Two of Orlando’s biggest contemporary christian music events set to return on Sept. 5-6, 2008

 Universal’s Rock the Universe

Rock your soul with an exciting weekend of pulse-pounding, feel good, music and thrills at the annual Rock the Universe celebration at Universal Studios.  Slated for Sept. 5-6, 2008, this amazing Christian rock weekend brings a long list of top Contemporary Christian performers to the Universal stage, including: Switchfoot, Reliant K, Newsboys, Skillet, Grits, Group 1 Crew, New Method, Third Day, Jeremy Camp, Jars of Clay, Stellar Karl, Leeland, The Beautiful Republic and Special D.

Disney’s Night of Joy

Get out your calendars and circle these two rockin’ days to celebrate Faith in 2008: Friday, September 5, and Saturday, September 6! The music moves to Disney’s Hollywood Studios^TM for the first time, where some of today’s most powerful voices in Contemporary Christian music will take to the stage for this popular event.

In over 20 years, the Night of Joy events have featured a long list of Grammy and/or Dove Award winners and played to a combined audience of nearly one million people. This year’s event will again bring out the best with performers that include: Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Rebecca St. James, BarlowGirl, Matthew West, Rush of Fools, Brandon Heath, Britt Nicole, Casting Crowns, TobyMac, Fred Hammond, Marcos Witt, Mandisa, Aaron Shust, RED and Pure NRG.

The centerpiece of the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando is the 12,000 square foot pool – complete with a beautiful sandy beach! Hang out at the beach and soak up the sun for the day. Your favorite tunes fill the air, plus the pool features an underwater sound system so you’ll never miss a beat.

The massive pool also features an underwater stereo sound system, interactive play area for children, a 260-foot water slide, 2 Jacuzzis and a sand volleyball court.

Looking for an entertaining start to your day?  How about breakfast with America’s favorite animated family - The Simpsons™!

Join Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie for a fun-filled, all-inclusive breakfast buffet at Universal Studios’ International Food and Film Festival.  Character breakfasts are held each Thursday through Sunday morning from park opening to 10:30 am.  Please note that space is limited and reservations are highly recommended. (Breakfast is not included with theme park admission).

This summer, end a fun-filled day at Universal Studios Florida theme park with the return of the most  explosive, jaw-dropping cinematic adventure you’ve ever seen!  Every night throughout the summer, you can witness this special event - Universal 360 - from just about anywhere around the park’s waterfront. 

The show kicks off at 9:45 pm, offering cutting edge projection technology with lasers and pyrotechnics that bring the power of movies to life.

On July 4, the park offers a special patriotic fireworks finale after the Universal 360 show.

Long awaited and highly anticipated, The Simpsons™ Ride at Universal Studios Florida is now open!  Check it out and visit Krustyland, the low-budget theme park created by famed TV personality and shameless product huckster Krusty the Clown!You be there right alongside Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie as you enter through a carnival-like midway. Once you board your vehicle you’re in for one surprise after another as you embark on a wild, over-the-top ride through the park… flying, floating, and more or less crashing your way through Krustyland’s kiddie attractions, stunt shows and thrill rides. State-of-the-art digital projectors cover an 80 ft. diameter domed surface with an image four times the standard High Definition found in most home theaters, and twice what you’d experience in a normal digital theater.  All the character voices in the attraction were performed by the original stars of the long-running The Simpsons show.  In addition, hilarious new The Simpsons animation was created not just for the ride, but for the pre-show and queue areas as well.

Celebrate the music, spirit and culture of Jamaica at a two-day festival that fills the streets of Universal CityWalk on May 10-11 from 2:00-9:00 pm!  Enjoy steel drummers, DJs, local Reggae bands, Caribbean food, specialty drinks, over 20 African and Jamaican merchants as well as featured performers including: Inner Circle, Maxi Priest, Toots & The Maytals and Stephen Marley, the son of Bob Marley.   (1-day ticket is $25 plus tax / 2-day ticket is $35 plus tax.  Tickets include FREE ADMISSION to select CityWalk venues.)

A 3,000-capacity concert venue located at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk, Hard Rock Live showcases a wide variety of music ranging from popular national acts to the best emerging new artists. Hard Rock Live and the 600-seat Hard Rock Cafe Orlando – which is also perfect for live music – are situated in a 140,000-square-foot building designed as a retro interpretation of the great Roman Coliseum.  The facility opened and held its first concert (Glenn Frey/Joe Walsh) on January 29, 1999. Today, the venue continues to be a popular stop for musicians and music fans alike. 

Here’s your chance to be in the band! At Universal Orlando CityWalk’s Rising Star karaoke club, you take center stage as the lead singer of a band. This is real music, played live while you belt out your favorite songs in front of a live audience!

The karaoke club debuts March 22 and will be open nightly from 8pm – 2am. 

• Tuesday – Saturday: Live band with backup singers & host
• Sunday & Monday: Backup singers and host

There is a cover charge of $7 to enter the Karaoke Club, however, there is no charge to sing.  (CityWalk Party Passes accepted.)  The club is open to anyone age 21 or older (18 or older on Thursday nights).

Mardi Gras at Universal Studios continues this Saturday night with a live concert performance by KC and the Sunshine Band.  (Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons had previously been scheduled for the March 15 concert series date.)

KC & The Sunshine Band remains as popular today as they were when they first danced onto the music scene 35 years ago. Harry Wayne Casey – KC, for short – developed a unique fusion of R&B and funk, with a hint of a Latin percussion groove.  That sound resulted in a string of hits like Get Down Tonight, That’s The Way (I Like It) and Shake Your Booty.

The concert is just one piece of the Mardi Gras fun.  You’ll also enjoy festive street performers, cajun’ New Orleans style eats and a rocking parade with lots of Mardi Gras beads.

Mardi Gras is included with your daily admission price to Universal Studios.