What to Do in Central Florida This Week: October 21-27, 2026

This is the weekly What to Do in Central Florida guide, written for homeowners who want a real weekend without a big bill: free festivals with live music, volunteer gardening, farmers markets, plant-based gatherings, charity rummage sales, and Halloween season at full throttle. This edition covers Wednesday, October 21, through Tuesday, October 27, and Saturday, October 24, is one of the richest free days on the fall calendar.

For every event I state the honest cost. Where a ticket is required, you will see the price range and the official place to buy it. Where an event appears free, I say believed to be free and point you to the organizer's page to confirm, because details and tickets change without notice.

• Central Florida Veg Fest, Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Orlando Festival Park: the 21st annual festival is free to enter, with 200+ plant-based vendors, cooking demos, speakers, live acoustic music, and a kids zone.
• Eolaween at Lake Eola, Saturday, October 24, 4-9 p.m.: a free family Halloween festival with trick-or-treating, games, crafts, and a free outdoor screening of Haunted Mansion around 7:30 p.m.
• Mount Dora Craft Fair, October 24-25, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: 350+ juried crafters on free streets, with free park-and-ride shuttles.
• UCF hosts No. 2 BYU for Homecoming, Saturday, October 24, 3:30 p.m., at the Bounce House. Tickets are required, sold through UCF Athletics.
• Buena Vista Social Club plays its final week at the Walt Disney Theater through Sunday, October 25, and RedRum, the unauthorized parody musical of The Shining, opens Thursday at the Dr. Phillips Center.
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party runs October 22, 23, 25, and 27 this week, and Halloween Horror Nights runs nightly Wednesday through Sunday. Both need separate tickets.

• The Nightmare Before Christmas, free outdoor movie night at Luminary Green Park, 437 N Terry Ave, downtown: the market opens at 5:30 p.m. and the film starts at 7 p.m. Believed to be free; confirm the screening on the organizer's page before you go.
• Orlando Magic season home opener vs. the Atlanta Hawks, 7 p.m., Kia Center. Tickets are required and sold through the Magic's official site and the Kia Center box office.
• Buena Vista Social Club, 7:30 p.m., Walt Disney Theater: the Tony-winning Broadway musical is in its final week. Tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• United Groove, 7 p.m., Judson's Live at the Dr. Phillips Center. Tickets are required, sold at drphillipscenter.org.
• Halloween Horror Nights, 6:30 p.m.-2 a.m., Universal Studios Florida: single-night tickets start around $95 this week and are sold at universalorlando.com.

• Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts, Winter Park: The Thursday Hang, 8-10 p.m., the jazz room's free weekly concert set followed by an open jam. Believed to be free, seats first come.
• RedRum: The Unauthorized Parody Musical of The Shining opens 7:30 p.m. at the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater and runs through November 1. Tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• Buena Vista Social Club, 7:30 p.m., Walt Disney Theater: tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Magic Kingdom, 7 p.m.-midnight: a separate hard-ticket event priced about $224 plus tax for this date. Disney's official site has reported these party dates selling out, so verify current availability before planning around it.
• Halloween Horror Nights, 6:30 p.m.: single-night tickets around $95-$110 for this date at universalorlando.com.

• Orange County Sheriff's Office Trunk or Treat, 6-8 p.m., 2500 W Colonial Dr, Orlando: a free community trunk-or-treat with candy, music, and giveaways. Believed to be free; confirm on the sheriff's page.
• Lutheran Haven Rummage Sale, day one, Sanford, 107 Monterey Oaks Dr: a charitable rummage sale that raises funds for Lutheran Haven, a Sanford senior-living ministry. Yard-sale prices, real finds, money goes to a good cause. Confirm hours on the organizer's announcement.
• 7th Annual EPIC Charity Yard Sale, Mount Dora, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., 111 Old Eustis Rd: a charity yard sale whose proceeds support local community organizations. Believed to be free to shop; confirm on the organizer's page.
• Orlando Magic vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m., Kia Center: tickets through the Magic's official site.
• Buena Vista Social Club, 8 p.m., Walt Disney Theater: tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• Sounds of Wekiva at Wekiva Island, Longwood, from 7 p.m.: free entry to live music on the riverfront; food and drinks for purchase.
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, 7 p.m.-midnight, and Halloween Horror Nights, 6:30 p.m.: both are separate-ticket events; verify availability on the official park sites.

• Central Florida Veg Fest, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Orlando Festival Park, 2911 E Robinson St: 100% vegan and free to enter. 200+ vendors, a Veggie Kids Zone, live acoustic music, and cooking demos at noon with Chef Camille Holder-Brown of Kale Cafe and at 2 p.m. with Chef Timaree Hagenburger, the whole-food, plant-based educator known as The Nutrition Professor. Speaker JL Fields takes the stage at 11 a.m.
• Winter Park Farmers' Market, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Central Park West Meadow at New York Ave and Morse Blvd: free entry and one of the best Saturday markets in the region.
• Farm With Us at Whisper Creek Farm, 9 a.m.-noon, 11706 S John Young Pkwy: the 4th Saturday free volunteer gardening day with IDEAS For Us. Free ticket on the Eventbrite listing.
• Fleet Farming Swarm Ride, 9 a.m., Audubon Park: volunteer on a bike ride that stops to garden community micro-farms. Free; meeting point on the Eventbrite listing.
• Mount Dora Craft Fair, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., historic downtown: 350+ juried crafters, free streets, free park-and-ride shuttles. Believed to be free to attend; food and crafts for purchase.
• Eolaween at Lake Eola Park, 4-9 p.m., East Lawn: free trick-or-treating, games, crafts, pumpkin decorating, face painting, and inflatables, ending with the free outdoor screening of Haunted Mansion around 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public, per the City of Orlando.
• UCF Homecoming vs. No. 2 BYU, 3:30 p.m., at the Bounce House, televised on FOX: tickets are required and sold through UCF Athletics. Expect a big crowd, so buy ahead and arrive early.
• Suntoberfest, downtown Clermont, October 24-25: the city's Oktoberfest-inspired fall weekend with live entertainment, food, and drinks in historic downtown. Admission is believed to be free; confirm on the city's official events page.
• Children's Safety Village 15th Annual Trunk or Treat, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 910 Fairvilla Rd, Orlando: a free family-friendly trunk-or-treat with games and safety activities. Believed to be free.
• Trunk or Treat Fall Festival, 5401 S Kirkman Rd, Orlando: a free family event with trunk-or-treating, games, music, and giveaways. Believed to be free; confirm on the host's page.
• Avalon Park Movie Under the Stars: a free-admission outdoor movie night in the east Orlando community. Confirm the film and start time on Avalon Park's calendar.
• Lutheran Haven Rummage Sale and the EPIC Charity Yard Sale, day two: both run 8 a.m. onward in Sanford and Mount Dora. See Friday's entry.
• Buena Vista Social Club matinee at 2 p.m. and evening at 8 p.m., and RedRum at 7:30 p.m. at the Dr. Phillips Center: tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• Halloween Horror Nights, 6:30 p.m.: Saturdays are the busiest nights, and single-night tickets run higher, around $130 for this date at universalorlando.com.

• Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, Winter Park, noon-3 p.m.: Sunday open house with free admission and free music inside the 1932 Spanish-style lakefront house. Believed to be free.
• Orlando Farmers Market at Lake Eola, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.: the city's Sunday market since 1987. Free admission.
• Mount Dora Craft Fair, day two, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: free streets and 350+ crafters.
• Suntoberfest, day two, downtown Clermont: entertainment, food, and drinks. Admission believed to be free; confirm on the city's page.
• Buena Vista Social Club's final performances, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Walt Disney Theater: tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• RedRum matinee, 2:30 p.m., Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater: tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, 7 p.m.-midnight, and Halloween Horror Nights, 6:30 p.m.: separate-ticket events; verify availability on the official park sites.

• Audubon Park Community Market, Monday, 5-8 p.m., in front of Stardust Video & Coffee, 1842 E Winter Park Rd: growers, makers, chefs, and live music under the oaks. Free entry.
• Orange County Library System and Winter Park Library, all week: free chess clubs, craft evenings, story times, and homework help across branches; most programs need only a free library card. Check each library's calendar for this week's sessions.
• The Midnight Drearies, Tuesday, October 27, 7 p.m., Judson's Live at the Dr. Phillips Center. Tickets are required, sold at drphillipscenter.org.
• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Tuesday, October 27, 7 p.m.-midnight: the last midweek party before Halloween week. Separate ticket, sold out per Disney's official site; verify current availability.
• Halloween Horror Nights, Tuesday, October 27, 6:30 p.m.: single-night tickets around $95-$110 for this date at universalorlando.com.

These are the free-with-entry live music nights worth building a habit around, headlined by Maitland's live-band street party.

• Get Down Downtown, Maitland's First Friday street party at Independence Square, 6-9 p.m.: a live band on stage each month, plus food trucks, vendors, and kids' activities, free to enter. The next date is Friday, November 6, followed by Friday, December 4. This is the one to plan around: real live music, not just vendor tents.
• Sounds of Wekiva at Wekiva Island, Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m.: free entry to the riverfront live music nights.
• Blue Bamboo Thursday Hang, Winter Park, 8-10 p.m.: a free weekly jazz concert set and open jam, committed to staying free and accessible.
• Lei'd Back at Shark Bar at Live! at Pointe Orlando, Friday nights: a recurring free outdoor patio live music night on International Drive. Believed to be free; confirm on the venue's page.

• Winter Park Farmers' Market, every Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Central Park West Meadow at New York Ave and Morse Blvd.
• Winter Garden Farmers Market, every Saturday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Downtown Pavilion at 104 S Lakeview Ave.
• Lake Mary Farmers Market, every Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Central Park behind City Hall.
• Orlando Farmers Market at Lake Eola, every Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Audubon Park Community Market, Monday evenings, 5-8 p.m.: local growers, ranchers, chefs, artists, and musicians under the oaks, free entry.

Hands-on ways to spend a morning that are free and good for the lakes, the trees, and your neighbors.

• Fleet Farming Swarm Ride, every Saturday, 9 a.m.: bike from micro-farm to micro-farm in Audubon Park and garden together. Free.
• Farm With Us at Whisper Creek Farm, second and fourth Saturdays, 9 a.m.-noon, 11706 S John Young Pkwy: free volunteer gardening. Saturday, October 24, is the next date; free ticket on Eventbrite.
• Habitat for Humanity Greater Orlando and Osceola County: construction and crew volunteer days run year-round; sign up at habitatorlando.org.
• Orlando Cares volunteer portal: filter every open city volunteer slot, from Keep Orlando Beautiful cleanups to Leu Gardens workdays. Free to join.
• GreenUp Orlando: city-run tree planting and neighborhood beautification days through the fall. Free; watch the city events page.
• Keep Orlando Beautiful events page: the place to check for late-added cleanups and litter data events.

Whole-food, plant-based, no-oil events are rare enough that I flag them whenever one appears. This Saturday's Central Florida Veg Fest is the plant-based highlight of the year, and two of its cooking demos come from WFPB-friendly chefs; the region's dedicated WFPB no-oil potluck group meets next on November 14.

• Central Florida Veg Fest, Saturday, October 24, Orlando Festival Park: free admission, cooking demos, speakers, a kids zone, and live music, all 100% vegan. Chef Timaree Hagenburger's 2 p.m. demo is squarely in the whole-food, plant-based, no-oil tradition.
• International Vegan Food Festival, Saturday, October 24: listed as a free, family-friendly vegan food festival in Orlando on this year's Visit Orlando calendar. Confirm the exact location and time on the listing before you go.
• Plant Powerful Community Group, Mount Dora: a monthly whole-food, plant-based, no-oil potluck with speakers, cooking demos, and recipe exchange. October's gathering has passed; the next is Saturday, November 14, 3-5 p.m. at the Mount Dora Community Room, 1995 N Donnelly St. Believed to be free; bring a dish if you can.
• Space Coast VegFest, Cocoa: slated for November 2026 at Riverfront Park, exact dates to be announced on the festival's page.
• Vegetarians of Central Florida (VegCF): the group's events page lists monthly all-vegan lunches, potlucks, and speaker nights beyond the festival.

• Casa Feliz, Winter Park: free Sunday open houses, noon-3 p.m., with music inside the historic house.
• Morse Museum of American Art, Winter Park: free admission every Friday 4-8 p.m., November through April; free Fridays return November 6, and Thanksgiving weekend is free too.
• Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando: free admission on the first Monday of each month, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; the next free days are November 2 and December 7.
• Rollins Museum of Art: free and open to the public year-round.
• UCF Art Gallery: free exhibits, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Orange County Library System: free weekly programs across branches, from chess clubs and puzzle swaps to hands-on craft evenings; most need only a free library card.

Skip the same mall stores. These are places to hunt a real find, and nearly all of them fund good causes.

• Lutheran Haven Rummage Sale, Sanford, Friday-Saturday, October 23-24, 107 Monterey Oaks Dr: a charitable rummage sale benefiting the Lutheran Haven senior-living ministry. Prices are honest yard-sale numbers and the proceeds support residents and community care. Confirm hours on the organizer's announcement.
• 7th Annual EPIC Charity Yard Sale, Mount Dora, Friday-Saturday, October 23-24, 8 a.m.-3 p.m., 111 Old Eustis Rd: proceeds support local community organizations. Believed to be free to shop.
• First United Methodist Church of Winter Park: the annual Ruth Circle Rummage Sale historically runs in late October and benefits church and community charities. The 2026 dates are announced on the church's official site, so check fumcwp.org as the date nears.
• Goodwill Winter Park Boutique, 750 N Orange Ave: the boutique store locals call the bougie Goodwill; proceeds fund job-training programs.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida Thrift Store, Winter Park: the store famous for Disney parks lost-and-found finds; every purchase funds kids' programs.
• Out of the Closet, 1349 N Mills Ave, Orlando: 96 cents of every dollar funds HIV care and testing.
• Garagesalefinder and YardsaleTreasureMap: weekend yard-sale and rummage-sale listings are added as the week approaches, and both cover Orlando and Winter Park.

The corn mazes, pumpkin patches, trunk-or-treats, and Halloween displays are in full swing. Prices below come from each organizer's official listing.

• Eolaween at Lake Eola, Saturday, October 24, 4-9 p.m.: free and open to the public, with a free outdoor Haunted Mansion screening around 7:30 p.m.
• Mount Dora Craft Fair, October 24-25, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.: 350+ crafters on free streets with free shuttles. Believed to be free to attend.
• Suntoberfest, downtown Clermont, October 24-25: live entertainment, food, and drinks; admission believed to be free, confirm on the city's page.
• Orange County Sheriff's Office Trunk or Treat, Friday, October 23, 6-8 p.m.: free family trunk-or-treat.
• Children's Safety Village trunk or treat and the Kirkman Road Trunk or Treat festival, Saturday, October 24: both free family events.
• Winter Garden Halloween Experience, through October 31: a free hay maze at City Hall with decorations and photo stations, plus an animated Halloween light show on City Hall on October 23, 24, 30, and 31 from 7-9 p.m. Believed to be free.
• Pumpkin Ponderosa at Showcase of Citrus, Clermont: daily through October 31, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., free admission and parking, with pumpkin patches, games, and hayrides; the Haunted Monster Truck Ride is extra.
• Harvest Fields Corn Maze and Hay Rides, DeLand, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.: Central Florida's largest corn maze, about $15 per person.
• Great Scott Farms Fall Festival, Mount Dora, weekends 10 a.m.-5 p.m.: corn maze, pumpkin patch, hayrides, and a giant slide; admission required.
• Club Lake Corn Maze and Fall Festival, Apopka, Thursday through Sunday: a corn maze plus a toddler maze and farm activities; admission required.
• Halloween Flix at the Garden Theatre, Winter Garden, Tuesday, October 27, 7 p.m.: $5 plus fee, tickets online through the city's official page; the October 27 feature is announced there.

• Buena Vista Social Club, Walt Disney Theater, through Sunday, October 25: the Broadway musical's final week. Tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• RedRum: The Unauthorized Parody Musical of The Shining, Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Thursday through Sunday, then resumes October 29. Tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• Judson's Live: United Groove on Wednesday and The Midnight Drearies on Tuesday. Tickets at drphillipscenter.org.
• Orlando Magic: season home opener vs. the Hawks Wednesday and vs. the Timberwolves Friday, both 7 p.m. at the Kia Center. Tickets through the Magic's official site.
• UCF Football: Homecoming vs. No. 2 BYU, Saturday, October 24, 3:30 p.m. at the Bounce House, on FOX. Tickets through UCF Athletics.
• Yung Gravy at House of Blues, Friday, and Alvaro Diaz at Hard Rock Live, Friday: both ticketed; buy through the venues' official sellers.

• Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Magic Kingdom: select nights through October 31, 7 p.m.-midnight, with fireworks, a parade, and trick-or-treat trails. This week's nights are October 22, 23, 25, and 27, priced about $224-$229 plus tax for late October. Tickets are separate from park admission and are sold at disneyworld.disney.go.com; Disney's official site has reported these dates selling out, so verify current availability before planning around it.
• Halloween Horror Nights 35, Universal Studios Florida: select nights through November 1, 6:30 p.m.-2 a.m., with haunted houses, scare zones, and live shows. This week runs October 21-25. Single-night tickets are date-based, roughly $95-$145 depending on the night, and are sold at universalorlando.com; event admission is separate from daytime park admission.

• Leu Gardens free day, Monday, November 2, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Get Down Downtown, Friday, November 6, 6-9 p.m., Maitland: free, with a live band.
• Morse Museum free Fridays begin again November 6, 4-8 p.m.
• Plant Powerful whole-food, plant-based potluck, Saturday, November 14, 3-5 p.m., Mount Dora. Believed to be free.
• 53rd Annual Winter Park Autumn Art Festival, November 14-15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. in Central Park: a juried fine-art show of Florida artists, free to attend.
• Florida Tiny House Festival, November 21-22: the 11th annual gathering from the United Tiny House Association, with the 2026 venue announced on unitedtinyhouse.com. Watch the site for dates, location, and tickets.
• Space Coast VegFest, Cocoa: November 2026, dates to be announced.
• Glenridge Middle School's Mane Event is not yet dated for this school year; check the school's official page when it is announced.
• Restore the Roar, the Winter Park High School Foundation's Showalter Field fundraiser, returns in spring 2027; watch wphsfoundation.org for the date and tickets.
• The Applause Awards, the Tony Awards-style high school theater showcase at the Dr. Phillips Center, returns in May 2027; tickets go on sale through the Dr. Phillips Center.

The best part of living in Central Florida is that the calendar is never empty, and the best memories rarely cost a ticket. This Saturday is the proof: a free plant-based festival, a free lakefront Halloween festival with a movie, a craft fair on free streets, and a Homecoming game if you want the big crowd. My advice as your neighbor and your agent: pick one free thing and go.

If you are home-hunting, use the events to test neighborhoods: walk Lake Eola during Eolaween, catch the cooking demos at Veg Fest, and drive the neighborhoods around Mount Dora's craft fair to see whether the vibe feels like yours. That is research no listing photo can do. When you are ready to talk schools, lake access, or what a move looks like, I answer within one business day at 407.704.0420. Being the bee to your home leader.