There are a couple of nighttime shows in Disney World that you should make a point not to miss. They are typically within the last couple of hours that a park is open, so it is a nice way to finish out your day. These shows are impressive, emotional, and will be one of the most awe-inspiring aspects of your Disney trip. Make sure you know when the shows are scheduled for, so that you don't miss them.
1) Happily Ever After- Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom has had many different fireworks shows throughout the years. They are all similar, in that they feature fireworks over Cinderella's Castle, whilst images are projected onto the Castle itself. The current show at Magic Kingdom is Happily Ever After, which is a fan favorite brought back after the previous show Wishes did not receive much positive feedback from Disney guests.
In my opinion, Happily Ever After is the best show at Disney World. The combination of inspiring music, beautiful projections of Disney characters on Cinderella's Castle, and colorful fireworks lined up thematically to the music and projections, is jaw dropping. It truly is an emotional experience for Disney fans, and still gives me shivers every time I see it. It is more than your average fireworks show, it is a Spectacular. The show is 18 minutes long, and on days where the weather cooperates, you will see Tink fly through the sky out of Cinderella's Castle.
Happily Ever After only shows one time per night, typically within an hour of the park closing. The exact time will be shown on the My Disney Experience App or on a physical park map. Because the firework spectacular only shows once a night, expect large crowds in front of Cinderella's Castle. Some people begin claiming their firework viewing spots hours before the actual show. That is a mistake and a waste of park time. I think 30 minutes or so prior to show time is adequate. We have even just walked up 5 minutes before show time and still had a great view of the Castle.
When the show ends, typically there is an hour or more left of park time until Magic Kingdom closes for the night. I would not recommend leaving the park right at the end of Happily Ever After because most groups will be heading for the exit, causing a very large backup. Also, you would have to endure very long lines for transportation back to your resort (busses, monorail, ferries, etc). Instead, I recommend choosing a firework viewing spot from the fringes, close to the path that leads to Liberty Square. This will allow you to skirt around the crowd at the end of the show and get over to Haunted Mansion or Big Thunder Mountain with minimal wait.
I highly recommend making time to see Happily Ever After while in Magic Kingdom. It is incredibly well done, and you will not regret it.
Another quick note- if you have multiple Magic Kingdom days during your Disney trip, you may only want to see the fireworks on one of those days. On the other days, you could use the fireworks time slot to eat in a restaurant that is typically hard to get a reservation at or ride a ride that usually has a long wait. You will have better luck, since most people will be watching the fireworks at this time.
2) Fantasmic- Hollywood Studios
Fantasmic is the nightly show at Hollywood Studios. It is completely different than Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom but is just as memorable and enjoyable. Fantasmic closed during Covid and took awhile to return when Disney World reopened, because Imagineers used it as an opportunity to reimagine the show. The new rendition (that is currently showing) reopened in November of 2022.
Fantasmic takes place by a giant lake, surrounded by an outdoor amphitheater. It is a combination of stage show (featuring characters like Mickey, Pocahontas, and Mulan), a light show on splashing water, boat parades in the lake in front of you, and inspiring music. The boat parades feature characters and scenes from different Disney movies, while the final boat of the night holds most of the well-known Disney characters. The use of lights to portray images of characters and Disney movie scenes on spraying water is true Imagineer innovation and magical to witness. Be warned- don't sit in the first few rows of the amphitheater, you will get wet! Another fair warning- the Fantasmic theme song is catchy and will be stuck in your head for days.
Fantasmic typically occurs twice a night. There is an early showing, about 1 hour before the park closes, and then a late showing, at the same time that the park closes. This gives guests an opportunity to head out early without having to stick around until closing time or if they choose, they can view the show at the very end of the night without having to miss any park time. The two showtimes also helps split up the crowd, since there is limited seating in the amphitheater.
This show is innovative and different than anything you might see elsewhere. You also get to see a lot of characters during the show, which is nice because there is no parade in Hollywood Studios. There is even an appearance of the original Steamboat Willy! This show is not to be missed!
3) Luminous The Symphony of Us - Epcot
Just like at Magic Kingdom, several different nighttime shows have premiered in Epcot throughout the years. Luminous is the most recent show, which opened in December, 2023. I have yet to see Luminous, but I hope it is better than the show that proceeded it- Epcot Forever. Epcot Forever was pretty boring when compared to the likes of Happily Ever After and Fantasmic. It was essentially standard fireworks over the World Showcase Lagoon. The lights throughout Epcot were also aligned with the fireworks and music, so the buildings were flashing in rhythm to the show. It wasn't much to speak about, and I would not have made a point to watch Epcot Forever after seeing it for the first time.
From reviews I have seen, Luminous is supposed to be better. It is described as a combination of fireworks, fountains, music and lights. It sounds neat and I will definitely check it out the next time I'm in Epcot.
Luminous is a once nightly show, typically right at park close. That means it will be the last activity of your Epcot day. As with all of the other nighttime shows in Epcot, the main focal point takes place right over the World Showcase Lagoon. That means there really isn't a bad spot to view Luminous. If it were up to me, I would advise standing as close as possible to the exit while still maintaining a full view of the sky above the lagoon. This will give you a head start to the exit at the end of the show, and hopefully beat the crows to the bus stops and monorail.
Also, like I suggested with Magic Kingdom, if you are not interested in watching the show for some reason, it could be the perfect opportunity for minimal waits at either Remy or Frozen Ever After.
4) What about Animal Kingdom?
Every park in Disney World currently has a nighttime spectacular for guests to enjoy, except for Animal Kingdom. Night hours were cut at Animal Kingdom during the pandemic and have yet to return. That means that the park does not offer any type of special nighttime entertainment.
This is extremely disappointing, because Animal Kingdom is a beautiful park at night. Pre-Covid, the park used to be illuminated with lanterns in the trees once it got dark outside. Pandora is built out of glow in the dark materials, and it would absolutely glow when it got dark out. Also, the Tree of Life used to feature projections of colorful animals at night. It really was something not to miss.
Before 2020, Animal Kingdom had a nightly show called Rivers of Light. It took place in the Lagoon, with a large lakeside seating area right outside of Everest. It featured fountains, lasers, floating lanterns, and projections. It was a pretty show and gave guests a high note to end their night on.
That has since been removed and Disney has not indicated even a slight hint that it might be bringing a nighttime show back to Animal Kingdom. Seeing as the park closes much earlier than the other parks in Disney World, it is not likely that a nighttime show would be coming to Animal Kingdom anytime soon.
As you can see, there are lots of magical, innovative nighttime spectaculars to enjoy at Disney World. For guests that have never seen them before, the nighttime shows should be at the top of their list of must-do's on their trip. For guests that have seen them before, you know that these shows do not get old and are enjoyable to watch on every trip to Disney.
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