Big Bird Alert - Giant Penguins invade the rooftops of Downtown Orlando!

Drawing on the viral success of 2024’s “Big City Birds,” SeaWorld Orlando has teamed up with Creative City Project to bring to life the next big news in big birds.

The rooftops of Downtown Orlando are once again being visited by larger-than-life birds.  This time, it’s penguins! 

Now through June 19, residents of and visitors to the City Beautiful can view three life-size Emperor Penguins at three locations throughout Downtown Orlando. 

SeaWorld Orlando has teamed up with Creative City Project to bring these giant birds to Downtown Orlando – and make an exciting announcement. Coming in June, guests to SeaWorld Orlando will have the rare opportunity to get up close to Emperor penguins in real life. 

For more than 40 years, SeaWorld San Diego has been the only place in North America to see and learn about these majestic birds. Now, the Emperors are coming to the East Coast and will call the Orlando park’s Antarctica penguin habitat home. Guests will soon have the opportunity to spend some time with the park’s newest and coolest characters.

Creative City Project first launched the massive, inflatable “Big City Birds” installation with local artist Brendan O'Connor when seven giant pigeons “landed" on rooftops across Downtown Orlando as part of DTOLive.  That first initiative took place from August to October 2024, bringing color and fun to Downtown Orlando and sparking conversation around the relationship between humans and wildlife in urban environments. 

This most recent iteration of Big City Birds launches in connection with SeaWorld Orlando’s announcement that Emperor penguins are coming to the park. 

“We’re thrilled to be welcoming Emperor penguins to SeaWorld Orlando, making us the only place in the Western Hemisphere where guests can experience these extraordinary animals up close,” says Jon Peterson, Park President of SeaWorld Orlando.  “This milestone is not only exciting for our park but also for penguin lovers across the region.  Teaming up with Creative City Project on this larger-than-life downtown activation is the perfect way to spark curiosity and build anticipation around the upcoming arrival of the penguins to our park.  It’s a bold, fun way to introduce Orlando to its newest residents—before they even arrive!”

“I have been a penguin fan since I took part in a summer camp about Penguins at SeaWorld Orlando when I was a kid,” says Cole NeSmith, Artistic Director of Creative City Project.  “It’s so fun to now be collaborating with them to celebrate the beauty and majesty of these birds in such a larger-than-life way."

The Big City Penguins reside on rooftops at the following locations:

• Areo: 60 N. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801 (Adult Penguin – 14’ tall)

• 55 W. Church Street, Orlando, FL 32801 (Adult Penguin – 14’ tall)

• 30 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801 (Baby Penguin – 10’ tall)

Creative City Project encourages everyone to share photos and videos of their penguin “sightings” and tag socials @seaworldorlando with hashtags #seaworldorlando.

For more information on Creative City Project, visit www.creativecityproject.com.

Looking for more fun events and things to do in Central Florida? Check out our Events Guide.

About Us

Gotta Go Orlando is your local source for entertainment news, events and things to do in Central Florida. We feature the latest concerts, theater news, arts & culture, nightlife, food & drink. theme parks, attractions, festivals, events, and more.

Contact Us

Contact us here. To advertise with us, click here. To list your upcoming event, submit it here.

Keep In Touch

Sign up for our newsletter and stay in the loop with all the latest news from Central Florida, and join the local conversation on X, Facebook, and Instagram, plus, catch the latest on YouTube.