Disney Calendar of Events

Registration is open for the 2012 Disney's Princess Half Marathon Weekend, which will take place February 24-26, 2012 at Walt Disney World. To run in the Half Marathon, you must be 14 years of age or older. Other events that weekend include the all-ages Disney Royal Family 5K, Disney Royal Family Kids' Races, and Disney's Fit for a Princess Expo. For more information Call: (888) 222-7313, or get a quote HERE.

The 2012 Disney STEP Classic, hosted by Disney Youth Programs, will be held February 18-19, 2012. This dance step competition will also add a new age group in 2012: 14 & Under. There will still be the traditional 18 & Up and 19 & Under age groups. Participating teams will have the opportunity to perform on stage in the Premier Theater at Disney's Hollywood Studios as well as attend Master STEP Workshops provided by the National Step Show Alliance (N.S.S.A.). These workshops will help improve technical proficiency and teach the fundamentals of stepping.

• --February 4-5, 2012: The 2012 UDA National Dance Team Championship. The best high school and junior high school dance teams from across the country participate in this weekend competition. The dance competition includes, jazz, hip hop and pom categories.
• -- February 16-20, 2012: Twirl Mania, an international championship competition for soloist, teams, corps, High Schools, Universities, and recreational groups in the athletic arena of baton twirling, auxiliary units, pompon, and dance.
• -- The 2012 Disney Field Hockey Showcase will be held this February 8-12. This USA Field Hockey event is the ultimate place for top field hockey clubs to be seen by hundreds of college coaches looking for great field hockey talent, and features two girls' divisions (Under 16 and Under 19) in a number of tournament games. A schedule will be posted on the ESPN Wide World of Sports site on or around January 20.
• -- Disney's President's Day Soccer Festival will be held February 18-20. New for 2012 -- the Disney's Club Championships.
• --The Atlanta Braves will again report to the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex for spring training in mid-February 2012. This year, some of Major League Baseball's marquee teams, including the reigning World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, will take on the Braves during their spring training. In fact, the Cardinals and Yankees, as well as the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, make up the core of the Braves' 18-game home schedule at Champion Stadium. The Cardinals face the Braves on March 19. The Yankees visit twice, Saturday March 10 and Wednesday March 28, and the New York Mets come in three times, March 9 and 23 and the spring home finale April 2.

Every two years, Disney Youth Programs hosts a music festival at the Walt Disney World Resort that challenges performers to reach new musical heights. This festival, known as The Disney Honors, is a non-competitive experience for middle and high school choirs, concert bands and orchestras ensembles that focuses solely on education and artistic growth. The next Disney Honors will be held February 28 - March 3, 2013 at the Walt Disney World Resort.

To learn more about these events Call: (888) 222-7313, or get a quote HERE.

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival -- March 7 - May 20, 2012. Early dates for the Flower Power Concert Series to be performed during the 2012 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival are:

• March 9-11: Jose Feliciano (Light My Fire)
• March 16-18: Starship Starring Mickey Thomas (We Built This City)
• March 23-25: The Guess Who (American Woman)
• March 30-April 1: The Spinners (Cupid)
• April 6-8: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats (The Twist)
• April 13-15: Paul Revere & The Raiders (Good Thing)
• April 20-22: The Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie (Happy Together)
• April 27-29: Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night (Black & White)
• May 4-6: The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO (Don't Bring Me Down)
• May 11-13: Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone (I'm Henry VIII, I Am)
• May 18-20: Davy Jones (I'm a Believer)

In other Flower and Garden Festival news, the schedule for the HGTV personalities who will be making presentations every Friday, Saturday and Sunday has been released:

• March 9 - 11: John Gidding, HGTV's Curb Appeal: The Block -- presenting
• March 16 - 18: Sabrina Soto, HGTV's The High/Low Project -- presenting
• March 23 - 25: Jason Cameron, DIY Network's Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves
• March 30 - April 1: Camille Styles, HGTV.com Entertainment contributor -- presenting
• April 6 - 8: Dan Faires, HGTV.com's DanMade, Fan Favorite HGTV Design Star Season 5
• April 13 - 15: Brandon Johnson, host of HGTV's My Yard Goes Disney -- presenting
• April 20 - 22: Meg Caswell, HGTV's Meg's Great Rooms
• April 27 - 29: Monica Pedersen, HGTV Dream Home Tour 2012 and Designed to Sell
• May 4 - 6: Antonio Ballatore, HGTV's The Antonio Treatment
• May 11 - 13: To be determined
• May 18 - 20: Genevieve Gorder, HGTV's Dear Genevieve and HGTV Design Star

Plans are under way for the 2012 Disney's Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine. Entering the search for its milestone fifth "class," Disney's Dreamers Academy will honor 100 students, selected from thousands of applicants. Students selected will participate in hands-on, full-immersion workshops related to career paths ranging from Animation to Zoology. Each participant learns important interview skills, communication techniques and networking strategies. Parents, teachers, mentors and youth can nominate U.S. high school students ages 13-19 to attend this educational and mentoring program. Nominations must be submitted on www.disneysdreamersacademy.com by October 31, 2011. Participants and a parent or guardian will receive an all-expense-paid trip to Walt Disney World Resort for the 2012 Disney's Dreamers Academy March 8-11, 2012.

The Atlanta Braves will again report to the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex for spring training in mid-February 2012. This year, some of Major League Baseball's marquee teams, including the reigning World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, will take on the Braves during their spring training. In fact, the Cardinals and Yankees, as well as the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies, make up the core of the Braves' 18-game home schedule at Champion Stadium. The Cardinals face the Braves on March 19. The Yankees visit twice, Saturday March 10 and Wednesday March 28, and the New York Mets come in three times, March 9 and 23 and the spring home finale April 2.

To learn more about this event Call: (888) 222-7313, or get a quote HERE.

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival -- March 7 - May 20, 2012. Early dates for the Flower Power Concert Series to be performed during the 2012 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival are:

• March 9-11: Jose Feliciano (Light My Fire)
• March 16-18: Starship Starring Mickey Thomas (We Built This City)
• March 23-25: The Guess Who (American Woman)
• March 30-April 1: The Spinners (Cupid)
• April 6-8: Chubby Checker & The Wildcats (The Twist)
• April 13-15: Paul Revere & The Raiders (Good Thing)
• April 20-22: The Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie (Happy Together)
• April 27-29: Chuck Negron formerly of Three Dog Night (Black & White)
• May 4-6: The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO (Don't Bring Me Down)
• May 11-13: Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone (I'm Henry VIII, I Am)
• May 18-20: Davy Jones (I'm a Believer)

In other Flower and Garden Festival news, the schedule for the HGTV personalities who will be making presentations every Friday, Saturday and Sunday has been released:

• March 9 - 11: John Gidding, HGTV's Curb Appeal: The Block -- presenting
• March 16 - 18: Sabrina Soto, HGTV's The High/Low Project -- presenting
• March 23 - 25: Jason Cameron, DIY Network's Desperate Landscapes and Man Caves
• March 30 - April 1: Camille Styles, HGTV.com Entertainment contributor -- presenting
• April 6 - 8: Dan Faires, HGTV.com's DanMade, Fan Favorite HGTV Design Star Season 5
• April 13 - 15: Brandon Johnson, host of HGTV's My Yard Goes Disney -- presenting
• April 20 - 22: Meg Caswell, HGTV's Meg's Great Rooms
• April 27 - 29: Monica Pedersen, HGTV Dream Home Tour 2012 and Designed to Sell
• May 4 - 6: Antonio Ballatore, HGTV's The Antonio Treatment
• May 11 - 13: To be determined
• May 18 - 20: Genevieve Gorder, HGTV's Dear Genevieve and HGTV Design Star

USA Gymnastics and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) -- announced that the 2012 World Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships, along with the World Age-Group Competition, will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex's HP Field House. More than 600 gymnasts total are expected to participate in the World Championships, scheduled for April 16-18, and the World Age-Group Competition, set for April 20-22, 2012. Acrobatic gymnastics combines the beauty of dance with the strength and agility of acrobatics. Routines are choreographed to music and consist of dance, tumbling, and partner skills.

Epcot's Flower & Garden Festival -- March 7 - May 20, 2012. Disney has already released some details on next year's 19th Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival which will run March 7-May 20. An eight-foot-tall floral Sorcerer Mickey topiary will greet guests at the entrance to Epcot, standing atop a 12-foot-tall floral mountain cliff and towering above the park's front-entrance topiary bed. The rest of the display will include manicured shapes of dancing broomsticks, buckets, mushrooms, hippos, alligators and elephants straight from the classic Disney film, Fantasia. The 2012 Flower Power Concert series lineup is as follows (subject to change):

• May 4-6: The Orchestra Starring Former Members of ELO (Don't Bring Me Down)
• May 11-13: Herman's Hermits Starring Peter Noone (I'm Henry VIII, I Am)
• May 18-20: Davy Jones (I'm a Believer)

In other Flower and Garden Festival news, the schedule for the HGTV personalities who will be making presentations every Friday, Saturday and Sunday has been released:

• May 4 - 6: Antonio Ballatore, HGTV's The Antonio Treatment
• May 11 - 13: To be determined
• May 18 - 20: Genevieve Gorder, HGTV's Dear Genevieve and HGTV Design Star

Star Wars Week -- Star Wars Weekends 2012: May 18-20; May 25-27; June 1-3; and June 8-10.

Expedition Everest Challenge -- May 5, 9:30 p.m. Expedition Everest Challenge, a race adventure with some bite, is coming Saturday, May 5, 2012 to Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Just after sunset, individuals and teams of two will brave the mysteries of a thrilling 5K trek held in the shadows of the Forbidden Mountain. Teams will have to overcome treacherous obstacles lying in their path and scavenge for clues along their journey to be able to solve the mystery of the mountain in the end. But beware of the Yeti, the abominable snowman that guards the Forbidden Mountain! Escape from the clutches of the Yeti and celebrate conquering this Everest Challenge with an exclusive after-hours party at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park.

Star Wars Week -- Star Wars Weekends 2012: May 18-20; May 25-27; June 1-3; and June 8-10.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party -- details to be announced.

Night of Joy -- Diney's 2012 Night of Joy event will be held September 7 and 8, and will feature headliners Casting Crowns, a band that recently won the 2011 American Music Award for Contemporary Inspirational Artist of the Year. Also participating in the Christian music event will be MercyMe, Chris Tomlin, Third Day, Kutless and needtobreathe. The tentative night-by-night 2012 lineup (entertainment, event times and schedule subject to change) is as follows:

• Friday, September 7, 2012: Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, needtobreathe, Red, Francesca Battistelli, Brandon Heath, Royal Tailor, Disciple
• Saturday, September 8, 2012: MercyMe, Third Day, Kutless, Chris August, Lecrae and Thousand Foot Krutch

To learn more about this event Call: (888) 222-7313, or get a quote HERE.

Epcot International Food and Wine Festival -- September 28 - November 11, 2012

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 10-Miler Weekend -- September 28–29, 2012. Brave dark and ghostly streets haunted by Disney villains. Your commemorative medal announces your towering triumph as you ride thrilling Disney's Hollywood Studios attractions till 3:00 a.m.! SAVE THE DATE! You can make your thrilling reservations starting February 14, 2012 by calling (888) 222-7313, or get a quote HERE.