March Madness -- get your calendars ready for theme park festivals

There's never a shortage of things to do in Orlando, that's for sure. Spring 2011 holds three different fetivals at the Big Three. Check your calendars and mark some dates to attend all three. All festivals are included with your regular park admission, so it's all bonus with no additional purchase!


EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival
March 2 - May 15, 2011
This annual Walt Disney World event brings in expert and amateur horticulturalists from near and far, along with anyone who appreciates beautiful colors and plants. The festival also offers free seminars, nightly entertainment from some big names of 60s and 70s music, and activities for green thumbs of all ages. Bring a camera. Visit more than once, if you can, to see how different gardens and topiaries change throughout the festival run.

SeaWorld Orlando Presents Viva La Musica
March 12, 19, 26 and April 2, 2011
Saturdays are muy caliente at SeaWorld Orlando this spring. The park welcomes back this annual celebration of Hispanic music, food and culture (also Sundays at Busch Gardens Tampa). Musical guests this year are Chino & Nacho, Manny Manuel, Jerry Rivera, and Ednita Nazario. Executive chef Hector Colon has also announced an expanded menu for this year's festival, so foodies should definitely hit this event.

Universal Studios Mardi Gras 2011
February 12 - April 23, 2011 (every Saturday and select weeknights)
March holds a host of great concerts at this annual celebration, which grows more popular and more elaborate every year. Bring your best bead-catching skills and marvel at the parade, which is a true spectacle that glitters and gleams in the Florida sunshine. March's musical lineup features Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, Neon Trees, The Roots, OneRepublic, and Blake Shelton. Wonderful street performers and special festival food are two more highlights that make this a worthwhile addition to your Universal Orlando day.