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100 Things You Must Do in Orlando
An updated list (in no particular order!) of things every person who lives in Orlando should do at least once.
Band of the Week: Cosmic Roots Collective
Welcome to Orlando Weekly’s “Band of the Week.” Every week, we highlight one of our favorite local bands. This week, we’re pleased to bring you Cosmic Roots Collective. Cosmic Roots Collective is playing Saturday, July 13, at Falcon Bar with Lady Moonbeam and aileron27. Just the facts: When did the band form?August 2013 Who’s in…
Hannah Harber leads one of the deepest editions of the Circle at Dexter’s with Will Quinlan and Patrick Hagerman
THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND The Circle ft. Hannah Harber, Will Quinlan and Patrick Hagerman, Dexter’s Winter Park, July 2 The Circle continues to be one of the most compelling singer-songwriter showcases going right now, one that not just presents a constantly reloading roster of Florida talent but gives you revealing peeks into the artists’ souls through…
Florida taxpayers paid more than $30K for Cabinet trip to Israel, and costs aren’t all in yet
More than a month after Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Cabinet, and aides returned from a trade mission to Israel, it’s still not clear how much the trip cost state taxpayers. Some state employees who traveled at taxpayer expense stayed in a more than $400-a-night luxury hotel in Jerusalem, where a Cabinet meeting was held,…
New elections law ‘a throwback to Jim Crow-era policies,’ say voting rights advocates
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker held an initial telephone hearing Friday in what could be a drawn-out legal battle over a portion of the new elections law aimed at carrying out what appeared on the November ballot as Amendment 4. The amendment was designed to restore voting rights for felons who have completed terms…
Florida Dept. of Health to partner with Centers for Disease Control to address hepatitis A outbreak
The Florida Department of Health is working with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to address a hepatitis A outbreak and hopes the “partnership” will help expand vaccinations, state officials said Wednesday. The department issued a news release about the effort but did not detail how the agencies would work together on what…
Florida man sets new record by catching a 69-pound catfish
Marvin Griffin of Santa Rosa County recently broke the Florida state record for flathead catfish by reeling in a 69-pound monster. Griffin says he caught the giant catfish using live bait on the Yellow River, which runs from Alabama and empties into Florida’s Blackwater Bay. “I wasn’t expecting to catch a state record when I…
Beloved Central Florida manatee Dix found dead after watercraft collision
Dix the manatee, one of the stars of Blue Spring State Park, was recently found dead in DeLand, just north of the springs. After assessing her injuries, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that she died from an acute watercraft collision. Dix rose to fame by bringing three calves into the Blue Spring…
Happy 4th of July, Florida: Three beaches are closed for the long weekend because of poop water
Three popular beaches in Sarasota County are under a “no swim advisory” on arguably the biggest weekend of the year, after authorities discovered high-levels of enterococcus bacteria, also known as poop. Though no nearby sewage spills have been reported, the Sarasota Health Department says that Casino Beach, Brohard Park and Venice Beach all exhibit unacceptable…
Be your own Master Chief at Halo Outpost Discovery at the Convention Center this weekend
If the traditional fireworks boom-boom apocalypse that takes over the city’s skies from – depending on your neighborhood – last night to Sunday morning puts you in the mood for some good, old-fashioned run-n-gun action, look into this weekend’s Halo Outpost Discovery experience at the Orlando Convention Center. The first-of-its-kind convention-attraction hybrid lets fans of…
Uncomfortable Brunch moving to Enzian Theater starting in September
Uncomfortable Brunch, our favorite pairing of icky art-house cinema you don’t necessarily want to watch with strangers with the delightful social occasion of a scrumptious brunch, is moving from Will’s Pub to the Enzian Theater this fall. Josh Martin and Kat Whitacre, the masterminds of the film series, have picked a trio of bangers to…
AAA offering free rides for Florida drivers and their vehicles on Independence Day weekend
Partnering with Budweiser, AAA is offering free rides home for Florida drivers and their vehicles this Wednesday through Friday at 6 a.m. Drivers do not have to be AAA members to use the service. The program is aimed at keeping drivers who are impaired off the road, according to a press release from AAA. “A…
Video shows a gator almost chomping off a Florida man’s hand
A Florida man fishing in Everglades National Park nearly became the catch of the day when a huge alligator lunged at his arm, according to a video posted to Instagram. Instagram user @Bbqbassbros_ uploaded a video capturing the near-bloodbath on May 16. In the video, the fisherman can be seen reeling in what appears to…
Enzian scores a coup by screening greatest movie of all time ‘Drop Dead Gorgeous’ on its 20th anniversary
Movie nerds often recognize 1999 as a significant year in film. It brought us Fight Club, The Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Magnolia, Being John Malkovich and so many others. But one 1999 cult comedy that has never gotten the respect it absolutely deserves is Drop Dead Gorgeous. Part of that’s due to the fact that…
Fringe favorite ‘Mean Gays’ – a parody of ‘Mean Girls’ – gets a weekend encore at Parliament House
No, it’s not just George Takei and Ian McKellen trading barbs for an hour and a half. Mean Gays, a parody of Mean Girls – filled with 1990s and 2000s pop-culture references – bills itself as “too gay to function.” The play, which earned Patron’s Pick at the 2019 Orlando Fringe Festival, is back for…
Flutist extraordinaire Nicole Mitchell is a total badass – and playing at Timucua this week
Nicole Mitchell has been named “Top Flutist of the Year” by Downbeat magazine several years running. She has served as president of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians in Chicago. She is the head of the University of Pittsburgh’s jazz studies program. She composed and recorded a nine-part suite as a tribute to…
Blacklist Babes return to the Falcon for a night of all-singing, all-dancing burlesque with a beachy theme
The Blacklist Babes turn the interior of the Falcon into a summery, beachy paradise this weekend. Why would they ruin a good thing? Why, to set the stage for a variety show encompassing live music, dancing, burlesque and comedy, of course. Thankfully, the air conditioning will still work. 9:30 p.m. Saturday; The Falcon, 819 E.…
The Grand Collab promises ‘buttery shenanigans’ at their Beermoney Social event, and we’re kind of squicked but kind of intrigued?
The Grand Collab crew brings their newer concept, Beermoney, to the Geek Easy this week. Featuring a mix of comedy and music from the likes of Mave, Open Campain and Scumbag Beer Club x ON1, the event promises all kinds of “buttery shenanigans.” So there’s that. Sounds slick. 9 p.m. Saturday; The Geek Easy, 114…
Local sad boys pay tribute to the music of Elliott Smith at the Nook on Robinson
When it comes to depressed singer-songwriters, Elliott Smith at least places in everyone’s Top 5. Maybe even more frequently now that Morrissey has let his old, out-of-touch mouth lose him plenty of goodwill. Sadly, Smith stabbed himself in the heart – What can we say? Dude had a flair for the dramatic. – in 2003,…
Hourglass Brewing finally opens up permanently in Orlando’s Hourglass District
Pardon the pun, but it’s about damn time, right? Longwood’s lauded Hourglass Brewing finally opens up a permanent location on Curry Ford Road in the up-and-coming Hourglass District, an event that’s been anticipated ever since the area got its developer-approved new name. Bottles and cans are available for purchase, while the 40 (!) taps feature…
Ari Aster’s sophomore outing ‘Midsommar’ is anything but a slump
Ari Aster’s debut feature, Hereditary, was one of 2018’s best films, and one of the best movies to ever be completely snubbed by the Academy Awards. Plenty of people chalked that up to the fact that the Academy routinely overlooks horror as a genre, even though, for many, the current state of the genre is…
Movies playing this week: The Last Black Man in San Francisco and more
Wild Rose Sometimes coming in second on a TV talent competition can be the best thing for your professional life. I mean, Clay Aiken lost to Ruben Studdard, and look what he’s made of himself today: a failed Congressional candidate. Jessie Buckley is doing pretty well for herself too, having turned also-ran status on Britain’s…
The American experiment is more fragile than you think, and it’s not just about Trump
Watching Democracy Die, Part 1
Savage Love: ‘Tie Points’
Dear Dan: I’m a single gay guy in my late 30s. I’m quite introverted and a bit shy, yet I have a big sexual drive and a rich libido. I’ve always found the gay scene overwhelming, and my several attempts at online dating were not very successful. I feel my quiet ways tend to put…
Great live music in Orlando every night this week: Woolbright, These Are the Breaks 3 and more
These Are the Breaks 3 Summer installment of the holiday dance party extravaganza and breaks reunion helmed by the likes of Kimball Collins, DJ Icey and Stanton Warriors. 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 3, at the Beacham, $23-$45 Sacred Owls Local punks Sacred celebrate 11 years of bandhood and kick off their tour with an all-day…
Texting while driving is illegal in Florida, Virgin Trains plays coy about possibility of a Disney stop, and other news you may have missed last week
Rep. Anna Eskamani calls on state attorney to drop case of woman arrested for turning in husband’s guns to police: State Rep. Anna Eskamani is calling on State Attorney Brian Haas to drop the case against Polk County resident Courtney Irby, who’s facing felony burglary charges after she turned in her allegedly abusive husband’s firearms…
Catch up with the Pauses at Orlando Public Library this weekend
Rock & roll dreams’ll come through
F&D Woodfired Italian Kitchen kicks it with solid classics from across the boot
Food memories can make powerful and evocative souvenirs, but when they dabble in games of trickery, well, they can be a bit vexing. Or amusing. But in this case mainly vexing. I speak of mussels – “black iron mussels,” to be exact – steaming the air inside the snuggly confines of F&D Woodfired Italian Kitchen.…
The Holy Land Experience’s new extravaganza gives believers a bit of Broadway on their way to the Promised Land
Everyone is buzzing about new blockbuster expansions at Disney and Universal, but another Central Florida theme park recently debuted a major addition that might have slipped under the radar of even the most ardent attractions fans. Most Orlando Weekly readers probably only think about the Holy Land Experience when it grabs headlines and snarls traffic…
