The Florida sun shines high and warm weather in the early summer moods, but the state’s outdoor event season has some treats before it’s too hot to get out.
The St. John’s River Festival of the Arts, the Mount Dora Blueberry Festival and the Florida Puerto Rico Parade & Festival are all one of the events and celebrations that took place this weekend. Additionally, Central Floridians can enjoy the end of the martial arts show, Winter Park Paintout, Bokui Park Reggae Fest, Earth Fest 2025, special anniversary at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
Here’s how you can enjoy a warm spring weekend in the Orlando area:
St. John’s River Festival of the Arts
Sanford’s annual art and craft celebration will return this weekend with more than 120 local, regional and national artists specializing in sculpture, pottery, jewelry, painting, woodworking and photography. The festival usually features 60,000 visitors throughout the event weekend. This also includes live entertainment, workshops and vendors. A $15,000 prize will be awarded to top artists.
If you’re going: The 14th St. John’s River Festival of the Arts will open on April 26th from 10am to 6pm with free admission and free parking on April 27th. More information: stjohnriverartfest.com
Jerry Fallstrom/Orlando Sentinel
Slices of blueberry pie like these from last year’s Mount Dora Blueberry Festival will be on sale from this year’s event April 26th-27th. (Orlando Sentinel file)
Mount Dora Blueberry Festival
Lake County celebrates the peak of the blueberry season with an outdoor festival focused on food. Visitors can purchase newly selected berries from farms and fresh blueberry products. Crafters, live music, pancake breakfast, blueberry beer, wine and pie meal contests are also one of the highlights of the free event.
If You Go: The 11th Dora Blueberry Festival will be open April 26-27 at 530 N. Donnelly Street in Mount Dora from 9am to 5pm. The event is open to the public for free. A $10 parking is available on a free round-trip shuttle ride at 900 N. Lincoln Ave. in Mt. Dora. More information: MountDorablueBerryFestival.com
Elssinel Orlando
The Florida Puerto Rico parades and festivals will return to downtown Orlando on Saturday. (Orlando Sentinel file)
Florida Puerto Rico Parade & Festival
This annual festival was established to promote Puerto Rican culture, heritage, values and contributions to Florida. The theme of this year’s parade is “Renewable Energy and the Environment”, with all activities dedicated to Aguadilla, the “city of fascination.” After the 11am parade on Saturday, visitors can watch live music performances, browse over 100 exhibitors and enjoy delicious food.
If you’re going: The Florida Puerto Rico Parade and Festival will be located on April 26th at 500 N. Orange Ave. in Orlando from 11am to 10pm. Details: floridapuertoricanparade.org
Five more events
The 17th Winter Park Paint concludes a week of Plain Air Painting, in which 22 artists were created around the Pollersek Museum and Winter Park. During the last two days of the event, admission to the gallery and gardens is free. Museum hours will be held at 633 Osceola Ave. in Winter Park from 9am to 3pm on April 25th and from 9am to 9am on April 26th. Details: winterparkpaintout.org Boxi Park Reggae Fest features top bands, tropical drinks and live performances from an island atmosphere. The reggae acquisition continues April 24-27 at 6877 Tavistock Lakes Blvd. In Orlando. More details: Boxiparklakenona.com Earth Fest 2025 represents Seminole County’s largest Earth Day event, with Lake Concord Park having close to 75 vendors and thousands of visitors. A complimentary festival, including educational workshops, food courts, kids’ zones and recycled art exhibits, can be found on April 26th at 95 Triplet Lake Drive in Casselberry. More details: casselberry.orgThe Hubble Space Telescope 35th Anniversary Celebration marks the decades of Hubble history, with over 1.6 million observations. Learn about the telescope through family-friendly activities, presentations and “Hubble 3D” at the IMAX Theater at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. The event will be on April 25th-27th at Space Commerceway on Merritt Island. More information: KennedyspaceCenter.com The Martial Arts World Super Show features martial arts demonstrations with over 750 participants and thousands of spectators in a colonial high school gymnasium. Tickets are $29.99 in advance and $40 at the door. The show will be from 11:30am to 2:30pm at 6100 Oleander Drive in Orlando. More information: ActionBody.com
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