Disney have announced that the Cultural Representative Program is officially returning to Walt Disney World this August. This means that the popular International cast members will be returning to the World Showcase pavilions at Epcot! The program will return in phases, ​with initial recruitment beginning in Germany, Norway, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Canada. Disney added that it will bring more countries on board once they clear travel restrictions and have "CDC-authorized vaccine availability." For the program's relaunch, Disney is first reaching out to participants whose programs were shortened, canceled or wait-listed in 2020 as well as those who had an offer but had not yet arrived at Disney World. They will be given the first opportunity to reapply. "The Cultural Representatives play an important role in our storytelling by helping us create authentic, immersive experiences for our guests as they share their countries' culture, heritage and traditions that have inspired our resorts, pavilions and theme parks," Disney said Friday. The Cultural Representative Program plays an important role in helping Disney create immersive experiences and transport guests to another place. To qualify for this program, you must be at least 18 years of age and authentically represent one of the countries or regions that has inspired our resorts, pavilions, and theme parks. Some roles (as indicated) may be part of a country pavilion. Disney recruit friendly, outgoing, hospitality-oriented people to represent their cultures, traditions, and history of their country. Participants have the chance to greet and interact with people from across the globe all while sharing their own heritage. Participants will also contribute greatly to our overall guest experience across the Walt Disney World Resort, including the Kidcot Fun Stop. For more information, check out the official Cultural Representative Program Disney website.

Get ready to rock Central Florida! Welcome to Rockville is coming back to Daytona, and the lineup is incredible, with the festival’s largest list of acts yet! This year, Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, KISS and Korn are headliners for the Daytona Beach festival, which will be returning to the Daytona International Speedway from May 19 to 22. The line up reads like a who's who of rock and includes Smashing Pumpkins, Jane’s Addiction, Pretty Reckless, Shinedown, Rise Against, Bush, Breaking Benjamin, Megadeth, Seether, Five Finger Death Punch, and Papa Roach. “Welcome to Rockville this past November was truly incredible. Our new home, Daytona International Speedway, welcomed us with open arms and our fans showed up in record numbers and experienced an unforgettable weekend,” festival producer Danny Wimmer said in a statement. “We knew we needed to up the ante in 2022, so we went and booked the biggest lineup that has ever been booked for an American rock festival. We are so excited to welcome the biggest names in rock for one epic weekend this May.” Tickets for the four-day rock extravaganza are on sale now at the official Welcome to Rockville website. This year, festival organizers are also introducing The Daytona Owners’ Club for VIP ticketholders, which will include access to an air-conditioned lounge with live audio and video feeds, bathrooms, a concierge staff and more. Check out the announcement video set to Guns N’ Roses classic “Paradise City” and Korn’s “Freak on a Leash,” I9f this video docent make you wanna go, nothing will! Here is the complete line up for this years festival, and it's awesome! See you there!

Walt Disney Imagineer Zach Riddley has shared a look at the wonderful deign details of the new flooring of Connections Café and Eatery at EPCOT, which is inspired by Walt Disney’s original “City of Tomorrow” design. Riddey commented on his Instagram account, "EPCOT has never stopped evolving – what Walt foresaw as a constant “state of becoming.” To this day, Imagineers continue to draw inspiration from those original concepts and ideas for the park throughout the current transformation. He continued, "Today I’m proud to reveal a pretty cool example of this, in its own state of becoming as we speak." "In the new Connections Café and Eatery, guests will discover detailed flooring designs (yes, more flooring 😊) that pay homage to the radial layout and celebrate the purposeful geometry and organic symmetry of EPCOT. As you swipe here, you can see various stages of the process, from the linework to a near-finished product just prior to its final buffing." "These designs are created with a sustainable bio-polymer material which is 3-D printed to provide an intricate template. That linework is then laid out by skilled craftspeople to create inlays in the poured flooring material, with the final design revealed through rounds of sanding and buffing, where classic and cutting-edge techniques meet." "We have many more details like this our team is hard at work completing in time for our opening later this spring." Below is Walt's comments on EPCOT in Walt's "Florida Film ", a 24 minute preview to E.P.C.O.T that Walt recorded on October 27, 1966, just a month before his death. With help from props and animation he outlined, for the media and interest groups, his plans for the Florida Project - Disney World and especially the details for E.P.C.O.T "But the most exciting, by far the most important part of our Florida project—in fact, the heart of everything well be doing in Disney World—will be our experimental prototype city of tomorrow. We call it E.P.C.O.T spelled E-P-C-O-T: Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Here it is in larger scale." "E.P.C.O.T will take its cue from the new ideas and new technologies that are now emerging from the creative centers of American industry. It will be a community of tomorrow that will never be completed, but will always be introducing, and testing, and demonstrating new materials and new systems. And EPCOT will always be a showcase to the world of the ingenuity and imagination of American free enterprise." "I don't believe there is a challenge anywhere in the world that's more important to people everywhere than finding solutions to the problems of our cities." "But where do we begin? How do we start answering this great challenge? Well, we’re convinced we must start with the public need. And the need is not just for curing the old ills of old cities. We think the need is for starting from scratch on virgin land and building a special kind of new community. So that's what E.P.C.O.T is: an Experimental Prototype Community that will always be in the state of becoming. It will never cease to be a living blueprint of the future where people actually live a life they can’t find anyplace else in the world." "Everything in E.P.C.O.T will be dedicated to the happiness of the people who live, work, and play here, and those who come here from around the world to visit our living showcase." "We don't presume to know all the answers. In fact, we’re counting on the cooperation of American industry to provide their very best thinking during the planning and the creation of our Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. And most important of all, when E.P.C.O.T has become a reality and we find the need for technologies that don’t even exist today, it’s our hope that E.P.C.O.T will stimulate American industry to develop new solutions that will meet the needs of people expressed right here in this experimental community." "Well, that's our basic philosophy for E.P.C.O.T. By now, I'm sure you're wondering how people will live and work and move around in our community of tomorrow, so in the next few minutes we will go into detail about some of our preliminary sketches and layouts. Remember though, as I said earlier, this is just the beginning!"

Wonderful news! Disney have revealed on the official Disney Parks TikTok account that Minnie Vans will be returning to service at Walt Disney World this summer! Disney Parks posted that the Minnie Vans would be “rolling back in this summer” which have not been in operation since the parks closed in March 2020 due to COVID-19. No details have been announced, but it's great news that we now know the Minnie Vans are 100% returning, considering that with the Minnie Vans were rumored to not be coming back!

Walt Disney World has shared a behind-the-scenes look at the Walt Disney World Railroad testing that is taking place at Magic Kingdom. In a video posted on the official Disney Parks TikTok account we get to see a detailed look inside the engine to see the work required to bring these vintage locomotives up to speed. Fingers crossed we get to ride the rails again soon! Disney have not yet given a reopening date for the Walt Disney World Railroad at Magic Kingdom, but we sure can't wait!

The first TUI Airways Boeing 787 Dreamliner slowly descended into Melbourne on Tuesday, March 22, 2022. The TUI jet touched down at 4:43 p.m. Tuesday, making history as Melbourne Orlando International Airport's first-ever transatlantic commercial flight. The inaugural flight brought TUI's first passengers from Manchester, England, to the Space Coast. with the UK vacation-package company projected to fly in 135,000 tourists this year from seven cities throughout the United Kingdom. "By coming into this location, all of the attractions over in Orlando are going to be a big part of what they're here for. But we also know that beach time — and starting next year, cruise opportunities with the same company — are going to really add value to flying into this airport," said Greg Donovan, airport executive director. Different areas of the passenger terminal remain under various stages of construction. TUI's entry in Melbourne helped trigger the airport's ongoing $72 million overhaul of the outdated passenger terminal to accommodate Dreamliner-sized aircraft and the influx of international passengers. TUI's initial passengers Tuesday checked into a white event tent set up outside the international terminal, then boarded idling buses and secured rental cars. Company officials said their Florida holidays will average 10 to 14 days in duration. Each TUI flight will carry 300 to 345 passengers from the United Kingdom to Melbourne. Airport officials expect 11 flights per week through May 1, when flights will increase to 16 per week. TUI's other participating markets are London Gatwick, Glasgow, Birmingham, Bristol, Doncaster and Newcastle. The tour operator will bring planeloads of visitors from the United Kingdom to Florida, not the other way around. Tuesday's flight represented TUI's first flight to Central Florida since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The European travel conglomerate left Orlando Sanford International Airport and entered a seven-year contract to operate at Melbourne. TUI's passengers can choose vacation packages at more than 100 Florida properties, including 20 Walt Disney World Resort hotels and five Universal Studios Florida hotels: 30% stay at a Disney property. 30% stay on International Drive. 40% are split between Universal, 18 villa options and other areas of Orlando, including Lake Buena Vista. Brevard County officials hope to "capture" TUI visitors toward the tail end of their trips to spend time — and money — here. The Space Coast Office of Tourism has earmarked $200,000 to market Brevard to TUI's customers. What's more, TUI's British cruise line Marella Cruises will debut at Port Canaveral next summer, offering voyages to New York; New Orleans; Charleston, South Carolina; Key West; and the Caribbean. Melbourne airport officials celebrated in similar fashion in November when Allegiant launched nonstop flights to Nashville, Pittsburgh and Concord, North Carolina. Allegiant is Brevard's first low-cost airline since Spirit canceled operations shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis outlined his organization's $200,000 TUI marketing effort, which kicked off in January. "They have a huge customer base in the U.K. that they speak with regularly. We're going to try to educate their customers that we're a new option for them now when they come to Florida, with all the amenities we have to offer," Cranis said, standing near the ticket counters. "Secondly, they also own travel agencies. So we're going to be communicating with their travel agent network," Cranis said. "There's a direct-to-consumer component, and then there's a travel-agent component," he said. According to an airport press release, "TUI has already partnered with a handful of area hotels and anticipates new hotel partnerships going live this year." Tuesday night, the Melbourne City Council unanimously approved hiring three extra firefighters to boost airport rescue-firefighting services in light of TUI's arrival. Cost this fiscal year: $126,802. The increased firefighting staffing will let the airport meet Federal Aviation Administration service levels, an agenda memo said.

It might only be March, but it's starting to get scarily exciting around Orlando as the Universal Orlando Resort website for Halloween Horror Nights 31 teased a first look at merchandise that will be available at this year's event, then, moments later Universal released it for sale in the resort! The tee featured is black with a red collar and red sleeve trim. The Halloween Horror Nights logo is on the front, with “Never Go Alone” on the back together with a bloody handprint! The shirts, as well as a Halloween/Christmas ornament, also with the HHN logo and the words “Never Go Alone” are now available in the parks. The shirt is priced at $35, with the ornament costing $20. We can't wait to see what other horrendously awesome merchandise Universal come up with for Halloween Horror Nights 31!

We're just one week away from the final race weekend of the 2021-22 runDisney season, taking place during the runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend. The Springtime Surprise Weekend is a run down runDisney memory lane with fan-favorite events winding through Walt Disney World Resort on some familiar courses. To get everyone in the mood, runDisney have given us a sneak peek at some of the event merchandise, available starting Thursday, March 31, at the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo. This year’s event merchandise collection blooms with the fresh colors and characters of the race weekend. Participants will find a variety of event logo performance apparel including shirts in multiple styles and thematic drinkware, highlighting all events and finishers. Other race weekend items include the debut of a new runDisney Spirit Jersey as well as Annual Passholder apparel. Whether you’re taking on 3.1 or 19.3 miles, you’ll want to gear up with the latest merchandise for a race weekend that’s gonna be full of surprises! Be on the lookout for these commemorative items and more during the runDisney Health & Fitness Expo at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend participants and guests are invited to attend during the following dates and times: Thursday, March 31, 2022: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Friday, April 1, 2022: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2022: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. To learn more about other runDisney events, visit here.

SeaWorld Orlando are keeping the big names coming, with the multi-talented Lindsey Stirling added to this year's Seven Seas Food Festival Concerts! Linsey will be performing on Saturday, April 2, 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium. The Seven Seas Food Festival continues every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until May 8, and the Bayside Stadium has already been home to many memorable concerts already this year, (who could ever forget Vanilla Ice)! Combining her love of classical music with electronic dance and hip-hop, California artist Lindsey Stirling is a violinist, dancer, and performer who surpassed early viral fame with a solo career that captured an audience in the pop mainstream. Early on, she was known for her YouTube cover videos and for competing on the 2010 season of America's Got Talent, but she quickly became a crossover success after the release of her self-titled 2012 solo debut. As the decade progressed, she issued multiple Top Five, gold-certified albums, including 2014's Shatter Me and 2016's Brave Enough, both of which found her expanding her sound with singers including Lzzy Hale, Dia Frampton, Christina Perri, Rivers Cuomo, and others. Stirling has continued to explore new musical territory, releasing the 2017 holiday album Warmer in the Winter and collaborating with vocalists Amy Lee and Elle King on her chart-topping 2019 album Artemis. In 2020 she joined Avril Lavigne for the song "We Are Warriors" and in 2021 paired with Mako on the song "Lose You Now." Seven Seas Food Festival Concert Lineup Here is the performers for the remaining dates, from Saturday March 26. Tribute Artists Saturday, March 26 Divas of Soul - Tribute to Donna Summer: 2:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Divas of Soul - Tribute to Whitney Houston: 4:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Hotter Than July - Tribute to Stevie Wonder: 6:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Saturday, March 26 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Breland Sunday, March 27 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Lindsey Stirling Saturday, April 2 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Gabby Barrett Sunday, April 3 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Mike Donehey, lead singer of Tenth Avenue North Saturday, April 9 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Flo Rida Sunday, April 10 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Boys II Men Saturday, April 16 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Tribute Artists Sunday, April 17 Best of Both Worlds - A Tribute to Van Halen: 2:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Nuthin' Fancy - A Tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd: 4:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium In the Light of Led Zeppelin: 6:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Tribute Artists Saturday, April 23 Let It Be - A Tribute to the Beatles: 2:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Bee Gees Now - A Tribute to the Bee Gees: 4:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium Greggie and the Jets - A Tribute to Elton John: 6:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium To Be Announced Sunday, April 24 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium To Be Announced Sunday, April 24 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium To Be Announced Saturday, April 30 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium To Be Announced Sunday, May 1 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium To Be Announced Saturday, May 7 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium To Be Announced Sunday, May 8 7:00 p.m. at Bayside Stadium All Seven Seas Food Festival concerts are included with park admission. Live concerts are held every weekend during the festival at the open-air Bayside Stadium. Live music performances take place every Saturday and Sunday, now through May 8 For details check out the SeaWorld Orlando website.

Nathan Fillion (“The Rookie” and “Firefly”), Brendan Fraser (“George Of The Jungle” and “The Mummy”) and Gina Carano ("The Mandalorian and "Deadpool") have been added to MegaCon Orlando's lineup in May, organizers have announced. Fillion will be at the event to meet fans and sign autographs May 21-22, Fraser is scheduled to be there on May 21, with Carano appearing May 21-22. This year's MegaCon’ has an impressive celebrity guests list including “Lord of the Rings” stars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan; Willam Zabka and Martin Kove from “Cobra Kai” and “The Karate Kid;” and Caity Lotz and Jes Macallan from “Legends of Tomorrow.” Attendees will also be able to meet voice actors such as Kevin Conroy (“Batman: The Animated Series”), Paige O’Hara (“Beauty and the Beast”) and Billy West (“Futurama”). In addition to celebrity guest appearances, the convention also features shopping, workshops, panels, cosplay contests and more. MegaCon Orlando runs May 19-22 at the Orange County Convention Center. For more information, visit megaconorlando.com. MEGACON Orlando is the South East’s largest comics, sci-fi, horror, anime, and gaming event that attracts hundreds of thousands of people across four BIG days. Every year, MEGACON Orlando offers exciting family-friendly attractions, events, and world-renowned Celebrities! Previous Guests include: Jason Momoa, Jeff Goldblum, Zachary Levi, William Shatner, Christopher Lloyd, Elijah Wood, Summer Glau, Vivica A. Fox, Gillian Anderson, and stars from hit TV shows & Film: The Walking Dead, Star Trek, Back to the Future, Firefly, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Stranger Things Doctor Who, and many, many more. Everyone is a fan of something, and MEGACON Orlando is a place to celebrate all things pop culture. Get an autograph or a photo with your favorite Guest then get the inside scoop about your favorite movies and TV shows at our celebrity panels! Watch professional comic artists battle it out in our popular Sketch Duels, learn from our “How To” workshops, and take photos with your favorite costumed characters! It’s also a great place to buy a unique gift (or treat yourself!) with a huge show floor for shopping madness.

It's time to get glowed up, and glow wild! H2O Glow After Hours events are returning to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. Just in time for the summer season, a new H20 Glow After Hours is coming to Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park. The luminous after-hours event returns to the tropical oasis Memorial Day Weekend, with new elements that are sure to “glow-up” your Walt Disney World vacation this summer. Guests of Disney Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels as well as Shades of Green at Walt Disney World Resort can purchase tickets to H2O Glow After Hours on the Walt Disney World Resort website beginning March 29, with tickets on sale for the general public April 1. The popular nighttime experience has limited capacity, so be sure to secure your tickets soon! The after-hours party will offer unique, vibrant décor, high-energy DJ dance parties, exclusive glow-themed menu offerings and so much more. Imagine your favorite watery attractions glowing under the stars, with shorter wait times and more time to enjoy. Whether you’re shooting down Crush N’ Gusher, making a splash in the Surf Pool, or showing off those groovy moves on the dance floor, you’ll experience this storm-strewn paradise in a whole new light. You’ll even receive a glowing wristband and tasty snacks like popcorn and select ice-cream treats to enjoy throughout the evening! Disney H20 Glow After Hours takes place between 8-11 p.m. every Saturday night from May 28 to Aug. 27, giving you three glowing hours in the water park after gates close. Guests with tickets for the exclusive party can even enter Typhoon Lagoon as early as 6 p.m. Get a “splash” of the magic and add Disney H20 Glow After Hours to your summer bucket list at Walt Disney World. Book your tickets for the after-hours event on the Walt Disney World Website and get ready to glow-up your summer like never before! Prices: Adult (ages 10 and up): $75 plus tax Child (ages 3 to 9): $70 plus tax Discounts: Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members can purchase specially priced tickets: Passholder or Disney Vacation Club Member – Adult (ages 10 and up): $59 plus tax Passholder or Disney Vacation Club Member – Child (ages 3 to 9): $54 plus tax

Walt Disney World has revealed that an Earth Week celebration is coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom this April 18 - 24. Earth Day celebrations will last an entire week this year at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, honoring our planet and how we can all come together to create a healthier home for people and wildlife. That’s right, a whole week – April 18-24 – connecting with the magic of nature through family-friendly experiences and special offerings. Disney’s Animal Kingdom delivers an Earth Day Celebration like no other. Share in the spirit of wildlife conservation and learn more about animal species the Disney Conservation Fund is working to protect. At Conservation Station, try your hand at drawing as Disney artists at The Animation Experience guide you step by step to bring your favorite Disney characters to life using real animals for inspiration. Each animal represents some of the amazing stories of conservation work Disney is doing around the world. You can also check out a limited-time Wilderness Explorer activity that rewards you with an Earth Day Nature badge. You’ll also want to make tracks to Discovery Island where you can spot a special Disney Character Cruise on Discovery River. And throughout the park you can find Disney PhotoPass magic that frames you with Wall-E and Eve from Disney and Pixar’s animated feature “Wall-E.” Of course, as you stroll through the park, take time to marvel at its heart and soul – the majestic animals in the parks care. And, lastly, don’t forget to pick up a limited-edition Earth Day 2022 trading pin to commemorate the celebration! You’ll also find specialty merchandise and custom food and beverages at the park during this exciting week. We can't wait to visit the park for the Earth Week Celebration April 18-24. And don't forget that it's Animal Kingdom's 24th Birthday on Earth Day!