LEGOLAND Florida Celebrates its 10th Anniversary

2021 is a big year for LEGOLAND Florida as the theme park near Orlando celebrates its 10th Birthday! No birthday is complete without some birthday surprises and this family park will celebrate in style with some new attractions, shows and plenty of fun for everyone.

History of LEGOLAND Florida

LEGOLAND Florida opened on 15th October 2011 and sits on the former Cypress Gardens tourist attraction, which ceased operations in 2009.

As LEGOLAND Florida is situated where Cypress Gardens used to be, lets learn a bit more about the previous attraction. The park was first opened back in 1936 by husband and wife entrepreneurs Richard “Dick” and Julie Pope, on the banks of Lake Eloise in Winter Haven, a beautiful spot in central Florida. Their idea was to create a dream garden with picture-worthy views, to attract visitors to Winter Haven. It was named after the pretty cypress trees that lined the shores of the lake and was the first-ever tourist attraction in Florida. Cypress Gardens became a very popular place to visit and over the years started adding water shows and rides, such as electric boats and the Triple Hurricane wooden coaster.

The name of the park may have changed, but some things have stayed. Today, the wooden coaster is still at LEGOLAND Florida, now known as Coastersaurus. Guests can still stroll around the lovely botanical gardens and water ski shows still take place on Lake Eloise.

Cypress Gardens became known as the water ski capital of the world at one point, because of its spectacular shows on the water!

New Water Stunt Show at LEGOLAND Florida

The official anniversary might not be until October, but the celebrations have already begun at LEGOLAND Florida with the launch of Brickbeard’s Watersports Stunt Show back in February.

Captain Brickbeard has returned to the shores of LEGOLAND Florida to recruit a new class of pirates, to help in the never-ending hunt for buried treasure and adventure. Each pirate will have to pass a swashbuckling skill test on the waters of Lake Eloise.

Prepare for thrilling jumps and higher speed than ever before, as the show features new stunts including the totally-awesome flyboard act (basically a skateboard that hovers above the water), wakeboarding, barefoot skiing, jump acts and the iconic ski pyramid.

• All-New Fly Board Stunt: Shaped like a skateboard or hoverboard, fly boarding can make you fly over water, up to 50ft in the air. I bet you’re wondering how it works?! The board is connected by a long hose to a jet ski, where water is forced, under pressure, up to the board with jet nozzles underneath the boots. It’s one of the more challenging water sports, but amazing flips can be created from the pressure of the water.
• Wakeboarding: This is the kind of “skateboard” that gets towed behind a boat, creating some of the coolest, fastest aerial tricks
• Barefoot Skiing: This part of the show actually originated at the park when it was known as Cypress Gardens. This awesome water sport is water skiing without any skis - The pirates use just their feet and travel at higher speeds than normal water skiing!

With a new show, comes a new character, featuring a wild hairstyle and cool captain’s hat. Calico Jade joins Captain Brickbeard as a never-before-seen female LEGO pirate character. She oversees all the new Pirate recruits and either whips them into shape or makes them walk the plank.

Fun Facts about the new LEGO character: LEGOLAND Florida’s social media fans helped name the new pirate character. She lives in Florida, so this is the only place you’ll be able to meet Calico Jade.

What Other Additions are Coming to LEGOLAND Florida in 2021?

• A LEGO Birthday Cake: What’s a birthday without cake? LEGOLAND of course had to build a LEGO version and it will be the biggest ever LEGO cake!
• An All-New 4D Movie will premiere at the LEGOLAND Fun Town Theater.
• A Master Builder Experience will give guests the opportunity to learn just how Master Model Builders dream, create and build at an all-new building centre due to open this year.
• New stories, characters and larger-than-life models will join LEGO City Models.
• Miniland USA is currently being transformed to include shade structures, offering a cooler experience for guests.
• Summer Celebrations: Celebrate “Awesummer” with plenty of birthday surprises, music, and fireworks on select dates in June and July.
• An Epic Birthday Party: Following on from the celebrations, there will be one big birthday party – we assume on 15th October, but we’ll keep you updated as soon as LEGOLAND announces the date.
• LEGO City Stage Show: A brand-new stage show will make its debut in LEGO City.

LEGOLAND Florida in 2022

This year is all about LEGOLAND Florida, but next year everyone will be talking about Peppa Pig, as a Peppa Pig Theme Park is opening at the resort. It will be the ideal place for the little ones to enjoy their first theme park experience, as they step inside the world of their favourite TV show.

Many families travelling to Orlando with younger children like to include LEGOLAND Florida into their schedule. The park has so much to experience, as well as having its own water park, which is ideal for cooling off in the Florida heat. If you’re looking for villas near LEGOLAND Florida, we might just have what you need. Take a look at the selection of Orlando villas on our website or contact our team for more information about our package holidays.