Here’s the Presidential Villas lowdown on what’s happening in April in Orlando, from sporting events to art exhibitions, looking at popular destinations such as Amway Arena and Hard Rock Live. You can keep up to date with great things to see and do in Orlando whenever you travel by looking up our blog and reading up on the new and exciting events we’ve found and profiled for you. It’s easy!
Sports
Amway Arena
All through April from the first onwards, the Orlando Magic basketball team will be shooting hoops against big-name teams such as the New York Knicks (10th April) and the Charlotte Bobcats (15th April). Games are played approximately every 4 days, so if you’re a fan of basketball or just curious about one of America’s biggest sports, look them up and see who’s playing when you’re in town!
Osceola County Cracker Day & Ranch Rodeo
While you’re based near Disney World, why not pop along to the Kissimmee Sports Arena in early April an get a taste of real American cowboy traditions as Osceola County ranchers compete in a variety of rodeo categories, from bull riding to calf roping, which will provide quite a thrill. If you’re looking for something a bit quirky, there’s also the wild cow-milking contest!
Concerts/Live Music
Amway Arena
There are plenty of diverse acts coming to the Orlando venues in April including an exclusive evening with Fleetwood Mac on the 20th, Denis Leary’s ‘Rescue Me’ comedy tour on the 23rd, and many more assorted acts and music styles playing throughout the month, from rock and pop to classical and jazz.
Hard Rock Live
Over April 2009, Hard Rock Live will be home to acts such as Ben Folds on the 18th, Everclear on the first, an evening with Chicago on the 3rd, Cheech and Chong on the 5th, Bill Maher on the 10th, and a live evening of music from classic albums on the 18th, featuring Led Zeppelin’s ‘Physical Graffiti’. With a new act on every few nights, so you can guarantee there will be a great live set for you to enjoy whatever dates your holiday covers.
JazzFest Kissimmee
The annual JazzFest takes place on the third weekend in April, featuring live music performances from local schools, regional entertainers, and also shows exhibitions of art for sale, alongside the stalls of many different types of foods. Admission to the festival is free.
Viva La Musica
An exciting celebration of Hispanic culture, this fiesta of sound is hosted by SeaWorld Orlando on selected dates throughout April, so it is worth looking ahead to see when the celebrations are on if you are planning to visit SeaWorld, as admission charges are combined. You can enjoy live performances from award-winning Latin musicians, join in with the salsa dancing, sample some Hispanic cuisine and browse an exhibition exploring this interesting and colourful culture.
Theatre/Performing Arts
Amway Arena
The Orlando Venues burst into song with opera and classical performances throughout April, including an exclusive evening of music and dance from the National Philharmonic of Russia on the 4th, and performances of music by John Williams (composer of the Harry Potter original soundtrack music) on the 11th. Further into April and rounding off the month there are Broadway productions of family favourite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang all the way through from the 11th to the 19th of April.
Circus Cirque du Soleil
Throughout April, this famous circus troupe present their popular ‘La Nouba’ show, with spectacular performances from clowns, trapeze artists and unicyclists, to make up this incredible set of imagination-bending showpieces. Performances are twice daily Tuesday-Saturday at Downtown Disney.
Orlando Cabaret Festival
Taking place throughout the middle of April at the Mad Cow Theatre, the Orlando Cabaret Festival is a theatrical spectacular of forty shows over eighteen days, featuring old favourites and new acts from Broadway.
Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival
All the way through April you can go along to the beautiful Lake Eola Amphitheater fo watch some great classical productions as part of the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, featuring two outdoor productions – a comedy and a tragedy – of some of Shakespeare’s best-loved works.
The Florida Film Festival
This annual festival of film and filmography that began in March runs until the 5th April and features short films, documentaries, independent offerings, and film-making lectures across various locations in Orlando and central Florida, and is well worth looking up if you’re visiting at this time.
Exhibitions and Expositions
Crealde School of Art
The school’s three new exhibitions kick off with “The Art of Fellowship,” featuring the works of emerging artists, from 18th April.
Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival
Themed displays of plants and exotic flowers burst into bloom at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival from mid April right through into summer, at the Epcot Center in Epcot, one of the theme parks of Disney World. If you’ve got green fingers, you can also attend workshops and talks led by gardening experts and celebrity gardeners to get you motivated to do a bit of re-potting!
Maitland Art Center
The Art Center’s exhibition “The Seminoles, The Reeves Collection,” that began in March runs right through until the 26th April, with other permanent exhibition work on display.
Spring Fiesta in the Park
Spring Fiesta in the Park features stands and small exhibitions from a diverse range of artists from all over the United States and runs through early April. Amongst the various types of arts on sale are jewellery, glassware, paintings, wood sculptures and pottery. The festival is held in the surrounds of Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando, and live bands play throughout the day. This is a great opportunity to pick up some lasting souvenirs of your stay.
The Orlando Science Center
“Sea Monsters: A Prehistoric Adventure,” a film exploring the wonders of marine life, will be playing through Spring 2009. Taking in life-forms too odd to even be featured on the Discovery Channel, some of the oddest ocean-dwelling specimens found in our world, from the frightening, vicious, and remarkable, to the downright peculiar!
