Gotta Go Orlando
- Jan 11

The Orange City Blue Springs Manatee Festival returns to Blue Spring State Park

The Orange City Blue Springs Manatee Festival is an annual event celebrating Florida’s most charismatic marine mammal- the manatee!

The Orange City Blue Springs Manatee Festival takes place within the stunning beauty of Blue Spring State Park, and returns for its 29th year on Saturday, January 27, and Sunday, January 28, 2024.

With over 10,000 visitors across the two days of the festival, the The Orange City Blue Springs Manatee Festival is the largest event at Blue Spring State Park which is located at Blue Spring State Park, 2100 W French Ave, Orange City, FL 32763.

Visitors to the festival can look forward to three stages of live entertainment, games, arts and crafts, rides, food and more.

Highlight of the festival is visiting nearby Three Sisters Spring, where manatees are easy to see and watch in the clear spring water. A free shuttle bus will run between the park and the spring during the two days of the festival.

Manatee Boat Tours will also be available from the City Pier at the end of Third Street. The half-hour tours will take you out into Kings Bay and other favorite hangouts of the manatees. There is a separate ticket: Adults $10, ages 6 to 12 $5; 5 and under free.

Guided kayak tours are also offered both days. On the one-hour tours, you’ll paddle through King’s Bay to see manatees at their own level. Tickets, which are $10 for a standup paddle board or a kayak (tandem kayaks are $20) can be purchased in advance on the manatee festival’s website.

To park for the festival, go to the southeast corner of the Kings Bay Shopping Plaza parking lot at US 19 and Kings Bay Drive. There are frequent shuttles to the festival grounds.

Admission to the festival is $10 for Adults, $2 for Children Ages 4-10, and Children 3 And Under - FREE.

The Manatee Festival uses the funds raised through its annual festival to benefit friends of Blue Spring State Park, Dare Programs and other area organizations. For more details click here.

For the latest news and information on events and festivals in Orlando, click here.

The Orange City Blue Springs Manatee FestivalThe Orange City Blue Springs Manatee Festival

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