Annual Events in Orlando: Month-by-Month Calendar

At a glance

Where: Orlando and its closest neighbors: Eatonville, Winter Park and Maitland, each labelled below
When: Events recur most months from January to December; this guide gives the usual month, not exact dates
Cost: Some events are free and others are ticketed; check each official site for admission
Dates: Exact dates change every year; use the official links before you plan

The annual events in Orlando that return every year run from ZORA! Festival in Eatonville in January to the holiday lights and parades of December. The anchors are the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival in March, the Florida Film Festival in April, the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival in May and Fireworks at the Fountain at Lake Eola Park on July 4.

This guide gives the usual month for each event, not this year's dates, because organizers move weekends around. Every event links to its own official site. Months with nothing we could verify are skipped rather than padded, so you will not find February, June, August, September or October below.

A note on geography: most events sit in the City of Orlando. Three of the best sit just outside it, and we say so each time: ZORA! Festival is in Eatonville, the Sidewalk Art Festival and the Christmas Parade are in Winter Park, and the Florida Film Festival is at a theater in Maitland.

What are the big annual events in Orlando, month by month?

The short answer is one or two verified events in January, March, April, May, July, November and December. Here they are in order.

January: ZORA! Festival

ZORA! Festival is a three-day celebration of the writer Zora Neale Hurston and Black culture, held in historic Eatonville, about 15 minutes north of downtown Orlando. It is usually held in late January. Eatonville is not part of the City of Orlando, but it is the reason this festival exists: the festival calls it America's oldest incorporated Black township, and it is the town Hurston called home.

The official site, zorafestival.org, lists a Friday Education Day that is free, with paid passes for Saturday and Sunday, and free entry for kids and students through grade 12 with ID. Ticket prices change, so check the site before you go.

March: Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival fills Central Park and Park Avenue in Winter Park with a juried outdoor art show, usually in March. Winter Park is its own city, just north of downtown Orlando.

The festival began in 1960 and, per its official site at wpsaf.org, draws more than 250,000 visitors a year. It runs three days, typically Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. That scale is the practical tip: park a few blocks away and walk in, because Park Avenue is the festival.

April: Florida Film Festival and Spring Fiesta in the Park

The Florida Film Festival is a 10-day festival centered on the Enzian Theater at 1300 S. Orlando Ave. in Maitland, the city next door to Orlando. It is usually held in April. The official site, floridafilmfestival.com, reports about 160 films and calls the festival Oscar-qualifying. Tickets and passes are sold through the site.

Fiesta in the Park is an arts-and-crafts festival at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. It happens twice a year, and the spring edition is usually the first weekend of April, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. over two days. Pets are welcome. Details are on fiestainthepark.com.

Put them on one weekend plan only if the dates line up: the two are on different sides of the city, about a 15-minute drive apart without traffic.

May: Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival

The Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival is a May theater festival that has run since 1992 and, on its official site, calls itself the longest-running Fringe festival in the United States. The Orlando Fringe office is at 634 Virginia Drive in Orlando.

The detail worth repeating: the Fringe says 100 percent of ticket sales go to the artists. That makes a ticket to a small show a direct payment to the performers. The official site, orlandofringe.org, also lists a winter mini-fest during the cooler months, so check it if you cannot wait until May.

July: Fireworks at the Fountain

Fireworks at the Fountain is the City of Orlando's Fourth of July celebration at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando. The city has staged it every summer since the late 1970s, which tells you how deep the tradition runs.

The event typically starts in the afternoon with live entertainment, local food vendors and a family-friendly zone, and the fireworks are set to a custom score, with the Orlando Concert Band performing before the show. The city posts each year's schedule, parking and road closures through its Lake Eola Park page and news releases. Arrive early in the afternoon, since the park fills long before dark.

November: Fall Fiesta, Orlando Beer Festival, EDC Orlando and Dazzling Nights

November is the densest month on the calendar. Four events return reliably.

Fall Fiesta in the Park at Lake Eola Park is the second edition of the arts-and-crafts festival, usually the first full weekend of November, with booths, food trucks and kid activities. The organizers say the festival has run for more than 55 years.
Orlando Beer Festival is a one-day afternoon tasting event at Lake Eola Park, usually in November, for ages 21 and up. Details are at orlandobeerfestival.com.
Electric Daisy Carnival Orlando is a three-day electronic music festival at Tinker Field in the West Lakes district, usually in early November. Passes are on orlando.edc.com.
Dazzling Nights at Harry P. Leu Gardens, 1920 N. Forest Ave., is a ticketed evening light display that typically opens in the second half of November and runs into early January. Leu Gardens is by the Audubon Park district. See leugardens.org. The gardens also post a daytime Holidays at Leu Gardens display of poinsettias and seasonal blooms.

December: Christmas Parade and Downtown for the Holidays

The Winter Park Christmas Parade runs down Park Avenue from Cole Avenue to Lyman Avenue on a Saturday morning in early December. The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce hosts it and calls it the oldest continuous holiday parade in Central Florida. More than 80 groups take part, including marching bands and Santa. The Chamber lists it at business.winterpark.org.

Downtown for the Holidays is the downtown Orlando district's holiday program at Lake Eola Park. It typically includes a tree lighting at the Lake Eola Amphitheater in early December, the Eola Wonderland Christmas Tree Show and a Holiday Train that runs for a few weeks. The schedule is at downtownorlando.com/holidays.

How we chose

We started with the five events in Orlando's researched city profile: ZORA! Festival, the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, the Florida Film Festival, the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival and Fireworks at the Fountain. Then we added recurring events at well-known Orlando venues. Each event was checked against its own official site, and we only list events that are still operating.

We left out events whose official pages did not show a current edition, and any event we could not confirm happens every year. We also left out theme-park seasonal events, which belong on the resorts' own sites, and the weekly and monthly markets, which are not annual.

Orlando's year at a glance: what happens when?

Here is the whole calendar in one list.

January: ZORA! Festival, Eatonville.
March: Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, Winter Park.
April: Florida Film Festival (Maitland) and Spring Fiesta in the Park (Lake Eola Park).
May: Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival.
July: Fireworks at the Fountain, Lake Eola Park.
November: Fall Fiesta, Orlando Beer Festival, EDC Orlando, Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens.
December: Winter Park Christmas Parade and Downtown for the Holidays.

For what is on right now, see the Orlando events calendar or this weekend's events. Summer and early fall are hurricane season, so check the Orlando weather page before any outdoor plan in those months.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the biggest annual events in Orlando?

The best-known recurring events are ZORA! Festival in January, the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival in March, the Florida Film Festival in April, the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival in May and Fireworks at the Fountain on July 4. Several of these are in nearby Eatonville, Winter Park and Maitland rather than inside the City of Orlando.

When is Fireworks at the Fountain in Orlando?

Fireworks at the Fountain is held on July 4 at Lake Eola Park in downtown Orlando, with festivities typically starting in the afternoon and fireworks after dark. Check the City of Orlando's Lake Eola Park page on orlando.gov for current times and road closures.

When is the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival?

The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is usually held over three days in March in Central Park and along Park Avenue. Check wpsaf.org for exact dates, which move from year to year.

When is the Florida Film Festival?

The Florida Film Festival is usually held in April and runs about 10 days, centered on the Enzian Theater in Maitland. Dates for each edition are posted on floridafilmfestival.com.

What happens in Orlando in November?

November typically brings Fall Fiesta in the Park and the Orlando Beer Festival at Lake Eola Park, Electric Daisy Carnival at Tinker Field, and the start of holiday lights at Leu Gardens. Check each official site for the current dates.

Are Orlando's annual events free?

Some are and some are not. ZORA! Festival in Eatonville offers a free Friday Education Day, while the Film Festival, EDC Orlando, the Beer Festival and Dazzling Nights are ticketed. Confirm admission on each official site before you go.