Cover Story
The Scene Alternative Hip-Hop Festival returns to Venue 578 for its third outing
It will be a spectacle at Venue 578 when the Scene III draws upon rad artists to create a live interactive community mural to captivate the cheer you can always expect at this massive party. The hip-hop festival features too many acts to name ’em all, but highlights include Phraydoe Peans & Mango Beats, Split…
Use this map to find the best Christmas lights displays in Orlando
If you’re just not feeling the Christmas this year, nothing jumpstarts the holiday sentiments like the sight of holiday light displays, right? And for those drowning in a sea of humbuggery, it’s going to take more than a string of icicle lights hanging from your neighbor’s carport to make your spirits bright. Lucky you, this…
Orlando artists of all shapes and stripes celebrate squares at CityArts Factory’s new Pop-Up Gallery
Squares are a big deal. In the not-too-distant past, squares were the primary means by which we interfaced with media: televisions were square, computer monitors were square and even pictures, before Instagram relaxed its restrictions and rectangles became all the rage, were square. So show some love to one of the world’s most useful polygons…
The Circle K in Mills 50 will close forever this Thursday, strange things are afoot
Something strange is afoot at the Circle K on the corner of Mills Avenue and Virginia Drive. Staff at the Mills 50 location have reportedly told Brendan O’Connor at The Bungalower that this location will close for good Thursday, December 17, so that it can be demolished at some point in early 2016. This news is a…
6 major Orlando attraction openings and upgrades to look forward to in 2016
While 2015 was a slow year for theme park openings, 2016 will surely not be. Many projects that have been in the works for years will finally open next year. Along with this, we have a number of major updates coming to sections of the local parks that have been overlooked over the past few…
Kiss, Def Leppard, Flaming Lips and more coming to Orlando’s Moonstone Music Festival
Orlando will soon have the opportunity to rock and roll all night and party for at least two days. The all-new Moonstone Music Festival announced its first line-up of artists Tuesday afternoon and will feature classic rock headliners like Kiss and Def Leppard. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley made an appearance today at The Orlando…
The best additions to Orlando’s tourist district in 2015
While the local theme parks themselves didn’t have a lot of new attractions opening this year outside of the parks, we saw major new additions to the local tourism scene. Many of these new additions will forever change the local tourism scene, while others aren’t as significant but help showcase new trends in the local…
Orange County Commission opposes fracking
Correction: A previous version of this article with the headline “Orange County Commission bans fracking” said Commissioners “passed a unanimous resolution banning hydraulic fracturing.” Commissioners actually passed a resolution opposing pro-fracking bills from the Florida Legislature and opposing regulations in the county, according to county spokeswoman Doreen Overstreet. We regret the error. Orange County Commissioners sent a clear…
Adele’s North American tour is coming to Florida, just not Orlando
Yesterday, many of you watched and tried not to get all watery-eyed as Adele performed her first full performance in over 4 years on live TV *wipes tear.* However, yesterday the British superstar also released the details about her North American tour, which includes two shows here in the Sunshine State. So, if crying with…
Punk icon Patti Smith gets a literary tribute at the Parkview this Wednesday
Patti Smith’s latest book, M Train, opens with the line “It’s not so easy writing about nothing.” Call that poetic license (a license Smith certainly possesses in perpetuity); M Train could more accurately be described as being about everything. Just like the punk poet-priestess’ earlier memoirs Just Kids (soon to be a Showtime series), Woolgathering…
Temper your expectations for The Force Awakens with a screening of the Star Wars Holiday Special at the Geek Easy
It’s almost here. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in theaters this Friday, Dec. 18, and is set to become the biggest movie release of all goddamn time. But are your expectations set too high? Are you ensuring that you endure prequel-level disappointment by putting J.J. Abrams’ take on a galaxy far, far away on…
Puerto Rican leaders call on Marco Rubio to support bankruptcy protections
Community leaders from Central Florida’s Puerto Rican diaspora demanded action from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio Monday in extending bankruptcy protections for the financially strapped U.S. territory. As we’ve written before, Congress has opposed pleas from Puerto Rican representatives and activists to allow the island, whose residents are U.S. citizens, to use the Ch. 9 bankruptcy protections…
The best new additions to Orlando’s theme parks in 2015
2015 was definitely a slow year in regards to new additions to our local theme parks. Though we didn’t get any major new rides in the parks, we did get updates to older attractions, improved dining, cool new retail shops and SeaWorld raising the bar when it comes to passholder amenities. Here are six of…
Timucua White House needs you to sign their petition to keep Orlando’s loveliest indie venue alive
If you’ve ever been to Timucua White House, you know that most of the concerts hosted there are generously offered free to the attending public – despite the fact that the musicians hosted there are frequently world-renowned pioneers, sometimes even debuting new music in the intimate venue as a world premiere. It’s a special place…
Orange County Commission consider resolution opposing fracking Tuesday
Correction: A previous version of this article with the headline “Orange County Commission consider fracking ban Tuesday” said Commissioners were considering a local ban on the controversial drilling practice. Actually, commissioners were considering a resolution opposing pro-fracking bills from the Florida Legislature and opposing regulations in the county, according to county spokeswoman Doreen Overstreet. We regret the error. …
25 Years Later: C+C Music Factory – ‘Gonna Make You Sweat’
It’s unfortunate that the musical legacy of C+C Music Factory will likely be forever entwined with that of Milli Vanilli as some of the most egregious examples of false advertising in the music business. In fact, it probably could be well argued that C+C’s crimes were more pernicious, as their substitution of an established and…
City reveals what parking lots under I-4 could look like as urban park
Back in October, Mayor Buddy Dyer said in State of Downtown address that the city was working with the Florida Department of Transportation to build an urban park under Interstate 4 that would connect the east side of downtown with the west. The project is still in the conceptual stage, but the city released a working plan…
High on Fire forges their own path to the Social on Tuesday
In metal, there are two things that are prized above all else. The first is forging your own unique path. The second is never, ever straying from that path. High on Fire has, over the course of the band’s 15-year existence, mostly managed to do both, helping to usher in a wave of doomy, riff-driven…
2 Orlando restaurants show their stuff at the Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival this Sunday
This weekend is the 2015 Palm Beach Food & Wine Festival, and two of Orlando’s favorite hot spots are displaying their wares for the Grand Tasting at the Gardens Mall on Sunday, Dec. 13: Baldwin Park’s Osprey Tavern, where the kitchen is run by former Ravenous Pig chef de cuisine Joe Cournoyer-Burnett (we’re hoping those brandade…
In weird cosmic turn, Aterciopelados returns to stir up old OW memories (The Social)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND With this paper’s silver anniversary in effect, warm nostalgia is the theme around here this week. And it’s a big enough deal, apparently, that the cosmos is playing along, bringing Latin-alternative band Aterciopelados back to town (Dec. 10, The Social). Seriously, the timing is supernatural. I just dropped their name this week…
Psych Dad wants to rap with you about 5 ways to enhance your Disney holiday experience
It’s that time of year again! The stockings are hung, the menorahs are lit (and so is your racist uncle) and the ex-Orlandoans are returning in droves with their tongues outstretched awaiting whatever psychedelic compounds you can lay on them. This year the top item on everyone’s wish list is a free ticket to Disney…
All you wanted to do in 1995 was have some fun; relive it at Will’s Pub this Saturday
Remember 1995, a gangsta’s paradise, the first time we deemed Brad Pitt the sexiest man alive, and that awful catalyst when white people had only just begun stiffly wriggling to the Macarena? Well, that’s not exactly the kind of nostalgic vibe you can expect to find revived at Will’s Pub this week, when the Pauses…
Finish up your holiday shopping at Stardust’s Grandma Party Bazaar this Sunday
“Is this a party for grandmas?” asks my own grandmother at dinner the other night. She was browsing Facebook, like all 76-year-olds do, and stumbled upon the Grandma Party Bazaar. Taking place at Stardust Video & Coffee in Audubon Park, the Grandma Party brings together some of Orlando’s most eclectic artists and musicians for a…
Enjoy some holiday nostalgia with Bikes Beans & Bordeaux’s Holiday Lights Ride
While the holidays are packed with pure nostalgia in many ways, many of us have fond memories of driving around in the back seat of Grandma’s car to cruise through “the good neighborhoods” to look at extravagant light displays. Or maybe you were too short to see out the window and just had to listen…
Infant daycare more expensive than university tuition in Florida
As we’ve previously established, the rent is too damn high, and according to a new report so is child care. Conducted by Child Care Aware of America, the study called “Parents and the High Cost of Child Care,” found that a year of child-care for an infant costs about $8,694 while a year of tuition and…
Celebrate dogs at the AKC Eukanuba National Championships this weekend at the convention center
If the National Dog Show didn’t slake your thirst for capering canines this Thanksgiving, swing on by the Orange County Convention Center to feast your eyes on some of the finest purebred specimens of man’s most faithful friend. Nearly 5,000 dogs will compete for the championship, arranged in eight categories based on breed: sporting, hound,…
The year’s biggest retro blowout happens tonight at Cheyenne Saloon for our 25th anniversary
As you’ve probably picked up on from the rest of this issue’s blowout anniversary coverage, Orlando Weekly turns 25 this year. We’re finally getting that break on car insurance premiums and rental fees that we’ve been dreaming about, and to celebrate, we’re taking it back to the old school with a ’90s-themed spectacle all over…
The next big move in Orlando’s tourist district might not be what you think it is
At last week’s Skyplex approval meeting, another bombshell was dropped by the Skyplex team. The property just south of Skyplex that recently went up for auction is being eyed by Universal Studios. At least two county commissioners have also confirmed that Universal has the property under contract. While Universal hasn’t confirmed their interest in the…
Quintron & Miss Pussycat return to Will’s Pub for a puppet-fueled frenzy Friday night
It’s intensely musical, majorly cerebral and madcap visually any time New Orleans wonders Quintron & Miss Pussycat pair up and head to town. Him, the inventor whose electronic whimsies have been employed by revered musicians like Laurie Anderson and Fred Armisen, but who remains the supreme master of his music technologies including the Drum Buddy…
Craft beer meets high culture: Cask & Larder sets release date for Brandenburger Bock
The composer Johann Sebastian Bach loved beer. Betcha didn’t know that. As any good German would, Bach wrote a letter to a friend boasting about a barrel of beer he’d received as a gift, effusively describing how much he loved it. Bach Festival Society of Winter Park members Betsy Gwinn and Alex Tiedtke found this…
Fuck the Facts shatters the box of grindcore (Uncle Lou’s)
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND Grindcore is one of those kinds of music that always makes me feel a little limited, both in perception and vocabulary. It’s a niche and narrow genre whose dense hairs are difficult to split to practically all but heavy-music academics. What’s obvious about Tampa’s Kaya, however, is that they’re a furious band…
Last-minute shopping for Orlandoans: Orlando-made, Orlando-focused stuff you can buy in Orlando
A Twitter acquaintance asked me yesterday what to get for a work colleague who’s new to Orlando, and it got me thinking about meta-Orlando shopping – like, where in Orlando to buy Orlando-made, Orlando-focused gifts to give to Orlandoans (new or old). Of course my first suggestion was hard copies of Orlando Weekly’s BITE and…
Just look at all your student debt, Orlando
If you had to skip today’s lunch to afford your student loan payment, this map from the people at Mapping Student Debt shows you’re not alone in Orlando. The interactive map, which compiles median income, average debt balance and delinquency rates for each zip code in the country, shows wealthier areas have high average student…
Local artist Jaime Margary to shake a tail feather on Adult Swim “Off the Air” show
Local artist Jaime Margary, who won a Writer’s Pick for “Best Local Nerdy Artist” in our 2014 Best of Orlando awards, is not a guy to half-ass Halloween. This year, Margary indulged his obsession with the Bird of Paradise, the breakout starlet of BBC documentary Planet Earth. And today he not only hit the front…
New bill aims to keep Florida on daylight savings time forever
Like many of us this time of year, state Rep. Kristin Jacobs believes that darkness shouldn’t fall upon the Sunshine State before you leave your cubicle. And so, the Broward County democrat wants Florida to finally ditch standard time and adopt daylight saving time (DST) … for good. Yes. Please. Great. Do it. As reported…
Disney axes Canadian Lumberjack Show, adds holiday show featuring Off Kilter
Disney’s polarizing Canadian Lumberjack Show has now quietly gone the way of the Captain EO. For awhile, the competitive show replaced the musical act Off Kilter and involved a local lumberjack group doing tricks like axe throwing and hot-sawing, while entertaining the crowd with puns and simple dialog. While the show proved to be popular for…
Universal’s newest prop shop is like a yard sale for theme parks
Local theme park memorabilia company Theme Park Connection recently closed its Fun Spot location. The popular memorabilia shop has proven that there is a dedicated base of theme park fans who are interested in memorabilia from the parks. Over at Universal, a number of cult favorite attractions have closed recently. To help celebrate the memory of…
We’ve now killed more Florida panthers in 2015 than any other year
Tuesday morning an anonymous driver helped Florida break the record for most Florida panthers killed in a year by cars or trucks. According to WCTV, officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are saying the remains of a 1-year-old female panther were found in Hendren Country. The FWC estimates that it was hit sometime around…
Stars from Fox’s Empire to host party at Venue 578
If you need more Empire in your life, don’t fret – two stars from the hit show will be in Orlando to fill all your fandom needs. Empire actors Bryshere Gray and Serayah McNeill, also known as Hakeem Lyon and Tiana Brown, will be hosting a Empire All Black Party at Venue 578 this Saturday. The party requires an all-black dress code. …
Juice Bike Share plans to expand to Lake Nona
The Lake Nona ‘hood will be the newest location featuring hubs for Juice Bike Share, Central Florida’s bike rental program. Starting this January, three new pick-up and drop-off locations will be setup at Lake Nona Towne Center, Laureate Park Village, and GuideWell Innovation. The new initiative is sponsored by the Lake Nona Institute and their Life…
A coffee miracle: Hundreds of Café Bustelo cans wash up on Florida beach
In what will go down in history as the best spill Florida has ever had, cans upon cans of Café Bustelo washed up on the Indialantic shore Tuesday. Florida Today reports the coffee possibly comes from a missing load of containers that fell overboard from a vessel on its way to Puerto Rico. Some people…
Theater review: “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical” at Dr. Phillips Center
Only days after Universal Orlando opened their annual Grinchmas show, another Seussian Scrooge has stolen into town and set up shop at the Dr. Phillips Center, but this doppelgänger is a little different than the one you’ll find at the theme park. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical was originally conceived in…
Comedians Larry Fulford and Alex Luchun give the gift of laughter at Life’s a Gift at Will’s Pub
Local comedians Alex Luchun and Larry Fulford have been working on their Life’s a Gift show for most of the year, even taking the show out on the road a few times to work out the kinks. What’s emerged is one of the highest regarded comedy shows in Central Florida right now. Relying as much…
Orlando Weekly’s personals section wasn’t always what it seemed to be
That time, it was personal
2003: Orlando Weekly makes its case against the Iraq War
The spring of 2003 wasn’t an easy time to work for a liberal newspaper in Central Florida. The Bush administration was revving up to its predetermined invasion of Iraq. And though millions worldwide were pouring into the streets in protest, here the voices of dissent were relatively few and easily shouted down. On the day…
Embrace the outsiders: How The Weekly became Orlando Weekly
By 1993, Florida Sun Publications, the arm of the Toronto Sun Publishing Corp. that ran The Weekly, was losing money. According to a story in the Sentinel, it had actually been losing money every year since the Sun purchased its group of Florida papers in 1989, so it’s no wonder the company was willing to…
That time the MBI raided Orlando Weekly and arrested three of its staffers
Personals problems
From the archives: Memorable Orlando stories from 1994-1998
From the archives: 1994-1998 April 15-21, 1994 Ever since the Orlando City Council gave its initial endorsement to a curfew for those under age 18, debate has been simmering over both the need and legality of such a measure. Should it survive a final vote on April 18 – and there’s every indication it will…
Eye Drive: Jim Hill talks about covering Orlando’s tourist corridor
Parks department
How Orlando Weekly weathered being sold and the ‘dot bomb’
The Scranton Years
From the archives: Memorable Orlando stories from 1999-2014
March 2-8, 2000 To anyone who really wants either a long or lucrative Disney career (something I will never have), here is my advice: Never stand up for your rights; don’t worry about your skills or talent; simply get to know the right people; and for goodness’ sake, never, ever tell the truth. – Al…
Here’s hoping that the best is yet to come for Orlando Weekly
All you need is now
One of Orlando Weekly’s newest staffers talks to one of its oldest
Life, the universe and everything
From the archives: Memorable Orlando stories from 2013-2015
Feb. 13-19, 2013 The streetlights serve as the spotlights, and a row of classic cars acts as the backdrop as 72-year-old Jack Lewis sits perched on the tailgate of his pickup truck, plucking a banjo. Every Friday night for the past 22 years, Lewis has sat in the same spot in this Ocoee parking lot,…
Savage Love (12/9/15)
I’m a 24-year-old gay male with few resources and no “marketable” skills. I have made a lot of bad choices and now I struggle to make ends meet in a crappy dead-end job, living paycheck to paycheck in an expensive East Coast city. Recently, someone on Grindr offered me $3,000 to have sex with him.…
Orlando Weekly’s annual Orlando Music Awards created sensational capsules of sound
Orlando Music Awards 1997-2002
Free Will Astrology (12/9/15)
ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Happiness sneaks through a door you didn’t know that you left open,” said actor John Barrymore. I hope you’ve left open a lot of those doors, Aries. The more there are, the happier you will be. This is the week of all weeks when joy, pleasure and even zany bliss are…
Orlando Weekly and the Orlando Fringe grew up together
Freaks and geeks
Gimme Shelter (12/9/15)
Meet Tom (A335976)! Tom’s a 7-month-old old kitty who cannot get enough attention. Scratch Tom under his chin and he’ll purr up a storm immediately. This sweet and loving cat is always in the mood to cuddle, and he’ll never leave your side. Tom’s the purrfect friend as he gets along with other cats and…
This Modern World (12/9/15)
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OMA is almost 100 years old; we discuss the last 25 with curator Hansen Mulford
The Orlando Museum of Art celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2014, and this year issued an ambitious vision plan, “Forward to 100.” On the occasion of Orlando Weekly’s 25th birthday, we checked in with curator Hansen Mulford, perhaps the only current OMA staffer who’s been at the museum for the past 25 years, in hopes…
Selections: Our picks of the week’s best events, Dec. 9-15
Wednesday, 9 Life’s a Gift COMEDY Local comedians Alex Luchun and Larry Fulford have been working on their Life’s a Gift show for most of the year, even taking the show out on the road a few times to work out the kinks. What’s emerged is one of the highest regarded comedy shows in Central…
Dave Plotkin reflects on learning to write and design on the fly at Orlando Weekly
Orlando Weekly is in my veins. It’s in my DNA. Since the beginning, OW has upheld the tradition of Orlando’s famously low barrier to entry, accessible to young journalists and artists who wanted to audition their skills in front of a critical audience. I was a part of that audience in middle school, just a…
1990-2015: A look back at memorable events in Orlando history
1990 The Simpsons debuts as a 30-minute show “Ice Ice Baby” hits No. 1 on the Billboard charts Jim Henson dies First Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival Pee Wee’s Playhouse ends Berlin Wall comes down Universal Orlando opens Sam Rivers moves to Orlando The Weekly is on the streets in Orlando, telling you all about…
Orlando Weekly: It’s not just a job. It’s an adventure
First time for everything
