This week in Orange County: Third Thursday, MegaCon, festivals and family performances

Local hosts Carissa Clark and Clarence Reynolds ran through this week’s arts and entertainment calendar for Orange County and surrounding communities.

Third Thursday Orlando will activate Downtown Orlando on March 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. with gallery openings, live performances and interactive experiences across venues including City Arts. MegaCon Orlando, described as a four-day pop-culture event at the Orange County Convention Center beginning March 19, is expected to feature celebrity guests, cosplay contests, gaming tournaments and an exhibit hall; doors open at 4 p.m. Thursday and 10 a.m. Friday through Sunday, the hosts said.

The Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival returns to Park Avenue March 20–22, featuring hundreds of artists across painting, sculpture, photography and jewelry; festival hours and details are posted at wpsaf.org. The Mount Dora Spring Festival of the Arts runs in downtown Mount Dora with more than 200 artists, live music and vendors. The Timucua Opera Festival and Opera Orlando will present a Handel pastoral opera on March 20, and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra will stage a family storytime performance of "Little Red Riding Hood" with two morning shows.

Hosts encouraged listeners to check event web pages for tickets and schedules and suggested driving down Universal Boulevard to enjoy MegaCon’s street activity. They also invited the community to submit future events via email.