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Do you love Disney fireworks but dislike the huge crowds? One Disney Park offers many great options for fireworks that Magic Kingdom in Disney World needs to add. What suggestions do you have?
“Disney Difference”
Are you a BIG Disney fan but often had others question why you keep going back to the Disney Parks? The truth is that Disney Parks are so much more than simply an amusement park. All guests can feel young once again. You can have faith, trust, and pixie dust and believe that anything is possible.
From meeting favorite characters, to exciting attractions, and amazing entertainment, this is the “Disney Difference.” One great way to end the night for many is with nighttime fireworks.
Walt Disney World Entertainment
I (Donna) always love how parks transform at night. From a county fair to even large theme parks, everything seems to look more magical as the sun sets and the lights turn on.
At Walt Disney World, they bring nighttime entertainment to another level. With Happily Ever After at Magic Kingdom, Tree of Life Awakenings at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Mickey Mouse battling against Disney villains at Fantasmic!, there is so much to enjoy at Walt Disney World.
Huge crowds of guests make their way to find the “perfect” spot for nighttime entertainment. If you are a parent, you know the struggle to keep your children entertained while securing a good place to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom. Packing in shoulder to shoulder around the castle hub and down Main Street, USA can seem a bit less than magical.
On busier nights, guests typically line up for fireworks up to two hours in advance. Many times, I (Donna) have wished that a better viewing location may be available.
Alternate Viewing Locations
There are a few alternate viewing locations at the Magic Kingdom. A portion of Fantasyland is roped off during the fireworks for health and safety protocols, but many guests choose to watch the fireworks behind Cinderella Castle. This is a great view of the fireworks, but you will miss the projections on the castle and those seen down Main Street, USA.
On select nights, princesses from Cinderella’s Royal Table may greet guests during the fireworks, but this is not guaranteed. Be sure to check out the princesses that have joined guests for the fireworks HERE.
Many guests enjoy watching the fireworks at a distance as they enjoy attractions throughout the Magic Kingdom such as the PeopleMover, TRON, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
While these locations offer views of the fireworks, again, guests miss out on the projections. In my (Donna) opinion, the projections transform simple fireworks into “the Disney difference.”
“Wondrous Journey” Goals
Recently, I (Donna) had the opportunity to visit Disneyland. My family absolutely loves Disneyland, and my children even enjoy Disneyland more than Walt Disney World. One item that was high up on my bucket list was to enjoy the “Wondrous Journeys” fireworks show in honor of the Disney100 celebration.
Unfortunately, this fireworks show had a final run at the end of August, but I was thankful to enjoy this show. The problem that we experienced was massive crowds and a very small castle hub. Fellow Kenny the Pirate writer, Maggie, and I waited almost two hours for a prime spot to enjoy this firework show.
Best Firework Viewing
“Wondrous Journeys” was beautiful, but it was very stressful and uncomfortable waiting for this show. The following day, I (Donna) discovered a much better viewing location.
Disneyland’s “it’s a small world” is much grander than the Walt Disney World alternative. This large building offers an alternative viewing location for fireworks. Not only can guests enjoy a smaller version of fireworks, but you can also enjoy projections come alive on the exterior of this attraction.
Personally, this was a much better experience than the night before in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. I arrived about 30 minutes before the start of the fireworks and there was a very small crowd gathered.
The central location without a long wait time made this a great experience. If you have a child or member of your family who dislikes the booming sound of the larger fireworks, this is a wonderful alternative to Main Street.
This offers a smaller, scaled-down version of fireworks. If I had to do it all over again, I would have skipped the castle fireworks for this viewing location from “it’s a small world”.
Option at Walt Disney World
Disneyland first offered alternate firework viewing locations back in 2015 with “Disneyland Forever.” Guests have four different viewing locations. This includes Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street, “it’s a small world”, and the Rivers of America.
In 2021, Walt Disney World finally added projection mapping to Main Street to allow guests to enjoy another firework viewing alternative. This does help, but it seems that still more should be done at Walt Disney World.
So now that we have established that Disneyland offers a far superior alternative for fireworks viewing, what options does Walt Disney World offer? The most obvious option is a Rivers of America viewing option.
At Disneyland, water scrims are used to showcase projections for guests around Rivers of America in Frontierland. Walt Disney World guests may be familiar with this technology over at EPCOT with Harmonious.
Although Rivers of America is quite not the same size as the World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT, it seems as though Walt Disney World could offer another firework and projection location.
This could be a great option for guests wanting a lower-scale firework location. Additionally, this could also help decrease the large crowds in front of Cinderella Castle.
As much as I love fireworks, this would be a HUGE change for so many guests. There have been many times that our family has skipped fireworks simply to avoid the massive crowds. This alternate viewing location could help other families and guests with similar concerns.
What do you think of the different firework alternatives? Would you prefer an alternative location to watch fireworks instead of the Disney castle? Share your thoughts with us and share this news with your Disney pals.
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