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A Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King is reportedly reopening today! But, it won’t be the same as before. Here’s what you can expect to see the next time you head to Animal Kingdom to watch this beloved stage show!
Festival of the Lion King
It has been a long 14 months without Festival of the Lion King at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The show is a fan favorite for so many, but it has not returned yet due to the pandemic.
This Broadway-style show features our favorite king of the jungle and all his friends. Acrobats, puppetry, and the amazing songs all make up this fantastic show.
I particularly like how the performers get Guests involved in the performance! Before each show, one participant is chosen from each of the four animal sections of the bleachers to help imitate the sounds of that particular animal. My second favorite would be those monkey acrobats! This is a really playful show and a must-do for everyone!
Return of the show
Last September we thought maybe the show would return because Disney had installed hand sanitizer stations and social distancing markers throughout the queue.
However, it wasn’t until January that we got the official announcement from Disney that Festival of the Lion King would return sometime this summer. Well, that has been bumped up to mid-May, and now, today (reportedly).
Modified Show
Disney shared the show would be presented in a modified format when it returns:
When it returns, “Festival of the Lion King” will be presented in a modified format to be mindful of the current environment. There will be adjustments to the show on stage and backstage, including updates to choreography to allow for appropriate physical distancing. We’ll also adjust how the audience is seated, in line with other theater-based experiences at Walt Disney World Resort.
Now it is called “A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King” to reflect the fact that you can expect to see different parts of the show removed – particularly those that require performers to be close together.
It’s also safe to assume capacity will be reduced for each show so Guests are properly distanced. If seeing the show is a high priority for you, I suggest getting there early so you are guaranteed a seat.
I also highly doubt we will get the same audience participation where a Guest from each section is chosen.
How much have you missed Festival of the Lion King? Leave us a comment below or on Facebook!
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Sherry
Saturday 8th of May 2021
Do you think they will have reservations for this? I would think they would need to to control crowd.