Discover the next generation of creative voices at UCF Celebrates the Arts, exclusively at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando this April.

University of Central Florida (UCF) Celebrates the Arts is an annual event that has become a cornerstone of Orlando’s cultural calendar. The next edition of the festival is taking place at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts from April 3 – 14, 2024. See why you’ll want to make it part of your plans this spring!

Discover: Orlando Arts & Culture

Orlando vacation planning made easy — and free. Make a complimentary appointment with Visit Orlando’s Vacation Planners at a time and date of your choosing for the latest insider advice, special offers and more ahead of your next visit.

Inside UCF Celebrates the Arts

UCF Celebrates the Arts
All Images Courtesy United Arts of Central Florida

Expect to be immersed in dance, music, audiovisual, storytelling, visual art, theater and more at UCF Celebrates the Arts. Led by UCF’s College of Arts and Humanities, this showcase features over 1,000 students from the School of Performing Arts and the School of Visual Arts and Design, as well from other academic units. Enjoy performances, exhibitions, presentations and interactive experiences throughout the entire footprint of the Dr. Phillips Center in downtown Orlando’s City District.

Discover: Things to Do in City District

A new offering this year is a sensory-friendly concert called Inclusive Knights: Planes, Trains and Automobiles. This show will offer transport-themed band-concert fare in a welcoming setting for people of all ages who are neurodivergent, such as those on the autism spectrum.

UCF Celebrates the Arts

An emcee will assure concertgoers that they can move to the music and are welcome to use hearing protection, fidget toys, cushions and other support objects that they bring with them. Visual representations of the music and text of spoken explanations will be shown on a big screen, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing will be provided with helium balloons — which capture the vibrations of musical instruments.

Music education students will interact with audience members and serve as guides to the concert experience. If anyone needs a respite, they’ll be welcome to leave their seats and visit a nearby quiet room.

“The rationale is that not everyone is able to attend a band concert that requires typical band concert behavior,” notes Christine Lapka, associate professor of music education at UCF. “So, this is a more relaxed environment — and it’s so gratifying to watch audience members enjoy themselves.”

UCF Celebrates the Arts

Other highlights of UCF Celebrates the Arts will include workshops, readings, art exhibitions, and choral and orchestral concerts. The celebration is designed to be affordable and accessible; about half the programs are ticketed but many exhibitions in the lobby areas can be viewed free with a ticket to an event inside one of the venues.

For more information, refer to the list of UCF Celebrates the Arts events provided below, or visit Arts.CAH.UCF.Edu/Celebrates. For more Arts & Culture activities in Central Florida, refer to Visit Orlando’s Events Calendar.

  • Knight to Shine 2024: A Musical Theatre Showcase (April 3)
  • Architecture Showcase & Awards (April 3)
  • Apollo’s Gift: An Art History of the Moon Landing With Peter Kalb (April 3)
  • Print: The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Tree (April 4)
  • Writing Our Life Stories (April 4)
  • Performing Deaf Republic (April 5)
  • Write of Passage: Creative Writing MFA Student Reading (April 5)
  • ‘The Marriage of Figaro’ From UCF Opera (April 6 – 7)
  • ‘Ode to Heroes’ With the UCF Symphony Orchestra (April 6)
  • Creative Clash (April 6)
  • Graphic Design & Experimental Animation Showcase (April 6)
  • Poetry Reading and Book Signing by ‘Deaf Republic’ Author Ilya Kaminsky (April 6)
  • Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go!: Theatre for the Very Young (April 6)
  • UCF Percussion Ensemble (April 7)
  • Inclusive Knights: Planes, Trains and Automobiles Featuring the UCF Concert Band (April 9)
  • Guardians of the Stage (April 9)
  • Let’s Go Camping! (April 9)
  • UCF New Music Ensemble Presents Plot/Twist Featuring Kornfield & Andrews (April 9)
  • Music for All UCF-Orlando Band Invitational (April 10)
  • Pegasus String Quartet and Faculty Piano Trio (April 10)
  • Remembering Florida’s Lost Boys: Stories of Our World War II Fallen (April 10)
  • Songs & Dances for Wind Orchestra, Presented by the UCF Bands (April 10)
  • UCF Celebrates the Arts: Sweeney Todd—The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (April 11 – 14)
  • Rebuilding Notre-Dame: Five Years of Restoration and Discovery (April 11)
  • UCF Choirs Invitational Concert (April 11)
  • Woodwinds Ensemble Concert (April 11)
  • Hippocrene Saxophone Quartet (April 12)
  • UCF Choirs Concert (April 12)
  • Character Animation & Animation VFX Premieres (April 13)
  • Florida Prison Education Project Talk (April 13)
  • UCF Small Choirs Presentation (April 13)

Stay Connected to Orlando
You never know what we’ll dream up next. Connect with Visit Orlando’s Vacation Planning Services for free, personalized assistance, and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Threads and YouTube for valuable offers, exclusive tips, fresh attractions and the latest events. You can also subscribe to our eNewsletter for more information from Orlando: Theme Park Capital of the World.

Have feedback about this blog? Let us know.