Missing the Osborne Lights in Disney World? Check Out These 7 Orlando Events Instead

It’s not too early to start thinking about the holidays…right…RIGHT?

Disney has already made a ton of big holiday announcements for this year. We know that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is returning to Magic Kingdom, and the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays is returning, as well. Plus over on the west coast, Festival of Holidays will be back at Disney California Adventure. But if you’re still missing The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and are looking for a good light show, then check out some of the options that will be available to you around Orlando this holiday season!

ICE! at Gaylord Palms

ICE! at Gaylord Palms is a holiday event consisting of displays made entirely of ice! The theme this year at Gaylord Palms Orlando is How the Grinch Stole Christmas, so all of the displays are going to be Grinch-related. To keep all of the ice, you know, frozen, the temperature inside of the event is a chilly 9 degrees, so you’ll feel like it’s the holiday season (don’t worry, they provide parkas at the event)!

Not only will you get to see intricate displays made entirely from ice, but there’s also an ice slide that you’ll be able to enjoy, as well.

ICE! at Gaylord Palms will be available from November 18th to January 1st, and tickets are on sale now! You can purchase them online at the Gaylord Palms website.

Winter Park Holiday Activities

Winter Park is a town close to Orlando that hosts all sorts of holiday activities! First up is Christmas In The Park, which is an event that is jointly hosted by the City of Winter Park and The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. It will take place on Thursday, December 1st at 6:15PM in Winter Park’s Central Park and helps to kick off the holiday season in Winter Park! The museum will light up some Tiffany glass windows and present the Bach Festival Choir and Brass Ensemble in concert.

And then the following day on Friday, December 2nd, you can herald in the holiday season with Winter on the Avenue in Winter Park!

Winter on the Avenue will start on December 2nd at 5PM and will feature a tree lighting ceremony, strolling carolers, a visit from Santa Claus, and more.

And the holiday fun doesn’t stop there! On December 3rd, you can watch the 70th annual Winter Park Ye Olde Hometown Christmas Parade! The parade starts at 9AM and ends at 100:30AM and the parade route will include Park and New England Avenues.

Oh, What Fun! at Lake Nona

Lake Nona is a region of Orlando, and in years past, the area has hosted an event called Oh, What Fun! Last year, the event started after Thanksgiving and ran until the very beginning of January. The exact dates haven’t been announced for this year.

Oh, What Fun! is located at the Lake Nona Town Center, which is transformed into Peppermint Square, where you can see holiday decorations, live entertainment, holiday pop-up vendors, and even snowfall!

Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens

Another event that has not yet announced specific events for this year is Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens.

This is a massive light display throughout Leu Gardens, which is a botanical garden in Orlando. Dazzling Nights includes a light maze, LED light tunnels, and more. We’ll be sure to share more details about this year’s event once it becomes available.

Colorful Christmas at Crayola Experience

At the Crayola Experience, you can take part in Colorful Christmas, which is included with general admission to Crayola Experience.

At Colorful Christmas, you’ll be able to see a singing light show, appearances by characters, meet animatronic Christmas characters, and listen to them tell their stories all while you attempt to solve a riddle! Colorful Christmas will be available every day that the Crayola Experience is open starting November 20th and running until January 3rd.

Festival of Trees at Orlando Museum of Art

At the Orlando Museum of Art in years past, they have hosted the Festival of Trees. This is a festival that usually takes place in November and gives guests the opportunity to see designer-decorated Christmas trees and wreaths plus other holiday displays. Specific information for this year’s event hasn’t been released yet, but we’ll be sure to update this post when it is.

Now Snowing in Celebration

If you’re up on your Disney history, you may remember Celebration as the town that Disney used to own, but now it is its own thing and every holiday season, it snows in Celebration! It’s the same snow that happens on Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom.

The Now Snowing event also usually features a synthetic ice rink, community performances, and a tree lighting ceremony! Dates for this year’s Now Snowing event haven’t been announced, but we’ll be sure to update when they are.

If you’ll be spending the holiday season at Disney World, make sure to check out EVERYTHING we know about the return of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party as well as everything returning to the 2022 Festival of the Holidays at EPCOT! And as always, be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for the latest news!

Click here to see the best Disney World hotel to celebrate the holidays!

What’s your favorite thing to do in Orlando around the holidays? Let us know in the comments!