10 New Venues in Orlando/Central Florida for Summer 2021 Meetings and Events

The all-suite Caribe Royale has added a new event space to its convention center. The 60-acre, 1,215-room resort now hosts meetings, parties and more in the Palms Ballroom, a bright 50,000-square-foot expanse with a 25-foot ceiling and aquatic hues in a variety of blues blended with white, especially in its wool carpet. Whimsical rounded ceiling fixtures add a modern touch to the ballroom, which can host as many as 3,300 guests classroom style, 5,000 with a theater arrangement, 5,250 for a standing reception and 4,000 seated at banquet rounds. The on-site ENCORE outfit provides audiovisual equipment and services. Event and catering crews are on staff, plus the ballroom can be broken into three smaller rooms and the foyer outside is 12,900 square feet. Altogether—with the three previously existing ballrooms, outdoor venues and lakeside villas for breakout sessions—the hotel has 220,000 square feet available for events. The ballroom’s addition is part of a $125 million renovation including a refreshed lobby and updated accommodations.

When it opened in January with its reclaimed-wood paneling, a small stage at the far end and a long bar with a weathered brick wall behind it, Tuffy's Music Box expanded the event capacity at the relaxed bar Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge exponentially. Music Box is a self-contained, industrial-rustic indoor concert and private event facility that fits as many as 250 seated or 348 standing within its 3,375 square feet. All food is catered by local modern-Southern restaurateur Swine & Sons. For amenities, a limited amount of casual and formal seating options are available for free, with more able to be rented, and audiovisual equipment and a screen are also available. The sprawling alfresco Beer Garden right beyond the Music Box can hold up to 1,000 more guests, and the bar’s original indoor main and game rooms together accommodate an additional 156 guests—totaling a buyout for up to 1,504 guests.

The Monroe is a colorful indoor-outdoor restaurant serving modern twists on American comfort foods in Orlando’s up-and-coming Creative Village, and it debuted in May, ready to host private events. Several event venues are available, all with mid-century-modern decor. Choose the 1,000-square-foot semiprivate, U-shaped Swan Room; 1,000-square-foot lounge with sofas and a shuffleboard table; or the whole 6,000-square-foot establishment. Outdoors, the 2,000-square-foot backyard and 4,000-square-foot front porch are your options. In the main restaurant, request custom seating using existing tables or a reception-style event wherein planners bring in their own tables. Tableware and napkins are included for up to 150 people.

The Bronze Kingdom on International Drive is an African art museum, gallery, event space, restaurant and gift shop featuring African bronze sculptures along with other artworks and reproductions. It’s the second of two locations, opened in November 2020 and is available for private events. The venue can accommodate as many as 200 participants reception style (150 seated at banquet squares and rectangles) within the 6,000-square-foot events space, while it can accommodate 300 standing within the establishment’s entire 27,000 square feet, which includes a small balcony. High-top, and bar-, classroom- and concert-style arrangements are also available. Additionally, a two-story window can be opened or closed; use of stage and lighting, a sound system, a TV and projector equipment are included in the price; and linens can be added for a fee. When it comes to on-site catering, buffet, plated and small-bites menus are available, all with African flavors and catered by the on-site Serengeti Restaurant.

Entertain as many as 480 people at The Celeste Hotel, a new 179-room property with an astrology and astronomy theme that opened in October on the campus of the University of Central Florida and near Orlando’s Central Florida Research Park. The one-of-a-kind hotel under Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio line has more than 12,000 square feet of function space, including the Celestial Ballroom (pictured), in neutral tones with circular designs, which can be divided into five sections. At 4,885 square feet, the ballroom can accommodate 480 for a reception, 200 classroom style, 540 with a theater arrangement and 350 seated for a banquet. There is also a boardroom, three meeting rooms, a private dining room, a covered patio, an event lawn and cabanas near the pool, among other event spaces on the property. The property provides a list of preferred vendors to planners.

Gather in an Old Florida setting and feast on barbecue prepared as guests watch at Munchies, an outdoor venue tucked into a residential area just north of Orlando’s theme parks. Munchies is run by chef Alfred Mann, who also owns Elite Catering & Venture. He’ll be at the grill producing brisket, salmon and classic barbecue sides for your event. While the permanent furnishings include only three picnic tables on a small pavilion, the venue, which opened in January, is situated on a lakefront campground. Private-event packages for as many as 100 guests include the use of paddleboards, hammocks, Adirondack chairs and a cornhole game. Groups can bring in high-tops, stages or other seating arrangements using third-party vendors. Those seeking spirited beverages can also arrange for that independently.

Orlando’s Museum of Illusions opened in January with 50 exhibits, and it hosts private events for up to 200 people within the 1,200 square feet of common area—and yes, event guests are free to enter exhibit rooms to experience the museum’s offerings. Orange, white and black in geometric forms are the backdrop of team-building sessions, weddings and full buyouts. The attraction is located within the ICON Park mall, where facility partners such as Wizard Connection offer rental seating, audiovisual and staging equipment, decor elements and balloons. Neighboring and outside vendors including Ole Red, Tin Roof, Arthur’s Catering and Tapa Toro provide food and beverage service. Independent entertainers including DJs, acoustical musicians, bands and a magician/illusionist are also available. The venue offers corporate sponsorships and event branding of exhibits.

Part auto museum, part family attraction, Dezerland Park-Orlando offers an array of event venues within a former shopping mall. Entertain amid classic American cars, vehicles used in James Bond movies or over-the-top sports vehicles in rooms of 2,000 to 45,000 square feet; the entire facility has 250,000 square feet of dedicated event space within a total of 850,000 square feet. Opened for events in March, the multifaceted destination meets any seating needs including classroom style, reception high-tops and banquet rounds, from 20 to 2,000 guests at banquet tables to 5,000 standing. Some audiovisual equipment and a single stage are included; more options are available from approved vendors. Catering choices range from ultra-casual to fine dining, with American and Caribbean flavors available.

Planners can create weddings and corporate events from 25 guests and above with rustic flair at Bramble Tree Estate, a mostly outdoor event venue that recently paired with the catering arm of a local barbecue specialist to offer elevated Southern fare. The crux is a 40-foot-by-60-foot covered pavilion that seats 200 guests at farmhouse tables or banquet rounds or even reception style. Additional fields, also with wooded backdrops, can be used for ceremonies, presentations and cocktail hours. A former horse stable has been remodeled to include well-appointed dedicated spaces for a bridal suite and a groom’s den. 4 Rivers Catering, often together with full-service caterer Puff ‘n Stuff, provides all food and beverage services, including custom cakes. Planners are free to hire additional vendors to secure tents, seating, staging, lighting, entertainment, floral and other services.

Less than a year after Orlando’s second JW Marriott opened, its casual ninth-floor rooftop Japanese-influenced concept, illume, debuted in May, featuring an expansive outdoor space. The bright, 5,200-square-foot, 156-seat indoor-outdoor restaurant has floral touches, in-wall fireplaces, glass walls and Seminole American artifacts. The foods are largely Asian and, for private events, are served at food stations, as passed hors d’oeuvres or as small plates. Japanese sake and aged whiskeys are available. For indoor-outdoor buyouts, receptions using lounge seating and/or high-tops accommodate up to 100 on the open and covered sections of the terrace, which offers 360-degree views of the Bonnet Creek Preserve and Disney World’s nightly fireworks. Semiprivate terrace space is included with rental of the private indoor dining room, which allows for 45 guests with similar seating options; it has a TV, and additional AV options can be arranged.