Oct. 21-27, 2026
Election guide: a quick rundown of candidates on the ballot in Orlando and Orange County. Plus restaurant news & reviews, live music picks & previews, and things to do this week.
Cover Story
Orlando Weekly’s voting guide for the 2026 midterms
We know it can be exhausting to research all the candidates down-ballot. And it’s literally our job to look into these people, so we figured we’d give you a hand. Here’s a quick rundown of candidates on the ballot in Orlando and Orange County:
All hail the king! Clownvis Presley comes to Orlando
Sporting a skyscraper pompadour, Clownvis Presley has made a career out of blending music, comedy and magic. Recent shows have featured everything from reimagined TV theme songs and campy magic tricks to covers of Radiohead’s “Creep” and Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy.”
Get yourself a new furry friend at Lake Eola’s Barktoberfest
It’s a lucky 13th year for dog-lovers as Barktoberfest is back at Lake Eola Park with furry friends (and fiends) as far as the eye can see.
Orlando food news: Tako Cheena moves back home; new cookbook from Pulapaka
Orlando food news: another Oh Que Bueno, a new chef at Redlight Redlight, and another Mexican restaurant comes to College Park
Sanford snags a keeper in Hooked, an I-4-adjacent fish camp
Hooked Fish Camp in Sanford is the latest concept (don’t call it a restaurant) from local restaurant group F&D.
The PRT’s ‘To Hell With Marriage’ asks provocative questions at Orlando Shakes
What if Hades were a TikTok tradwife? That’s just one of the provocative questions posed by The PRT’s ‘To Hell With Marriage.’
New on Netflix: ‘Paralyzed by Hope,’ ‘Minimum Wage’ and ‘The New Stanford Prison Experiment’
Streaming Friday, Oct. 23: Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story — In terms of show business, mental illness is to the ’20s what cocaine was to the ’70s: If you want to get ahead, you better have some. (Netflix)
Circuit Church makes the Nook electronic one final night
The Circuit Church sendoff lineup includes Void Modular, Pressurewave, Mechanical Mushroom and, most fittingly, Nook co-owner Matt Duke.
Orlando band Orange Blossom Trail (re)introduce themselves with new singles compilation
You’re Onto Something is a consolidated reminder of Orange Blossom Trail, a band Orlando is sleeping on.
Los Jarritos bring their underground sounds back to Mills
Orlando garage rockers and Soda Pops spinoff band Los Jarritos will finally break a yearlong silence this weekend.
Go cackling through downtown Sanford during this weekend’s Witches Ride
Participants will roll (or fly) with a cackle through Historic Downtown Sanford in their Halloween finery, with prizes for outstanding outfits and creatively decorated rides.
A spooky scavenger hunt happening at Orlando’s Greenwood Cemetery
Participants have one hour to decipher clues and photograph matching graves and monuments at Greenwood Cemetery.
Gender-flipping comedy ‘Dracula’ sinks its farcical fangs into Orlando
While the hapless Renfield was forced to subsist on a diet of bugs while procuring victims for the Count, Paul Vogt’s and Kelly Bashar’s servitude amounts to revisiting the world of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors.
Central Florida Veg Fest wants you to eat your vegetables this weekend
Returning for its 21st year, the event takes over Festival Park with more than 200 vendors celebrating all things plant-based. And no, you don’t have to give up meat to attend. Their menu includes everything from vegan empanadas and mushroom “chicken” sandwiches to dairy-free ice cream.
Lauren Banall brings ‘Turning Point U.S. Gay’ drag show to Orlando
“Make heaven crowded again!” is the mission statement of the deliciously on-point traveling drag show coming to Orlando.
See the Linda Lindas at the Social before they break really big
Few youth acts have had a rise as blessed as The Linda Lindas. Their big breaks include heavyweight indie endorsements by the likes of Kathleen Hanna, Amy Poehler and many others
