Orlando International Airport is ready for the holidays, with giant wreaths on the walls, a 40-foot tree and displays celebrating not just Christmas, but Chanukah and Kwanzaa.
From December 10 through December 22, entertainment at Orlando Int’l Airport will include performances by the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra Ensembles, The Dickens Carolers and other treats.
Alabama’s Mobile Regional Airport has a holiday tree decorating contest, a full schedule of school choirs lined up to perform and a red and white carved hand-made wooden sleigh on display, which was made by an airport employee.
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport offers its holiday music series of jazz, gospel, rock and holiday classics in the Atrium area of the domestic and international terminal buildings, December 10 – 14 and December 17 -21, from 5 to 7 p.m. Carolers will also perform on these same dates on concourses T through D, from 2 to 6 p.m. Here’s the schedule.
At San Jose International Airport, this holiday scene greets arriving travelers on the roadway:
Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) begins a three week schedule of holiday music on December 8th and the Food & Shops at New York’s LaGuardia Airport Terminal B host a coloring station for kids in the the center food court, between Gates B & C and welcome Kuddles the holiday elf, on Fridays (December 7, 14 and 21st), who will be handing out balloons and stickers. If you need to do some shopping, be sure to clip this coupon good for 20% off one item.
And on December 8th and 22nd at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), you can get your picture taken with Santa for free at the Starbucks in Terminal C (between C2 & C3 checkpoints) from 3 to 6 pm. They will also be handing out candy canes and complimentary Starbucks drink samples.
Sometimes, airports are like circuses. In a good way.
BuskerFest is taking place in Toronto this week and the event kicked off on Monday with a mini-busker fest at Canada’s Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Here are some of the fun performances passengers were treated to.
Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway International Airports and Miami International Airport are among the airports that have some fun – and free – 4th of July activities planned for passengers this week.
In Chicago, there’s music, free flags and free lemonade:
Passengers traveling through O’Hare and Midway on Tuesday, July 2, will be entertained with a variety of music performances in the terminals from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
At O’Hare, head to Terminal 1 on the lower level near Ciao’s concession; in Terminal 2 go past the security checkpoints next to Wicker Park Seafood and Sushi Bar; and, if you’re in Terminal 3, listen for the local bands just past security near the entrance to Concourse L. There’s also live music planned for the International Terminal, on the lower level next to the News and Gifts Store.
At Midway today (July 2nd) there’s live jazz music from noon to 3 in the Midway Boulevard Food Court. And on Tuesday there will be live music on the lower level baggage claim area next to the Information Booth.
Tuesday, July 3 and Thursday July 5th, Airport Ambassadors will on duty at Midway handing out complimentary lemonade as well.
And if you want a miniature American flag, just ask for one at a Traveler’s Aid booth at either airport.
At Miami International Airport, there’s a DJ playing “patriotic beats,” Wii games and parades that include parade beads and an opportunity to get your photo taken with George Washington. Check here for locations.
On Friday, cast members from the Broadway musical Sister Act will perform excerpts from the show in Terminal 8 at JFK International Airport. Performances at 3 p.m. and 3:45.
And here’s a fun, short video filled with airport factoids.
Those scolding overhead announcements outlining the dos and don’ts at the security checkpoints may be tune-outs, but for my At the Airport column this month for USATODAY.com, I discovered that some airports offer travelers toe-tapping reasons to tune-in.
Blues and more in Chicago
Since 2008, the Terminal Tunes program has been offering a wide range of jazz, blues, folk and other genres of recorded music by local artists on the overhead sound system at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports.
Like what you hear? The playlist is searchable online by terminal, month, day and time and currently includes everything from boogie-woogie piano tunes by the legendary Roosevelt Sykes to a polka played by the Northside Southpaws, a modern-day, left-handed mandolin/guitar duo that performs obsolete ragtime and obscure string-band music.
“Chicago is a world-class music city,” said Gregg Cunningham, special projects coordinator for the Chicago Department of Aviation. “But more than 50% of travelers at O’Hare are connecting passengers who never leave the airport. So we look to provide experiences at the airports that reflect our great city.”
Austin atmosphere
In between the 15 live music performances that take place weekly at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, travelers hear a 24-hour soundtrack of recorded local music drawn from a 2,400-song playlist.
“We add songs frequently to keep the mix fresh and current,” says airport music coordinator Nancy Coplin. The playlist isn’t posted or streamed on the airport’s website just yet, but if someone wants to know more about a song they’ve heard at the airport Coplin is more than happy to look it up. “It happens quite frequently,” she said.
Seattle signs on
It was the Austin airport that inspired the airport-wide local music initiative rolled out at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in January, 2012.
James Keblas, Seattle’s Director of Film and Music and Seattle Port Commissioner John Creighton flew to Austin in 2008 for a meeting. “When we got off the plane, we noticed how much stuff there was at the airport representing the music culture of Austin,” said Keblas. “And we both realized that Seattle, which is also known for its music scene, should be doing this too.”
It took a while for Sea-Tac’s music program to take shape, but eventually PlayNetwork, a Redmond, Wash.-based company that curates music for Starbucks and thousands of other businesses, stepped in to work on the project, pro bono, with the airport, the Seattle Music Commission and other local groups.
The soundtrack created for the airport includes music by Northwest artists spanning multiple decades and genres – everything from pop, rock and folk to urban, jazz, blues and electronic music – and features artists such as The Posies, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Heart, Alice in Chains, Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, the Dave Mathews Band, Jimi Hendrix and Kenny G .
“The final playlist was carefully crafted to ensure we have the right genre and energy level playing during the day,” said Nadine Zgonc, PlayNetwork’s vice-president of client management. “So there’s more chilled-out music in the early morning and a little more up-tempo and jammin’ music as the day goes on.” The music is turned off completely overnight.
In addition to the airport soundtrack, PlayNetwork created short music videos for the terminal monitors and a multichannel music player available at the airport on the free Wi-Fi, on the airport’s website and through Android and iPhone apps.
Music and messages
Sea-Tac’s new soundtrack also extends to the welcome and safety messages heard inside the airport, with many notable Northwest musicians, including Sir Mix-a-Lot and Chris Ballew, of the Presidents of the United States of America , voicing short announcements.
Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains reminds travelers that smoking is only allowed outside the building, adding a sympathetic “Bummer, dude” at the end of his recorded message. John Popper of Blues Traveler squeezes a little harmonica-playing into his message welcoming travelers to Seattle and urging everyone to “rock out, man. But don’t forget your flight.” And rapper Macklemore plays it straight, welcoming passengers to one of the world’s greenest airports and encouraging them to check out the free Wi-Fi, “Where you can listen to some great music created by Pacific Northwest artists.”
Several other airports around the country also use local celebrities in airport messaging.
At Nashville International Airport, Darius Rucker, Phil Vassar, George Strait and Lady Antebellum are among the country music stars that have recorded what airport spokesperson Emily Richard describes as “fun and quirky messages.” Andy Williams , Clay Cooper and many other entertainers have voiced parking, welcome and other helpful messages (along with promos for their shows) for Missouri’s Branson Airport.
