Vibra Urbana Festival brings Latin music stars to Orlando this summer
A new music festival concept is going down in Orlando this summer. Vibra Urbana promises to bring Latin music and Reggaeton stars of the past and present to town, all for one big outdoors blowout in late July. Latin Grammy nominee and Puerto Rican rapper/singer Rauw Alejandro will be the big headliner for the fest. And…
Plaza Live’s Front Porch Series winds down with final shows from Bootleg Run and Oklahoma Stackhouse
The Plaza Live’s Front Porch Series of outdoors, physically distanced concerts is winding down this month, with two concerts left in May from local bands Bootleg Run Band and Oklahoma Stackhouse. Intended as a low-key series of “weekend warm-up” shows held early evenings on Thursdays, the weekly Front Porch shows were a valiant effort to…
Orlando Fringe Festival 2021 reviews: ‘An Adele Horror Story,’ ‘Cupid and Psyche’ and ‘Nathan Mosher Is Injured’
An Adele Horror StoryBYOV: entrance of Orlando Museum of Art, $11 We’ve all seen this movie before: a bunch of horny college kids (Danielle Klele, Alex Cummings, Elizabeth Thornton, Bennet Preuss, Tivonah Andrade, Alex Cumming) head out into the woods for a weekend of whoopie, and end up getting pursued through the woods by a murderous…
Legal Public Notices 05/19 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR ORANGE COUNTY, FLORIDA PROBATE DIVISION IN RE: ESTATE OF Virginia Ann Ritter, Deceased. File No. 2021 CP 001422 O NOTICE TO CREDITORS (Summary Administration) TO ALL PERSONS HAVING CLAIMS OR DEMANDS AGAINST THE ABOVE ESTATE: You are hereby notified that a Petition for Summary Administration…
Orlando Fringe Festival 2021 reviews: ‘Ain’t Done Bad,’ ‘Confessions of a Flirt,’ ‘Fucking Men,’ ‘Mrs. Bliss’s Titanic Adventure,’ ‘The Wizard of Loch Haven Park’
Mrs. Bliss’s Titanic AdventureBlue Venue, $12 Bridget Bean was facing the failures of both her transatlantic marriage to a Florida Man and of her theatrical career, when her life was saved by a traveling exhibition about history’s greatest maritime disaster. Working as an actress portraying a Titanic cabin steward, Bean shares tales of the doomed luxury liner’s…
Disney’s Animal Kingdom welcomes baby zebra while park guests watch
Guests at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are used to watching the comings and goings of wild animals. But this past Monday some lucky visitors riding the Kilimanjaro Safari witnessed one of nature’s great events: the birth of a baby zebra. A skinny-legged Hartmann’s mountain zebra foal was born in the Disney savanna on Monday morning. Safari…
Disney’s newest cruise ship will have one of the world’s most unique suites
Disney Cruise Line announced announced details regarding its upcoming fifth ship, the Disney Wish, in April, but waited until recent days to reveal what will be one of the most iconic staterooms at sea. The multi-level Wish Tower Suite will have all the luxuries found in other exclusive cruise ship suites, but the location of…
Earthday Birthday belatedly returns to Orlando’s Tinker Field with Shinedown, Bush and more
It won’t be quite the usual Earth Day-proper observance, but better late than never, we guess. WJRR’s annual Earthday Birthday rock fest is confirmed to make a comeback in October at Tinker Field for a 27th year. The lineup boasts 1990s hitmakers still grindin’ it out like Bush and Candlebox alongside fellow headliners Shinedown, as…
Orlando’s Exploria Stadium to operate at full capacity this summer
Orlando’s Exploria stadium will operate at full capacity this summer. Starting in June, the home of Orlando City Soccer Club and the Orlando Pride soccer club will revert to pre-COVID operations, while keeping sanitation procedures in place. “With the rates of vaccinations growing each day across Central Florida, as well as the continued safety protocols…
Orlando Fringe Festival 2021 reviews: ‘Corsets and Cuties: Delicious,’ ‘Frigorific,’ ‘It All Started at the Radisson Inn,’ ‘Judas,’ ‘Selling Out: The Musical’ and ‘Thrive’
Thrive Blue Venue, $12 In a Fringe Festival filled with superheroes, self-aware refrigerators and other fantastic beasts, Thrive is a place where you can encounter the most exotic creatures of all: actual human beings. Four brave members of the Orlando Story Club are getting on stage and publicly exposing their real-life narratives about overcoming adversity…
Fox is considering a reality show starring Tom Brady
In the past 12 months, Tom Brady moved into Derek Jeter’s former Tampa mansion, accidentally broke into some rando’s house, got trespassed from a park, received a bunch of PPP, bought a mega yacht and even won a Super Bowl. So why not give this guy a reality show? According to Deadline, Fox Entertainment let it…
Florida’s rush to reopen may keep some visitors away as tourism industry rebounds
Last year was one of the most challenging in history for travel and tourism industries as hotels, attractions, restaurants and travel all shut down nearly overnight, and the industry went silent for a year. But now, as more people become vaccinated, a new hope has emerged. The World Travel & Tourism Council has released its…
Florida axes online gambling from gaming deal with Seminole Tribe
Lawmakers drew closer Monday to approving a proposed 30-year gambling deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida after leaders agreed to strip a controversial provision that could have opened the state to online gaming under the control of the tribe. The online gambling provision was included in an agreement, known as a “compact,” reached by…
Enchanted Fairy Doors bring miniscule magic to Leu Gardens this summer
The miniature outdoors treasure hunt that is Enchanted Fairy Doors is returning to the Harry P. Leu Gardens for another summer. To wit: A group of actual mystical fairies vacation at Leu for the season, and visitors are invited to go on a search for the entrances to their beyond-tiny homes. The 20 doors are…
Sir, this is a Wendy’s: 7-foot alligator scares customers in Florida fast food parking lot
A seven-foot-long alligator was thwarted in its hunt for a Baconator on Monday, after authorities removed from the parking lot of a South Florida Wendy’s. Officials in Lee County report that they were called to the fast food chain in Lehigh Acres after customers were chased by the prehistoric beast in the parking lot. GATOR…
Rep. Val Demings plans to challenge Marco Rubio for his Senate seat
U.S. Rep. Val Demings plans to challenge Marco Rubio for his seat in the Senate, according to a new report from Politico. Demings, former police chief of the Orlando Police Department, has served as the representative of the Florida’s 10th District since 2017. Demings has been mulled as a potential Democratic candidate to challenge Gov.…
Lester Holt to broadcast ‘NBC Nightly News’ from Orlando tonight as part of series on U.S. pandemic recovery
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt is in Orlando this evening, kicking off a five-part series visiting different parts of the United States to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic and a possible recovery. The first episode, as you might expect, will cover tourism and hospitality industries attempting to recover from the coronavirus downturn. “Orlando’s economic…
All the way from Taiwan: Ding Tea to open up shop in Orlando
Ding Tea, a Taiwanese tea company, has just signed a lease to open its first store in downtown Orlando this summer. According to a report from Bungalower, the chain signed a lease at The Radius, a modern high-rise apartment complex with ground-floor retail located at 108 E. Livingston St. The complex is still under construction. Ding Tea…
Bianca Del Rio confirms Orlando date in October as part of ‘Unsanitized’ tour
Drag royalty, comic and winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 Bianca Del Rio is bringing her upcoming tour to Orlando this fall. And we can only imagine that a performer that OW once (half-)jokingly referred to as a “walking Rolodex of hate” got a kick out of making us all squirm by dubbing the…
Plane carrying ‘Tick Tock Matt Gaetz’ banner flies over Orlando federal courthouse as Joel Greenberg agrees to cooperate with feds
We are flying this banner around the Orlando Federal Court where Matt Gaetz’s wingman Joel Greenberg is pleading guilty to sex charges. Tick Tock Matt Gaetz, time is running out ⏳. pic.twitter.com/gxdtPFcQPY — Remove Ron (@RemoveRon) May 17, 2021 Joel Greenberg’s decision to cooperate with federal investigators doesn’t bode well for a certain Florida congressman,…
Joel Greenberg to plead guilty to sex trafficking, stalking charges, agrees to cooperate with federal investigators
Former Seminole County tax collector Joel Greenberg will plead guilty to six of his 33 federal charges today. The plea is part of a deal with the U.S. Attorney’s office under which he will also be compelled to cooperate with federal investigators. Presumably, the cooperation clause in Greenberg’s plea deal is linked to the ongoing…
Florida tourism is rebounding, but still well below where it was before COVID-19 pandemic
Florida’s tourism industry saw improvement during the first three months of 2021, but the number of visitors was still down 14 percent from a year earlier as the state continued to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Travel-industry officials can envision bluer economic skies ahead as businesses scale back mask requirements and other social-distancing rules imposed…
Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is happening this weekend
The 62nd Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival will bring together local artists and art lovers this weekend. The festival was postponed in March to give more time for the public to get vaccinated. It’s finally happening this weekend at Central Park and the Park Avenue area, Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and until…
‘Orlando Sentinel’ reporters hold rally this Saturday amid hedge fund buyout fears
Reporters and journalists prefer to stay in the background. They do the hard work and research to write about the news that impacts us daily, centering other people’s problems. But sometimes life has other plans, forcing journalists to speak up for themselves. This a crucial point in the life of the Orlando Sentinel, the city’s…
Emergency Rental Assistance Program portal opens to Orlando residents on Tuesday
The City of Orlando will begin accepting applications for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program via their online portal on Tuesday, May 14 Applicants can apply to have rent payments covered for up to the last 12 months. The maximum rent amount allowed under the system is $4,000. Applicants must be residents of the city of…
Daytona International Speedway says August’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 will be at full capacity
The Daytona International Speedway announced plans to return to full capacity in time for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 on August 28. The night-time race, the last of the regular season in the NASCAR Cup, will be the first fully open race at the Speedway in over a year. The Daytona 500 allowed limited attendance…
Walt Disney World raising capacity from 35% as CEO hints at loosening mask restrictions
Walt Disney World is looking to raise the amount of people who can visit its park on a daily basis. The park has operated on a self-imposed limit of 35% capacity since reopening the park to visitors, but CEO Bob Chapek told investors on an earnings call on Thursday that policy has been loosened. Chapek…
Tampa Bay gas hoarders accidentally set their Hummer on fire
Despite Florida Gov. DeSantis urging the public to not “panic buy” gasoline, a 2004 Hummer H2 is now burnt to a crisp after the owners were reportedly loading it up with extra gas. According to Citrus County Fire Rescue, the incident happened yesterday in Homosassa at around 11 a.m. Authorities were called to a fire…
Orlando is one of the top 10 worst cities for beer in the U.S., survey says
Anyone in Central Florida looking for beer city should look outside of Orlando. In fact, the City Beautiful is among the worst places for beer in the entire country. That’s the conclusion reached in a new survey by Clever, attempting to find the best and worst beer cities in the United States. The real estate…
Country duo Dan + Shay announce rescheduled Orlando concert at the Amway set for November
Thrice-crowned Grammy winners Dan + Shay have announced 2021 dates for their eponymous “Dan + Shay The (Arena) Tour” and not to worry, the country duo are playing Orlando. The young twosome kick off their tour in September in Greenville, and should be nice and road-tested by the time they hit Orlando on Nov. 4…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces pardons for all coronavirus restriction violators in the state during Fox News visit
In a move that will shock absolutely no one, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shared that he would pardon any Floridian facing fines over violating COVID-19 restrictions. The governor announced his position from his favorite pulpit to share policy updates, primetime hours on Fox News. On an episode of the Ingraham Angle, where he shared the…
Amazon 4-Star retail store coming soon to Colonial Plaza
For those crushed by the seemingly endless boredom of waiting hours for their Prime shipments to arrive, E-commerce monolith Amazon is set to bring a second 4-Star brick-and-mortar storefront to Orlando. According to the Orlando Business Journal, the Bezos behemoth will open a 4-Star retail outlet in Colonial Plaza — but sadly not Fashion Square — in the…
Buckingham Palace responds to Queen’s face appearing on ‘Trump Train’ bus at Matt Gaetz’s Florida rally
Last Friday, Rep. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene held a “America First” mini-rally of sorts in the Trump-stronghold retirement community The Villages, and like just about every Trump event there was a big dumb vehicle with a bunch of pseudo patriotic mush, and weirdly photoshopped images of the former president with muscles. The only…
Pig Floyd’s to open new pizza place called Pigzza in Mills 50
Mills 50 barbecue mainstay Pig Floyd’s is opening up a new pork-forward concept. Owner Thomas Ward won’t have to walk far to check on his new baby, the barbecue/pizza fusion restaurant Pigzza is just three blocks from his “urban barbakoa” hotspot. Piggza will set up shop in a lot next to Will’s Pub. It’s a…
Portillo’s announces Orlando grand opening date in June
After several delays, the first Portillo’s in Orlando is finally ready to open. The restaurant shared that it will host a grand opening at its Villages at O-Town West location on June 15 at 10 a.m. The opening will be marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the store officially starting operations 30 minutes later at…
Florida officials: Stop panic-buying gasoline, for the love of God
Petroleum industry officials and Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday urged Floridians to avoid “panic buying” of gasoline amid a shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, which carries fuel to the nation’s East Coast. The shutdown began Friday after a ransomware attack. Motorists responded in some areas of Florida by rushing to the pump, creating long lines…
Florida wildlife experts ponder increased number of shark encounters
State wildlife officials are trying to better understand increased encounters between sharks and people fishing in Florida waters. The incidents haven’t made the waters deadlier. But as conservation efforts have helped some shark species repopulate, the encounters appear more prevalent amid reports of sharks consuming catch before it’s brought onto boats or shortly after it…
Swarms of vultures attack Central Florida neighborhood that doesn’t believe in omens
Florida got this way in the first place by stubbornly refusing to heed what nature was trying to tell us. Let’s just drain this swamp. These dunes are blocking my view of the ocean. Pull the water out from under this porous ground, my grass is dying. You know, all the hits. Feel free to…
Orlando City SC Owner Flavio Augusto da Silva announces sale of team, stadium to family that owns Minnesota Vikings
Orlando City Soccer Club majority owner Flavio Augusto da Silva announced on Wednesday that he is selling the team to the Wilf family, owners of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings. Da Silva shared the news of the pending sale in a statement on the club’s website. In addition to the MLS team, the Wilf Family will…
Gov. Ron DeSantis declares state of emergency over gas shortages amid Colonial Pipeline issues, but Orlando has no need to worry
Gov. Ron DeSantis has responded to the recent cyberattack on a pipeline that supplies much of the oil to the Eastern United States by declaring a state of emergency in Florida. However, there is no need to panic in Central Florida. For the unfamiliar, a cyberattack caused the Colonial Pipeline to shut down all of…
‘Making The Band’-style reality show to begin filming in Orlando
Orlando has quite the history of manufactured bands. As the hub of the late-90s boy band explosion, the mercenary pop market is a natural fit for The City Beautiful. Unfortunately, we’re 20 years past the era of O-Town, the boy band that was literally assembled on screen in the first iteration of Making The Band.…
Eola Wine Company to open space in planned Edgewood food hall
Thornton Park’s Eola Wine Co. is expanding, opening a new wine bar inside the planned food hall/grocery store/beer garden on South Orange Avenue, Holden Hub. Operating under the name SODO Wine Company, the Eola folks will sell their truth serum from a kiosk on the site. No menu has been shared, but the EWC’s mix…
Free meals will be provided to those in need this Saturday at Ocoee drive-thru food distribution event
This weekend will see a food distribution event event in Central Florida with over 20,000 meals to be handed out, drive-thru style, for free. On Saturday, May 15, starting at 9:30 a.m., McCraney Property Company, in partnership with the City of Ocoee, Orlando Dream Center and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, will be handing…
Orlando rent less affordable than San Francisco, thanks to coronavirus housing squeeze
San Francisco’s unaffordability is practically a meme at this point. The eye-popping rents and housing prices that resulted when Silicon Valley money flooded the area stand in for the housing crisis more generally. But a recent comparison of rent costs and median salaries done by Bloomberg shows that a much-better exemplar of unaffordable housing might…
Volusia, Seminole County schools work to drop mask mandate as Orange County announces end of online schooling program
The tide is turning against coronavirus-restricting measures in Central Florida’s public schools. Both Volusia and Seminole County started the process of ending their mask mandates for students and faculty this week. At the same time, Orange County Public Schools axed an online education program that had kept kids out of in-person schools through the pandemic.…
Austin’s Coffee granted reprieve as Winter Park commissioners postpone land deal decision
Florida is short on institutions. The rapid turnover of people and places is practically baked into the various land rushes that have made the state what it is. That being said, Austin’s Coffee in Winter Park clears the bar for being held up as a foundational space for the close-in suburb. The nearly 20-year-old coffee…
Florida’s anti-protest law faces lawsuits from NAACP, others
Arguing that a new law is intended to “suppress the viewpoints of Black-led organizations and their allies,” a coalition of groups Tuesday challenged the constitutionality of changes championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to crack down on violent protests. A 62-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Tallahassee on behalf of groups such as the Dream…
Readers share their thoughts on Gov. Ron DeSantis signing restrictive new Florida election law
Gov. Ron DeSantis last week signed a bill overhauling Florida’s election laws, in one of the most contentious issues of the 2021 legislative session. DeSantis, who will be on the ballot in 2022 as he seeks a second term as governor, signed SB 90 on the Fox News show Fox & Friends — while barring…
Orlando indie-folk band Someday River drops spacious, stately, psych-kissed new record ‘On Dreaming’ on Friday, May 14
In April, Orlando indie-folk act Someday River dropped a couple of strong singles to tease their upcoming new album. On Friday, May 14, that record, On Dreaming, will finally be unveiled in its entirety. Someday River have been on a drip of singles for quite a while now, but this is their first collection in…
Visionary artist Mr. Eddy Mumma’s portraits, now on view at Orlando’s Mennello Museum, brim with the joyous rush of creation
When Gainesville artist Mr. Eddy Mumma arose every morning, he was greeted by a crowd of eager faces, beaming at him from the hundreds of canvases that covered every inch of wall space in his small home. These were his paintings. These were his friends. The vibrant friendly-throng effect is reproduced in miniature as part…
Seminal Orlando zine ‘Is It Over Yet?’ returns for a year’s worth of connection through creativity
One of the more welcome moments of the year to date has been the return of longtime Orlando arts zine, Is It Over Yet? The phrase “labor of love” has long been relegated to the realm of cliché, but IIOY? breathes vibrant meaning into the old saw — just as they do the print medium.…
The whitewashed, nautical digs of the Hampton Social are the setting for a menu executed with exquisite care
I’ll admit, I had fantasies of inviting James Cuomo — the cantankerous Facebook “Hamptons Douche Spotter” — to dine with me at the Hampton Social, a restaurant playing into the vibe of the affluent seaside destination on Long Island. I mean, the man has documented countless incidents of summertime asshattery committed by entitled twats in…
Brother Jimmy’s to open a full-service smokehouse at Pointe Orlando, a boozy brunch crawl, and more Orlando food news
OPENINGS: New York-based Carolina barbecue chain Brother Jimmy’s will open a full-service smokehouse in the former Adobe Gilas space at Pointe Orlando. Let the napkins fly … A Korean barbecue joint, Kang’s Kitchen, will open at 800 N. John Young Parkway, across the parking lot from Lotte Plaza Market … Ten Ten Seafood & Grill,…
Things to do in Orlando, May 12-19: Manchester Orchestra, Iliza Shlesinger, Daniel Donato,
Our picks of the best events this week. Wednesday, May 12Frontyard Festival: Manchester OrchestraAtlanta hitmakers Manchester Orchestra play an exclusive acoustic set at the Frontyard. Longer-in-the-tooth Orlando music fans might remember a plucky Manchester Orchestra playing Park Ave CDs back in 2009 — a recording of which is still available. 7:30 p.m., $30-$60. Dr. Phillips…
Orlando concert picks May 14-16: Sh-Booms, DJ Tony Touch, Skinny McGee and His Mayhem Makers, Samuel Herb
Decent job on the vaccinations so far, people. But all’s not quite normal yet, so stay vigilant. If you go out, respect everyone’s distance, for all our sakes. Daniel Donato: This young Nashville artist is perhaps the only person in modern country music who’s thinking that the one thing country needs is a heaping helping…
