The Blue Springs Manatee Festival in Orange City, Florida, has been a Central Florida staple since 1985. Thousands of people show up to Valentine Park in January each year to celebrate the much-adored sea cow, a frequent visitor to the area's waterways. The weekend festival features a carnival atmosphere with music, games, food and, of course, sightings of manatees throughout the day.
A Party for Two Parks
- During the fourth weekend in January, Orange City's 20-acre Valentine Park transforms from a sports park to festival grounds. Floridians love their manatees, and sea cow enthusiasts come from all corners of Central Florida and beyond to join the festivities. Valentine Park is less than a mile from Blue Spring State Park -- a local spot on the St. Johns River famous for attracting manatees in droves. The festival provides buses to take festival goers to the spring to catch glimpses of the manatees in their natural habitat.
The Main Attraction
- During the winter months, the manatees that live in the bays and estuaries of Florida's coastal waters migrate inland to seek warmer waters. Dozens to hundreds of manatees find their way into the St. Johns River to take refuge in the always-warm water of Blue Springs. A viewing platform right next to the river allows visitors to scan the clear waters for the aquatic mammals and the telltale ripples in the water indicating that a manatee is about to surface to take a breath. A cold January day means a lot of manatees are likely to show, and the excitement of spotting one of the gentle giants stirs through the festival crowd that erupts at times into spontaneous applause for the creatures.
- Animal Overload
- While manatees are the stars of the show, there's plenty more to do during the festival. Local and regional bands and dance groups perform on stages set up in Valentine Park throughout the weekend, and activities like rock walls, bungee jumping and obstacle courses keep revelers entertained between manatee viewings. Keeping with the event's animal-themed roots, the Central Florida Zoo brings in other animals to give folks the chance for hands-on interactions with such creatures as boa constrictors, spiders and screech owls.
A Good Cause
- It's difficult not to have a good time during the Manatee Festival, but there's more to the event than fun and manatee spotting. Education and awareness about manatees and the area's ecosystem is a top priority, and the modest entry fee and other proceeds from the festival go to support Blue Springs State Park, educational scholarships and various community resources. Since its inception in 1985, the festival has raised more than $500,000 to support local programs.
