Best Karaoke in Orlando

If you’re looking to belt out a song in Orlando, you’ve basically got two flavors to choose from: somewhere big and loud, or somewhere small and yours. Here are the two we’d send a friend to.

Rising Star at Universal CityWalk

If you want the full stage-and-spotlight experience, Rising Star is hard to beat. It’s right inside Universal CityWalk, and it isn’t a standard karaoke setup — you sing with an actual live band backing you up. The crowd is big, the energy is high, and on busy nights you’re performing in front of a packed room.

It’s also a great spot if you don’t want to sing. Grab a drink, settle in, and watch other people give it their all. Some of the performances are surprisingly good. Some are not. Both are fun to watch.

The trade-off: there’s a long queue, the song list is curated to what the band knows, and you only get a turn, maybe, two over the course of a night.

Secret Hangout (just down I-Drive)

If singing in front of strangers isn’t your thing — or if you’d rather have your whole group take turns without anyone waiting in line — Secret Hangout is a few minutes from Universal on International Drive.

It’s set up the opposite way. You and your friends get a private themed room with a full karaoke system. No strangers, no queue, no judgment. Sing like nobody’s watching, because nobody is — well, except for the friends you brought.

You also get to pick your theme.

The Treehouse Retreat is a cozy hang that feels like you’ve stumbled into a forest hideout — good for chill nights and groups of eight or fewer.

The Vampire Manor is moodier and a little theatrical — dark walls, gothic touches, the kind of room where your karaoke photos look like stills from a movie. Also good for groups of eight or fewer.

A few other things that come with either room:

• Drinks and light snacks delivered straight to your hangout — no leaving to find the bar.
• Board games delivered to your private space for free if you want to give your voice a rest.
• A Nintendo Switch™ dock connected to the big screen — bring your own console and play between sets.

It’s a different vibe than Rising Star, and that’s the point. If your night is “us, our songs, our pace,” come hang out.

Why Secret Hangout

• Big group celebrating something? Rising Star for blaring energy, Secret Hangout for a private space where you can actually hear each other.
• Nervous about singing? Secret Hangout. Singing in front of just your friends is way less terrifying than a packed room.
• Visiting Universal for the day? Both are minutes away. Rising Star is on-site at CityWalk; we’re a 5-minute drive up I-Drive.