Here’s the Presidential Villas lowdown on what’s happening in March 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 March from the 11th right through into April, the Orlando Magic basketball team will be slam-dunking against big-name teams such as the New York Knicks (21 March) and the Boston Celtics (25 March). 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!
Concerts/Live Music
Amway Arena
13th March has New Kids on the Block performing at Amway, but if you’ve missed that there will be plenty of diverse acts coming to the Orlando venues in April including an exclusve evening with Fleetwood Mac, so pop back to the blog later for what’s on in April to find out more!
Hard Rock Live
Over March 2009, Hard Rock Live will be home to acts such as Rockstar Taste of Chaos on the 18th, Everclear on the 19th, Louis CK on the 20th and a live evening of music from classic albums on the 27th, featuring The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’. 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.
Theatre/Performing Arts
Amway Arena
Legally Blonde is the Broadway spectacular showing nightly from 10th to the 15th March, followed by Classic Brahms performed by the Orlando Philharmonic orchestra on the 21st, and various performances by the Orlando Ballet company from the 27th to 29th (with two performances on the 28th, including a one-off ballet of the children’s classic Peter and the Wolf). On the 20th of March, Disney Playhouse Live is in town for one night only, a family performance allowing children to interact with Mickey Mouse and friends.
Mardi Gras at Universal Studios
March means Mardi Gras in Orlando! Taking place at Universal Studios, Mardi Gras is a colourful mish mash of fun, with New Orleans-Style parades, spicy Cajun foods and live performances by groups such as Barenaked Ladies, Montgomery Gentry, and Collective Soul, starting at 5pm every evening of the 7th, 14th and 21st of March - this is a carnival not to be missed!
The Florida Film Festival
Running from the 27th March to 5th April at various locations around Orlando, the annual Florida Film festival features short films, documentaries, independent offerings, and even film-making lectures for those who think they have the director’s stamina or a cameraman’s eye. With various events going on across Orlando, it is worth doing a little investigative work to find out what’s on and where when you’re going to be in the area.
Theatre Downtown
Sylvia, the AR Gurney romantic comedy classic, is showing here from 16th March to 7th April, starring new stage talent Jennifer Gannon as Sylvia.
UCF Conservatory Theatre
The Rocky Horror Show is running here nightly from 29th March to 15th April. The cult musical, directed by Earl Weaver, is silly but fun.
Winter Park Playhouse
I Love a Piano opens on the 23rd March at this small theatre in the fashionable Winter Park just outside Orlando. The Central Florida Premiere of this Irving Berlin tribute covers 5 decades of Berlin music and will be showing on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Exhibitions and Expositions
Walt Disney World
Epcot, Disney’s informational technological and cultural theme park, hosts the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival from the 18th to 31st March, a chance to get closer to some beautiful flora and fauna.
Crealde School of Art
“Displacement: Sculpture and Installation by Gagik Aroutiunian,” a retrospective of work by the sculptor Aroutiunian, starts from the 14th March. Later on in the month, you can immerse yourself in “A Decade of Zora! Festival Posters,” which celebrates the 20th year of the area’s Zora Festival, starting from the 28th.
Maitland Art Center
“The Seminoles, The Reeves Collection,” will be shown from 13th March to 26th April at this art gallery, alongside other permanent works.
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!
