- December 14, 2025
It's that time of the year again when City Center is transformed into an energetic and colorful setting with carnival rides, food trucks and endless entertainment. It's also another way to give back to the community.
This the the Port Orange Family Days.
The annual event, put on by the Port Orange Community Trust, has not only grown but continued to give back to the community with the funds raised. There were around 15,000 people in attendance when the event was first started. Now, that number has leapt to around 60,000.
As for the money the Community Trust gives back, 2017 is expected to be a milestone. This year the organization plans to reach $1 million in funds they have given back, according to Jennifer Marano, Port Orange Community Trust executive director. Family Days has been a major part of raising those funds to give back to various areas in the city, in addition to the following year's Family Days event.
"Everything just goes right back," Marano said. "So the community is actually helping give back to their own community."
Marano added that the vendor fees for Family Days also go back to the community. The money from those fees and other areas the Community Trust has put together goes is put toward different areas such as grants or special special requests.
The Community Trust was also able to give $10,000 to the Miracle League of Volusia County several years ago. The money is going toward helping to build a baseball field for children with disabilities.
According to the nonprofit's website they will be building a rubberized non-latex flat surface field for the more than "13,000 school-aged children with varying exceptionalities in Volusia and Flagler counties."
Family Days highlights
Family Days had its start in 1995 when there were around 15,000 people in attendance. Now, that number has leapt to around 60,000.
What has also changed is the carnival. This year, Family Days attendees can expect to find a larger carnival with 20 rides. The last time the Family Days carnival was this large was in 2013, according to Marano.
"We're finally giving Port Orange the carnival they deserve again," Marano. "So we're finally able to do it."
Additionally, there will be a newly added poker tournament with four games going on throughout Saturday, Sept. 30 with prizes for first and second place winners.
Happening again this year will also be the Battle of the Badges where the local fire and police departments will done giant inflatable balls and compete to win in the knockerball tournament. Last year the fire department won first place.
There will also be 250 vendors available during Family Days.
As for the people putting the event together, it has been a group effort. Marano explained because it is a community event there are always a large number of volunteers that come out to help, from high schools to college sports teams. She said there are at 30 people volunteering at the event each time it happens.
"The board has been working hard," Marano said. "And they're always trying to come up with new ways to keep the tradition of Family Days but also add new elements in it to include more people in our event."
