104th Annual Central Florida Fair in Orlando

The Central Florida Fair, one of the top five fairs in the Sunshine State and a winter staple since 1910, is returning to the Central Florida Fairgrounds and Expo Park (4603 W. Colonial Dr., Orlando) starting Thursday, February 25. The fair is offering so much this year that they have extended their presence to three weekends. The 18-day celebrations will come to a close on Sunday, March 13. The fair will be open every day except for Mondays and Tuesdays.

There will be a lot to do at the fair when it arrives. In addition to the over 100 rides provided by Wade Shows, there will be 3,000 handmade items for sale in over 200 categories; over 100 entertainment acts, featuring over 800 singers, dancers and musicians; great food and drinks and daily cooking demonstrations on the kitchen stage; and horticulture, livestock, and the Florida 4-H organization.

Some of the rides you may like at the Central Florida Fair include the Comet II rollercoaster, the towering Dragstrip Mega Slide, the formidable 80-foot high-speed Enterprise wheel, the claw-like Extreme ride, the multi-claw and high-force Fighter ride, the Mega Drop (surely to evoke memories of Universal's Tower of Terror), the RC-48 coaster (one of the most elaborate on the fair circuit), and the sky-high swinging ride Vertigo.

Who doesn't like fair food? The Central Florida Fair will have you covered with such selections as Polish and Italian sausages, hot dogs, nachos, French fries, funnel cakes, elephant ears, fried Oreos, pizza, stromboli, grilled chicken, ribs, popcorn, cotton candy, candy apples, slushes, and more!

On opening night, February 25, the Central Florida Fair will host their annual food drive for Second Harvest of Central Florida. For people who bring non-perishable food items, their admission into the Fair will be just $1. In addition, rides cost $1 each all night long. Wristbands good for unlimited rides ($25) are also available for purchase. Since 2013, the Fair has collected over 13 tons of food, all of which was donated to the Second Harvest food pantry.

On Saturday and Sunday, February 27 and 28, the Fair will open its gates at 10 and 11 a.m., respectively, admission is $10 for adults, and unlimited ride wristbands will be priced at $30. On the main concert stage, R&B singers K-Ci & JoJo ("All My Life") will perform on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free to attend with fair admission.

On Wednesday, March 2, there will be a student special: anyone who shows their secondary school or college ID will receive free admission. The annual gay day, called "Out and About Night" this year, will also take place this evening, alongside a mixer for MBA Orlando. Gates open at 4 p.m. and unlimited ride wristbands cost $20. See the advertisements in Hotspots for more information on Out and About Night.

Other events to watch for at the Central Florida Fair include a free concert with rockers Pop Evil on Friday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m.; the annual chili cookoff on Saturday, March 5 from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Building A; the horse show at 10 a.m. on Sunday, March 6; Jory Boy in concert on Friday, March 11 at 7:30 p.m. (a special ticket which includes your fair admission is needed to attend this show); and the Spanish-language music festival "Gran Festival Bailazo" from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Sunday, March 13. Unique to the Fair this year is that entertainment acts and animal shows have been swapped out with one being shown one weekend and the other on the next weekend.

While you're enjoying the entertainment, take note of the Orlando Amphitheater, which should be completely finished by March 1. The Amphitheater, right on the Fairgrounds, will seat up to 10,000 people and will be the largest permanent outdoor music venue in Orlando. For more information on the Amphitheater, visit orlandoamphitheater.com.

Tickets can be purchased by going to centralfloridafair.com, and many local Walgreen's locations across Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties are offering discounted advance tickets for sale. Advance ticket sales are the key to savings, with some marked down up to 40%, so buy in advance if you can!

Sponsors of the 104th annual Central Florida Fair include Sam's Club, Club Wyndham, Millennium Home Design, Minuteman Press, Sabal Hotels, Best Western, MetroPCS, and Orlando Weekly.

For more information on the Central Florida Fair, visit centralfloridafair.com. "Like" them on Facebook at facebook.com/cffair