The Mardi Gras party keeps on rolling at Universal Studios Florida in Orlando. The popular spring Mardi Gras celebration continues now through mid-April with a variety of rocking musical guests appearing each weekend. This week’s artist is the amazing Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

Her list of achievements goes on and on, including a dozen million-selling singles, 20 Number 1 R&B hits, a cover story in Time magazine, the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, 15 Grammy Awards with a lifetime achievement award in 1995, and a roll in the movie, The Blues Brothers.

Now the legendary singer brings her smooth voice to the big stage at Universal Studios Florida starting at 8:30 pm on Saturday, March 13, 2010.

You can go to http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/ for additional details on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and the many other Orlando area theme parks and attractions. Or check out the list of discount theme park tickets and money-saving Orlando vacation packages. If you would like information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging, you can also visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

The party goes on and on at Universal Studios Florida as the popular Mardi Gras celebration continues through mid-April. This week’s musical guest stara is Akon, the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter and one of the music industry’s fastest-rising stars.

Akon’s special mix of hip-hop, R&B and rap includes a number of chart-topping hits like Lonely, I Wanna Love You, Don’t Matter and Dangerous. He’s the first artist to accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.

A frequent guest on TV’s American Idol, Akon brings his act to Universal’s Mardi Gras at 8:30 pm on March 6, 2010.

Go to www.OrlandoThemeParkVacations.com for information on Universal Studios, Mardi Gras and other Orlando area theme parks and attractions, as well as details on discount theme park tickets and Orlando vacation packages. Or visit www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm for information on discount Orlando resort and hotel lodging.

Get ready to celebrate. While the official Mardi Gras celebration kicks off in New Orleans, Mardi Gras Universal Studios style has already started in Orlando with a a long list of weekly concerts and parades plus fabulous food and plenty of beads.

The party really gets cranking tonight, Feb. 16, at Pat O’Brien’s within Universal CityWalk where the popular restaurant/club is hosting a Fat Tuesday celebration to kick off the Lenten season. From 4pm til close, you can enjoy a live party band, special drink discounts, New Orleans style food specials, stilt walkers, bead girls and plenty of other fun and entertainment.

Admission is free until 7 p.m.

After 7 p.m., admission is $8 per person or $20 for a VIP ticket offering private balcony access, light appetizers from 4-8 pm and free admission to select CityWalk clubs.

This week’s Mardi Gras concert features the music of Blondie and lead singer Deborah Harry. Ranging from disco and punk to new wave and hip hop, Blondie is best known for hits like Call Me, The Tide is High, One Way or Another, Heart of Glass and Rapture.

For additional information on Mardi Gras events at Universal Orlando or discount Orlando vacation packages and theme park tickets, visit http://www.orlandothemeparkvacations.com/. Or to register for a free resort getaway sweepstakes, go to www.WestgateReservations.com/sweepstakes.cfm.

December 17-20, 2009. Aventura’ is a Bachata music group formed in The Bronx, New York in 1994. After more than ten years of sparring in the music business, these four young, dynamic musicians with a seldom-seen chemistry continue to auto-produce soulful, original music that gleams with excellence. They are the first “Bachata-boy band,” the first band to fuse the essence of bachata with R&B, hip hop and other American pop styles; the first Bachata band to perform in English, Spanish and “Spanglish.” Aventura is also the first bachata group to feature songs that address serious life situations, delighting fans in the process.  !

The group comprises lead singer and featured composer Anthony “Romeo” Santos, guitarist and producer Lenny Santos, bassist Max Santos, and singer and composer Henry Santos Jeter. Aventura has sold over 1 million albums, and are also known for their hit singles “Obsesión”, “La Boda”, “Ella y Yo” and “Un Beso”, to name a few! Click here for Aventura Concert Tickets! Click here for your Aventura tickets in Orlando, Florida

Don’t miss their last tour December 5-8, 2009.  Country duo Brooks & Dunn are done - Ronnie Dunn has quit the group to go solo. Dunn formed the act with Kix Brooks in the late 1980s and made their debut in 1991. They quickly became one of the most acclaimed country combos of all time - their first album, “Brand New Man,” was certified six-times platinum and all four singles from the release hit the top of the country charts. Twenty of the 40-plus singles they’ve released have hit the top of the charts. The duo has recorded 10 studio albums. Brooks & Dunn have won 19 CMA Awards, including 14 in the Vocal Duo or Group category, and 24 ACM Awards, including 15 as the Top Vocal Duo. They also won two Grammys for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. To date, they’ve sold more than 30 million albums. A statement from Brooks & Dunn reads, “After 20 years of making music and riding this trail together, we have agreed as a duo that it’s time to call it a day. Brooks & Dunn Concert Tickets

Metallica was easily the best, most influential heavy metal band of the ’80s. Responsible for bringing the genre back to Earth, the bandmates looked and talked like they were from the street, shunning the usual rockstar games of metal musicians during the early ’80s. Metallica also expanded the limits of thrash, using speed and volume not for their own sake, but to enhance their intricately structured compositions. The release of 1983’s Kill ‘Em All marked the beginning of the legitimization of heavy metal’s underground, bringing new complexity and depth to thrash metal. With each album, the band’s playing and writing improved; James Hetfield developed a signature rhythm playing that matched his growl, while lead guitarist Kirk Hammett became one of the most copied guitarists in metal. Don’t miss your chance to see these heavy metal legends and enjoy the Florida sunshine! Click here for your discount Metallica tickets!

December 5-8, 2009
African-American entertainer Bill Cosby, in his own words, “started out as a child,” the son of an eight-dollars-a-day maid and an absentee father. A product of grinding poverty, Cosby escaped his rundown Philadelphia neighborhood by dropping out of high school and joining the navy. He earned his diploma via correspondence course, then earned a football scholarship to Temple University. Working nights as a bartender, Cosby discovered he had the ability to make people laugh, so he temporarily shelved his plans to become an athletics teacher and set out to become a nightclub comedian. Don’t miss your chance to see this comedy legend live in this amazing theatre! Click here for the Best Bill Cosby Ticket Prices on the Internet!

October 20-23, 2009
Rooted in the campy theatrics of Alice Cooper and the sleazy hard rock of glam rockers the New York Dolls, Kiss became a favorite of American teenagers in the ’70s. Most kids were infatuated with the look of Kiss, not their music. Decked out in outrageously flamboyant costumes and makeup, the band fashioned a captivating stage show featuring dry ice, smoke bombs, elaborate lighting, blood spitting, and fire breathing that captured the imaginations of thousands of kids. But Kiss’ music shouldn’t be dismissed — it was a commercially potent mix of anthemic, fist-pounding hard rock driven by sleek hooks and ballads powered by loud guitars, cloying melodies, and sweeping strings. It was a sound that laid the groundwork for both arena rock and the pop-metal that dominated rock in the late ’80s. Kiss was the brainchild of Gene Simmons (bass, vocals) and Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar, vocals). Don’t miss what could be your last chance to see Gene and Paul do it again as only KISS can! Click here for the best KISS ticket prices on the Internet!

October 22-25, 2009
Robin Williams, a comedy icon and celebrated actor who has won four Golden Globe Awards, four Grammy Awards and an Oscar, Robin Williams makes his debut at the state-of-the-art UCF Arena as part of his critically acclaimed Weapons of Self-Destruction tour. Don’t miss this hilarious, high-energy show as Williams, a master of improvisation who was named as one of Comedy Central’s “100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time,” tackles social and political absurdities in Robin Williams first comedy tour since 2002. Click here for the best prices on the Internet!