New Holiday Event in Central Florida - Illuminate at Aquatica!

Have you heard the news? Central Florida has a new nighttime holiday event at Aquatica called Illuminate. This is unlike anything you've ever seen before at this waterpark - forget water slides and lazy rivers - the park shuts all of that down and becomes a beautiful lit up spectacular with custom made lanterns representing five different realms of light. 

I attended their media night earlier this week and was able to hear from both Aquatica's Park President and VP of entertainment. It was so interesting to learn how hard they worked to introduce light in so many different ways, including through sound and smell, to really enhance your experience and the event. All lanterns were custom made for this new experience too!

Within the five different realms you will be able to see many amazing lanterns showcasing different animals that you may have seen at some of their sister parks, such as giraffes and dolphins.

Special foods, drinks, and even event merch are being offered during Illuminate. My favorite bites were the s'mores kit (more on this later), the Golden Glaze Chicken Tenders, and the Home for the Holidays.  Highly suggest getting one of their sampler lanyards (offered in either 5 or 10 samples) to save some money while you enjoy these new treats!

Things to Do
If you have children, there are many different activities throughout the park, including multiple craft areas and a wishes by the water activity. There is also the Serengeti Express, which is a cute and short train ride through an area where they have safari animal lanterns - which were beautiful! Plus, there is a meet and greet with Santa.

​One of the highlights for me was the campfire area to make s'mores - what a fun idea and definitely not something I have done at a theme park! I used my sampler card to buy one s'mores kit for John and I to share and make s'mores by the fire. It was a bit warm that night, but would be so wonderful with the cooler weather we will be having soon. If you have children, this would definitely be one fun activity to include in your evening!

The Important Details
Illuminate starts November 8th, 2025 and runs on select nights until January 31, 2026.  The hours are 6pm-10pm and for a limited time you can snag tickets for as low as $29.99! Pass holders can even take advantage of exclusive discounts on admission and on the food lanyards.  To learn more, be sure to visit ​https://aquatica.com/orlando/events/illuminate/

Note from The Orlando Millennial:​
I was invited to enjoy this new event by Aquatica Orlando as part of their media night. In exchange for sharing upcoming information, sometimes I receive complimentary admission to events.  As always, all opinions are my own.