Will's Die-In at Will's Pub
Drag, burlesque and performance art with a DJ and vintage vendors. A Mills Ave way to start the long weekend. 18+.
Issue #1 · Thursday, Oct 29, 2026
Things to do in Orlando this week
Welcome to issue #1. Big week: Halloween lands on a Saturday, the clocks fall back Sunday, and early voting closes the same day. If you only do one thing: the Thornton Park Halloween Block Party on Saturday night. Everything below links to the source, so double-check times before you head out.
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Halloween weekend
The Ring, with the Orlando Philharmonic live
The full film with the orchestra playing the score live. Yes, the videotape scene.
Ginger Minj's Big Gay Halloween Cabaret
The Drag Race All Stars winner doing Halloween songs and stories.
Doggie Halloween at Lake Baldwin
Dog costume contest with a category for matching human-and-pup outfits. Best free hour of the weekend.
Nosferatu with live orchestra
The 1922 silent vampire classic with a live score, with organist Cameron Carpenter on the bill. Halloween night done classy.
Thornton Park Halloween Block Party
The 13th year: DJs, outdoor bars and a $500 costume contest. 21+. Early-bird tickets are the cheap ones.
Sunday: clocks fall back
Orlando Farmers Market at Lake Eola
Spend the extra hour of sleep on a slow lap of the lake and the market.
Magic vs. Celtics
A Sunday matinee against Boston. Doors open an hour before tip.
Easy wins
Winter Park Saturday Farmers' Market
Produce and plants at the corner of New York Ave and Morse. Pair it with the dog costume contest down the road.
Free day at Leu Gardens
Free admission, a library story time, and the last day of the Fall Into The Gardens display.
Audubon Park Community Market
The Monday-night market on E Winter Park Rd. Bring a tote.
Lake Nona Farmers Market
First-Wednesday market night. The listing says it ends at 8 or 9, so plan on 8.
Big nights out
UCF vs. Baylor: the Space Game
Friday night football under the lights, on ESPN.
Magic vs. Wizards
Second home game in two days.
Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Five actors, dozens of characters, 90 minutes of Mel Brooks-style silliness. A good post-voting plan.
The Afghan Whigs
The '90s alt-rock greats in a downtown room small enough to actually see them.
New on the plate
All new restaurants in Orlando →
Mecatos Bakery & Cafe
Open now: the Colombian bakery has finally filled the old Coop building. Empanadas, buñuelos, pan de bono and coffee.
Zaza Cuban Comfort Food flagship
Open now: the local Cuban spot's new flagship. A Winter Park location in the old Pig Floyd's space is promised by year's end.
Rye Row by Olde Hearth
Soft open: Olde Hearth Bread Company now has its own bakeshop for breads, croissants and pastries. Roughly 8am–4pm while it settles in.
Chaska
Soft open in the former Shoufi Mahfi space.
Hayashi Taro, plus two November openings
Hayashi Taro's $25–75 omakase bento boxes land on N Mills "sometime after Oct. 25." Hyperbolic Brewing with Gentry's BBQ (old Hammered Lamb) and Tavistock's Cañonita in Lake Nona are both due in November.
Before you vote
Early voting: 27 sites, vote at any of them
Seven of the sites are new this year, so check the list. Election Day is Tue 11/3, when you vote at your assigned precinct.
Schools' one-mill tax renewal
Asks whether OCPS keeps its extra one-mill operating tax for four more years (2027–2031), for teacher and staff pay, academics, arts and athletics.
Amendment 3: bigger homestead exemption
Raises the non-school homestead exemption to $150K in 2027 and $250K in 2028, and caps yearly assessment increases on non-homestead property at 5% instead of 10%.
The local news, short
County OKs the tourist-tax plan, 6–1
13 projects, including $350M for the Dr. Phillips Center expansion, $52.5M for a Camping World Stadium garage and $46M for a UCF soccer stadium. Unions and theme-park interests had asked for a pause. Reported totals vary ($786M to $862M over ten years) depending on how you count.
OCPS teacher health-insurance fight pushed to Nov. 13
The board postponed the impasse hearing after unions threatened an unfair-labor-practice claim. The district says current benefits cost about $20M a month while it drags on.
LYNX cuts Saturday service on Link 1 starting Dec. 13
Approved Oct. 22. The Winter Park/Eatonville/Maitland route loses Saturdays and its late SunRail connections, and Link 701 ends. Saturdays improve on Links 48 and 49.
Pulse memorial construction starts Nov. 25
Council approved a $12.6M contract with Winter Park's Gomez Construction. It's due to be finished by the end of 2027.
Merrywood decision delayed to Nov. 11
Winter Park is negotiating to save part of the 1939 Gamble Rogers house before voting on splitting the lot.
School-zone speed cameras: real fines start Nov. 30
20 schools. For now it's warnings for 10+ over. After Nov. 30 it's $100, no points.
That's the week. Tell a friend who still finds out about everything the day after. And hit reply with the best costume you see this weekend: our favorite gets a shoutout next Thursday.
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