It’s been five years — half a decade — since the Pulse nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, and it still hurts. More than likely it always will. On that night five years ago, a gunman opened fire on revelers at the LGBTQ+ nightclub’s Latin night and 49 lives were lost, mostly Latin and people…
It’s been nearly two months since applications were first due for lifesaving grants for shuttered music venues and concert halls, and of $16 billion available from the Small Business Association for these venues, only the monetary equivalent of a trickle of water in a desert has been awarded. This ride has been a very frustrating…
Because sometimes you’ve just got to skate, the Milk District’s Plaza Live will be hosting a pop-up combo skate park and skating rink at the end of the month. “Skate of Emergency” will provide the miniature wheel-inclined among us to get some fresh air and wind-in-the-hair action to support a good cause. All proceeds from…
Orange County Library System is now offering a free grab-n-go meal service for children at select branch locations. OCLS, in partnership with Orange County Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services and the Summer BreakSpot, will give out free meals to children and anyone under the age of 18. The program, which is also part of the…
Walt Disney World has gone without its traditional fireworks at park closing since the theme park initially shuttered for the coronavirus pandemic. Social distancing concerns kept the nightly show from returning when the park initially opened back up to the public. The park continues to shed pandemic restrictions, however, and it just announced that the…
As area theme parks recover from the ongoing pandemic, things are slowly returning to normal. Walt Disney World, for their part, is hoping to come back with even more on offer. The park’s nighttime entertainment is returning at the beginning of July, but Magic Kingdom may see some brand-new nighttime offerings this fall. Disney has…
Saharan dust coming to your hometown may sound scary, but it will actually make for astonishing sunsets in Central Florida. The dust cloud that rides strong winds across the Atlantic Ocean is expected to reach Florida around Friday and linger in the atmosphere through the next week. The dust has both positive and negative effects,…
It’s not exactly eating the rich, but MacKenzie Scott’s new donation to the University of Central Florida will allow students to eat for quite some time. An unrestricted $40 million gift from Scott is the largest ever received in the history of the university. The gift was part of a $2.7 billion philanthropy blitz that…
Premature though it might be, Universal and Disney have heard tourists’ demand for a return to normal. Both parks are lifting COVID-19 regulations as the tourist season approaches. Bob Chapek, CEO of Walt Disney World announced that starting today, guests who are vaccinated will not have to wear masks at Disney. Exceptions include travel on…
After an eventful 2020, Wild Florida is forging ahead with major additions to its ever-growing Florida-focused offerings. Since opening in 2010, the Osceola County attraction has seen a steady parade of new attractions. Originally just an airboat tour company, Wild Florida quickly added a 14-acre Gator Park. In December of 2019, the attraction was kicked…
UPDATE: This show has been rescheduled to Saturday, July 24. You might want to consider switching up the usual July 4 holiday routine and take in some sonic fireworks instead. Colombian singer Yeison Jiménez will be bringing his ‘Aventurero Tour’ to Orlando’s Addition Financial Arena on Independence Day and it should be pretty spectacular. Jiménez’s tour…
Comedians sure seem to be leading the touring charge back into bigger venues this year. So far there’s Patton Oswalt, Hasan Minhaj, Chelsea Handler and now Trevor Noah all lined up to perform in Orlando over the coming months. The standup comic and Daily Show host is steering his “Back to Abnormal” tour back to…
In Florida, you’re never more than sixty miles from the beach, but a new company wants to make beach-going even easier. Crystal Lagoons is in the midst of a rapid expansion that will include nearly half a dozen new lagoons across Central Florida, but their most exciting project is in Arizona. Unlike previous projects, where…
As challenges to a new Florida elections law stack up, a case filed Monday in federal court alleges that part of the law placing requirements on voter-registration organizations is unconstitutional. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the groups HeadCount and the Harriet Tubman Freedom Fighters Corp., is the fourth challenge to the law, which was…
Touting the measure as a way of allowing students to “reflect and be able to pray as they see fit,” Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that will require public schools to hold moments of silence at the beginning of each day. DeSantis signed the bill (HB 529), which will institute one- to…
A new quick-service Asian fusion restaurant is coming to Universal CityWalk. Bend the Bao will offer strollers in the theme park a strange take on the traditional steamed, filled buns. According to a press release from Universal, the bao restaurant will offer fillings ranging from kimchee and pork belly to crab cake and duck. Bend…
The first Portillo’s in the Orlando area is finally, mercifully, opening its doors tomorrow. On June 15 at 10 a.m., the Italian beef and hot dog chain will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony and officially welcome Orlandoans in. The chain restaurant was originally scheduled to open in March, though that ambitious estimate was blown away with…
Just over a month after it unveiled its Orlando mega-location, White Castle has reopened its takeout-only ghost kitchen. The ghost kitchen allows customers to place up to 10 online orders at a time without having to wait in line at the main location, which is the largest White Castle in the country. The kitchen had previously…
Legendary guitarist Carlos Santana on Monday announced an autumn Orlando show at the Amway Center as part of his upcoming “Blessings and Miracles” tour. Clearly raring to tread the boards ASAP, Santana will kick off his North American “Blessings” tour on Sept. 11 in Atlantic City, before heading southward and reaching Orlando on Sept. 17.…
Florida gas prices increased by 12 cents this past week, nearing now almost $3 per gallon. The 12-cent increase, attributed to the globally rising demand for crude oil, has put Florida’s gas price average at $2.97 per gallon, the most expensive price since 2014, according to a news releasefrom the American Automobile Association. Orlando is…
Guy Fieri has more than enough goodwill in the Orlando area. He spent the COVID-19 pandemic advocating for service industry workers, who make up a sizeable chunk of our fair city. And the mind behind Chicken Guy! has legions of fans who were ecstatic to learn that his Disney Springs restaurant was expanding to Winter…
On the fifth anniversary of the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub that left 49 people dead, President Joe Biden vowed to make the site a national memorial. The former nightclub never reopened after the shooting and currently serves as an impromptu memorial. Biden called the space “hallowed ground” in a statement shared on June 12.…
Suwannee Roots Revival will return to their namesake park for a fifth year this October. This year’s lineup will include many bluegrass, folk and roots big-timers like the Sam Bush Band, jam act Leftover Salmon, bluegrass noodlers The Infamous Stringdusters and Steve Martin collaborators Steep Canyon Rangers. “It’s incredibly exciting to be returning to our…
Orlando’s own early 1990s Mickey-related pop group the Party are reuniting for one night only this September for a 30th anniversary show [feeling old!], to benefit Cast Member Pantry and Give Kids the World. They’ll be joined by a very unlikely guest — peerless hip-hop DJ Eric B. of the legendary Eric B. & Rakim. And, even…
The influx of moneyed people into Florida, and the reaction when they bump up against the swamp folk and beach rats who traditionally called it home, has created a weird liminal space for capital. There’s a lot of money with nowhere to go in this state and no established system of social clubs and old-money…
PDQ and 4 Rivers Smokehouse are teaming up for a good cause–proceeds from the sales of a new chicken sandwich created by both restaurants will benefit the nonprofit 4Roots. The sandwich–made of “PDQ’s fresh crispy chicken breast dipped in a blend of 4 Rivers signature and mustard BBQ sauces, served on a buttered and toasted…
Backing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign against critical race theory, the State Board of Education on Thursday approved a rule that places controversial guidelines on the way U.S. history is taught in public schools. The board, meeting in Jacksonville, voted after members of the public squared off on the rule, with some saying it would whitewash…
This month, the Orlando community has being devoted into honoring and cherishing the lives of the victims of the Pulse shooting. Today, another victory was granted to them. The senate passed a bill pushed by Rep. Darren Soto in efforts with Rep. Stephanie Murphy and Rep. Val Demings that designates Pulse a national memorial. Related…
The hot chicken pop-up Jam Hot Chicken has been showing up wherever there’s space since 2017, but its days of traveling around the Orlando area are over. According to a report from the Orlando Business Journal, the chicken spot will open up a brick-and-mortar shop in Winter Park this summer. The new home of Jam…
In a feat that’s at least three years in the making, adjunct faculty at Valencia College in Orlando have secured a union election. Adjuncts are now in their final week of the election; the deadline for receiving ballots is Wednesday, June 16. At Valencia, adjunct professors make up about 70 percent of the total faculty…
The Amway Center is bringing together two of the most notably unemployed people in all of modern conservatism this December. Former president Donald Trump and ex-Fox News host Bill O’Reilly will take over the Amway as part of “The History Tour.” Just Announced: The History Tour is coming to Amway Center on Dec 12 featuring…
While many may have already gone on Universal’s newest roller coaster during its “technical rehearsal”, the excitement of today will just simply not compare. Now that the ride is fully ready and the raptors are hungry to go after the guests (you); there is no better day to head to the Island of Adventure for…
If you’ve been on the fence about inviting a new pet into your life, now is the time to leap. Orange County Animal Services is near capacity, which means many dogs are facing down euthanasia at the county kill shelter. The shelter recently shared a video of its kennels, each of which have at least…
Gatorland’s capybara brothers Ben and Jerry have grown a lot since arriving at the park last October. The brothers currently tip the scales at 50 pounds and need a bigger home. Gatorland just announced that they will be moving the aquatic rodents from the Barnyard Petting Zoo to a new home at the park’s Flamingo…
UPDATE: A spokesperson for the office of Florida governor Ron DeSantis announced that Pride month light displays on the Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville would be reinstated. “The bottom line is, lights will be back up tonight,” Taryn Fenske told the Times-Union. Fenske said it was unclear who issued the order to remove the lights or why,…
Beloved and shuttered Winter Park institution Luma on Park is far from your typical coronavirus closure. In a new lawsuit filed against their one-time landlord, the culinary crossroads of the Orlando area laid out a wild story, claiming they were forced out of the space by a “diabolical” patriarch who was jealously and vindictively guarding…
Lawmakers in Congress have reintroduced a bill they say would ensure access to safe abortions across the country, just as abortion rights are being challenged with a strict Mississippi law that will be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022. The Women’s Health Protection Act would allow for abortions in every state to happen…
With the theme “Never Tire,” Orlando Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings on Wednesday formally launched her campaign to try to unseat U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., in 2022. The announcement was not a surprise: Demings last month said to “stay tuned” amid reports that she would run for Senate. Nevertheless, her entrance ratchets up the profile…
The 2021 Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is dead, long live the DigiFringe! Ordinarily, I’d be long recovered from my annual post-Fringe hangover by now, after seeing over 65 different productions and penning 50-plus reviews prior to the Festival’s “Patrons’ Pick” finale on Memorial Day. But this year, the Orlando Fringe has gone into extra…
From music and art to blood drives and candlelight vigils, here are some of the events that honor Pulse victims, survivors and first responders in Central Florida. THROUGH JUNE 12 Acts of Love and Kindness In honor of the lives lost on June 12, 2016, One Orlando Alliance encourages everyone to act, love and give.…
Roots music fans, your dance cards overflow this week. Cruz Contreras: The first noteworthy Tennessean to roll through this week is the head of Knoxville’s Black Lillies, a progressive Americana band with the unusual distinction of having jazz threads in their sound. But Contreras also has some excellent solo music under his belt. Show up…
On May 29, the Orange County Regional History Center marked the fifth anniversary of Pulse with the opening of Community: Five Years After the Pulse Tragedy. The multimedia exhibition tells the story of the tragic events and aftermath of June 12, 2016, plus the powerful stories of the club and the lives that were lost…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis marked the very first day of Pride month by signing into law the horrific “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act” (groaning eternally) at a private Christian school (tearing out the last few intact tufts of our hair) in Jacksonville. The new law prohibits transgender student-athletes from competing alongside other women and girls,…
Streaming premieres you won’t want to miss Premieres Wednesday: Awake — The whole world has insomnia and none of our electronic devices work anymore in a thriller flick that sure knows how to put a scare into its target audience. After it’s over, you’ll be bingeing Space Force just out of gratitude! (Netflix) Fresh Fried…
I’ve been living with my boyfriend for a year. We met on FetLife and I was honest about being in an open relationship (at the time) and seeking a sexual connection over a relationship. But pretty soon we were professing our love for each other and he shared that he wanted to be the father…
Meet Ollie (A470599)! Ollie is 11 years old and has been at the shelter for over 45 days, eagerly hoping for a furr-ever home. His previous owner says he is very sweet and is friendly with female dogs, women and men. Ollie is neutered, microchipped, vaccinated and ready to go home. Since Ollie is considered…
Our selections of the best stuff to do this week Wednesday, June 9She’s Beautiful When She’s AngryVirtual film screening and discussion via Zoom of this documentary profiling the women behind the feminist movement from 1966 to the early 1970s. Co-sponsored by the Peace and Justice Institute at Valencia and the Seminole County League of Women…
OPENINGS: Sugar Dough Bakehouse, a sister concept to Winter Park creampuffery Light on the Sugar, will open in time for the Fourth of July long weekend in the old Blue Bird Bake Shop space in Audubon Park … Latin fusion restaurant Guava Grill has opened on Sun Vista Way off Golden Road near Pershing Avenue…
Orlando punk veteran Tracey Blades has, over the years, been in an impressive string of great local bands like Fashion! Fashion! and the Image Boys, RunnAmucks and Eat the Elderly. But now he’s finally emerging from all the racket and wreckage to front his very own vehicle with Born Losers, who just released their eponymous…
