Despite the clouds of the NBA lock-out shortening the 2011-2012 season, the NBA All-Star Weekend is happening in Orlando, Florida, the weekend of February 23-26, 2012.

There will be plenty of official events happening, from the NBA All-Star Jam at the Orange County Convention Center to the actual game itself. But if you’re looking for more places to party and have fun during the weekend in Orlando, here’s a quick rundown:

Downtown Orlando is full of clubs, bars and live music venues. Simply walk east along Church St. from the All-Star homebase of the Amway Center and you’ll encounter quite a few. Once you hit Orange Ave., if walking, hang a left and head north until you get to the block with Wall St. Plaza, The Social and The Beacham, all of which are fine venues with live music and/or DJs. In fact, The Beacham will play host to the AllStar Weekend Grand Closing Party on Sunday, Feb. 26, an event hosted by the one and only Rick Ross. As of this article there are still tickets available ranging from $100 to $200.

For those staying along International Drive, the area around Pointe Orlando and the convention center has several nightclubs, such as Howl at the Moon and the newly opened Senor Frog’s. The Pointe mall also has several nightlife options.

There’s plenty happening at Universal Orlando. NBA legend and former Orlando Magic player Shaquille O’Neal hosts Shaq’s All-Star Comedy Jam, Friday and Saturday, February 24th and 25th, at Hard Rock Live. There are two shows each day, with different line-ups, and each has tickets priced from $75 to $125.

Meanwhile on Saturday night, inside the Universal Studios portion of the park  they’re celebrating Mardi Gras with a parade and a live performance featuring the great Diana Ross. It’s all included in regular park admission and there’s also a discounted after-5pm Mardi Gras ticket. Your park admission also gets you into all of the CityWalk venues after Mardi Gras.

[Image courtesy Amway Center/City of Orlando]

Image Courtesy Cirque du Soleil

As someone who writes regularly on the Orlando theme parks in Florida, one of my most asked questions regarding nightlife options is which is better: La Nouba by Cirque du Soleil or Blue Man Group.

To be honest, I like both shows equally, but they are very different from each other.

La Nouba is the nightly show put on by Cirque du Soleil at Downtown Disney at Walt Disney World. It features a mixture of acrobatics, aerial acts and comedic acts that are weaved together in a loose storyline about dreams. The show is thrilling, but it is a passive viewing experience. It is housed in a huge white circus tent-styled building at the western edge of the Downtown Disney area.

Image Courtesy Universal Orlando

Blue Man Group is a mixture of performance art, music and sound. It’s a lot more interactive than La Nouba, to the point where audience members actually become part of the show itself. It is performed in a specially-built theater tucked away between the Hard Rock Cafe and the entrance to Universal Studios, in the CityWalk area of Universal Orlando.

So which show should you see if you can only see one? I would say if you want a more laid back serious theater performance type of show, go with La Nouba. If you want a high energy musically-inspired interactive show, then go with Blue Man Group.

Have you seen either show? Let us know what you think of them in the comments.

Colbie Caillat, Thousand Oaks, CA, February 14th

Going out to a concert for Valentine’s Day is the perfect way to show your love to your music lover. All around the US, artists are performing shows on February 14th with love in mind. From Drake to … to …, you’re sure to find one of your favorites playing near your city on and around Valentine’s Day.

Miami, Feb. 14
Drake – Bank United Center
Prices vary from $69.00, $49.00, $29.00.

Orlando, Feb. 11
Andrea Bocelli – Amway Center Arena
Prices vary from $85-385

New York, Feb. 10, 11, 12, 14
Barry Manilow – Radio City Music Hall
Prices vary from $63-326

Englewood, NJ, Feb. 14
Foreigner – Bergen Performing Arts Center
Prices vary from $48-113

Chicago, Feb. 17
Mute Math – House of Blues
Prices start at $40

Thousand Oaks, CA, Feb. 14
Colbie Caillat – Fred Cavil Theatre
Prices vary from $55-77

St. Louis, MO, Feb 15
Chuck Berry – Duck Room at Blueberry Hill
Prices start at $42

Check out your local area’s concert lineup for who’s in town around Valentine’s Day. Now’s the time to buy tickets so you don’t miss out on surprising your date with the music night of their life!

links to Ticketmaster, image via Ticketmaster

Ask any diehard Disney park fan, and most likely one thing on their bucket list would be to stay in a park overnight. This year, they can cross that wish off their list – and you can, too!

That’s because for the first time ever, both Disneyland in California and Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom will stay open for guests for a full 24 hours.

Taking advantage of the fact that 2012 is a leap year, with an extra day on the calendar, Disney has chosen February 29 as the date this special promotion will take place. From 6am on that day through 6am on March 1, local time, each of the two parks will be open non-stop.

That means if you want to ride Splash Mountain at 3am, you can finally do it.

To make things even better, this is not a special ticket event like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Regular park admission, from single park tickets to annual passes, will get you in.

I’m super excited about this and am already planning with friends to do an overnight at Florida’s Magic Kingdom. I can’t wait to see the sun rise on the castle. How about you? Will you be taking advantage of this rare opportunity to stay in the park all night?

[Image courtesy of Walt Disney World]