The holiday season amps up the live-entertainment factor at Orlando’s theme parks. There’s a surge in festivities, taking forms such as jump-roping toy soldiers at SeaWorld Orlando, interactions with citizens of Who-ville at Islands of Adventure and gospel-music performances at Epcot.
These are human beings working to spread cheer, so my holiday wish is that we be a little more present and absorb the merrymaking. (This is also spurred by spying a Magic Kingdom visitor shopping via Amazon whilst the Carousel of Progress was in motion. Even animatronic Sarah stopped her ironing in amazement.)
With eyes wider open, I explored holiday offerings I had not experienced at IOA and Epcot yet.
Enter the Who-Wops.
This is a four-person, Seuss-inspired a cappella group, decked on in Who-Ville finery. The singers sport the trademark Who nose, which we can imagine is a breathing/singing challenge.
It’s light and breezy entertainment, in a good way. And while I’m not a fan of crowd participation, I felt bad for performers who couldn’t get even a wee “Hey!” from audience members during “Jingle Bells.” Things rebounded when a man agreed to sing along – into the microphone, no less – on “Feliz Navidad.” (“Now do it in Spanish,” quipped one Who, which was funnier than it should be.)
Themed trees enhance Seuss Landing during the holidays at Islands of Adventure theme park. One features Cindy Lou Who of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” fame. (Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel)
I happened upon the group because there is a sign in the area I went to explore, the Who-Ville Tree Lot. The area, sandwiched between the Cat and the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish rides, features a handful of themed Seuss trees. A lot of this is achieved through color coding, but each is topped with a symbol of a character. That hat is a giveaway for the Cat tree, and the Cindy Lou Who tree is pretty pink. The One Fish, Two Fish tree gives some Captain America vibes, but that did make me look twice.
Of course, The Lorax is nearby to speak for the trees.
These additions alone aren’t necessarily enough to merit a trip out, but they enhance the holiday cheer of the area, along with the roaming Whos and the long queue to meet the Grinch. Remaining nearby is “The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular,” now produced in the cool yet comfy confines of the former home of Blue Man Group. Bonus: The show queue winds through a backstage area where construction is visible of the yet-to-be announced attraction to replace Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Florida.
While in the area, I popped over to Universal because of an affinity for the Blues Brothers’ “Snowman” song. Visitors later are unusually fascinated by the finale’s faux snowfall. Although it was ordinary by Orlando’s standards, it reaffirms that little things, even suds, mean a lot at the holidays.
I also investigated that park’s holiday Tribute Store, which is noteworthy for its array of nutcrackers — big, tiny, aqua, pink, housing a digital fireplace, etc. — and its related photo op.
An addition to the Epcot International Festival of the Arts for 2025 is Micha’s Adventskalendar Puppetry, a 15-minute show performed in the theme park’s Germany pavilion. Among the characters: Bernie the Badger. (Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel)
Adventskalendar action
I made the loop on the first day of the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays last week. This included looks at Santa’s station inside CommuniCore Hall and the Santa Goofy photo op inside Odyssey, which was crowded yet mellow. There’s also Glittering Grove, a display of trees incorporated into the Goofy queue, and they are flanked by fun fir facts. (Hmmm, this, plus Who lot, SeaWorld Sea of Trees, Disney Springs tree trail … equals trend!).
A first-time Epcot offering is Micha’s Adventskalender Puppetry, which continues the holiday storytelling tradition of World Showcase. Here, visitors hear tales using an advent format (with dispensation, via Disney magic, to reveal more than one date) and puppetry. One segment involves making houses out of apples and sticks. The charming performance is on the tiny stage in the Germany pavilion, but it’s active. Never before have I seen a marionette stage dive into a crowd.
Among the puppets are Bernie the Badger and (spoiler alert) the Easter Bunny.
The puppeteer also comes down into the crowd, triggering my Resting Bevil Face, an attempt to be ignored. Other audience members were merrier, seemingly delighted to snuggle up with puppets. Some people stayed after the 15-minute show for further interaction.
It’s quaint but crowded as there’s a popular festival food stand nearby, and it’s at the point of World Showcase where the weary realize, “Man, I need a beer. Hey, we’re in Germany!”
News and nuggets
• AJ Wolfe, writer of the best-selling “Disney Adults” book, and Pam Brandon, author of “The Official Disney Parks Desserts Cookbook,” will be appearing at Writer’s Block Bookstore in Winter Park at 6 p.m. Saturday.
• Universal Orlando has set the dates for its Mardi Gras celebration. It will run Feb. 7 through April 4. Menus and concerts have not been announced.
• In farther-flung news, a Lego Harry Potter land has been announced … for Legoland Deutschland in Gunzburg, Germany. The project will incorporate the “first-ever Harry Potter themed guest accommodation,” Merlin Entertainments announced. No time frames shared beyond that, details will be announced “in the next 12 months.”
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