Dr. Phillips Center’s free holiday festival transforms Orlando

In one year of planning, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts Center has pulled off an extraordinary feat: It has turned the heart of downtown into a magical Winter festival.

“It’s amazing. I had no idea just what the transformation would be,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer during a preview for the media and local officials this week for the first-ever Frontyard Holiday Festival supported by AdventHealth.

Fire pits glow. Singers perform on stage. Fake snow falls down for the Florida kids who don’t know the real thing. Holiday booths sell coquito, sandwiches and hearty snacks. It’s easy to forget that the 408 traffic is in the backdrop or ignore an ambulance siren going by. Instead, you get lost in Santa greeting children and the music on stage from Central Florida’s talent.

The free festival, which is officially open, runs 28 days through Jan. 4 and will feature 80 live performances, holiday movies, nightly tree lightings and more. The slate of performers includes opera singers, high school choirs, jazz performers, Latin Night and more. The schedule is available here.

About 300,000 people are expected to attend — a boon to the city’s economy especially since one 1 of every 4 Dr. Phillips Center visitors typically comes from outside Orange County, said Orange County Commissioner Mike Scott.

“Most importantly, this festival builds connections,” Scott said. “This festival creates a cultural and economic ripple that extends well beyond the borders of downtown.”

The performing arts center has hosted “Lion King,” “Hamilton” and more during its 10 years in business. But during the pandemic, it began using the space out front — its “front yard” — in innovative ways, said Kathy Ramsberger, President and CEO of Dr. Phillips Center.

Keeping patrons spread apart in individual seat boxes, Dr. Phillips held concerts outdoors during the pandemic.

Ramsberger said the Dr. Phillips Center purposefully has chosen not to develop the land in order to keep the space for people to come together.

“Hopefully, this will grow across the street to City Hall, down the street, over to Orange County administration building, up and down Orange Avenue, and the entire city will be connected with something that the City of Orlando started to celebrate Christmas and the holidays,” Ramsberger said.