The 7,500 s’mores toasted at fire pits in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts this winter might not be the most consequential statistic from the inaugural Frontyard Holiday Festival.
But as an indicator of the fest’s popularity with the public, those sweet and gooey treats hit the spot. The marshmallows will be melting again this December.
“The community can expect the Holiday Festival to return with even more opportunities to gather, celebrate and experience the arts in new ways,” said Kathy Ramsberger, president and CEO of the downtown Orlando arts center. “We are continuing to find ways to expand the festival due to the positive reaction and need of our community.”
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That “positive reaction” manifested itself through 154,333 visitors to the outdoor extravaganza that ran Dec. 4-Jan. 4. Among its attractions: Live performances by 87 artists, family-friendly games, nightly “snowfall,” visits with Santa and Mrs. Claus and an array of food stands, bars and boutiques.
In all, Ramsberger said, total attendance at the arts center in December was about 250,370 guests — a 51% increase over December 2024. The Frontyard Holiday Festival’s Latin night, on Dec. 13, attracted 10,998 guests itself.
The increased activity is reflected in an analysis by Tourism Economics, a research company affiliated with England-based Oxford Economics. Its report estimated that the Frontyard Holiday Festival generated $18.4 million for the local economy, including $13 million in direct spending.
Ramsberger said arts center leadership was pleased with such a strong showing, especially given the speed at which the fest was planned. It was a huge undertaking, requiring the addition of fencing, a stage and the refreshment booths while the arts center’s regular programming continued.
“As a first-year festival, the Holiday Festival was ambitious in both scale and timeline,” Ramsberger said. “The entire event was developed in 2025 and constructed in about 30 days, and it exceeded expectations.”
Children stop in to see Santa and Mrs. Claus during the Frontyard Holiday Festival at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando. The festival will return in December. (Courtesy Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts)
Along with the positive economic impact on downtown Orlando, the festival also achieved the center’s goal of increasing accessibility to the arts in a way that reflects the diversity of Central Florida — although it turns out, unsurprisingly, that Americans’ love of fried potatoes crosses all cultural boundaries.
The top-selling food item was curly fries, the arts center found, with more than 7,800 salty servings. More than 3,580 burgers were sold, along with about 3,000 orders of brisket. The top-selling beverage: Hot chocolate, with 8,300 cups testing the patience of guests faced with waiting for that first sweet sip — or risking burnt lips.
The most popular cocktail was coquito, the creamy Puerto Rican treat akin to eggnog, with more than 1,520 glasses sold.
Revelers enjoy the Florida version of snow during the Frontyard Holiday Festival at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando. (Courtesy Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts)
Among the festival’s community-building activities: 1,250 festivalgoers wrote letters to Santa, while 500 wrote holiday greetings that were delivered to hospitalized AdventHealth patients. More than 700 guests participated in eight community-giveback programs during the month, and the arts center’s volunteers themselves contributed more than 372 hours of their time.
Ramsberger said the inaugural festival provided valuable lessons that will shape the event going forward.
“One key takeaway was the strong appetite for experiences throughout the week, not just on weekends — reinforcing that audiences want accessible, engaging events year-round,” she said.
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Also, those thousands of s’mores did provide valuable information: Expect even more fire pits next time.
“The popularity of the fire pits and s’mores led us to expand beyond the original four fire pits as demand grew,” Ramsberger said.
After investing in key infrastructure, including the fencing, the center will store items to use again in future years.
As cleanup continues from the Frontyard Holiday Festival at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando, materials such as the fencing will be saved and stored for the event’s return in December. (Matthew J. Palm/Orlando Sentinel)
The inaugural Frontyard Holiday Festival at Dr. Phillips Center, supported by AdventHealth — to give its full official name — also demonstrated the importance of lining up sponsors, Ramsberger said. Besides Advent Health, another 11 businesses or organizations made significant contributions to the event.
“Sponsor involvement played a critical role in elevating the guest experience,” she said. “That collaboration demonstrates the power of sponsorship in creating meaningful, memorable experiences for the community. As we move into year two, we are excited to potentially welcome back some inaugural sponsors and build on that momentum.”
Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Find more entertainment news and reviews at orlandosentinel.com/entertainment or sign up to receive our weekly emailed Entertainment newsletter.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2026/02/07/frontyard-holiday-festival-results-orlando/
