SEASON IN ORLANDO. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MICHIGAN AND TEXAS FOOTBALL FANS ARE IN TOWN RIGHT NOW CHEERING THEIR TEAMS ON. THAT’S RIGHT. AND IT’S PROBABLY A SAFE BET THAT MANY OF THOSE SAME FANS WILL BE AMONG THE THOUSANDS EXPECTED DOWNTOWN TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR. WESH TWO JUSTIN SCHECKER IS LIVE IN THORNTON PARK RIGHT NOW, WHERE MANY WILL WATCH ORLANDO’S VERSION OF THE BALL DROP. JUSTIN. HEY THERE. YEAH, IT’S NOT THE WARM FLORIDA WEATHER THAT TEXAS AND MICHIGAN FOOTBALL FANS HAD HOPED FOR, BUT THEY ARE STILL FIRED UP FOR THEIR NEW YEAR’S EVE BOWL GAME AND HERE IN THORNTON PARK. CHECK THIS OUT. THE REINDEER ROOM HAS EVEN REBRANDED ITSELF THE CITRUS BOWL LODGE. AND LATER TONIGHT, HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WILL GATHER IN THIS ORLANDO NEIGHBORHOOD TO WELCOME IN THE NEW YEAR WITH THE TRADITION OF THE ORANGE BALL DROP. OH, THIS IS NICE WEATHER. IT’S GREAT FOOTBALL WEATHER. THERE’S PLENTY OF MAIZE AND BLUE AND BURNT ORANGE AND WHITE IN DOWNTOWN ORLANDO. AS MICHIGAN AND TEXAS FACE OFF IN ONE OF THE FINAL COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES OF 2025. I’M ENJOYING THE COLD WEATHER, THOUGH. IT GIVES ME A CHANCE TO WEAR ALL THE NICE BOOTS. FINALLY VISITING FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, CALEB HUNT IS WEARING BOTH TEAMS COLORS BECAUSE HE’S FROM A HOUSE DIVIDED. HUGE MICHIGAN FAN AND HUGE TEXAS FAN. MY MY PARENTS SAY LIKE, WHICHEVER PARENT YOU LOVE MORE IS THE TEAM YOU’RE GOING TO ROOT FOR. AND I WAS JUST LIKE, I’M JUST GOING TO ROOT FOR A GOOD GAME. THE TEXAS MASCOT, BEVO THE LONGHORN, MADE HIS GRAND ARRIVAL AT CAMPING WORLD STADIUM AS JEREMY STEPHENS AND HIS FELLOW MICHIGAN FANS GOT IN SOME GAMES OF CORNHOLE BEFORE KICKOFF. IT’S A LITTLE WARMER DOWN HERE, BUT STILL A LITTLE COLD. WAS HOPING FOR SOMETHING WARMER WE’VE BEEN DOING FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE. PROBABLY CATCH THE CONCERT AFTERWARDS, AND THEN SEE IF WE CAN FIND A GOOD SPORTS BAR TO WATCH. THE BUCKEYES LOSE TONIGHT AFTER THE CHEEZ-IT CITRUS BOWL AND POST-GAME CONCERT BY COUNTRY MUSIC STAR JORDAN DAVIS, CHRISTIAN WALDRON IS HOPING FANS WILL SPEND THE EVENING AT THE CORONA CIGAR COMPANY ON ORANGE AVENUE, ESPECIALLY IF THEIR TEAM WINS. THEY WANT TO HAVE A CELEBRATORY CIGAR, AND LIKE I SAID BEFORE, THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE FOR THAT. FOR FOLKS HEADED TO DOWNTOWN ORLANDO FOR NEW YEAR’S EVE, IT WILL BE LAST CALL AT TANQUERAY’S. THIS DOWNTOWN BAR IS CLOSING AFTER 37 YEARS, AND FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, THE ORANGE BALL DROP HAS MOVED OVER TO THORNTON PARK. IT’S REALLY JUST KEEPING THE TRADITION ALIVE. IT’S LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE’RE HONORED. IT’S REALLY NEAT. BY MIDDAY, THE BARRICADES WERE SET UP ON WASHINGTON AVENUE, WHERE PARTYGOERS WHO PURCHASED TICKETS WILL GATHER TONIGHT TO RING IN THE NEW YEAR. WE DON’T WANT IT TO OVER EXPAND. IT’S SUPPOSED TO BE AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE AND A NICE, SAFE SPOT AND JUST REALLY HIGHLIGHT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HIGHLIGHT OUR RESTAURANTS AND BARS. THE OWNER OF BAR AND KITCHEN, MARK CAVALLINI, SAYS IN ADDITION TO PRIVATE SECURITY, WE HAVE A TON OF POLICE DOWN HERE. WE HAVE EMTS AND FIREFIGHTERS. THERE WILL BE SOME OFF DUTY, PROBABLY PLAINCLOTHES, WALKING AROUND. I’M SURE. THE THE THE SECURITY’S DEFINITELY BEEFED UP FOR. AND TICKETS FOR THORNTON PARK’S NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY CAN STILL BE PURCHASED ONLINE AT THE EVENTBRITE PAGE. THE FESTIVITIES GET UNDERWAY AT 8:00 AS WE COUNT DOWN TO THE ORANGE BALL DROP AT MIDNIGHT, COVERING ORANGE COUNTY. LIVE IN ORLANDO’S THORNTON PARK.
Florida prepares for New Year’s Eve with Citrus Bowl and Orange Ball Drop
Updated: 5:57 PM EST Dec 31, 2025
As Florida prepares to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the Citrus Bowl game between the Michigan Wolverines and Texas Longhorns is underway at Camping World Stadium, while Thornton Park readies for the Orange Ball Drop.Despite the chilly weather, Texas fan Karen Nunez said, “This is nice weather, it’s great football weather.” Felicia Hunt’s husband, Alex, forgot his jacket but refused to wear his wife’s team colors at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. “It’s a little chilly, but I got my coat, and I offered him my Texas, I got my other Texas coat, and I offered him one, but he didn’t want it,” she said.Michigan fan Jeremy Stephens, playing cornhole outside the stadium, shared his New Year’s Eve plans, saying, “What are you going to be doing for NYE? Probably catch the concert afterward and then see if we could find a good sports bar to watch the Buckeyes lose tonight.”In Thornton Park, the Orange Ball Drop tradition continues for the second year, organized by local business owners. Christian Waldron, manager of the Corona Cigar Company Downtown, hopes fans will visit after the game, saying, “Especially if their team wins, they want to have a celebratory cigar, and like I said, this is the place to be for that.”Cavos Bar and Kitchen owner Mark Cavallini emphasized the importance of a safe and enjoyable experience, saying, “We don’t want it to overexpand, it’s supposed to be an enjoyable experience and a nice safe spot and really highlight the neighborhood and our restaurant and bars.”By midday, barricades were set up on Washington Avenue, and Cavallini noted the increased security measures, saying, “We have a ton of police down here, we have EMTs and FFs, there will be some off-duty plain clothes walking around I’m sure, the security is definitely beefed up for sure.”Tickets for the Thornton Park New Year’s Eve party are still available online, with festivities starting at 8 p.m. as the countdown to the Orange Ball Drop at midnight begins.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
As Florida prepares to celebrate New Year’s Eve, the Citrus Bowl game between the Michigan Wolverines and Texas Longhorns is underway at Camping World Stadium, while Thornton Park readies for the Orange Ball Drop.
Despite the chilly weather, Texas fan Karen Nunez said, “This is nice weather, it’s great football weather.” Felicia Hunt’s husband, Alex, forgot his jacket but refused to wear his wife’s team colors at the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl. “It’s a little chilly, but I got my coat, and I offered him my Texas, I got my other Texas coat, and I offered him one, but he didn’t want it,” she said.
Michigan fan Jeremy Stephens, playing cornhole outside the stadium, shared his New Year’s Eve plans, saying, “What are you going to be doing for NYE? Probably catch the concert afterward and then see if we could find a good sports bar to watch the Buckeyes lose tonight.”
In Thornton Park, the Orange Ball Drop tradition continues for the second year, organized by local business owners. Christian Waldron, manager of the Corona Cigar Company Downtown, hopes fans will visit after the game, saying, “Especially if their team wins, they want to have a celebratory cigar, and like I said, this is the place to be for that.”
Cavos Bar and Kitchen owner Mark Cavallini emphasized the importance of a safe and enjoyable experience, saying, “We don’t want it to overexpand, it’s supposed to be an enjoyable experience and a nice safe spot and really highlight the neighborhood and our restaurant and bars.”
By midday, barricades were set up on Washington Avenue, and Cavallini noted the increased security measures, saying, “We have a ton of police down here, we have EMTs and FFs, there will be some off-duty plain clothes walking around I’m sure, the security is definitely beefed up for sure.”
Tickets for the Thornton Park New Year’s Eve party are still available online, with festivities starting at 8 p.m. as the countdown to the Orange Ball Drop at midnight begins.