It's the day after Christmas and many of us are headed to the mall to exchange gifts and spend holiday cash.
If you're still hankering for a wee bit of holiday spirit, this weekend is filled with all sorts of crazy festivities. From parades filled with Rick Scott look-alikes to one last hot cocoa with Santa, here are some favorite places to spend your Christmas money or Hanukkah gelt.
Weekend starts now!
Santa's Enchanted Forest
The presents might have all been torn open and Santa's work might be done for another year, but that doesn't mean you can't spend a few more moments relishing Christmas! Santa's Enchanted Forest at Tropical Park is still very much alive and well, thank you very much. The delightfully tacky Christmas theme park allows you to not only pet reindeer (and sea lions), but you can also chow down on all that delightful carnival food like candy apples, fried pickles, hot dogs, arepas, turkey legs, and cotton candy. After you've had your fill of corn dogs and fried Pepsi(!!!), take in a pig race or ride some rides (maybe you should ride them before the turkey leg, come to think of it). Tickets are $20.56 to $51.40 for single-day admission and season passes. Visit santasenchantedforest.com for park hours.
VIP Rouge at Cirque du Soleil's Amaluna
Cirque du Soleil's trippy Amaluna, now playing at Sun Life Stadium, is set on some mystery island ruled by a bunch of Goddesses. In other words, forget trying to understand what's going on and just enjoy the free champagne and food available at the VIP Rouge tent. This special pre-show experience starts an hour before the performance (and again at intermission) and offers unlimited snacks, drinks, free parking, and other special perks. There are performances today, December 26, at 4:30 and 8 p.m. Saturday, December 27 at 4:30 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, December 28 at 6:30 p.m. and tickets start at $265 for adults. Buy tickets atcirquedusoleil.com.
King Mango Strut
The 33rd annual King Mango Strut takes over Coconut Grove on Sunday, December 28, turning the once-artsy-now-slightly-yuppified village into a colorful parade of freaks, geeks, and music. Starting at 2 p.m. on the corner of Main Hwy and Commodore Plaza, you won't find Santa floats and marching bands. What you will encounter is a thoughtful, silly, and mostly dead-on parody of the year's past political and pop cultural events. Expect to find lots of Rick Scott, Raul Castro and Kim Kardashian impersonators. Secure a seat at GreenStreet, LoKal, or Lulu for brunch and a prime viewing spot at the parade.
Follow Laine Doss on Twitter @LaineDoss and Facebook.
Follow Short Order on Facebook, Twitter @Short_Order, and Instagram @ShortOrder.