Orlando is famous for much more than Mickey Mouse and Shamu, the city offers a wonderful shopping district both around the theme parks and downtown. One place that many shoppers and locals enjoy is Festival Bay Mall. This shopping destination is a great place for tourists and locals alike to find the latest in fashion, music and movies. The mall is a part of the GGP Properties family of North American malls and shopping centers.
The mall is a one-of-a-kind collection of specialty lifestyle shopping, dining and entertainment venues. The unique mix of stores includes Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, Ron Jon Surf Shop and Sheplers Western Wear along with the Cinemark 20 Movie Theatre and Vans Skatepark. The newest addition to the lineup is XLR8, a store that specializes in extreme sports equipment and apparel.
Festival Bay is a great place for families to spend the day. The Mall has everything from indoor glow-in-the-dark mini-golf at Putting Edge Fun Center to indoor and outdoor skate street courses and ramps at Vans Skatepark. The mall also features a number of family-friendly restaurants including Cricketers Arms English Pub & Eatery, Asian Cafe, Villa Pizza Cucina and more. For those who want to catch a movie, the cinema is open all day and night.
Fans of live music can find plenty to enjoy as well. The mall has a number of venues that host bands and performers of all genres, from funk to rock. There is even a small comedy club that has been featured on television shows and has hosted famous comedians like Eddie Izzard and Craig Ferguson.
In the fall, the theater will play host to a number of new and returning events. The first is a special showing of the classic film ‘A League of Their Own’, which will be followed by an appearance from former US President Tom Hanks. There will also be an event dedicated to celebrating the life of the legendary US Senator John McCain.
The Bay Area Book Festival will be holding its ninth annual festival in various Berkeley venues on Saturday, May 6 and Sunday, May 7. Cherilyn Parsons, who founded the festival in 2010, is stepping down from her post as director to focus on other projects, but she is confident that interim successor Norah Piehl will carry the torch.
The festival will feature a variety of speakers and authors, from the author of The Art of Strutting and the founder of the Women’s March to a young adult novelist. There will be over 100 different events and workshops. This year the festival will have a focus on gender and sexuality in the arts. The event will also have a diversity and inclusion program to celebrate the many communities in the Bay Area that make up this amazing country.
