Calendar of Events

For an exhaustive list of events beyond those listed here, check http://events.frommers.com, where you'll find a searchable, up-to-the-minute roster of what's happening in cities all over the world.

January

Walt Disney World Marathon. About 90% of the 16,000 runners finish this 26.2-mile "sprint" through the resort area and parks. It's open to anyone older than 18, including runners with disabilities as long as they are able to maintain the 16-minute mile-pacing requirements. If you are unable to do so, you'll be picked up and transported to the finish line. The registration fee is $125 and includes race entry, a T-shirt, and a program -- those who finish receive a medal and other souvenir extras. The registration deadline is usually in early November (but is often at capacity several months earlier), and preregistration is required. There's also a half-marathon ($115), Goofy's Race-and-a-Half Challenge (includes registration for both marathons; $235), and a Family Fun Run that includes shorter races for adults and kids ($40, if postmarked by Dec 26, $45 after that; $10-$25 per child for the kids' races). Call tel. 407/939-7810, or go to www.disneysports.com. January 9 to January 11.

Disney's Pirate & Princess Party. Magic Kingdom's newest after-hours event is held from late January to March (and sometimes in Aug). Future pirates and princesses can head out on a quest for treasure, filling their booty bags with beads and chocolate doubloons -- just look for the X's on your treasure map. Party the night away at the pirate coves and princess courts, where you'll find plenty of live interactive entertainment including Captain Jack's Pirate Tutorial, Jasmine's Royal Guard Recruitment, and Sebastian's Undersea Dance party (among others). The highlights of the evening are Disney's Enchanted Adventures Parade and the fireworks spectacular, "Magic, Music, and Mayhem." A separate admission fee is charged ($45.95 adults, $39.95 kids 3-9; add $6 a ticket if purchased the day of the event), and I strongly suggest purchasing tickets well in advance. For more information, call tel. 407/934-7639 or check Disney's website at www.disneyworld.com.

February

Atlanta Braves. The Braves have been holding spring training at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex since 1998. There are 15 home games during the 1-month season. (The team arrives in mid-Feb; games begin in early Mar.) Tickets are $14 to $24. You can get more information at tel. 407/939-GAME (4236) or www.disneysports.com. To purchase tickets, call Ticketmaster at tel. 877/803-7073 or 407/839-3900. You can also get online information at www.atlantabraves.com or www.majorleaguebaseball.com.

April

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. This 6-week-long event showcases gardens, topiary characters, floral displays, speakers, seminars, and nightly entertainment. The festival is free with regular park admission ($75 adults, $63 kids 3-9). For more information, call tel. 407/934-7639 or visit www.disneyworld.com. The festival kicks off in late April and goes through early June.

May

Star Wars Weekends. Every year, Disney features a fan-fest full of activities for Star Wars fanatics. Characters are on hand for up-close meet-and-greets, as well as a handful of Star Wars actors. Games, parades, and special entertainment top off the festivities. The celebrations run for five consecutive weekends beginning in May and are included in park admission ($75 adult, $63 child).

June

Gay Days. The first weekend in June attracts tens of thousands of gays and lesbians to Central Florida for what amounts, with add-ons, to a week of festivities. It grew out of "Gay Day," held unofficially at Disney World since the early 1990s and drawing some 100,000 people to the area. Special events at Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld also cater to gays and lesbians. Look for online information on discounts, packages, hosts, and more at www.gayday.com or www.gaydays.com.

July

Independence Day. Disney adds a bit of sparkle to their fireworks displays at all the Disney parks, which stay open later than normal. Call tel. 407/934-7639 for details or surf over to www.disneyworld.com. SeaWorld (tel. 407/351-3600; www.seaworld.com) features a dazzling laser/fireworks spectacular. There's also a free fireworks display in downtown Orlando at Lake Eola Park. For information, call tel. 407/246-2827. Other fireworks events are listed in the local newspaper, the Orlando Sentinel.

September

Night of Joy. The first weekend (Thurs-Sun) in September, the Magic Kingdom hosts a festival of contemporary Christian music featuring top artists. This is a very popular event, so obtain tickets early. Performers also make an appearance at Long's Christian Bookstore in College Park, about 20 minutes north of Disney. Admission (if you buy in advance) to the concert is $44.95 for 1 night (7:30pm-12:30am), $75.95 for 2 nights; single-night admission at the gate is $49.95. Use of Magic Kingdom attractions is included. Call tel. 407/934-7639 for concert details; for information about the free appearance at Long's, call tel. 407/422-6934. Universal has gone head-to-head with Disney on this one, scheduling its Rock the Universe concert the same weekend (tel. 866/788-4636). Big-name Christian bands and speakers headline the event. Tickets (which include admission to the parks after 4pm) cost $37 for 1 night or $60 for both nights of the event. A package including both nights of celebration, as well as 3 full days of admission to the parks (Fri-Sun), runs $91.

October

Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. The Magic Kingdom (tel. 407/934-7639; www.disneyworld.com) invites you to join Mickey and his pals for a far-from-frightening time. In this one, you can come in costume and trick-or-treat throughout the Magic Kingdom from 7pm to midnight on any of 10 or so nights. The alcohol-free party includes parades, live music, and storytelling. The climax is a bewitching fireworks spectacular. Unlike the celebration at Universal Studios, this one is completely family-friendly. A separate admission fee is charged ($48.95-$55.95 adults, $42.95-$49.95 kids 3-9; depending on the night), and you should get tickets well in advance.

The Disney Golf Classic. Top PGA tour players compete at WDW golf courses during the month of October. Many tour professionals, including Tiger Woods, call Orlando home, so there's usually plenty of first-rate talent on display. Daily ticket prices range from $15 to $35. Tickets for the 4-day event run about $50. For information, contact Walt Disney World Golf Sales, P.O. Box 10000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830 (tel. 407/824-2250; www.disneyworld.com). You also can get tickets through the Children's Miracle Network at www.childrensmiraclenetworkclassic.com.

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. Here's your chance to sip and savor the food and beverages of more than 20 cultures. More than 100 wineries from across the United States participate. Events include wine tastings for adults, seminars, food, dinners, concerts, and celebrity-chef cooking demonstrations. Tickets for the dinner-and-concert series or wine tastings run approximately $35 to $185, including gratuity; signature dinners and vertical wine tastings range from $60 to $195 (sometimes more). The event also features 25 food-and-wine marketplaces where appetizer-size portions of dishes ranging from pizza to escargot (and everything in between) sell for less than $6 each. Entrance to the festival is included in park admission. Call tel. 407/934-7639 for details or check out www.disneyworld.com. Early October to mid-November.

November

ABC Super Soap Weekend. If you're a fan of ABC's daytime soaps, this is one you won't want to miss. Soap celebs are on hand for parades, parties, Q&As, music, and more in this weekend catering to fans and fanatics alike. The events are included with Disney's Hollywood Studios admission ($75 adults, $63 kids 3-9). Call tel. 407/397-6808, or check out www.disneyworld.com for details.

Walt Disney World Festival of the Masters. One of the largest art shows in the South takes place at Downtown Disney Marketplace for 3 days during the second weekend in November. The exhibition features more than 150 top artists, photographers, and craftspeople, all winners of juried shows throughout the country. You can listen to the music of the jazz festival or enjoy one of the many family activities all for free. Call tel. 407/934-7639, or visit www.disneyworld.com.

The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. This classic holiday attraction returned by popular demand after being closed down for renovations in 2004 and 2005. Lighting up the nights at the Disney's Hollywood Studios are millions of sparkling bulbs acquired from a family whose Christmas light collection got a bit too bright for their neighbors. The holiday display runs from November to early January.

December

Christmas at Walt Disney World. During the holiday festivities, Main Street in the Magic Kingdom is lavishly decked out with twinkling lights and Christmas holly, all the while carolers are greeting visitors throughout the park. Epcot, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom also offer special embellishments and entertainment throughout the holiday season, and the Disney resorts are decked out with towering Christmas trees, wreaths, boughs, and bows.

Some holiday highlights include Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, an after-dark (7pm-midnight) ticketed event ($48.95-$55.95 adults, $42.95-$49.95 kids 3-9). This takes place on select nights at the Magic Kingdom and offers a festive parade, fireworks, special shows, and admission to a handful of rides. Also included are cookies, cocoa, and a souvenir photo.

Holidays Around the World and the Candlelight Procession at Epcot feature hundreds of carolers, storytellers from a host of international countries, celebrity narrators telling the Christmas story, a 450-voice choir, and a 50-piece orchestra in a very moving display. Fireworks are included. Regular admission ($75 adults, $63 kids 3-9) is required. Call tel. 407/934-7639 for details on all of the above, or go to www.disneyworld.com. The holiday fun lasts from mid-December to early January.

Walt Disney World New Year's Eve Celebration. For 1 night a year, the Magic Kingdom stays open until the wee hours for a massive fireworks explosion. Other New Year's festivities in WDW include a big (and pricey -- $99 a pop) bash at Pleasure Island featuring major music headliners, a special Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue at Fort Wilderness, and guest performances by well-known musical groups at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Epcot. Call tel. 407/934-7639 for details, or visit www.disneyworld.com. December 31.

Disney in December -- No snow? No problem. Although there may be a lack of the white stuff in Orlando during the month of December (or any other month for that matter), WDW more that makes up for it by decking the halls as only Disney can do: 11 miles of garlands, 3,000 wreaths, and 1,500 Christmas trees in all, decorate Walt Disney World during the holiday season.