Welcome-ah back-ah (backs away from the ledge of bad Mario impressions) ... ahem. Welcome to the Best of Orlando® 2025 awards: a downright fantastical world of unbelievable feats and characters and realms all within the Technicolor land of the 407!

To match the competitive ferocity of this year's digitized voting, we chose 8-bit hyperreality, arcade-style, but with an Orlando-riffic spin.

You don't have to dump in quarters to play this game — you're living it. Whether you're piloting your kart down I-4, jumping crowds of troopas and tourists in lines at theme parks, treating yourself to local mushroo ... um, eats, or rubbing shoulders with all the characters in the Orlandoverse while you take in the sights and rich diversity of Orlando culture, you're the real high-scoring player.

Sentimental words aside, let's get on to the actual high-scorers!

Get ready to thrill to the hard-fought victories in our 10 levels, er, categories: Local Notables, Food + Dining, Arts + Entertainment, Drinking + Nightlife, Local Music, City Life, Attractions + Recreation, Shopping + Retail, Health, Beauty + Wellness and Services (yes, including plumbers).

We hope you enjoy this issue, and take heart in and garner some enjoyment from the feats and skills of this year's winners.

Editorial contributors: J.D. Casto, Ida V. Eskamani, Chloe Greenberg, Faiyaz Kara, Grayson Keglovic, Juno Le, Bao Le-Huu, Jim Leatherman, David Loyola, Gabby Macogay, Pedro Macias, Matthew Moyer, Michael Murphy, McKenna Schueler, Nicolette Shurba and Jessica Bryce Young.