Tag Archives: Fireworks

Jun 16 2021

Fireworks Spectaculars Return To Walt Disney World This Summer

Happily Ever After ReturnsIf you are traveling to Walt Disney World soon, there’s more great news to share. Disney announced this week the nighttime fireworks spectaculars will be returning to the resort on July 1, just in time for the Independence Day holiday weekend. If you’ve been missing “Happily Ever After” at Magic Kingdom and “EPCOT Forever” at EPCOT like I have, run don’t walk to get your park pass reservations. With the recent relaxation of mask restrictions at the parks, plus the announcement of the return of fireworks, expect crowd levels to rise throughout the summer months.

According to Disney:

A Disney tradition since 1957, fireworks shows are what Walt Disney called the perfect “kiss goodnight” at the close of a magical day, and this summer the skies above Disney theme parks will sparkle with color once more. Beginning in July, just in time for the nation’s Independence Day celebrations, our incredibly popular nighttime fireworks spectaculars are returning to Disney parks!

At Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, July 1 marks the start of nightly fireworks performances at Magic Kingdom Park and EPCOT. “Happily Ever After” Presented by Pandora Jewelry will transform Cinderella Castle with lights, projections and pyrotechnics, as moments from favorite Disney stories encourage you to grab hold of your dreams and make them come true. And as part of the ongoing transformation of EPCOT, “EPCOT Forever” will produce a spectacle of fireworks, music and lighting effects over World Showcase Lagoon, highlighting the themes of innovation, exploration, imagination and celebration at the core of the park’s past, present and future.

To purchase theme park tickets and make park pass reservations to enjoy “Happily Ever After” or “EPCOT Forever, please click here to visit the official Walt Disney World Resort site. Hope to see you there!

Have you missed the fireworks? Which spectacular will you see first?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Apr 7 2020

First Look At Harmonious Coming Soon To Epcot

Throughout the next couple of years, Epcot is undergoing a massive transformation with new attractions, shows, dining, and experiences being added to the park. One of the most anticipated is the nighttime spectacular “Harmonious” that will follow the interim show “Epcot Forever” which replaced the beloved “IllumiNations.”

While I was sad to see “IllumiNations” go, I am excited to bid farewell to “Epcot Forever” and to see what “Harmonious” has in store for us. Here’s what Disney had to say about Epcot‘s new nighttime spectacular:

“Harmonious” will bring to World Showcase Lagoon an innovative toolkit of massive floating set pieces that house a variety of show effects, including custom-built LED panels, choreographed moving fountains, colorful lights, lasers, pyrotechnics and more.

The show is a beautifully crafted nighttime dreamscape of Disney music and images, reimagined by diverse cultural musicians and artists from around the world. It’s a transformative experience, where we can discover how Disney music has the power to inspire and unite us all.

Take a peek at some behind the scenes footage of the creation of “Harmonious!”

Watch for “Harmonious” to premiere at Epcot in 2021!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to see Harmonious?
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Christmas
Nov 8 2019

Festive Fun Facts About Walt Disney World

No place does Christmas quite like Walt Disney World, and this year the resort has plenty of festive fun in store for resort guests. I am eagerly counting the days until my visits in anticipation of all of the seasonal experiences and decorations. Here’s a brief run down of some festive fun facts to get you in the holiday spirit, courtesy of Disney:

Magical holiday experiences and beloved traditions await Walt Disney World Resort guests during the most wonderful time of the year. Starting today, theme parks, resort hotels and Disney Springs come to life with holiday charm and excitement as dazzling décor and a flurry of fun immerse guests in a festive fantasy.

Check out these holiday fun facts and discover how Walt Disney World Resort becomes a winter wonderland!

Disney Parks Frozen Christmas Celebration TV SpecialWalt Disney World Resort

  • The Walt Disney World Holiday Services team provides décor for 780 locations within 41 different properties, including Disney theme parks, resorts, Disney Springs and recreation and shopping areas. The team also decorates Disney Cruise Line ships and Disney Vacation Club resorts in Florida and South Carolina.
  • 41 cast members work year-round to make the holiday transformation a reality, with an additional 119 cast members added during the installation period.
  • Décor installation begins Halloween night and is finished by Thanksgiving.

Magic Kingdom Park           

  • During the holidays, Magic Kingdom is home to 40 trees, 147 wreaths and 590 garlands that measure a total of 5,188 feet.
  • Guests can celebrate the season at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on 23 select nights from November 8 to December 22. This year’s celebration welcomes the dazzling new nighttime spectacular, “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks.”
  • Tomorrowland Speedway joins in the merriment of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for the first time this year with a new holiday overlay that glimmers with thousands of lights and stylized décor. It’s one of 4 Magic Kingdom attractions to feature holiday overlays.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom will celebrate the holidays in full for the first time in its history, with enchanting entertainment and décor in 3 new locations.
  • 148 animal-inspired luminaries will cast a warm and festive glow throughout Discovery Island as a merry menagerie of 10 artisan-sculpted puppets resembling winter animals roam and interact with guests throughout the land.
  • 2,600 light bulbs will adorn the DinoLand U.S.A. water tower, giving the land a festive new look for the holidays.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

  • The Christmas tree on Echo Lake is 65 feet tall, with a 25-foot-wide base.
  • Sunset Seasons Greetings at Disney’s Hollywood Studios includes 12 high-definition projectors used to visually transform the façade of the Hollywood Tower Hotel with holiday scenes.
  • 21 palm trees along Sunset Boulevard illuminate with programmable, color-changing LED fixtures.
  • Dinosaur Gertie is dressed in her finest holiday attire. Her hat is so big, four people could stand inside it!

Epcot

  • Epcot International Festival of the Holidays takes place November 29 through December 30 and celebrates holiday traditions from around the world through storytelling and music presented throughout World Showcase.
  • Holiday treats are also part of the festival, which includes 13 Holiday Kitchens serving more than 50 bites from around the world and 60-plus specialty
  • The Candlelight Processional will be performed 96 times at Epcot this holiday season with a 50-piece orchestra, mass choir and 12 different celebrity narrators.
  • The Candlelight Processional stage at America Gardens Theatre features 2 Christmas trees that are each 18 feet tall.

Resorts

  • Guests will find a life-size holiday gingerbread house in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa. This elaborate 10-foot-wide,15-foot-long and 14-foot-tall structure is covered with more than 10,000 pieces of gingerbread and is the perfect place to pick up holiday sweets and treats.
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its iconic gingerbread Cinderella Castle. This 18-foot-tall display is crafted from more than 5,000 gingerbread shingles, 47 pounds of rolled fondant, 38 pounds of modeling chocolate and much more!
  • This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Holiday Carousel gingerbread display at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. This life-size spinning carousel features 20 “Hidden Mickeys,” 5 Peter Pan-themed horses and handcrafted gingerbread shingles.
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort is home to the tallest Christmas tree at Walt Disney World. This 70-foot-tall tree is adorned with 16,000 lights and more than 200 custom ornaments.
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge is home to a 45-foot-tall tree featuring authentic African décor and reproductions of traditional African masks.

Disney Springs

  • Disney Springs is the epicenter of holiday shopping at Walt Disney World. It’s also the largest of all of the decorated Disney locations, with more than 2,000 pieces of individual décor, including a 45-foot-tall tree.
  • Each piece of décor was custom designed to fit the classic Florida town theme that carries throughout the entirety of Disney Springs.
  • Disney Springs is also home to the Christmas Tree Trail, a walk through wonderland featuring 23 unique Disney-themed trees.

Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you there!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World this holiday season?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Will you be visiting Walt Disney World this holiday season?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Nov 6 2019

Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks And More At Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

If you love Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party like I do or if this is your first time experiencing the event, I bet you’re excited to check out the new Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. Beyond the new fireworks show, there is so much to enjoy all night long.

Here are just some of things to check out on party night courtesy of Disney:

The skies above Magic Kingdom Park will sparkle to life this holiday season as visions of fireworks dance in the air during an all-new nighttime show – Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. Hosted by Minnie Mouse, the holiday extravaganza invites guests to come together in a celebration of heartfelt moments and the magic of Christmas. The show will be presented during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which takes place select dates November 8 – December 22, and nightly December 23 – 29.

This holiday season will also see Magic Kingdom transformed into an enchanting wonderland with dazzling decorations, holiday treats, a shimmering ice castle and more. Holiday favorites include:

  • With glittery Cinderella Castle as its centerpiece, Magic Kingdom shines its brightest during the holidays. Guests will be swept into a magical scene of seasonal music, characters in their festive finery and fireworks bursting above. During A Frozen Holiday Wish stage show, Queen Elsa magically transforms Cinderella Castle with glistening ice.
  • Holiday Fireworks Dessert Parties are a sweet way to enjoy the new holiday fireworks. Offered nightly, each festive party includes seasonal treats and dazzling views of the new fireworks spectacular. Dessert parties are not included with theme park admission. For schedules, pricing information and reservations, please click here or call 407-WDW-DINE.
  • Each of the 23 nights of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will feature performances of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas and Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show. Guests will also experience holiday enhancements to favorite attractions, such as Space Mountain, Jungle Cruise, and Mad Tea Party. There’s also an all-new holiday show at Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, and when you get behind the wheel at the Tomorrowland Speedway, you’ll find yourself cruising a festive freeway filled with thousands of lights and stylized décor. Guests can also savor complimentary treats, discover event-exclusive merchandise and delight to a magical “snowfall” on Main Street, U.S.A.
Dates in 2019 for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are:
  • November 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24
  • December 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 22

Tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party start at $99 (plus tax) and can be booked by clicking here or calling 407-939-5277. 

Merry Christmas, and I hope to see you there!

501 WaysHeading to Disney World this holiday season?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to see Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!

Oct 2 2019

Check Out Epcot Forever For A Limited Time

Change is never easy, neither is letting go of things we love, so saying good-bye to IllumiNations was definitely a sad day for fans all around the globe. However I am hopeful and looking forward to enjoying the Epcot of the future including the new interim nighttime spectacular “Epcot Forever.” Despite having “forever” in its name, this fireworks show will only be around for a limited time, so be sure to catch it while you can. Here’s a brief description of what you can expect courtesy of Disney:

Across the canvas of a darkened sky, the new “Epcot Forever” nighttime spectacular at Walt Disney World Resort celebrates the past, present and future of Epcot. The new show is a showcase of soaring fireworks, inspiring music, lasers and colorful glowing kites flying above and around the park’s World Showcase Lagoon.

As the dramatic curtain-closer to each theme park day, the show takes guests on an emotional journey set to stirring renditions of Epcot music that guests will know and love. It will stoke fond memories from the park’s history and spur excitement for the bright future of Epcot – a future filled with new attractions and experiences as part of a multiyear transformation already underway.

“Epcot Forever” exemplifies the park’s founding principles – innovation, exploration, imagination and celebration. Children sing of “one little spark of inspiration” as guests marvel at fireworks that pinwheel, corkscrew and explode in giant aerial starbursts. As colorful pyrotechnics dance across the heavens, the Epcot story plays out to a grand orchestral soundtrack. Noted conductor and composer Don Harper produced new arrangements of classic Epcot tunes to thread through the show.

Future World pavilions past and present inspire familiar themes, building to Epcot’s grandest moments. In one sequence, uplifting music from Soarin’ Around the World cues dazzling LED kites to crisscross the sky in a kaleidoscopic effect. Guests also will recognize cherished music from Epcot spectacles of the past, including the “Tapestry of Nations” parade.

Approaching its dramatic conclusion, the show pivots from the park’s familiar music to a new verse of “One Little Spark” celebrating the future of Epcot yet to come. As the music and fireworks build, “One Little Spark” transitions to a spectacular finale that brightens the sky one last time with fireworks and special effects.

“Epcot Forever” is set to perform into 2020, leading to the park’s next nighttime spectacular, “HarmonioUS.” 

501 WaysHeading to Disney World soon?

If you are planning a vacation to Disney World, be sure to check out these valuable resources to help you save time and money:

Are you excited to see Epcot Forever?
Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!