Florida Guide > Miscellaneous
Countdown to Christmas
On a recent pre-Christmas trip to our villa at Highlands Reserve, we took the opportunity to visit the Now Snowing Event at Celebration. The event is held every year between late November and the end of December and we have always been there just too soon or just too late before, so we were eager to see it this time. Celebration is the town that Disney built in an American Vintage style – lots of lovely houses with porches and a quaint shopping centre.
During the annual snowing event there is also an ice rink (not real – it would melt in the Florida weather we experienced on our trip! ) We saw a group of Carol singers dressed in Victorian clothes which really got us in the Christmas spirit and there is also the Celebration train and horse and carriage rides and an opportunity to meet Santa (which we felt a little old for! ) ‘Snow’ falls nightly at 6pm, 7pm. 8pm and 9pm and there is a lovely Christmas tree on Market Street.
What we hadn’t realised was that the night we chose to visit the Countdown to Christmas Event was taking place. This was on for two nights; December 8th and 15th and is a showcase for young talent from across America and beyond. It is a totally free event and we saw singers from Los Angeles, Dallas, Orlando and even Glasgow! It really added to the fun and atmosphere of the night. We were told that Justin Bieber was a past performer so maybe we saw an up and coming future star?
Entrance to Celebration and the Now Snowing events are free, including parking so it is a great way to spend an evening without it costing a penny but it was extremely busy and parking was impossible nearby, so it would be best to arrive early, be prepared for a walk to the centre or take a taxi.
We had planned to have dinner at Celebration and chose the Lakeside Bar and Grill at the Bohemian Hotel. We knew the restaurant as we had had our wedding reception there a few years ago and remembered the food and atmosphere was superb so we were prepared to wait for an hour for a table for two but on reflection it would be better to have booked and also if we had used a taxi we could have spent the time enjoying a cocktail or two! As expected the food was exceptional. We started by sharing a hug plate of Calamari and followed with a wonderful burger and their roasted chicken dish. Along with two drinks, the total was $80 which isn’t cheap but for a special meal we can really recommend it.
We were delighted with our trip to Countdown to Christmas and would definitely do it again if we are in town at the time and if we’d have taken that taxi, we would have stayed much longer I’m sure.
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