Sleigh bells ring, are you listening? In the lane, snow is … well, at least we got a cold snap this year. The holidays in Central Florida may not have all the natural accoutrements of late fall/early winter as other regions, but Jesus Christ (pun intended), do we make up for it by throwing festive…
For the third consecutive year, the Courtesy bar will transform its Orange Avenue location into Miracle on Orange, a boozy downtown winter wonderland. The cocktail bar is a year-round spot for both tasty and ornate mixology. Come Christmastime, the Courtesy cranks up its cocktail game with seasonal creations to go with ugly-sweater-kitsch decor and glassware. Courtesy…
FusionFest’s tagline, “It’s Diversitastic!” is awkward, yes. But “diverse” is the best way to describe the fantastic two-day multicultural turn-up that was last year’s inaugural event, which saw participants from more than 100 heritages hold a parade and share traditions in food, art, fashion, music and film with over 8,000 people. And FusionFest is back…
Orlando’s most famous drag export, Ginger Minj, returns home for the holidays bringing the gift of another Christmas spectacular featuring the “Glamour Toad” herself. This year’s glamorous and hilarious holiday drag show – produced on a shoestring budget – features Camp Wannakiki Season 2 winner Tora Himan. Looking back on last year’s Crossdresser for Christmas…
Every year, without fail, there’s one weekend where the forces of holiday shopping convene to create the perfect storm of pop-up markets all around town. This year, it’s happening on Thanksgiving weekend. Starting off on Saturday – Small Business Saturday, not coincidentally – you can browse ceramics and other handmade gifts at the Orlando Pottery…
Get your popcorn – and hankies – ready. The mad geniuses behind the seminal Mystery Science Theater 3000 have taken their show on the road and are bringing it to Orlando, and it’s going to be the curtain call for one of the most important members of their cast. (Editor’s note: After this story went…
Thanksgiving is a holiday dedicated to overindulgence, and the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum is helping you do that with your eyes and brain, too, this weekend. This new event is the fourth full-weekend open house hosted this year. In addition to spoiling yourself and your family with extra servings of turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean…
Last year, the little Thanksgiving-break songwriter gathering that esteemed Orlando musician and photographer Mike Dunn began four years ago officially mushroomed into a festival. This year, it’s reprising as a blowout weekend takeover of the entire Will’s Pub compound, even leveling up with some impressive national talent – like the Lone Bellow’s Zach Williams, North…
What started out as just a really good pun has turned into a Thanksgiving tradition at Will’s Pub’s Dirty Laundry. Head over after family gorging time for drink specials – including $3 pumpkin pie pudding shots – and listen to classic metal with all your favorite leftovers. 9 p.m. Thursday; Dirty Laundry, 1042 N. Mills…
Last week, during the massive amusement industry-focused IAAPA Expo at the Orange County Convention Center, most of the attention was on the events happening at the Expo, including plenty of news regarding future attractions in Central Florida. One of the most unusual experiences was staged in an unassuming storefront at Pointe Orlando. The Discovery X…
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices AUCTION Extra Space Storage – Store 8138, 1001 Lee Rd. Orlando FL. 32810 Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 1001 Lee Rd. Orlando , FL. 32810 (407) 489-3742, December 18th, 2019 @…
Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office Tuesday urged the Florida Supreme Court to reject an appeal in a battle about the city of Coral Gables’ attempt to ban the use of Styrofoam food containers. Coral Gables took the dispute to the Supreme Court after the 3rd District Court of Appeal in August upheld the constitutionality of…
Five years after Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment aimed at land and water conservation, environmentalists on Monday urged the state Supreme Court to wade into a battle about how money can be spent. Florida Defenders of the Environment and other plaintiffs filed a brief asking justices to decide a long-running dispute that centers on…
We gotta say, we’re having a really hard time seeing this event as anything but a really bad idea … unless your Thanksgiving would be improved by an epic hangover. You do you, though; you’re a grown-up, and it’s up to you to decide: Should I drink as much alcohol as I can possibly pour…
Correction, Dec. 6: Only 100 VIP tickets will be sold, along with more than 1,000 general admission tickets. West Coast hardcore punk legends Black Flag – or at least as much Black Flag as you’re gonna get in 2020 – have announced 2020 North American tour dates that include a very intimate Orlando date at Ace Cafe (the former…
Ramen joints were hard to come by earlier in the decade, but Sapporo Ramen in the Chinatown Plaza was one of the few that gave buffs a proper fix. Now comes word that the owners of the unpretentious ramen-ya are retiring and will close shop Saturday, Dec. 28. Great news for them; bad news for…
Metal ragers Soulfly – led by cult Sepultura legend Max Cavalera – have announced a North American tour due to start in February 2020. Joining them for the majority of the dates will be thrash upstarts Toxic Holocaust, which makes for a pretty heavy double bill. And if that weren’t enough incentive, one of only two Florida dates will…
As this week is typically centered around reunions and homecomings with family, it only makes sense to do the same with chosen family. I mean, if you danced, laughed, cried, and experienced (possibly chemically fueled) epiphanies weekly with the same people, that checks most of the boxes for familial bonds, right? And so it is…
For such an integral part of the American holiday experience, Thanksgiving doesn’t really get a lot of representation in cinema. One notable exception is the 2008 comedy-horror film Thankskilling, in which a talking turkey rises from the grave to exact revenge on the descendants of white settlers. Vault 5421 pairs the notoriously ridiculous no-budget film…
Since last minute shopping is often inevitable (you’re bound to run out of something this Thursday), here’s every Orlando grocery store which will be open on Thanksgiving, and their hours of operation. Winn-Dixie – Open on Thanksgiving from 7 a.m. – 4 p.m. Publix – Closed on Thanksgiving Whole Foods – Open on Thanksgiving from…
Regional climate activists are returning to Orlando City Hall to hold a “Fridays for Future” protest, once again calling for policy changes to address climate change. The first protest in September saw around 3oo people, said IDEAS For Us, an Orlando-based environmental nonprofit. The local effort was part of a simultaneous international protest that organizers say…
Orlando city officials, residents, visitors and Uber and Lyft drivers alike dread the push of pedestrians spilling into downtown after bar close. To help improve traffic flow when gobs of people simultaneously summon ride-shares at 2 a.m., Orlando tried out a program with specific locations designated as Uber and Lyft pickup spots. Orlando says the ride-hailing…
“That’s the shallow interpretation,” said filmmaker Trey Shults, about critical reactions to the racial and gender depictions in his latest movie, Waves. The film is a drama about a black family set in South Florida. In Waves, the 31-year-old Orlando native’s third movie, the main character, Tyler (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), is a macho Black high school…
Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. Free Turkeys! And A Pop Up Santa Shop There are so many turkey giveaways in Central Florida today.. here are a few. – LINK 1 and LINK 2 Avanti…
View this post on Instagram A post shared by DiViNCi (@divinci) on Dec 14, 2018 at 1:55pm PST This month, the inimitable Ms. Lauryn Hill released her first new music in several years, the single “Guarding the Gates” from the soundtrack of Queen & Slim. Which is notable enough, but if you peruse the credits…
Pointing to a “hierarchical relationship” with local governments, the state late Friday asked an appeals court to uphold a 2011 law that has threatened tough penalties if city and county officials approve gun regulations. Lawyers in the offices of Attorney General Ashley Moody and Gov. Ron DeSantis filed a 42-page brief arguing that the 1st…
Finnish metal cellists Apocalyptica have announced the dates for their 2020 “Cell-O” North American tour and, lo and behold, the kickoff date for this extensive trek is right here in the City Beautiful. The band will be touring behind a new album, also called Cell-O, that’s set to drop in January. Theatrical metallers Lacuna Coil…
For some, realizing how fortunate they are to feast on Thanksgiving dinner spurs a bit of seasonal charity. For others, Thanksgiving is a cruel reminder of poverty and food insecurity. AmeriFactors, a Kissimmee-based debt-factoring company, is doing its seasonal part, giving away 500 turkeys (limit one per household) starting at 6 a.m. tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov.…
Avanti Palms Resort on International Drive is attempting to start a fun new Christmas Orland tradition. Sippin’ Santa will be a tropical-Christmas themed pop-up in the lobby bar and lounge at Avanti Palms, which will host holiday events fro Monday, Nov. 25th through Tuesday, Dec. 3, from 4 p.m. to midnight each night. The tiki theme…
Florida is poised to deputize state correctional officers as federal immigration agents at a state-run prison as part of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program. The move by Florida has been “reviewed and approved” by a federal advisory board, and the state is now “awaiting official notification of the Memorandum of Agreement from ICE,”…
Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. A black Labrador retriever named Max accidentally tossed its owner’s car into reverse, drove in circles for an hour, and smashed a neighbor’s mailbox before the cops showed…
How about a Hanukkah hound, or perhaps a Christmas collie?
The Florida Supreme Court could decide the fate of a rustic homestead where the late U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno lived for decades amid the sprawl of Miami-Dade County. One of Reno’s nieces, Janet M. Reno, has appealed to the Supreme Court in a case that centers on whether the property – described by a…
With recreational marijuana advocates working to get two separate initiatives on the November 2020 ballot, opponents have formed a political committee focused on defeating the legalization efforts. Organizers of Floridians Against Recreational Marijuana, or FARM, issued a news release Friday announcing the formation of the political committee, aimed at combating “the mega-marijuana, out-of-state corporate interests”…
Good news for anyone who’s ever wanted to get a bigger bite of the Vegan Hot Dog Cart: the beloved downtown peddler is currently looking for a new dog slinger, and they say “the pay is great!” According to the posting, the job “requires patience, hard work, late night hours, and a personal vehicle with…
The people of the Villages have been good friends to Fox & Friends’ co-host Brian Kilmeade, and he’s coming back to ye olde towne on Saturday to revel in some right-wing love. Kilmeade will be at the Barnes & Noble on Old Camp Road (is anything not old in this town?) to read and sign copies of…
Since opening back in 2014, the Four Seasons Resort Orlando has prided itself for being a bastion of top-notch cookery and gastronomy. In 2015, the resort welcomed the James Beard Foundation’s Celebrity Chef Tour, a dinner series reflective of the James Beard House in New York City, complete with cocktail reception, multi-course dinner featuring JBF…
It looks like hip-hop scholar and innovator KRS-One is returning to Orlando early next year. The former Boogie Down Productions leader has a clutch of Florida dates lined up in January and right in between shows in Gainesville and West Palm, the New York MC has a big show in the City Beautiful at the…
A black Labrador retriever named Max accidentally tossed its owner’s car into reverse, drove in circles for an hour, and smashed a neighbor’s mailbox before the cops showed up. According to CNN local affiliate WPBF, Port St. Lucie resident Anne Sabol says she wasn’t quite sure why someone was doing reverse doughnuts in her neighborhood…
White Castle, the very same 98-year-old restaurant chain featured in the 2004 Harold & Kumar movie, could be coming to Orlando as soon as next year. The chain let slip ahead of an announcement on Monday that it would open a store near Walt Disney World, reported Orlando Business Journal. They plan to occupy space in the…
Two Florida women say they were discriminated against by the staff of an Orlando strip club, when they were denied entry for being without a man. Now the South Florida cities of Delray Beach and Miami Beach are rallying their legal teams to defend the women’s civil rights. Brittany Smith and Anita Yanes allege that in 2018,…
The gender pay gap in Florida shows women earn 85 cents for every dollar a man makes, and today, several women’s groups are joining forces to help change Florida law – and even the U.S. Constitution. Florida was a battleground state in attempts to ratify the Constitution to enshrine equality under the law for both…
One of Florida’s biggest lobbying firms was recently subpoenaed as part of a federal investigation into two associates of Rudolph Giuliani accused of violating campaign finance laws, according to The New York Times. Federal prosecutors are seeking information from Ballard Partners, run by prominent Florida Republican fundraiser Brian Ballard, and two other people who helped…
Downtown Orlando will be a hand-to-god actual winter wonderland throughout December, courtesy of the Church Street District. Snow will fall, the famous Jack Katanzas star will glitter over Orange Avenue, and horses pulling carriages will supplant the usual pedicab drivers. A music and light show coordinated with “snowfall” will take place nightly at 6, 7,…
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND The In-Between Series: Afro-Puerto Rican Rhythms, CityArts, Nov. 18 Usually, the headliners of the excellent art music series the In-Between Series are the actual artists. The star of latest one, however, was much bigger than the individual performers. The artists included a percussion line led by accomplished local musician Dimas Sanchez and…
When it comes to customer service, the Lakewood Ranch Publix, right outside of Tampa Bay, went above and beyond for a regular customer who lost their dog after being hit by a car. Apparently, the loss of Bobo, who would regularly grocery shop with customer, Bob Eck, hit two supermarket’s employees, Leslie Hinton and Kathy Clifton hard…
After dropping an attempt to keep secret the identities of two plaintiffs, the National Rifle Association has relaunched a federal court challenge to a Florida law that raised the age to purchase rifles and other long guns. The NRA filed the lawsuit last year, immediately following the passage of a sweeping school-safety law enacted in…
If some of the staff at two Chai Thai Cuisine restaurants in Orlando have looked especially tired, there’s a good reason. The U.S. Department of Labor announced in a press release last week that employees at both spots are owed $27,000 in back wages. The owner of the restaurants, Hong Saeunong, violated overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards…
Pat Williams, Orlando Magic co-founder, held a press conference Wednesday morning discussing the possibility of bringing a baseball team to the city of Orlando. According to Williams, the proposed team would be called the “Orlando Dreamers,” a name he hasn’t given much, if any, background about. What’s the likelihood that our local Rays will simply…
They got all the babys; Florida Classic Weekend also features rapper Lil Baby in concert Saturday at Gilt Nightclub. The 24-year-old soaring talent with a Michelin-starred chef’s nose for a groovy flow is one of the fortunate and few apprentices of Young Thug and is in that imaginative vein of acrobatically melodic hooks and bars.…
Two of the most meteoric rappers in the game, Megan Thee Stallion and DaBaby, headline Beat Music Fest at “the Lott,” which is the parking lot behind the Beacham. The two classic yet immensely exciting spitters have also conjoined their come-up for the super-charged “Cash Shit” by Megan featuring DaBaby (they have to perform it,…
Due to sickness, Ariana Grande had to cancel her Sweetener Tour stop in Orlando back in May. But, thankfully, she rescheduled and didn’t “cough-cough, next” the City Beautiful. Instead, Grande covered her mouth with a baggy sweater sleeve and waited to be in good health before bringing her wide vocal range and lately trap-tinged pop…
After nearly 40 years in existence, pioneering synth-pop band Depeche Mode is still able to sell out venues – specifically, the Enzian. The Thursday screening of Anton Corbijn’s documentary about the Mode’s 2017 world tour sold so quickly that a second date had to be added to accommodate demand. Spirits in the Forest contains plenty…
Berlin’s darkwave contenders Bestial Mouths are making a big noise as of late, whether it be their appearance on the soundtrack to the Boulet Brothers’ stellar Dragula reality show, the release of new album Inshroudss, or even last week’s release of new music video “Within,” directed by Jae Matthews (of Boy Harsher fame). The band…
Well, she’s not going to write you a love song, but she did write a new album titled Amidst the Chaos: Sara Bareilles recently marked her return to pop by releasing a collection of songs in April. She’s been spoonfeeding fans throughout 2019 with her latest singles, “Fire” and “Shiny,” but it’s been some time…
Strap on your heels and tame that bird’s nest on your head for a night you’ll never forget. Van Ness catwalked onto the scene in Netflix’s Emmy Award-winning Queer Eye (the next generation) as the one who does the hair. Y’all know who I’m talking about: #LegsForDays and a hair toss that makes the meanest…
Podcast kings Tom Vann and Daniel Dennis aren’t actually bad at business, as their scores of Big Dick Millionaires – that’s what subscribing fans get to call themselves, see – proves. But every year they pretend to be economically illiterate for a day in order to treat fans to a completely free beer festival. BDMs…
One of our favorite annual fall events, Free Play Florida, returns to the Caribe Royale Resort this weekend. The weekend-long exhibition brings tons of vintage and modern pinball and arcade machines together to create the ultimate arcade. Along with the games, you can sign up for competitions, watch world record attempts, meet the designers behind…
Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, a new member of President Donald Trump’s impeachment defense team, said Wednesday the president is unlikely to testify in the U.S. House’s impeachment inquiry. “Of course, he wants to testify because he did nothing wrong. But do I think it is likely he is going to testify? Probably not,”…
Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. The Best Places To “Eat Out” On Thanksgiving; Orlando Weekly Nov 20, 2019 Not looking forward to the all day cooking marathon that is Thanksgiving? Here are some…
More than 1.82 million ounces of smokable medical marijuana were ordered for 128,040 patients over a six-month period, a new state report shows. That translates to 113,922 pounds, or 57 tons, of flower marijuana. The report, compiled on behalf of the state Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine, shows that 44 percent…
Donald Trump’s name will not appear automatically at the top of Florida ballots: Delivering a victory to Democrats, a federal judge last week declared unconstitutional a decades-old Florida law that requires candidates who are in the same party as the governor to be listed first on the ballot. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled…
Over the course of a decade-plus in the business, Homeboy Sandman has compiled one of the most eclectic and consistently excellent discographies in hip-hop, or any other genre for that matter. Dusty, which was released earlier this year, is his ninth album in just 12 years, the last four of which have come out in…
Last week I joined millions of Americans in tuning into the latest episodes of The Fall of Western Civilization: Washington, D.C., Edition. If it were fantasy instead of reality, this sordid story about authoritarianism infecting our most sacred institutions would make for a terrific television thriller; throw in a baby Yoda and I’d happily watch…
Sugar Candy Mountain Pastel-hued, lush psych-rock from Oakland’s Sugar Candy Mountain, paired with Atlanta’s Kibi James and local Timothy Eerie. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Will’s Pub, $10 Circuit Church This newest edition of the monthly modular jamboree features Matt Levy, Jream and She Dreamed in Pixels. 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at the Nook on…
I’m a 40-something gay male professor at a small college. I try hard not to get attracted to students, and usually succeed. But it’s tough to resist temptation when you’re surrounded by hot, smart, fun, horny young guys in a rural area with not many other options. Over the past several years, I’ve ended up…
Meet Lola (A424724)! This sweet girl has been at the shelter for over 71 days and is on the lookout for her forever family. Lola enjoys playing outside with squeaky toys and takes treats gently. If you are interested in taking this sweet girl home the same day you meet her, then you are in…
This week, two Orlando debuts: one a pop music game-changer and the other a Jersey rock juggernaut. KING PRINCESS, THE PLAZA LIVE, NOV. 12 King Princess, the persona of 20-year-old Brooklyn-born artist Mikaela Strauss, is racking up cred and clout at a dizzying clip. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is emerging as an iconoclastic queer…
When Roger Ebert first saw The Brown Bunny, a 2003 semi-experimental drama, he called it the worst movie to ever play the Cannes Film Festival. But after director Vincent Gallo cut 26 minutes, Ebert revised his opinion, giving the film three out of four stars. “It is said that editing is the soul of the…
Upon its release what seems like a lifetime ago, back in 2013, the original Frozen was an instant hit. Though the story – about the relationship between two Scandinavian princesses, one of whom has magical ice powers – was slight, it earned accolades for subverting conventions about fairytale romances and for having an earworm-infested soundtrack.…
Don’t spend your precious time off from work (if you’re lucky enough to get any) cooking a massive dinner unless you really, really want to. If you aren’t up for it, escape to one of these local restaurants and let them wrestle the turkey, peel the potatoes, and oh yeah: do the dishes. Related 1921…
In 1998, Esquire asked journalist Tom Junod to write a profile of Fred Rogers. But instead of the article changing the subject’s life, as magazine articles often do, it changed Junod’s. “Once upon a time, a little boy loved a stuffed animal whose name was Old Rabbit,” the article began. “The little boy didn’t know…
Brouhaha Film & Video Showcase Short films from Florida student filmmakers, presented in four different blocks. Saturday-Sunday, 11 am & 1:30 pm; Enzian Theater, 1300 S. Orlando Ave., Maitland; $5; 407-629-0054; enzian.org. Cult Classics: Hobo With a Shotgun Rutger Hauer stars as a vigilante homeless man in a crime-filled city. Tuesday, 9:30 pm; Enzian Theater,…
Opening this week: 21 Bridges Let’s see. There’s Beau, there’s Jeff, there’s Todd … are we at budget yet? OK, fun’s fun, but the bridges here are actually the inanimate kind. (No, Jeff, that still doesn’t mean you.) More specifically, they’re the 21 bridges that lead out of Manhattan … until a New York police…
