Signature art festival ‘IMMERSE’ to transform Downtown Orlando for 11th year Feb. 20-22, 2026
Creative City Project founder and artistic director, Cole NeSmith, joins WESH 2 along with the founder and creative director of the Orlando Vocal Collective, Chris Keough
SUMY PART OF DOWNTOWN ORLANDO WILL TRANSFORM INTO A VIBRANT WORLD OF PERFORMANCES AND CREATIVITY. IMMERSED IS RETURNING NEXT WEEKEND. MARK YOUR CALENDAR. JOINING ME NOW WITH EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW, WE’VE GOT THE MAN BEHIND IT ALL, FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF CREATIVE CITY PROJECT, CONNIE SMITH. GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN. GREAT TO BE HERE. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. YEAH, WE LOVE HAVING YOU. AND WITH HIM, ONE PART OF THE AMAZING GROUP HEADLINING THIS YEAR’S EVENT, CHRIS KEHOE WITH THE ORLANDO VOCAL COLLECTIVE. GREAT TO SEE YOU, CHRIS. GREAT TO SEE YOU AS WELL. OKAY, SO LET’S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT CREATIVE CITY PROJECT AND IMMERSE. WHAT DO YOU WANT EVERYBODY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AND THIS BIG EVENT. WE LOVE BRINGING OUR COMMUNITY COMMUNITY TOGETHER AROUND TOTALLY UNIQUE ARTISTIC EXPERIENCES. THAT’S WHAT CREATIVE CITY IS ALL ABOUT. AND THAT IS WHAT IMMERSE IS. WE COME TOGETHER IN THE STREETS AND PUBLIC SPACES OF DOWNTOWN ORLANDO FOR HUNDREDS OF PERFORMANCES, INTERACTIVE INSTALLATIONS. IT REALLY IS AN INCREDIBLE TIME. YEAH, AND CHRIS, WE ARE GOING TO SEE YOU BECAUSE WE MENTIONED YOU’RE THE FOUNDER HERE OF THE GROUP THAT’S HEADLINING THE ORLANDO VOCAL COLLECTIVE. TELL US ABOUT HOW THAT CAME TO BE AND SORT OF YOUR ROLE AND THE GROUP’S ROLE IN. SURE, SURE. WELL, SO OVER MY TEN YEARS IN ORLANDO, I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF PERFORMING ALMOST EVERYWHERE THAT THERE IS LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. AND I HAVE BEEN THANKFUL TO MEET SOME AMAZING PEOPLE. AND HONESTLY, I JUST PULLED THE BEST OF WHO I’VE KNOWN TOGETHER. NOT ONLY THE BEST TALENT, BUT THE BEST INNER SPIRITED PEOPLE TOGETHER TO CREATE SOMETHING AMAZING. AND WE REALLY JUST BRING OUR COLLECTIVE VOICES TOGETHER, BUT ALSO OUR SPIRITS TO REALLY SHARE OUR PASSION WITH OUR CITY. SO IT’S EXCITING. CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE SNEAK PEEK INTO WHAT WE’RE GOING TO SEE YOU ALL DOING AT IMMERSE? SO LAST YEAR WE PERFORMED THE KING AND QUEEN OF POP, WHICH WAS THE MUSICAL THREADING TOGETHER OF THE CATALOGS OF BEYONCE AND MICHAEL JACKSON. WOW. THIS YEAR WE ARE DOING THE VOICE AND THE SONGBIRD, SO IT WILL BE WHITNEY HOUSTON AND MARIAH CAREY. OUR FAN FAVORITES. SO IT’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY. OH, THAT’S GOING TO BE SO GREAT. AND LET’S TALK ABOUT COLE IMMERSE BECAUSE THERE WILL BE MUSIC. THERE ARE SO MANY VISUAL DISPLAYS AND THERE’S SO MUCH THAT JUST SORT OF TAKES OVER DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. HOW DO YOU GUYS DO ALL OF THAT? OH, WE HAVE AN INCREDIBLE TEAM. OF COURSE, THAT’S ALWAYS THE ANSWER WHEN ANYTHING BIG IS HAPPENING, AN INCREDIBLE TEAM. WE HAVE HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS WHO HAVE BEEN REHEARSING ALL ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA, THE STATE, THE COUNTRY, THE WORLD. WE HAVE ARTISTS LIKE CIRQUE DU SOLEIL WITH ACROBATS HANGING FROM CRANES, BLUE MAN GROUP ON A STAGE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET, AND THEN EMERGING ARTISTS. THERE’S THE LAKE MARY UNITY STEP TEAM FROM LAKE MARY HIGH SCHOOL, A GROUP OF INCREDIBLE WOMEN WHO BRING PASSION AND ENERGY TO THE STAGE. SO IT REALLY IS AN INCREDIBLE BREADTH OF EXPERIENCE. AND COLE, WHAT IS IT FOR YOU THAT IS THE CAN’T MISS AT IMMERSE THIS YEAR? WELL, IT’S A HARD QUESTION TO ANSWER BECAUSE THERE’S SO MUCH. SORRY ABOUT THAT. INCREDIBLE ARCHITECTS OF AIR, WHICH IS A BRITISH ARTS ORGANIZATION THAT HAS THIS INCREDIBLE GIANT INFLATABLE STRUCTURE YOU CAN WALK THROUGH. IT’S MADE OF THESE TRANSLUCENT MATERIALS, AND IT CREATES THESE BEAUTIFUL VISUALS. SO THAT’S SOMETHING FOR SURE. BUT ALSO THOSE BIG ARTS ORGANIZATIONS, GLOBAL HEADLINERS LIKE BLUE MAN GROUP AND CIRQUE DU SOLEIL. BUT THEN ALL OF THE UNEXPECTED STUFF IS WHAT I THINK REALLY MAKES IMMERSE SPECIAL. YEAH. AND WHAT ABOUT YOU, CHRIS? WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED FOR? I’M MOST EXCITED TO RETURN TO THE STAGE. THE GROUP ACTUALLY STARTED AT IMMERSE LAST YEAR. THAT WAS OUR VERY FIRST PERFORMANCE, AND IT WAS ALSO KIND OF OUR REASON TO FORM. YEAH, BUT WE HAVE CONTINUED AND I’M JUST EXCITED TO GET ANOTHER SHOT AT IT. HONESTLY, ORLANDO VOCAL COLLECTIVE REFLECTS WHAT COLE HAS DONE WITH CREATIVE CITY PROJECT AND THE WAY THAT EVERY TIME WE TOUCH THE STAGE, WE TRY TO ELEVATE, WE TRY TO IMPROVE AND WE TRY TO INSPIRE. SO I’M EXCITED TO HIT THE STAGE AGAIN. WE CAN’T WAIT. SO LET’S TALK ABOUT GETTING IN. IT’S SOMETHING THAT’S FREE. THERE ARE SOME PERKS, NICOLE, FOR PEOPLE. IF YOU WANT TO UPGRADE THE EXPERIENCE. YEAH, YEAH. SO PEOPLE CAN JUST COME DOWNTOWN. THERE’LL BE HUNDREDS OF THINGS FOR THEM TO EXPERIENCE. BUT ALSO WE HAVE TICKETS THAT ALLOW PEOPLE INTO RESERVE VIEWING AREAS. WE HAVE VIP EXPERIENCES. WE HAVE A DINNER RIGHT ALONG ORANGE AVENUE WITH COCKTAILS, AND IT’S A PLATED MULTI-COURSE DINNER. IF GUESTS WANT TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING REALLY ELEVATED AND VERY SPECIAL. WOW. AND HOW DO WE GET ALL THE INFORMATION? YEAH, IT’S ALL AN IMMERSE FEST.COM. AND ACTUALLY THROUGH THE WEEKEND THERE’S A 15% DISCOUNT WITH THE CODE VALENTINE. OKAY, SO WE’RE DOING A LITTLE VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL AT IMMERSE FEST.COM. OKAY. VALENTINE WITH NO S NO S VALENTINE. THAT’S YOUR CODE. SAVE A LITTLE BIT. WE’VE GOT THE QR CODE. IF YOU CAN SCAN IT QUICKLY HERE ON SCREEN WITH YOUR SMARTPHONE OR TABLET, THAT WILL TAKE YOU TO THE INFORMATION OR GO TO WESH.COM AND SAVE A LITT
Signature art festival ‘IMMERSE’ to transform Downtown Orlando for 11th year Feb. 20-22, 2026
Creative City Project founder and artistic director, Cole NeSmith, joins WESH 2 along with the founder and creative director of the Orlando Vocal Collective, Chris Keough
Updated: 9:38 AM EST Feb 13, 2026
IMMERSE is returning to Downtown Orlando for it’s 11th year from Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Creative City Project founder and artistic director, Cole NeSmith, joins WESH 2 along with the founder and creative director of the Orlando Vocal Collective, Chris Keough to preview the signature event. IMMERSE will transform the into a cityscape of vibrant, multi-sensory performances, immersive installations and creative encounters. The event is free to attend.Tickets for elevated experiences are available for purchase. Guests can use the special promotional code ‘VALENTINE’ for 15% off starting Feb. 13 through Feb. 15, 2026. Click here to learn more.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
IMMERSE is returning to Downtown Orlando for it’s 11th year from Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.
Creative City Project founder and artistic director, Cole NeSmith, joins WESH 2 along with the founder and creative director of the Orlando Vocal Collective, Chris Keough to preview the signature event.
IMMERSE will transform the into a cityscape of vibrant, multi-sensory performances, immersive installations and creative encounters.
The event is free to attend.
Tickets for elevated experiences are available for purchase.
Guests can use the special promotional code ‘VALENTINE’ for 15% off starting Feb. 13 through Feb. 15, 2026.