The annual Bud & BBQ festival kicks off at SeaWorld Orlando this weekend. The down-home-style event pairs country music with a barbeque buffet and ice-cold Budweiser for a series of Saturday concerts.

Here’s the line-up for this year’s fest:

Feb 07 – Blake Shelton
Feb 14 – Kenny Rogers
Feb 21 – Daryl Hall & John Oates
Feb 28 – Jason Aldean

Admission to the Bud & BBQ events are included with all SeaWorld tickets, Fun Cards and annual pass options. Food and drink are additional.

For more information, visit the Bud & BBQ website.

If you happen to be looking for something to do tomorrow, Saturday, November 15th, consider heading downtown to catch Rock For Hunger 3.

This day-long concert features a variety of local bands performing to raise money and awareness for the homeless issue in Orlando.

Among the twenty local and indie bands that are participating are Junkie Rush, Afterglow Radio, Passafire, Jah Roots, Ambertone, Social Ghost, and the chart topping hip-hop artist Kardinal Offishall. The event also features an art show, local vendors and more.

The concert is sponsored by local non-profit group Rock For Hunger and tickets are only $10 advance/$20 at the door for all this entertainment. The event starts at 2pm at the Plaza Theater (425 N. Bumby Ave, just south of E. Colonial) and is all ages.

Like your wine with a side of the blues? Then you’ll want to make a trip out to the Lakeridge Winery in Clermont this weekend for their annual blues festival.

The fest runs Saturday, April 26th, from 10am until 5pm, and Sunday, April 27th, from 11am until 5pm. The Teague Stefan Blues Band will play Saturday from 10am until 1:30pm and on Sunday from 11am until 1:30pm. Both days, “Beautiful Bobby” Blackmon B3 Blues Band takes over from 2pm until 5pm.

Besides the live music, Lakeridge Winery will offer tents selling food, beer and Lakeridge wines by the glass both days. And all of this takes place outside, with the vineyards as a backdrop. Be sure to take one of their free tours of the grounds, as well.

The Lakeridge Winery is located on U.S. Hwy. 27, 3 miles south of Florida’s Turnpike Exit 285 and 6 miles north of Clermont. Admission to the blues fest is $2 per person, with food and drink extra. Parking is free. For more information or driving directions, visit lakeridgewinery.com.

Weather.com says highs in the 80s with almost no chance of rain for both days, so it should be a good weekend for the event. And while there, definitely try the Southern White wine – it’s my favorite.

It’s not quite New Orleans, but then I don’t have to flash anything but a smile for a ten cent string of plastic beads, either. However what I really enjoy about Universal Orlando’s annual Mardi Gras event are the weekly concerts that are included with your admission or annual park pass.

It seems the theme park has done away with their separate Mardi Gras subsection on the website, but has finally posted the concert line-up for the 2008 Mardi Gras celebrations. And it’s actually pretty good, with a little something for everyone.

Rock is represented by Bret Michaels of Poison (let’s not mention that horrendous “reality” show “Rock of Love” m’kay??), Heart, Go-Go’s and Third Eye Blind. Country fans get to enjoy Sara Evans and Gretchen Wilson, while old school music fans have Smokey Robinson, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons and Kool & The Gang. So far, only one rap act has been booked, LL Cool J, but there are still two dates to fill.

For those too lazy to click over to Universal’s site, here’s the calendar as it stands, with all shows falling on a Saturday night:

February 2 – Bret Michaels of Poison
February 9 – Go-Go’s
February 16 – Sara Evans
February 23 – Third Eye Blind
March 1 – Gretchen Wilson
March 8 – Smokey Robinson
March 15 – Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons
March 22 – Kool & The Gang
March 29 – Heart
April 5 – [to be announced]
April 12 – LL Cool J
April 19 – [to be announced]