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| DJ Jade (USA) of Underground Sound fame is the Thursday night resident DJ at "Why Not Lounge Thursdays" at the new RAYN Pool Bar & Cafe. Last night was opening night and our sister website Orlando Entertainment News was there. You can find all the pics here. |
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| We've looked around and have selected some of the very best New Years Eve options for you to consider. Check out the article on our sister website Orlando Entertainment News here. |
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| We're not aware of any fireworks taking place at Disney Springs on NYE since the Mouse would rather have you in their theme parks. Nonetheless, we are seeing the return of DJ's to Disney Springs for New Years Eve this year with free admission and music running until 1AM. Here's the stage lineups that we've been able to ascertain: |
Water Fountain Stage (Disney Springs Marketplace)
DJ Michael Wycoff
Waterside Stage (Disney Springs Marketplace)
DJ JW Jaeger alternating with a live band
Waterview Stage (Disney Springs Pleasure Island)
DJ Elliot & DJ Atomic Blonde alternating with a live band
The Edison (Disney Springs Pleasure Island)
DJ Mynd (alternating with live band & other entertainment)
STK Restaurant (Disney Springs Pleasure Island)
Main Room/Ground Level: DJ Lu_s
Upstairs Outdoor Level: DJ Marc Sparcs
Orange Node (Disney Springs West Side) (Near Orange Garage)
DJ Marjory Andrade & DJ Sebastian Rodriguez
House of Blues
DJ Rincon
Atlantic Dance Hall (Disney's Boardwalk Resort)
DJ Frankie
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| Crossing Disney Springs West Side last week on an already-dreary day, one could not help but notice how equally dreary the West Side has become. One bright spot though was Cirque which is back open after being shuttered for more than a year. |
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| CityWorks also remains in business. |
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| It shares a building with the massive but shuttered NBA Experience building. The place was open for just a short time when covid19 forced it to close and then Disney pulled the plug on it this year and it's not reopening. When NBA City at Universal CityWalk closed, Disney should have known better. Now the space is a white elephant. |
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| Another massive hole on the West Side is this area. Ice cream palour Salt & Straw will open in 2022 on one side of the area where Something Silver vacated but the other side, where Bongos Cuban Cafe once stood, remains walled-off and empty. |
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| And nothing is going on in that space either. Covid19 derailed construction of a Beatrix restaurant but we're not sure what's happening with that. In a 2020 Disney Springs Guidemap, the caption stated "Future Location Beatrix". In the current Guidemap, a silhouette of a building stands in that spot on the map but there is no caption indicating anything is coming. So as you can see, lots of empty spaces makes the West Side a dreary area, particularly compared to the rest of the Springs where there are few to no vacancies across Town Center, Marketplace and Pleasure Island. |
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| Christmas night fell on a Saturday night this year so how would it be downtown; crowded or dead? Orlando Entertainment News was there to find out! LINK |
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| If you know the history of Atlantic Dance Hall on New Years Eve, you know it's typically a ticketed event via Disney Dining, it's expensive and it usually sells out. Of course they didn't have it last year due to covid19 and the early closure of all the theme parks. So if you're wondering what's going on this year, it appears that there is no "special event" at ADH and it will just be a regular Friday night. What that means is that they will open at 8PM and close at 1AM. What that means is that nothing special is planned as far as decorations and champagne flutes at midnight. What that means is that NYE will be FREE this year! At that price, it's sure to draw a crowd. |
The DJ will be: DJ Frankie (USA), formerly of famed Rock'n'Roll Beach Club band Frankie & The West End Boys
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| Most of the larger venues will be dark this weekend but many smaller venues will be open but with no special events. We do want to call attention to the Latin Quarter Reunion taking place Sunday afternoon and evening at Grape & The Grain, featuring DJ Leony (USA). Leony was quite the savior in the post-Pleasure Island era when CityWalk was just about all Top 40 and Hip Hop. While Latin Quarter was primarily Latin music, Leony would often play full Dance music sets several times per night which was as close to Mannequins as one could find at the time! If you're thinking about attending, please note the early time slot. |
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| After the Pleasure Island clubs were shuttered in September, 2008, Disney found itself with a dead zone stretching from Downtown Disney Marketplace to Downtown Disney West Side. In an effort to alleviate the vast wasteland that the Island had become, they decided to make club Motion and club Soundstage available for 3rd party rentals. With this in mind, Save Pleasure Island approached DTD management about letting us put on a Mannequins Reunion of sorts. The proposed date would have been May 2, 2009. It never happened though. DTD management would have nothing to do with it and would not provide any kind of explanation. We know after PI closed that they were very sensitive about their decision to close everything and embarrassed by the condition the Island was in at the time. So here we are 13 years later and have never had a Mannequins Reunion. |
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| If you missed last night's Jimmy Joslin's Birthday Party show at Cahoots, you missed a good one. Photos are on our sister website, Orlando Entertainment News here. |
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| DJ Jane.Doe (USA) opened the show last night at Barbarella and our sister website Orlando Entertainment News was there as well as at other downtown Orlando venues. All the pictures are here. |
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| The Edison Orlando will be open this year for NYE and with their special event priced at just $150++, it's sure to sell out. There will be a band, aerialists, stilt walkers, a burlesque show plus DJ Mynd (USA) guiding the program. The show begins at 8PM and that price gets you a table so seating is very limited. General admission entry at 10:30PM is $25++. Advance purchase highly recommended. DETAILS NOW SOLD OUT |
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| DJ Jane.Doe (USA) Discothèque @ Barbarella House |
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| FRIDAY DEC 17 |
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| FRI/SAT/SUN DEC 17-19 |
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| SATURDAY DEC 18 |
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| SATURDAY DEC 18 |
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| SATURDAY DEC 18 |
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| The annual NYE DJ parties at EPCOT are a tradition and they're back this year after a one year hiatus due to Covid19. But if you're thinking of going and did not make a reservation, it's too late. Disney requires that you have a ticket or pass to go to any of their parks plus you have to make a reservation for the specific date you wish to attend. If you delayed, it's too late. With attendance limited this year, EPCOT on December 31st is sold out. Save Pleasure Island Blog and Orlando Entertainment News will have full coverage though. |
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| Disney has removed signage at the failed NBA Experience building and the ticker tape scrolling scoreboard has disappeared as well. When you have a loser like this place was, it's best not to leave any trace behind. The building is huge so no telling what could fill the space later. What were they thinking? |
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| No article today as our trip concludes with a LONG day of flying beginning with a service from Dubai to Amsterdam on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. God willing, will be home in Orlando on Sunday night! |
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| Some final pictures from the Middle East gulf countries. Dubai, United Arab Emirates. |
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| Dubai's most famous building, the Burj Khalifa. The observation deck is on the 150th floor. |
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| Another iconic building in Dubai, The Frame. |
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| The skyline of the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. |
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| The West Bay area of the city of Doha, Qatar. |
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| Last night we experienced 70's Night at the ship's main pool and then an Abba (S) tribute in the ship's Irish pub. We've posted the pics on our sister website Orlando Entertainment News here. |
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| DJ Louie Vega (USA) Discotheque @ Barbarella House |
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| DJ Lady Waks (RUS) Skytop Lounge @ Amway Center Breaks |
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| DJ Paul Vaine (USA) Visage Reunion @ Barbarella Industrial / Alternative / New Wave |
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| DJ duo Cash Cash (USA) The Vanguard EDM |
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| Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. Included was a visit to the Marina Mall and it's food court for lunch. Let's see if you recognize any of the restaurant brands there based on their signs in Arabic. |
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| Recognize Cinnabon? |
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| Pizza Hut |
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| Some brands have incorporated elements of their English name into their foreign names which makes them easier to identify. Did anyone guess Chili's? |
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| Baskin Robbins |
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| The use of distinctive colors can define a brand too. Dunkin Donuts. |
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| If you're struggling, keep in mind that Arabic is read from right to left. Hardee's. |
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| McDonald's |
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| This should be easy: Subway |
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| Love that chicken from Popeyes! |
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| We end with this one that is not in Arabic but plain English. But Church's Chicken in the middle east is called Texas Chicken, presumably because this is the land of mosques, not the land of churches. |
