Florida High School Rodeo on February 22 to 23 (www.seyfair.com). |
| February 22nd to March 2nd | The 43rd Annual Saint Lucie County Fair, Ft. Pierce features a demolition derby, Shenanigan's Wild West Show, Show Me Safari Petting Zoo, The Live Shark Encounter, a midway, live musical entertainment plus concerts by Billy Ray Cyrus and Drake Bell (www.stluciecountyfair.org). |
| February 24th to March 2nd | The Chalo Nitka Festival, Glades County Youth and Livestock Show and Frontier Days Rodeo is in Moore Haven. |
| February 28th to March 9th | At the 72nd Annual Florida Strawberry Festival you can enjoy fresh
strawberries plus agricultural shows, rides courtesy of Mighty Bluegrass Show's Midway,
Robinson's Racing Pigs, parades and contests at the appropriately named Plant City.
Entertainment is provided by Southern Star Bluegrass, Vocal Trash, Dennis Lee and Runa Pacha plus every day, there are concerts from well known country artists including Bobby Vinton, Josh Turner, Charlie Pride, Miranda Lambert, Jeff & Sheri Easter/The Isaacs, Mercy Me, Chris Cagle, Alan Jackson, Mickey Gilley, Travis Tritt, Glen Cambell, Blake Shelton, Crystal Gayle, Tom Jones, Smothers Brothers, Charlie Daniels, Gene Watson, Trace Adkins, Billy Ray Cyrus, Neal Mccoy, Sugarland and Jason Aldean (www.flstrawberryfestival.com). |
| February 29th to March 9th | The 84th Annual Southwest Florida and Lee County Fair, Ft. Myers includes livestock exhibits, a petting zoo and a midway (www.leeciviccenter.com). |
| 1st to 2nd | The 20th Annual Strawberry Festival takes place at Floral Park in Floral City where you can enjoy the Miss Strawberry Princess Pageant, arts, crafts, games and delicious food (www.citruscountychamber.com). |
| 7th to 15th | The Sumter County Fair at the Fair Grounds near Bushnell includes pageants, livestock, demolition derby, wrestling and concerts featuring Dan Story, Jim Van Fleet and Arron Tippin (www.sumterfair.net). |
| 7th to 16th | The 2nd Annual Okeechobee County Fair is at the Okeechobee County Agri-Civic Center in Okeechobee and features a beauty pageant, livestock show, rodeo, demolition derby, live entertainment and music from acts including Aaron Tippin and Hotel California, "Salute to the Eagles" (www.okeechobeecountyfair.com). |
| 8th to 14th | The Annual Polk County Youth Fair features livestock shows, arts and crafts competitions and vegetable shows (www2.polk-fl.net). |
| 14th to 22nd | The Firefighters' Indian River County Fair is at the County Fairgrounds in Vero Beach and features a firework display, fairground rides, an exciting and educational animal show, acrobats and pageants (www.firefightersfair.org). |
| 14th to 23rd | The 72nd Annual Sarasota County Fair is located on Ringling Boulevard and features a midway, racing pigs, an elephant show, live entertainment and music (www.sarasotafair.com). |
| 17th to 22nd | The Citrus County Fair is at Inverness (www.citruscountyfair.com). |
| March 27th to April 13th | The 57th Annual Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition is one of the largest fairs with nearly 700,000 visitors each year and is located off 112 Avenue. There are around 100 rides, 170 food vendors, games, gifts, shops and thousands of exhibits plus a daily Mardi Gras parade and live entertainment (www.fairexpo.com). |
| March 28th to April 5th | The 93rd Annual Suwannee County Fair and Youth Livestock Show at Live Oak features Midway rides, arts and crafts, contests, tractor pull and farm equipment (www.suwanneecountyfair.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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