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B M & T ••• September/October 2020 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 13 2020, including two major thrill rides: • The Orlando Slingshot will catapult guests 450 feet into the air and be the World's Tallest Slingshot ride. • The Orlando Gyro Drop Tower will reach 400 feet, making it the world's tallest free-standing drop tower. Riders freefall at up to 75 miles per hour. Walt Disney World Resort • "Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance" opened in December and is the second attraction for the new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land at Disney's Hollywood Studios. • The first-ever Mickey-themed ride-through attraction, "Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway," will also open at Disney's Hollywood Studios March 4, 2020. • Epcot Three new films debuting Jan. 17: Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 and Awesome Planet. • Remy's Ratatouille Adventure opens in summer 2020, shrinking guests to the size of Chef Remy and racing them through Gusteau's restaurant on a wild adventure. • HarmonioUS, the largest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney park. • La Crêperie de Paris, a new restaurant in the France pavilion. • "Drawn to Life," a new Cirque du Soleil show, opening at Disney Springs in March 2020. Universal Orlando Resort • The Bourne Stuntacular, a cutting-edge live-action stunt show based on Universal Pictures' blockbuster Bourne films, will debut in spring 2020 at Universal Studios Florida. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment • Ice Breaker at SeaWorld Orlando, opening spring 2020, dives through four launches that run both backwards and forwards and takes riders on the steepest vertical drop in Florida. • Riptide Race at Aquatica Orlando will be Florida's first-ever duel- ing water slide, featuring side-by-side racing lanes through nearly 650 feet of slide. Downtown Orlando – NEW VENUE • The 1700-seat Steinmetz Hall at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, in downtown Orlando, opens September 2020 and will achieve an N1 sound rating—the lowest level at which humans can detect sound. The hall's design is fully customizable, its stage, walls, and floor can be lengthened, shortened or be lowered, giving an endless range of configurations. THE LASTEST IN DINING Named a top food city in the United States by WalletHub, Orlando's breadth and quality of dining options continue to attract celebrity chefs and independent restaurateurs. • Knife & Spoon at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, is a concept from Chef John Tesar, James Beard Award semifinalist and "Top Chef" contestant, opening spring 2020. • Ole Red, a new restaurant by country superstar Blake Shelton, will merge southern hospitality, good food and live country music, opens on April 13. Ox Grill, which opened in December, offers con- temporary fare with steaks, pasta and a selection of international dish- es. Both restaurants are located at ICON Park on International Drive. • Norman's will be moving to Restaurant Row. Created by celebrity chef and James Beard Award winner Norman Van Aken, the concept will open in the Dellagio Plaza spring 2020. • Pointe Orlando will get a $32 million makeover, with upgrades improving connectivity and gathering spots, to be completed by sum- mer 2020. New restaurants opening at Pointe Orlando include local- ly owned Kavas Tacos + Tequila opening in September and The Hampton Social, themed after the New York coastal resort region. About Visit Orlando Visit Orlando is The Official Tourism Association® for Orlando, the most visited destination in the United States and Theme Park Capital of the World®. A not-for-profit trade association that brands, markets and sells the Orlando destination globally, Visit Orlando represents 1,200 member companies comprising every segment of Central Florida's tourism community.