Events in Celebration Town Center

The 7th Annual Celebration Exotic Car Festival, benefitting Special Olympics Florida, will be held April 15-18, 2010. This four-day, world class event, hosted by the Ferrari Club of America, will be bigger and better than ever, with new activities and even more unique, exotic, and race cars – as well as famous and movie and television cars to be displayed.

The festival, which is organized by a small team of volunteers of Celebration and other local residents, has established itself as one of the largest of its kind in the country, and will raise much-needed funds for Special Olympics Florida, which provides year-round programs and services to 15,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in Florida, at no cost to the athletes or their families. Over $500,000 has been raised for charity since the event’s inception in 2004.

The weekend will start on Thursday, April 15th, in Sebring, when many of the cars will be stretching their legs at the historic Sebring Raceway, home of the annual 24 Hours of Sebring race. The 3.7 mile, 17 turn circuit is one of the most challenging and technical in the world, and nearly 100 exotic cars, some exceeding 1000hp, will be running at full speed and testing the abilities of the cars as well as the drivers. On Friday afternoon, owners of Ferrari Challenge racecars will also compete in a Challenge Race.

The festivities continue with the Jetport Food & Wine Festival presented by Westgate Resorts Foundation on Friday April 16th. A private jet hangar at Signature Aviation at Kissimmee Airport will be converted into a chic, South Beach style nightclub for one of the most incredible parties of the year.

NEW FOR 2010: the Bocuse d’Or USA Foundation (considered to be the elite international competition for chefs) and Les Chefs de France are inviting some of the world’s most renowned chefs to prepare a world-class culinary extravaganza, accompanied by unlimited champagne, fine wines and spirits. The evening will feature an exclusive fashion show, an air show, performance art, silent charity auction, and much, much more. More than 100 exotic cars, business jets and personal aircraft will also be on display. Ticket for this must-attend event are available for $100 at www.celebrationexoticcars.com.

The Concours of Exotic Cars presented by Sherwin Williams will take place on Saturday, April 17, with 250 exotic cars lined up along Celebration’s picturesque lakefront promenade. The world-class show was attended by over 30,000 spectators in 2009. Cars from Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Bugatti, McLaren, Lotus, Saleen, Spyker, Pantera, Aston Martin, Bentley, DeLorean and many others will be displayed. Admission is free.

Special features at this year’s event will include a very rare showing of some of the most famous television and motion picture cars in history, including the original Batmobile, the Lamborghini Countach driven by Adrienne Barbeau in the 1981 film “Cannonball Run,” the Lamborghini Diablo from the Jim Carrey film “Dumb and Dumber,” and the famous “Back to the Future” DeLorean, a huge crowd pleaser in 2009, will also return again and be available for photo opportunities.

New to this year’s Concours is an appearance by the original “Ghostbusters” car, accompanied by a special appearance by “Ghostbusters” star Ernie Hudson!

 Also, a very special exhibition will be held  from 10:30-11:30 AM, where you can see first-hand the joy and spirit of Special Olympics, at a demonstration of Special Olympics’ Young Athletes Program (an innovative play program for 2-7 year olds with special needs).

Saturday is topped off by the “Special Olympics ROCKS!” Celebrity Dinner, Party and Concert at Hard Rock Live, Universal Orlando presented by Gibson Guitar and Publix. Mingle with celebrities from film, TV, music, and sports, enjoy a gourmet dinner, top shelf open bar, incredible live auctions, and a live concert performed by some of rock’s most legendary lead singers. Scheduled to appear: Tone Loc, Skip Martin (Kool and the Gang), Wally Palmer (The Romantics), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), and John Cafferty (John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band).

Special Olympics ROCKS! will feature an incredible live auction including…A Beach Home Dream Week in a spectacular multi-million dollar beach home, in the gorgeous oceanfront resort of Seaside, Florida, where “The Truman Show” starring Jim Carrey was filmed! Front Row at American Idol Finale: VIP Tickets to the finale of American Idol, including flights to Los Angeles and 4 star hotel accommodations! Dancing With the Stars: an incredible trip to sunny southern California and VIP seats to Dancing with the Stars. Aspen / Snowmass Ski Trip: enjoy a week at an exclusive Aspen chalet!

The party keeps going on Sunday, April 18, with the first-ever Shooter McGavin Open, at the Waldorf-Astoria Golf Club, hosted by “Shooter” himself, Christopher McDonald, form the film “Happy Gilmore.” Each team will be personally joined by one of Chris’ celebrity friends for a challenging yet fun round of scramble-format golf and lunch. Spend the day on the magnificent new Waldorf Astoria course with stars of television, film, music, and sports with our Happy Gilmore themed tournament! Space is limited! Visit www.celebrationexoticcars.com for registration information and a full list of celebrities schedule to play!

For full details about the weekend, ticket and sponsorship information, as well as highlight videos and a photo gallery, visit www.celebrationexoticcars.com

Please subscribe to our newsletter and receive updates on other future events in Celebration Town Center, or contact us for additional information.