US National Holidays & other notable dates
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| 14th |
Flag Day is always on June 14 and celebrates the adoption of the US Stars and Stripes flag in 1777. It is not an official holiday. |
| 21st |
June 21 is Father's Day in the USA and Canada. |
Theme Park Events
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| May 22nd to June 14th (weekends) |
At Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Star Wars Weekends run from May 22 to June 14, centred around the Star Tours attraction.
Each weekend (Friday to Sunday) there is an opportunity to see Star Wars actors and movie makers through a series of meet and greet sessions, conversations and motorcades.
Hosting all four weekends is Jay Laga'aia ("Captain Typho") and special guest Ashley Eckstein ("Ahsoka Tano").
On May 22 to 24 look out for Ray Park ("Darth Maul"), Warwick Davis ("Wicket the Ewok") and James Arnold Taylor (voice of Obi-Wan in Star Wars: The Clone Wars).
On May 29 to 31 it is the turn of Peter Mayhew ("Chewbacca") and Matthew Wood ("General Grievous").
On June 5 to 7, Jeremy Bulloch ("Boba Fett"), David Prowse ("Darth Vader") and Matt Lanter (voice of Anakin in Star Wars: The Clone Wars). Finally on June 12 to 14 see Dave Filoni (Director of Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Temuera Morrison ("Jango Fett").
You can also take part in the Jedi Training Academy where you can test your skills against Darth Vader and Darth Maul, watch "Legends of the Force" a motorcade featuring favourite Star Wars celebrities, learn about the films with "Behind the Force -- Experience THE CLONE WARS" and compete in a under 12s kid's trivia contest with Star Wars prizes at the Padawan Mind Challenge and join in Hyperspace Hoopla.
Wicket's Warehouse will also feature limited edition Star Wars memorabilia.
Included in the normal admission price (disneyworld.disney.go.com).
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| May 23rd to September 7th |
SeaWorld have restarted their summertime SeaWorld AfterDark entertainment with Shamu Rocks, the high energy Shamu show/rock n roll concert plus Shamu Rocks Dinner Buffet, the night time Bayside Ski Jam with stunt kites and fireworks, Mistify fireworks, laser and water show and Sea Lions Tonite where Clyde and Seemore plus friends parody other SeaWorld shows (www.seaworld.com). |
| June 5th to August 15th |
At Adventure Island in Tampa, they are celebrating Island Nights every Friday and Saturday evening from 5 pm to 9 pm with music, food and fun from Aruba to Cuba and Key West to the Caribbean (www.adventureisland.com). |
| June 6th to August 16th |
Next door, Busch Gardens are also celebrating with their Summer Nights with extended opening hours (until 9 pm Sundays to Thursdays and until 10 pm Fridays and Saturdays), entertainment and festive food and drink (www.buschgardens.com). |
| 13th |
At Silver Springs, they are holding a Cox Appreciation Day where you can meet Diego from Nickelodeon (www.silversprings.com). |
| June 13th to July 4th (Saturdays) |
Universal Studios are holding their new Summer Concert Series on Saturday nights. The lineup is Jordin Sparks on June 13, LL Cool J on June 20, Natasha Bedingfield on June 27 and The O'Jays on July 4 (www.universalorlando.com). |
| June 15th to August 9th |
The Sounds Like Summer Concert Series starts in the open-air America Gardens Theatre at Epcot with a number of tribute bands. Performing from June 15 to 21 is Stayin' Alive (Bee Gees) followed by Hotel California (The Eagles) June 22 to 28, Slippery When Wet(Bon Jovi) June 29 to July 8, Bjorn Again (ABBA) July 9 to 19, The Sounds of the Supremes (The Supremes) July 20 to 26, 2U (U2) July 27 to August 2 and finally Petty Theft (Tom Petty) August 3 to 9. |
Parades and Carnivals
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| various dates |
The 60th annual Fiesta of Five Flags celebrates the founding of Pensacola, the first European settlement in the United States, in 1559 by the Spanish Conquistador, Don Tristan DeLuna and continues through June.
Events for June include Emmanuel Sheppard & Condon Fiesta Days Celebration (June 4), Fiesta Boat Parade, Fiesta Prayer Service and DeLuna Landing Ceremony (June 6), Beach Community Bank Sand Sculpture Contest (June 7), Fiesta Krewe Ball (June 10), Pen Air Federal Credit Union Fiesta Parade (June 11), DeLuna Coronation Ball and Breakfast (June 12), Pensacola Twirlers Fiesta of Five Flags Square Dance (June 13), Tom McLaughlan Fiesta Model Airplane Meet (June 13 to 14) and Fiesta of Five Flags Golf Tournament (June 20 to 21) (www.fiestaoffiveflags.org).
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| 4th to 8th |
The 54th annual Billy Bowlegs Pirate Festival & Torchlight Parade takes place at Fort Walton Beach and includes the 1st Annual Billy Bowlegs Pub Crawl, Billy Bowlegs Armada landing, a torchlight parade, an arts and crafts fair, music and entertainment and a fireworks display (www.fwbchamber.org). |
| 6th |
Celebrate the 23rd Annual Drake's Raid at St. Augustine when English privateer, Sir Francis Drake sacked the city in 1586. You can see the raiders' camp at the Fountain of Youth Park where costumed interpreters display arms, armour, craft skills and lifestyles of the period. In the evening there is a re-enactment of the attack with the Spanish residents attempting to defend the town (www.searlesbuccaneers.org). |
| 12th to 14th |
At Madeira Beach, the 8th annual John Levique Pirate Days celebrates pioneer John Levique who discovered John's Pass after a hurricane in 1848 with a sea battle and invasion, costume contests, re-enactments, Brigand's Bazaar and crafts (www.johnspassfestivals.com). |
| 26th to 28th |
The 23rd annual Greek Landing Day Celebration at St. Photios Shrine in St. Augustine is a tribute to the arrival of the first colony of Greeks, Minorcans and Corsicans in 1768 (www.StPhotios.com). |
| 27th |
The 8th annual Homosassa Fireworks Festival and Poker Run features a host of activities throughout the day including a parade of decorated boats and finishes with a firework display www.visitcitrus.com). |
Sporting Events
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| 6th to 7th |
The 25th annual Cobia "Big" Fish Tournament takes place at Homosassa with a total purse of over $14,000 and as well as the fishing tournament there is also live entertainment plus a barbeque dinner on Saturday and an old-fashioned fish fry on Sunday www.visitcitrus.com). |
Concerts
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| 27th |
The Historic Bok Tower Sanctuary are hosting their 8th Annual Live at the Gardens! The concert features folk musician Rod MacDonald (http://www.boksanctuary.org). |
| various dates |
At The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, they celebrate their 24th annual SummerJazz on the Gulf concert series with Alan Darcy on June 13, Late Night Brass on July 18, Women’s Blues Revue on August 22 and Big Night Out on September 19 (www.naplesbeachhotel.com). |
Airshows and Rocket Launches
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| various dates |
The US Navy Blue Angels will be continuing their 2009 season practice sessions at their home base at the Pensacola Naval Air Station and admittance is free. Provisional dates are June 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24 www.navalaviationmuseum.org). |
| 13th |
The Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-127 it set to blast off on the 29th mission to the International Space Station. It will deliver the Kibo Japanese Experiment Module Exposed Facility (JEM EF), Kibo Japanese Experiment Logistics Module - Exposed Section (ELM-ES) and Spacelab Pallet - Deployable 2 (SLP-D2).
Launch time is provisionally set for 7:17 am EDT from launch pad LC-39A. Read more on all launches....
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| 17th |
The LRO/LCROSS (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite) satellites will be launched by an Atlas 5. The mission is to confirm the presence or absence of water ice in a permanently shadowed crater at the Moon's North and South Poles.
Launch is from launch pad SLC-41 and is provisionally set for between 5:32 to 6:32 pm EDT.
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| 20th to 21st |
The 1st Annual WWI & Golden Age of Aviation Fly-In for radio controlled aircraft takes place at Fantasy of Flight. There is also a Open Cockpit Day & 2nd Annual Military Collectors Show planned for the same dates (www.fantasyofflight.com). |
| 26th |
A United Launch Alliance Delta 4 will launch GOES-O. GOES-O is a joint NASA/NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) mission to launch a Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES).
Launch window is from 6:24 to 7:24 pm EDT from launch pad SLC-37B.
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| 30th |
The Atlas 5 mission is to launch the first Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite to provide highly-secure communications for the U.S. military.
Launch time is provisionally set for 12:00 pm from launch pad SLC-41.
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Museums, Parks & Zoos
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| 5th |
The Flagler Museum at Palm Beach opens for free to celebrate Founder's Day in honour of the founder, Henry Flagler (flaglermuseum.us). |
