Community Calendar: December Events

Holiday lights and community festivals

The City of Orlando rings in the holiday season with a tree lighting ceremony featuring Mayor Buddy Dyer and holiday performances at Lake Eola from 5-9 p.m. Dec. 3. After that, visitors to the park can enjoy a show with synchronized lights and music nightly at 5:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m., 7:45 p.m., 8:45 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. through Jan. 6 near the intersection of East Washington Street and North Rosiland Avenue. The city will also host movies in the park and performances throughout December. More information: orlando.gov
City District in downtown Orlando will host a Makers Market and tree lighting in Church Street Market to celebrate the season. Browse holiday gifts from micro-businesses while enjoying beverages, food and live music. Find the festivities 2-8 p.m. Dec. 5 with the tree lighting at 6 p.m. at 54 W. Church Street in Orlando. More information: citydistrictorlando.com
Light Up SoDo brings family-friendly and pet-friendly cheer to SoDo Shopping Center with face painting, train rides, bounce houses, live entertainment and visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus. A $5 donation is suggested for attendees. Find the festivities 2-6 p.m. Dec. 5 at 120 West Grant Street in Orlando. More information: eventbrite.com
Lake Nona Town Center will hold an “Oh, What Fun!” holiday event with a tree lot, visits with Santa, outdoor movies and entertainment in the East Orlando community. Visitors can also find a menorah lighting, gift stations and kid’s activities during the festivities, which will take place on select dates through Jan. 2 at 6900 Tavistock Lakes Blvd. in Orlando. More information: ohwhatfunlakenona.com
Light Up Clermont is back this year with holiday festivities themed “Gnome for the Holidays.” Clermont will kick off the season with a tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 3 at City Hall Park. A traditional holiday parade will go through downtown beginning at 10 a.m. Dec. 4, followed by evening concerts at the Clermont Performing Arts Center. Enjoy “Cookies and Cocoa” in downtown Clermont at participating stores from 6-9 p.m. Dec. 10. Victory Pointe is home to a Holiday Enchanted Forest through Jan. 2 with 50 individually decorated trees and holiday music, open nightly. Visitors can also send letters to Santa. More information: clermontfl.gov

"Dazzling Nights" takes over Leu Gardens in Orlando again this year to light up the holidays. (Dreamtown Photography / Courtesy photo)

Dazzling Nights, back for its second year, is an immersive holiday experience at Leu Gardens through Jan. 9 featuring a million lights, displays and sculptures in the Orlando green space. The event is brought to the gardens by the team behind IMMERSE, Orlando’s yearly exhibition of arts and creativity downtown. Tickets cost $22 per person before fees. More information and tickets: dazzlingorlando.com
Now Snowing in Celebration Town Center brings nightly “snowfall” to visitors and community members along with Santa photo ops, carolers, carriage rides and more. Snow will fall nightly at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. through Dec. 31 on Market Street in Celebration. More information: celebrationtowncenter.com

Children enjoy a snowfall during Celebration's "Now Snowing" Dec. 14, 2018. (Patrick Connolly / TNS)

Cranes Roost Holiday Lights in Altamonte Springs will dazzle visitors with more than 200,000 lights and a 60-foot tree with thousands of lights and ornaments. A holiday fountain show will commence with lights and dancing water every hour 6-9 p.m. through Jan. 2 at 274 Cranes Roost Blvd. A light-up event will kick off the season 5-9 p.m. Dec. 4. On certain days, holiday elves and Santa will visit the park. Visitors can also hear live holiday music or enjoy Christmas movies on select nights. More information and schedule: altamonte.org
‘Tis the Season in Winter Garden will be lighting up the community with festive decor while providing horse-drawn carriage tours, holiday music and more. A Christmas parade commences at 10 a.m. Decc. 4. Visitors can also find holiday-themed photo stations, light shows, a Santa bike ride, a golf cart parade and other seasonal activities through Dec. 31 in downtown Winter Garden. More information and full schedule: cwgdn.com

Scheduled to illuminate Central Florida from Friday, November 12, 2021 through Sunday, January 2, 2022, Night of a Million Lights will once again provide the public with a glimpse inside Give Kids The World Village, an 89-acre nonprofit resort that provides critically ill children and their families with vacations at no cost. (Give Kids the World Village / Courtesy photo)

Night of a Million Lights brings a trail of tens of thousands of holiday lights to visitors at Give Kids The World Village this season. On the 89-acre grounds of the Kissimmee nonprofit resort, the larger-than-life displays are sure to dazzle visitors through Jan. 2 at 210 S. Bass Road. Tickets start at $25 for adults and $15 for kids. More information: gktw.org
Hamlin Holidays Fair at Walmart Shopping Center in Winter Garden will bring rides, fair food, games and visits from Santa (on select days) to the community. Admission and parking are free; rides cost extra. Find the festivities 5-11 p.m. Monday-Friday, 1-11 p.m. Saturdays and 1-10 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 19 at 16313 New Independence Parkway in Winter Garden. More information: hamlinholidays.com
Central Florida Animal Reserve hosts a “Big Cat Sip & Stroll” with an evening of wine tasting and a walking tour to see big cats. A $50 ticket helps support the reserve’s efforts and provides access to all the festivities. Explore the event 3-6 p.m. Dec. 19 at 500 Broussard Road in St. Cloud. More information: cflar.org
Milk Mart Holiday Market brings last-minute shopping opportunities to the Milk District with more than 80 local vendors to shop from. Find the festivities noon-6 p.m. Dec. 19 at 2430 E. Robinson Street in Orlando. More information: themilkdistrict.org

Boat parades

The Daytona Beach Boat Parade is a tradition returning to the Halifax River this season, featuring boats decked out with twinkling lights and holiday decor. Prizes are awarded for best lights, best sound, best theme and best new entry. The parade is 6 p.m. Dec. 4. More information: hryc.com
The Mount Dora Lighted Boat Parade is back with festive crafts traveling the waterways of Lake County. See the parade from the shoreline of Lake Beauclair and Lake Dora beginning at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4. More information: rustyanchormountdora.com
Leesburg Christmas on the Water has food vendors, entertainment and a boat parade to celebrate the holiday season. View the festivities on the water at 6:15 p.m. Dec. 5 from Ski Beach at Venetian Gardens (109 E. Dixie Ave. in Leesburg). More information: facebook.com
The Winter Park Boat Parade will bring watercraft of all shapes and sizes to Lake Virginia beginning at 6 p.m. Dec. 11. Viewers can watch from Dinky Dock Park or other places along the shore of the lake. More information: events.cityofwinterpark.org
Cocoa Beach Boat Parade returns with dozens of festive vessels traveling along the Banana River to celebrate the season. View these boats along the Intracoastal Waterway beginning at 6 p.m. Dec. 11. More information: cocoabeachrotary.org
The Windermere Boat Parade will bring festive vessels to Lake Butler for a parade on the water. Boaters will meet on the north side of Bird Island, then make a route near the eastern shore of the lake and through Wauseon Bay. The event starts at 6 p.m. Dec. 18 on Lake Butler in Windermere. More information: facebook.com

A surfer dons a Santa outfit during the annual 'Surfing Santas of Cocoa Beach' fundraiser, in Cocoa Beach Dec. 24, 2014. (Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentinel)

Fa la la la Florida

Retro City Cycles hosts the 10th Annual Christmas Lights Ride through Ivanhoe Village and College Park to tour neighborhoods with dazzling light displays. This family-friendly ride spans about six miles at a casual pace and will support One Heart for Women and Children. Participants are encouraged to decorate their bikes and asked to bring donations of toys, tents, tarps, gift cards and flashlights. The event kicks off at 7 p.m. Dec. 4 at 1810 N. Orange Ave. in Orlando. More information: facebook.com
Surfing Santas hosts hundreds of festive Floridians on Cocoa Beach for a morning of holiday-inspired surfing and merriment. Surfers will be dressed as Santa, elves and more while having holiday-inspired fun in the sun. Catch the festivities with free admission 8 a.m.-noon at 3 Minutemen Causeway Beach in Cocoa Beach. More information: surfingsantas.org

Snow flurries fall down from a balcony during Wekiva Island's Winter Wonderland in Longwood in 2019. (Patrick Connolly / Orlando Sentinel)

Wekiva Island’s Winter Wonderland provides visitors its biggest holiday celebration yet. The Longwood island hangout will bring visitors snow flurries, festive lights and decor, not to mention breakfast with Santa, holiday movies and other activities. Festivities take place through Jan. 1 at 1014 Miami Springs Drive in Longwood. More information: wekivaisland.com
Santa’s Christmas Tree Forest in Eustis will host families and friends on select dates in December for those looking to cut their own Florida Christmas tree or purchase a precut one. Other activities on the farm include visits with Santa (on select dates), hayrides, a petting zoo and horse rides at 35317 Huff Road in Eustis. Advanced online tickets cost $7 per person. Trees cost extra. More information and tickets: santaschristmastreeforest.com
Sea Life Orlando Aquarium at Icon Park is offering visitors a uniquely Floridian Santa experience. Every Thursday at 1 p.m. in December, Scuba Diving Santa will make a “holly jolly” appearance underwater alongside marine life. Hear a special reading of “Twas the Night Before ‘Fish’mas.” Other holiday activities include a scavenger hunt and opportunities for the perfect seasonal “shell-fie.” More information: visitsealife.com
Winter Garden’s Annual Santa Bike Ride brings together community members of all ages for a holiday-themed gathering beginning at Winter Garden Wheel Works. Meet Santa and his elves at the shop (101 W Plant St. in Winter Garden) from 3-5 p.m. Dec. 18, then embark on a two-mile ride at a casual pace. More information: facebook.com
The 2021 Windermere Golf Cart Parade will gather the community for a festive drive around the neighborhood. Participants should register ahead of time for a $20 donation to the Windermere Police Department and decorate their carts for the holidays. The festivities kick off at Central Park on Oakdale Street in Windermere. More information: facebook.com

The Abominable Snowman poses with a guest for a picture during the opening of the Sea World Christmas Celebration on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021 at the theme park in Orlando, Fla. (Chasity Maynard/Orlando Sentinel) (Chasity Maynard/Orlando Sentinel)

Special theme park and resort events

Walt Disney World has a range of holiday offerings at its parks and resorts. On select nights, Disney Very Merriest After Hours event provides ticketed guests with a Christmas parade, a fireworks display and holiday treats. Epcot celebrates holiday traditions from around the world and tells the story of Christmas through Candlelight Processional. Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a projection show and other “yuletide adventures,” while Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a festive flotilla. Over at Disney Springs, guests can find a Christmas Tree Stroll. More information: disneyworld.disney.go.com
Universal Orlando has holiday festivities with dazzling decor abound, seasonal shows and treats, Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s, Harry Potter holiday happenings, “The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular” and a holiday tree scavenger hunt through Jan. 2 at 6000 Universal Blvd. More information: universalorlando.com
SeaWorld’s Christmas Celebration brings a winter wonderland for guests with more than three million lights and holiday fireworks, plus an ice-skating extravaganza show and meetups with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa through Jan. 2 at 7007 Sea World Drive. More information: seaworld.com
Legoland Florida has holiday celebrations featuring a giant Lego Christmas tree, seasonal shows, special treats, character visits, lights and more. Find the festivities select days through Dec. 31 at One Legoland Way in Winter Haven. More information: legoland.com

The signature “Dragon” lantern is lit at the Into the Wild Asian Lantern Festival at the Central Florida Zoo in Sanford on Thursday, November 18, 2021. The festival features 30 large hand-crafted lanterns lit by more than 10,000 led lights. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

The Central Florida Zoo is presenting its Asian Lantern Festival with more than 30 hand-constructed lanterns illuminated for visitors to enjoy. Tickets start at $18.50 for this all-ages event; discounted four packs of tickets are also available. Find the event select nights through Jan. 16 at 3755 W. Seminole Blvd. in Sanford. More information and tickets: centralfloridazoo.org
Gatorland’s Holiday Ho Ho Ho-Down provides a family-friendly holiday experience with Gator Claus, character encounters, live music and festive food items. The festivities take place on select weekends in December at 14501 S. Orange Blossom Trail. More information: gatorland.com
ICON Park will host “The Santa Workshop Experience” with train rides, holiday treats, visits with Santa and more. A $20 deposit is required for Santa photos, taking place through Dec. 24 at 8375 International Dr. in Orlando. More information: thesantaworkshopexperience.com
Crayola’s Colorful Christmas will host visitors for holiday animatronic characters, special Christmas crafts, a holiday scavenger hunt and seasonal treats through Jan. 3. Find these activities at 8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail. More information: crayolaexperience.com
Gaylord Palms will bring guests holiday merriment in the form of a “Cirque Spirit of Christmas” show, snow tubing, a light show and plenty of other holiday treats and activities. Tickets can be purchased for individual attractions or ticket bundles are available. Festivities take place through Jan. 2 at 6000 West Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee. More information: christmasatgaylordpalms.marriott.com