This weekend, Central Boulevard from the Dr. Phillips Center to the Dr. Phillips Center will be blocked off for three days of arts and activities at IMMERSE, a festival curated by the Creative City Project and presented by AdventHealth. From February 21 through 23, the same streets will be transformed to host a variety of musical acts, art installations, and dining experiences.
IMMERSE promises more than 100 artists and arts organizations, both local and international. On one of four stages, visitors can see performances from the Blue Man Group. Just a few blocks over, in front of the Dr. Phillips Center at the Seneff Arts Plaza, Cirque Du Soleil will perform aerial acrobatics.
Admission to the event is free. There is a 25-dollar fee for the interactive Art Park. VIP tickets and dining tickets were offered for 100 and 175 dollars respectively but are now sold out, according to a press release from the Creative City Project.
Already, artists’ installations are speaking to residents of Orlando. Residents and visitors to Downtown Orlando could observe the sneak preview through a tech rehearsal and display set up on February 20. In the middle of Orange Avenue are four standing toilets, an exhibition which will be painted as part of the OUC display “Flush Forward: The Art of Conservation.”
“The toilets were the first thing that drew us to walking over here,” said one passerby. “Then we saw the sign. That’s pretty cool.” The Merita Bakery neon sign may invoke a smell of bread for long-time residents who recognize this recovered historic icon of Orlando’s skyline.
“It’s really nice to be able to see an aspect of nostalgia for Orlando,” added another Orlando resident.
After its four years of hiatus, “IMMERSE” is back and as bright as ever. Those interested in attending can visit the festival starting off on Friday beginning at 5 p.m. on 30 S. Orange Ave. Free registration – or paid tickets for additional experiences – are available on immersefest.com.
