With a weekend full of activities that the whole family can enjoy, the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend takes place January 5 – 8, 2012. If you are coming to Disney World on vacation, why not get some exercise at the same time in a way you have never done before! There are events scheduled throughout the weekend so that everyone can participate in the one that suits their style. You can choose from the following:

Marathon - This will be like no other marathon you have ever run because each mile will be filled with Disney fun all the way as you run through four theme parks.

Marathon Relay – You can team up with a partner so that you will each run half a marathon. Hosts are Chip and Dale, Donald Duck’s adversaries in many tales.

Half Marathon – This 13.1 mile course will commemorate the 15th anniversary of the Donald Duck Finisher Medal.

Goofy’s Race and a Half Challenge – A 39.3 mile with participation in the half marathon on Saturday followed by the marathon on Sunday, you will get the Goofy medal if you finish both races. Or maybe you will be Goofy by the time it is over!

Family Fun Run 5K – An event for everyone in the family from tweens, teens and adults along with a stroller division, this is a popular run that everyone enjoys.

Disney Kids’ Races – For children aged 13 and under, these races take place on the Mickey Mile or Kids’ Dashes. The races are divided into age groups.

Pasta in the Park Party – On January 5 you can enjoy a buffet dinner followed by IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth to get you started on your marathon weekend.

Health & Fitness Expo – With exhibits and official race merchandise, you can attend this expo Thursday January 5 – Saturday January 7, 2012. All runners must attend to pick up their race Packet and obtain their Race Number. There is also a speaker series with celebrity runners and other professionals plus autograph sessions.

With all the exciting attractions at Disney World PLUS the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend activities, you will get lots of exercise and probably need another vacation when you get home! Space is limited and registration must be completed by November 1, 2011 to enter any of the scheduled races. Don’t delay. Register today for one or more of these exciting events.

For those planning a trip to Disney World in Orlando in early September you might want to take advantage of the Christmas Music Festival called Night of Joy. This contemporary Christmas music festival can be seen at various stages in the Magic Kingdom theme park. The festival takes place on Friday September 9 and Saturday September 10, 2011 with schedule performances at different stages on both nights.

The lineup of Christian groups that will perform includes: Jeremy Camp, Newsboys, Skillet, Francesca Battistelli, Group 1 Crew, Matthew West, Disciple, and Sidewalk Prophets on Friday September 9^th. Saturdays headliners are: Jars of Clay, TobyMac, MercyMe, Sanctus Real, Kutless, Marvin Sapp, Disney Gospel Choir Fest Winner, Vashawn Mitchell, Chris August and the Gospel Music Association Winner.

During this year’s festival, you will receive many special benefits including savings on individual ticket prices if you bring a group to the event. All you need is a group of ten or more to qualify for these savings. While you are enjoying the performances throughout the park by these contemporary Christian music stars in pop, gospel and rock, you can also take advantage of your favorite attractions like Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad or Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin.

Attendees at the Christian Music Festival Night of Joy can buy individual or group tickets (if your party is ten or more). Groups of 10 or more get one complimentary ticket for every ten that are purchased along with group rates at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel or nearby Disney Good Neighbor Hotel. You can also get entry into the park at 4 pm so that you can enjoy all the attractions before the music begins! You Can book onine or call 877-NITE-JOY in the U.S.

For those who love to garden or just enjoy looking at the flowers, you will be amazed at the displays featured at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival held each year in Orlando. Presented by HGTV, this festival will be a garden show like no other with Disney character topiaries and special presentations along with live music. Scheduled to be held next on March 7 to May 20, 2012, you can make your plans early to book your trip and ensure that you include this special event on your vacation agenda.

Top Designer Presentations - This exciting garden show features designer presentations by the country’s top designers to help you plan how to transform your back yard into the garden of your dreams. It features HGTV stars and gardening experts from Epcot who will discuss ideas on what to do to make your garden more interesting and appealing and enhance its features so that everything blooms when it should. This springtime event showcases the most colorful displays of gardens and flowers that will entice you to try your hand when you get back home.

Disney Character Topiaries - To help you become more interested in gardening you will see over 75 Disney character topiaries along with other types displayed throughout Epcot. These whimsical characters come to life in a floral display like no other and include Disney and Pixar characters such as Woody, Buzz and Lotso from Toy Story 3 along with Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars 2. All the exciting characters make the displays even more interesting and fun for the whole family – even if they don’t like to garden!

Flower Power Concert Series – Every weekend a different artist will be featured bringing you live music from the 1960’s and 1970’s at the America Gardens Theatre during the Flower Power Concert Series. These concerts give you an opportunity to sit back and enjoy the unforgettable tunes from that era and forget all your problems while you rest your feet and listen to the music!

Attendance at the International Flower & Garden Festival is included in the admission to Epcot. However, availability is limited at some of the events like the designer presentations or the music concerts so it is important to ensure that you get your tickets in advance so that you do not miss the opportunity to attend this wonderful garden festival that will be like no other you have ever seen.