Weekend Preview February 7th - 9th, 2014: Things to Do in Orlando

Photo by Tina Craig

Get local this weekend with homemade chili, a wine stroll-off between Audubon Park and College Park, and a couple of super authentic festivals thrown in for good measures. Damn, I love this city.

NOTE: Don't forget to take a peek at our Valentine's Event Guide: 2014 Edition, with plenty of events this weekend for lovebirds, singles, and freaks alike. 

All Weekend

Get your picnic blankets out and head out to the 12th annual Orlando Folk Festival located on the grounds of the Mennello Museum, overlooking Lake Formosa. The festival is a celebration of art, music, and traditional crafts - yes, there will be hippies there... just don't look them straight in the eye and you should be fine... Free admission, 10:00am - 5:00pm Saturday and Sunday.

Friday, February 7th

Goofy Boots Chili at Redlight: What happens when a local favorite beer parlour is late to the game for a festival? We reap the benefits. Redlight Redlight wasn't able to secure a table at the Orlando Chili Cookoff (on Sat) but already had 10 gallons of AMAZING Goofy Boots Chili so they're offering all of the chili they would have had to their patrons. Better hurry 'cause from 5:00 - 8:00pm plates of freaking awesome chili and chips will be $5.

This Friday the Timucua White House is hosting a special event: Osceola County All Star Jazz Event, starting at 7:30pm. This FREE show is the concluding performance of the Osceola All County Jazz festival and will feature the best of the best Florida jazz has to offer. Get ready to sway awkwardly while trying to find the rhythm. 

If you're all about "first loves and second chances" (stole that from the tagline), and have a questionable taste in movies, check out Stuck in Love at Leu Gardens' date night. Gardens open at 6:00, movie starts at 7:00pm; tickets are $6 adult, $3 kids, and free for members.

What the hell- we'll include it:
Want to relive your glory days/be that creepy old dude at a college party?? Well dust off that old AC/DC shirt and head over to the Knights Circle Battle of the Bands (on the tennis courts. No bs.) from 7:00pm - 11:30pm ('cause the organizers have an early lab the next day, bro). It's free, there will be tons of food vendors, and at the very least it should be pretty fun(ny). UPDATE: Unfortunately, this event has been canceled.

BUT, to make up for it, there's this:
Hold the Muggle-effing phone, there's a Yule Ball Friday at 8pm that's open to the public! Show up to the Winter Park Plaza (shares the Ethos parking lot on Fairbanks) and for $10 you can dress up and meet the Rollins College Quidditch team (yup, that's a thing, they are called the CenTars after Rollins' mascot the Tars, and they are actually pretty damn good), and help raise money to send them to the Quidditch World Cup this year! So go enjoy a Harry Potter party and send our magical athletes on to victory! There's no website link, but a little golden snitch told us about it...

Saturday, February 8th

Don't be the only Orlandoan that misses this year's Orlando Chili Cook-off (that'd just be embarrassing and we couldn't be friends anymore). We're talking tasty chili samples from over 75 different chili booths. Tickets are $7 if you buy them online by Friday, or $12 at the gates.


Join your local hipster at Audubon Park's Show Your Love, Share Your Love Sip + Stroll from 2:00 to 5:00 pm, for libations and light bites as you stroll the quirky shops of the Garden District. Try sweet and savory samples, beer and wine, while engaging with interactive Show Your Love art installations along the way. Drinks curated by Redlight Redlight (so you know it'll be good), food curated by APGD (home of East End Market- so you know it'll be good). $15 advance tix, $20 at the door. All proceeds benefit the Audubon Park Garden District. Check-in at Redlight.

Uh-Oh... It's a STROLL-OFF! College Park is also getting in on that wine stroll action with I Love Art in College Park Wine Stroll. 5:00 - 9:00pm, $15 for a wine card. SHOW US YOUR ALLEGIANCE!

Hell. Yes. It's opening day at The Dorothy Lumley Melrose Center for Technology, Innovation & Creativity at the DT library. The center is all about open source, collaboration, technology, and 3D printing. Don't miss the great line-up after the ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon!

The Orlando Philharmonic invites you to an evening with Juilliard's Sarina Zhang on cello and piano (don't you feel like a talent-less failure?) in Russian Romance. The event is Saturday at 8:00pm and again Sunday at 2:00pm; tickets start at $18.

Sunday, February 9th

Oh yeah- it's Dragon Parade time in Mills50!! Celebrate Lunar New Year at this awesome annual festival and parade which includes tons of great food trucks, dancers, and dragons! 11:00am - 4:00pm on Hillcrest.

If you've been looking to snag some satanic kitten leggings head to the 3rd Annual Vintage Valentines thrift sale. From 1:00 to 6:00pm, Dear Prudence (2912 Corrine Dr) is having some friends over, including Dechoes, Other People's Property, Retromended, and more.

Get your rockabilly on at Will's Pub for a special edition of Southern Fried Sunday with internationally touring Rockabilly band Big Sandy and his Fly-Rite Boys as well as Orlando's The WildTones & Oak Hill Drifters. As always, a Southern Style BBQ Dinner will be served to everyone in attendance until it's gone- so get there early!

And once again, don't miss The College Park Maker's Market for local live music, brunch, mimosas, handmade fashion and housewares, vintage clothing and furniture, as well as locally made and grown foods. Infusion Tea, 11:00am - 3:00pm.

What are you doing this weekend, Orlando? Leave a comment below!