When thinking back on the year past, it’s hard to know exactly how to begin reflecting on another 52 weeks of memories, stories and adventures.
Perhaps the year can be measured by the number of cruises taken (three), the number of manatees spotted (at least two dozen), the additional miles added to my trusty Subaru (at least 17,000), the number of music festivals attended (four) or the number of bylines that resulted from this busy year (more than 200).
But many of the experiences catalogued this year are much harder to quantify or put into a box. I could tell you I biked 270 miles across the state earlier this year, or I could tell you about the awe I felt at the sight of endemic Florida scrub-jays, the immense satisfaction that came from a hearty warm meal after a long day on the bike and the majestic scenery of wild Florida.
That’s just one example of this year’s countless stories I was fortunate to share through my work as the Sentinel’s Central Florida Explorer. My umbrella has expanded over the years to encompass events, music, visual arts, travel, outdoors, feature stories and now cruises, but the mission remains the same — to inform and entertain the community through my words and photos.
Here are some of the highlights that 2025 brought.
Travel and Adventures
In the realm of this year’s high-caliber adventures, the bikepacking trip across Florida cannot be topped. When my friend Kevin Bolton reached out to me last year to invite me on such an epic adventure, I couldn’t help but say yes.
Over four days, I pedaled my mountain bike on paved paths, dirt roads and singletrack trails from St. Pete Beach to Ormond Beach, navigating through the lush greenery of the Nature Coast and over the ancient sand dunes of Ocala National Forest.
On the trip, I felt the discomfort of spending hours upon end on my bike saddle, but also the immense joy of being outside on such an odyssey, and the satisfaction of achieving my first 100-mile day on my bike. Embarking on such a trip taught me about my stamina, grit and perseverance in the face of adversity, and came with a whole new set of memories and stories to tell.
In a much less physically strenuous journey, I opened the year 2025 by driving from the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf Coast of Florida with my girlfriend, enjoying a picture-perfect sunrise and sunset on opposite coasts of the Sunshine State.
Around Central Florida, I got to participate in baby goat yoga at Orlando’s Wildflower Farm, test out flavored dishes at the 90th Florida Strawberry Festival, witness fireflies glowing after hours at Blue Spring State Park and relax at Orlando resorts for the day by using Resort Pass.
I was fortunate to share the opening of Conservation Florida’s 476-acre D Ranch Preserve and the nonprofit’s plans to construct a $2.5 million nature center. I also hiked at the improved Spring Hammock Preserve in Seminole County, which now features an ADA-accessible trail and boardwalk.
In a significant moment for St. Augustine and the Florida state parks, I witnessed the opening of a replica of Fort Mose, the first free Black community in the pre-Constitution United States.
As Florida entered manatee season, I shared the news that the state’s beloved sea cows are being threatened by proposed changes to the federal implementation of the Endangered Species Act. I also had a chance to witness the gentle giants up close while in the water with them in Crystal River, which is an awe-inspiring experience anyone can enjoy during a guided snorkeling tour.
Cruises
In June, I began writing about cruises as a part of my beat and immediately noticed the enormous growth the industry is experiencing. After all, Port Canaveral is now the world’s busiest cruise terminal with a record 8.6 million passenger movements in fiscal year 2025, edging past PortMiami.
21.7 million Americans are expected to embark on ocean cruises in 2026, according to AAA. Cruise lines are all competing for customers and working to keep up with increasing demand.
Carnival opened its new private destination, Celebration Key, on Grand Bahama Island in July with 68 acres set aside just for the cruise line’s passengers. Opening day brought out the company’s top brass and former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, Carnival’s “chief fun officer,” to oversee the opening of a large freshwater lagoon, a 10-story sandcastle with waterslides and spaces for eating, drinking and relaxing in the sun.
Royal Caribbean began sailing the world’s largest cruise ship, Star of the Seas, from Port Canaveral in August. The nearly 250,000-gross-ton behemoth has room for a maximum capacity of more than 7,000 passengers. The floating city at sea features seven pools, six waterslides and more than 40 venues for dining and drinking. Having such a large vessel added to Port Canaveral’s homeported ships is helping the port achieve record growth.
As the winter sailing season kicked off, Virgin Voyages brought its new Brilliant Lady to PortMiami and Disney Cruise Line introduced its third Wish-class ship, the Destiny, to passengers sailing out of Port Everglades. Disney christened the new vessel with a live band, projections on the side of the ship and drone show magic that captivated the audience.
That’s in addition to new Florida-based offerings from Celebrity, Princess, MSC and more.
Entering 2026, the Florida cruise market will have even more options as new vessels from Norwegian and Royal Caribbean come to the Sunshine State.
Music
In the world of music, Orlando saw visits from global superstars Shakira, Post Malone, The Weeknd and Chris Brown, who all performed at Camping World Stadium.
The area outside the venue played host to EDC Orlando, which welcomed 100,000 ravers a day in November for the festival’s high-caliber production and lineup of heavyweight performers in the world of EDM. Event producers addressed complaints of overcrowding after this year’s event, the 14th year for EDC Orlando. While the festival is set to return Nov. 6-8, 2026, it remains to be seen how the event will manage crowds and how scheduled renovations at the stadium will impact EDC’s footprint.
Within a week of wrapping up the 2025 edition of EDC Orlando, event producer Insomniac transformed the venue for Vans Warped Tour, which hosted 130 bands and 80,000 fans per day for a three-city revival of the iconic touring festival. Vans Warped Tour plans to return to Orlando in November 2026.
I also attended my first Hulaween, a music and arts festival during Halloween weekend filled with jam bands and electronic music artists. The setting was the beautiful 800-acre Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park near Live Oak, which hosted an estimated 20,000 attendees for the four-day festival.
Arts
In slices of life from around the world of Central Florida visual arts and culture, the Mount Dora Arts Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary, while the Enzian Theater marked its 40th year of movies and memories.
Photographer Juan David Tena celebrated the diversity of the Orlando area through his “Portraits of FusionFest” exhibition at the Orlando Museum of Art, which featured 22 life-sized prints and a digital screen cycling through more than 300 photos.
OMA’s Florida Prize in Contemporary Art returned for its 11th year, showcasing artists from Miami to Tallahassee. Nathalie Alfonso, a Colombian-born artist known for her large-scale gestural drawings and paintings, was chosen as the winner of the top $20,000 prize. Fort Lauderdale-based multimedia artist Kandy G. Lopez was selected as the winner of the $5,000 People’s Choice Award for her fiber-based portraits of everyday people.
“The Sage Project” showcased the history of Winter Park’s Hannibal Square community with 10 portraits and stories on display at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center, which was established in partnership with Crealdé School of Art. The exhibit is on display through Jan. 24, 2026.
“The Changing Face of Orlando: A Sesquicentennial Celebration” highlighted 12 historic photos alongside modern-day recreations showing the City Beautiful’s 150-year history at Orlando City Hall’s Terrace Gallery.
The Mills Gallery helped reintroduce illustrator and painter Mark T. Smith in “The Third Act” exhibition and helped introduce five emerging artists to Orlando through the second “Win Winn Emerging Artists Exhibition.”
Just down the street, outdoor sculptures found a home at Leu Gardens in a special outdoor “Origami in the Garden” show spread throughout the 50-acre botanical oasis. The beloved gardens also brought back the popular annual plant sale and fun events like “Dog Day.”
The “Art Pollination” project took a $1 million grant given to the City of Orlando by the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge and transformed it into paintings, poetry, dance and public outreach spearheaded by social practice artist Juan William Chavez. The two-year collaborative effort brought together Orlando nonprofits, artists, museums and other creators.
Everything Else
Florida is known as a place where wacky and wild things happen, and 2025 had several examples of just that.
The Florida Man Games returned for a second year of Sunshine State shenanigans, bringing teams from around the state for battles with weaponized pool noodles, a Florida sumo cage match, a hurricane supplies grocery aisle brawl and an evading arrest obstacle course. Team Hanky Spanky of St. Augustine, the reigning champions from the inaugural games, prevailed once again.
While the Florida men got to duke it out in a series of harebrained challenges, a 27-year-old Florida woman embarked on an epic endeavor to set the fastest known time on the 1,100-mile Florida Trail. Trail runner Deanna Doane completed the entire trek in under 20 days while averaging 57 miles per day.
Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster landed in the United States for the first time in Altamonte Springs. The entertaining and twisty spectacle involved decorated bikes and 30 pairs of riders navigating an obstacle-filled track with water on either side. Orlando-based team NFT Boombox emerged as the champions.
College Park and Ocoee both celebrated their 100th birthdays this year.
Cholo Dogs brought back its annual belly flop contest to Baldwin Park, giving 40 floppers a chance to test their splashes.
Orlando comedian Kam Patterson joined the cast for Saturday Night Live’s 51st season and Central Florida drag queen Myki Meeks was announced as a competitor for season 18 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
The Orlando Sentinel’s Spooky Awards came back for a fourth year and the eighth annual Twinkly Awards highlighted 30 standout holiday displays, recognizing the efforts of the aspiring Clark Griswolds of Central Florida.
If 2025 was any indication, the next year will be full of adventures to savor and stories to share. Thanks, as always, for reading and following along.
Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. Stay up to date with our latest travel, arts and events coverage by subscribing to our newsletters at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
