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FLORIDA’S TOP 100 EVENTS
Ritz employees and nearly 400 volunteers. Founded by the
Naples Children & Education Foundation, the event benefits the
organization’s efforts to improve the lives of underprivileged
and at-risk children in the county. The 2009 festival is scheduled
for February 6 to 8.
PENSACOLA SEAFOOD FESTIVAL More than 75,000 attendees enjoy local musical acts and the fare of more than 150 carefully selected food and craft vendors at the Pensacola Seafood
Festival every September. Popular elements of the three-day
event are a 5K walk/run and a fishing tournament, the Oberto
Redfish Cup. The festival is held in the Seville Square area of historic downtown Pensacola and is produced by the Fiesta of Five
Flags Association. Andrea Tippett is the event coordinator and
works with more than 400 volunteers. The 2009 festival will
return September 25 to 27.
Sports Events
dent Curtis Gray, “Ford Championship Weekend is the toughest
annual sports ticket to obtain in South Florida.”The three-day event
also includes concerts and driver meet-and-greets.
GATE RIVER RUN More than 18,000 participants turned out for
the 31st annual Gate River Run in Jacksonville last March. Billed as
the largest 15K run in the country, the race begins at the
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium and runs through downtown and
historic San Marco before returning to the start line. The 2009
race is scheduled for March 14.
KONICA MINOLTA GATOR BOWL CLASSIC Beginning in
1946, the Gator Bowl Classic became the first-ever coast-to-coast
telecast of a college bowl game in 1955 and has continued to be
nationally televised since. Played on New Year’s Day each year at
the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, the bowl attracts more than
60,000 people each year and is preceded by the Gator Bowl Parade
on December 31, which has nearly 100 participants, including bands
from across the country, giant balloons, floats, and performers.
LITTLE EVERGLADES STEEPLECHASE More than 16,000 attendees attended the eighth annual Mercedes-Benz Little Everglade’s
Steeplechase Races in Dade City last year on March 9.Named the Best
Attraction of 2008 by the readers of Florida Monthly, the day included
six sanctioned horse races, an antique-style carriage parade, and a hat
contest billed as the most outrageous in Florida. The event raised an
estimated $60,000 for three charities.The race returns on March 8.
MIAMI BEACH POLO WORLD CUP For the fourth year in a row,
Miami Beach hosted the international polo community at the 2008
Miami Beach Polo World Cup April 25 to 27. Six international teams,
and nearly 80 ponies, participated in the three-day event coordinated
by ACT Productions and held in the sands of Miami Beach just behind
the Setai.The inclusion of two additional teams gave the tournament
the official title of the world’s largest and most prestigious polo tournament on the beach. A host of events surrounded the matches
including a horse parade on the beach and V.I.P. “Polo Goes Social”
cocktail party at the Sagamore.The tournament returns May 1 to 3.
MS GROUP CHAMPIONSHIPS Formerly held at the Amelia
Island Plantation, the MS Group Championships (formerly the
Bausch & Lomb Championships) will return to North Florida for
the 2009 tournament April 6 to 12 at the Sawgrass Country Club
in Ponte Vedra. Celebrating its 30th year, the tournamentis one of
the most anticipated stops on the Sony Ericsson WTA tour, the
world’s premier professional sporting event for women, with
more than 2,000 players, which attracted more than 4.7 million
attendees to its matches in 2007.
THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP The PGA Tournament’s
Players Championship golf tournament is held each year at TPC
BIKE WEEK Half a million motorcycle enthusiasts descend on
Daytona Beach the first week of every March to celebrate Bike
Week. Since its inception in 1937, Bike Week has grown into a 10-day
spectacle of cycles, live entertainment, and vendors—selling bike
gear, of course, plus a variety of food and beverages. Organized by
the Daytona Beach and Halifax Area Chamber of Commerce, Bike
Week features several rides for charity and activities at surrounding
bars and nightclubs, in addition to its impressive display of hogs.
DAYTONA 500 Produced by the Daytona International Speedway,
the 2008 race marked the 50th anniversary of the “Great American
Race.” Taking place on February 17, the event marked the first year
using the Nascar Car of Tomorrow—a boxier car boasting better
safety, cost maintenance, and competition performance. Marking
the beginning of Nascar season, the 2008 race posted more than
$18.6 million in awards.The race kicked off with Trisha Yearwood performing the national anthem for the 250,000 fans in attendance.
The 51st annual race is scheduled for February 15.
FEDEX ORANGE BOWL The 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl featured
the Doobie Brothers as the halftime performer. Played on January 1
at Dolphin Stadium in Miami, the surrounding Orange Bowl
Festival includes the Budweiser Tailgate Party, the AvMed Coaches
Luncheon, and the National Fan Fest in Bicentennial Park.
Presented by the city of Miami, Fan Fest draws revelers to a one-day
concert of top musical performers attended by former football
players, cheerleaders, bands, and mascots of the teams participating in the BCS National Championship game, which occurs a week
later. Organized by the Orange Bowl Committee, this year’s event
marked the 75th anniversary of the game.
FLEET WEEK PORT EVERGLADES Due to the cancellation of
the McDonald’s Air and Sea Show in 2008, Broward Navy Days produced the 14th annual Fleet Week Port Everglades. The weeklong
tribute to the nation’s seagoing military personnel began April 28
with an official reception at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and
Casino in Hollywood. One of the largest spectator events in the
country, Fleet Week brought nearly 2,500 sailors, marines, and coast
guard servicemen and women—along with their vessels—to
South Florida through May 4. Surrounding events include golf tournaments, blood drives, intramural athletic tournaments, and more.
The ships return to Port Everglades April 27 to May 2.
FORD CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND Every November,
Homestead-Miami Speedway hosts the conclusion of three Nascar
racing series—the Craftsman Truck Series, Busch Series, and the
highly anticipated Sprint Cup Series. According to speedway presi-
POMPANO BEACH SEAFOOD FESTIVAL The end of Atlantic
Boulevard, where the street meets the sand, marks the location for
the annual Pompano Beach Seafood Festival. In its 24th year, the
event ran from April 25 to 27 in 2008 and included beachfront performances, a boardwalk arts and crafts bazaar, fresh seafood food
court, and kids-only zone. Good Event Management produces the
festival, which draws in 25,000 revelers annually, and all revenues
benefit local charities such as the Boys and Girls Club. The 25th
anniversary will be celebrated April 24 to 26.
FOOD NETWORK SOUTH BEACH WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL
Founded and directed by Lee Brian Schrager, the South Beach Wine &
Food Festival has evolved expotentionally over its eight-year existance. What began as a one-day festival at Florida International
University’s Biscayne Bay campus has grown to include a lineup of
more than 40 events across Miami’s most exclusive venues.
Benefiting Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and
Tourism Management, the event attracts the most celebrated chefs
and culinary personalities, as well as more than 2,000 vendors and
40,000 guests.The 2009 dates are February 19 to 22.
WINEQUEST In its 13th year, this summer wine festival offers wine
tastings, dinners, auctions, and interactive seminars at Orlando venues such as the JW Marriott Grand Lakes and Grand Bohemian
Hotel. The 10-day event supports Quest Inc., an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities. WineQuest
is coordinated by a team of wine industry professionals, including
sommeliers, wine educators and brokers, restaurateurs, chefs, and
retailers. [Dates for 2009 have yet to be determined.]
Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. In 2008, Spaniard Sergio Garcia
became the second European to win the title in the tournament’s
35-year history, taking home $1.7 million of a $9.5 million purse—
the largest in the tournament’s history and richest in world golf.
The 2009 matchup is scheduled for May 7 to 9.
RED HILLS HORSE TRIALS This annual equestrian event serves
as an International Equestrian Federation World Cup Qualifier, as
well as one of the U.S. Eventing Association’s Adequan Gold Cup
Series events. The 2008 trials, which took place March 13 to 16 at
Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park in Tallahassee, sent shockwaves through
the equestrian world as one rider was injured and two horses died
during competition. The three-day event also includes A Taste of
Red Hills, a county-fair-style event with merchandise and food
vendors, educational demonstrations, and a kids’ fun area.
Organized by the Red Hill Horse Trials board of directors, the 2009
trials will take place March 13 to 15.
SONY ERICSSON OPEN Attracting nearly 300,000 guests, the
2008 Open on Key Biscayne unfolded a portfolio of events in addition to the tennis matches. These included concerts and fashion
shows at the tournament's makeshift village in Crandon Park,
which also hosted sponsors like Mercedes-Benz, Fila, and Bank of
America in their own branded tents and booths. To lead into the
tournament, top tennis players Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal
faced off for the tournament’s “Walk on Water” contest played on
a custom-built court submerged just below the water’s surface in
the Gansevoort South hotel’s rooftop pool. Produced by IMG, the
12-day tournament took place March 26 to April 6.
WALT DISNEY WORLD MARATHON WEEKEND Approximately
18,000 athletes participated in a weekend of fitness expos and
challenging races in January 2008. The weekend of energizing
events includes a half-marathon, kids fest, health and fitness expo,
Goofy Race, and the concluding 26.2-mile marathon through four
of the Walt Disney World Resort parks. Event organizers expect
more than 22,000 participants for the 2009 marathon, which took
place January 9 to 11.
WORLD GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS-CA CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2008 tournament marked the second consecutive year that
CA Inc. was the title sponsor. The three-day championship golf
tournament attracted just under 100,000 spectators to the Doral
Golf Resort & Spa from March 20 to 23. Geoff Ogilvy beat out the
other 74 participating golfers to take home the Gene Sarazen
Trophy and a check for $1.35 million. The win made him the third
player to win more than one World Golf Championship title. The
tournament will return to the Blue Monster golf course at the
Doral from March 9 to 15.
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