{"id":37251,"date":"2025-11-07T13:00:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T13:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/37251\/"},"modified":"2025-11-07T13:00:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T13:00:09","slug":"aquatica-orlando-powers-up-illuminate-a-bright-light-nighttime-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/37251\/","title":{"rendered":"Aquatica Orlando powers up Illuminate, a bright-light nighttime event"},"content":{"rendered":"

A new after-hours event at Aquatica Orlando<\/a> water park is designed to bring some light to the season. Illuminate features larger-than-life, lantern-inspired figures \u2014 primarily shaped as animals \u2014 that line the attraction\u2019s pathway.<\/p>\n

\u201cIlluminate invites families to explore the park on foot, surrounded by glowing lanterns and shimmering realms full of light,\u201d Bradley Gilmour, park president, said during a Wednesday evening preview.<\/p>\n

Although a few of the lit-up displays are placed on the water\u2019s surface, the park\u2019s slides, wave pool and lazy rivers are not open during Illuminate. Visitors should leave swimsuits at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve done night events over the course of the wintertime here, like movies on the beach, and they really resonated with our [annual] pass members,\u201d Gilmour said. Last year, the park introduced AquaGlow, an after-hours, limited-capacity party with slides available, some of which are enhanced with lighting effects.<\/p>\n

For Illuminate, the park is divided into five distinctly themed areas, starting with one named AquaLuma, which uses five Aquatica mascots \u2014 including Roa the Kiwi and Kata the Kookaburra \u2014 to greet Illuminate-goers.<\/p>\n

Other realms include Enchanted Lagoon, featuring an at-sea mermaid and a colorful unicorn; Rivers of Discovery, with animals such as dolphins, flamingos, lions, giraffes and rays; and Myst Wood Waters, featuring dragonflies, chameleons and birds.<\/p>\n

Candy Cascade Falls veers from the wildlife theme into sweet territory and a lollipop-lined pathway.<\/p>\n

Scents and music are added to the spaces for immersive touches. Brightly colored tunnels connect the areas and stops for specialty foods for purchase.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery glowing lantern, every scent, every sound, every unique experience was crafted from scratch through our entertainment and technical teams,\u201d said Cindi Miller, vice president for entertainment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey spent months designing, building and programming these worlds for you guys to enjoy,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

United report: Attendance, revenue dip at theme parks<\/a><\/p>\n

Add-on experiences include s\u2019mores by the fire, a crafting area and the Serengeti Express Train Ride, which chugs through safari scenes near the Rivers of Discovery realm.<\/p>\n

Although there\u2019s an opportunity to meet a Tropical Kiwi-themed Santa Claus during Illuminate, it\u2019s not an overwhelmingly holiday-driven evening, Gilmour said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not 100% a Christmas event. It\u2019s an event centered around lanterns and lights and spending time with friends and family,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Admission varies with date. Ticket prices run between $24.99 and $29.99. The water park is off International Drive, adjacent to sister park SeaWorld Orlando<\/a>. Illuminate is held on select nights through Jan. 31. For more information, go to aquatica.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Epcot: Festival\u2019s Disney on Broadway singers unveiled<\/a><\/p>\n

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. BlueSky: @themeparksdb. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks<\/a>. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com\/newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new after-hours event at Aquatica Orlando water park is designed to bring some light to the season.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37252,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[25583,25582,139,141,140,25584],"class_list":{"0":"post-37251","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-aquatica-orlando","9":"tag-bradley-gilmour","10":"tag-orlando","11":"tag-orlando-headlines","12":"tag-orlando-news","13":"tag-water-park"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}