LAKELAND – In 1896, the first passenger train reached Miami, and each year since, thousands of people living in the cold climes of Canada and the northern United States have packed their bags and found their way south into the Sunshine State for the winter.
In Polk County, Lakeland has been the site of the annual, free, Snowbird Extravaganza, a two-day event for those new to the area and returning snowbirds to get some help, advice and guidance in settling into their part-time Florida residency.
From 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Lakeland’s RP Funding Center will be filled with hundreds of exhibits, keynote speakers, interactive feature areas and a variety of entertainment.
There will be more than 80,000 square feet of renovated show space with vendors and product representatives showing, describing and selling products and information that makes life in Central Florida enjoyable – and in some cases – more tolerable.
The 2024 edition of the Snowbird Extravaganza is back in the RP Funding Center for the 21st time. The last time the event was held in Lakeland was 2020, when more than 20,000 snowbirds attended over two days. The convention wasn’t held for three years because of the COVID pandemic and its aftereffects.