You can’t tell me you haven’t been marveled by Disney parades, fireworks, and nighttime spectaculars! These displays are some of the best in the world. They know how to bring about all kinds of emotions and dazzle you with all the beautiful colors. So, let’s talk about all the parades, fireworks, and nighttime spectaculars Disney has to offer; Starting in the Magic Kingdom!
The Magic Kingdom is known for its night time spectacular Happily Ever After and it never ceases to disappoint! It is a beautiful display of Disney movies and Disney magic. It is the one most people look forward to seeing! However, Disney has plenty to offer in the Magic Kingdom!
Make sure you look out for the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, which usually has at least 2 showing a day, weather permitting. It has several of your favorite characters from Tangled, Peter Pan, and The Little Mermaid, to name a few! Also, if the rain does occur, they will usually have a Rainy Day Cavalcade! This display is not as dramatic as a typical parade but can be just as fun!
Speaking of cavalcades, they have a Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade which comes through the park several times a day! They showcase characters from Disney and Pixar movies such as Moana, Zootopia, and The Jungle Book!
Let us not forget about the opening ceremonies, the Let the Magic Begin stage show, where Mickey and friends welcome everyone into the Magic Kingdom! And last, but certainly not least, you can always enjoy Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire which happens several times a day on Cinderella’s Castle’s stage!
Between entertainment and rides the Magic Kingdom is easily a two-day park! Make sure your vacation has enough time for this park built in or make sure you have a list of must do’s ready to go!
That was kind of a lot but lets us head over to Hollywood Studios for one of my favorite night time displays Disney has ever created!
Let’s just get straight to the Point! Fantasmic! Need I say more? This show is my absolute favorite and I CAN NOT, WILL NOT miss it! The lights, water, boats, characters, fire, I’m getting excited just typing this!! If you haven’t seen this one, PLEASE don’t skip it. I don’t think you will be disappointed!
They also have Wonderful World of Animation, which I think is wonderful! They project Disney and Pixar movie cuts on the Chinese Theater at night with its own unique soundtrack, and is it usually not too crowded. This is Hollywood Studios version of Happily Ever After.
And occasionally, they have Disney Movie Magic, which is also Disney movies displayed on the Chinese Theater but it is not as dramatic or long as Wonder World of Animation.
While there is not a ton of parades in this park, they win in my opinion because of Fantasmic! Although, clearly, I’m a little biased! 😊
Now I’m feeling like we should go explore Animal Kingdom! And while Animal Kingdom does close early, you can still find some cool entertainment!
So, let me start with, Animal Kingdom does not have any specific nighttime spectaculars (at least not for now) but occasionally will do a “lighting of the Tree of Life” at certain times of the year. However, have you ever been in the Pandora – World of Avatar when it gets dark? That section of the park literally glows! Bioluminescence at every turn! It is a magical experience and I hope everyone can hang out and see it at least once!
Don’t think for once second I forgot about the floatillas! Disney did a great job with this one during “distancing times” and I’m glad it has stuck around. As soon as I hear them coming, I am making my way to a bridge to dance along to the music and wave at my favorite characters! We also play the guessing game of trying to see who picks the right characters to be on the float!
Animal Kingdom has a plethora of Streetmosphere so it does not have any parades but that is part of what makes this park unique so it is, in my opinion, not an issue!
And last but certainly not least, lets grab a drink, and saunter into the World Showcase in Epcot and enjoy a beautiful nighttime display!
Luminous The Symphony of Us, is a new nighttime spectacular in Epcot! This show has a unique soundtrack promotion togetherness while you watch water projections and fireworks explode in the lagoon center. Disney aimed at our emotions with this soundtrack and it shows. While this show has mixed reviews, I do think it is a beautiful and meaningful nighttime display in a perfect Epcot kind of way!
Also, Epcot has the lighting of the Epcot Ball when it gets dark and the song that plays with the lighting is random. Sometimes it can be hard to time this one as it is not exactly scheduled, but give It a try!
Disney has done a great job of making their parades, fireworks, and nighttime displays intentional for each of their parks. And while I do wish that Hollywood Studios would bring back some of the parades it has had in the past and as much as I would love for Animal Kingdom to have a nighttime display, I do enjoy what the parks currently have to offer!
What is your favorite of all of these? Let me know below! Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. I’d love to help!
Check out my Magic Kingdom rides list here
Check out my Hollywood Studios shows list here
