SeaWorld, Disney and Universal festivals draw Spring Break crowds in Orlando

O-Town performs at SeaWorld Orlando (Gabrielle Russon)

The fans arrived with *NSYNC bumper stickers on their cars and wore boy band concert T-shirts to the nostalgic concert only Orlando can pull off.

The founding member of *NSYNC, Chris Kirkpatrick, joined with O-Town, singer Ryan Cabrera and the last surviving member of LFO, all who have deep ties to the City Beautiful, performed Friday at SeaWorld Orlando.

The crowd in a packed Bayside Stadium held up cell phones and screamed the songs that played on the radio 25 years ago. After the show, the women’s bathroom turns into a sing-along.

SeaWorld Orlando’s Seven Seas Food Festival and concert series is trying to tap into the Spring Break market.

Across Florida, all the major theme parks are offering special events to lure in locals and entice out-of-town vacationers this Spring. 

SeaWorld’s festival runs on select days through May 4 with free concerts, international food booths and an expanded menu of alcoholic drinks.

Visit Orlando CEO Casandra Matej warned the timing of Spring Break makes it more challenging in Orlando’s tourism industry this year.

“Advance hotel bookings for February-April are essentially flat from last year. While February and April are looking strong, due to the Easter holiday shifting from March in 2024 to April in 2025, March is lagging behind when compared to the previous year,” Matej said earlier this month. “With the late April Easter holiday, the Spring Break time period for our destination will be less condensed with spring break school breaks across the country occurring both in March and April, depending on geography.”

At Universal Orlando, this is the last week to catch Mardi Gras: International Flavors of Carnaval. TLC, famous for “Waterfalls” and “No Scrubs,” plays Saturday night while the festival also features a special parade with floats and food booths.

Disney World is also in festival mode. Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival runs until June 2 and showcases unique dishes and a concert-lineup on a select nights. Performers include Sugar Ray, Taylor Dayne, A Flock of Seagulls, and boy band 98 Degrees.

SeaWorld Orlando’s sister park Busch Gardens Tampa Bay also hosts its Food and Wine Festival on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through May 18.

As is the case at the other parks, food, drinks and music are the main event. You can expect to see concert-goers dancing the “Y.M.C.A.,” since the Village People are among the performers.

The cover charges are included in regular theme park admission at Busch Gardens, SeaWorld Orlando, Universal Studios and Epcot, although some of the parks sell upgrades for better seats or dining packages.