When is it?
The 2026 Orlando Distaff Day event will be in-person, and is scheduled for Friday, January 9, and Saturday, January 10, 2025.
What happens at the event?
Orlando Distaff Day is mostly a hang out and craft kind of a day. A gathering of all who love hand crafts will be working on their projects, showing each other their work, making new friends, rekindling old friendships, and learning new things. Participants can get help, advice, and direction on projects they’re stuck on. Vendors will have products for all types of fiber arts including plenty of fiber and yarn to squish.
How much does it cost?
Like last year, admission this year will be Pay What You Can, with a minimum of $5. Our registration software does not have a way to implement a true sliding scale, where you can enter a dollar value. What we were able to do is offer 4 price points for Admission – $5, $10, $15, or $20. All price points receive the same access and benefits. We ask that you pay the highest amount that your budget permits. If you would like to pay more than $20, choose the $20 option and enter any additional amount in the Donation field.
Like last year, you can choose Admission Alone, and plan to get food either onsite (Starbucks, Pizza Hut Express, and the hotel restaurant/bar) or offsite restaurants (many, many options on Hwy 192). You can also choose to purchase meals with your registration.
When you register, you will choose a ticket option, and then a price point for that ticket. The four prices for each package are the cost of the meal(s) plus the Admission rate you are choosing. The Admission plus meals pricing and menus will be posted in late September 2025.
Admission Only
Wool Rate: $5
Alpaca Rate: $10
Cashmere Rate: $15
Angora Rate: $20
Admission
Plus Friday Dinner
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Admission
Plus Saturday Lunch
Wool Rate:
Alpaca Rate:
Cashmere Rate:
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Admission
Plus Both Meals
Wool Rate:
Alpaca Rate:
Cashmere Rate:
Angora Rate:
Will the food meet my dietary needs?
We realize that for many of you, Food Safety and Integrity is at the top of your mind. We AGREE! As your Board of Directors for Orlando Distaff Day, we share the same concerns over food safety. Within the Board membership, our personal dietary needs include Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Low Carb, and Kosher Adjacent. As such, we carefully review all of the menu offerings that we provide and make adjustments as necessary, including having foods plated separately to minimize cross-contamination, and putting “toppings” on the side so those who prefer not to have them need not be concerned.
Over several years of working with the hotel on the menu items, we have found that their food is excellent tasting, and we always choose the buffet style so that you can have plenty of the foods you choose without the ones that do not meet your personal needs. We would love for you to join us for the buffet this year. Participation in the dining offerings makes food convenient and simple for you, and helps us to keep the price of the event as low as possible.
Is there a Ravelry group for this?
Yes, the group can be found HERE. Come and join us to chat about what you would like to see from this event.
Who runs the event?
Orlando Distaff Day has always been organized and hosted by volunteers who love the event. In 2019, we formed Orlando Distaff Day, Inc, a Florida nonprofit which is a registered 501(c)3. All event organizers, including the Board of Directors, are volunteers. Orlando Distaff Day, Inc. is not affiliated with any commercial enterprise.
What does “Distaff Day” mean?
A “distaff” is the rod that holds unspun fibers while using a drop spindle. It facilitates the spinning process by keeping the fibers untangled for the spinner. More information about the historical roots and modern celebration of Distaff Day can be found HERE.
Will there be vendors?
Absolutely! Check our vendor page for the list of vendors.
What kind of crafter should attend?
This event is for a spinning-forward event, but we welcome anyone who loves fiber crafting including spinning, knitting, crochet, weaving, beading, cross stitch, needlepoint, sewing, smocking, embroidery, etc. We love all the fiber things. If you also love fiber things, come join us! If you don’t know about fiber yet, but want to learn, this is a great place to start — we love to enable newbie fiber folks.
What if I don’t have a PayPal account?
The registration system we are using for 2026 has its own proprietary payment processor. You do not need to have an account with PayPal or any other payment system in order to pay for 2026.