Disney often partners with organizations that provide services for critically ill children. This year, the company is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its partnership with Make-A-Wish.
Now, Walt Disney World Resort has donated more than three million Christmas lights to transform Florida’s Give Kids the World Village for the Night of a Million Lights — and we were invited to take a look!
We recently attended a special preview of the Night of a Million Lights to learn a little bit about this event that will run November 13th through January 3rd. So, get ready, as we explore this socially-distanced, walk-through holiday light spectacular!
Give Kids the World Village is an 89-acre nonprofit resort that provides weeklong, cost-free vacations to critically ill children and their families. The resort is typically not accessible to the public, so the Night of a Million Lights event provides visitors with the rare opportunity to experience the resort!
On top of that, the Give Kids the World Village has unfortunately been closed since March due to the global health crisis. So, this holiday event is a super special occasion.
During the Night of a Million Lights events, guests can experience a walk-through tour featuring more than a million lights throughout the Village!
Visitors will spot tons of holiday displays around the 89-acre property including a 150-foot tunnel, the Avenue of Angels, more than 50 holiday wireframes, and more!
Santa has also stopped by the Night of a Million Lights for a socially distanced greeting!
And if you’re looking for a little extra dose of excitement, there are three wheelchair-accessible attractions that guests can enjoy unlimited access to during the event!
The Enchanted Carousel is one of the attractions available during the Night of a Million Lights.
Or, maybe you’d prefer to slow things down on the Christmas Tree Trail, which guests can explore at their leisure.
We even spotted a few trees with Disney decor. Can you spot the Robin Hood details in the tree on the right??
On top of that, Give Kids the World Village has partnered with several other companies like SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, Kennedy Space Center, and more to decorate the family villas of the resort.
There are some truly incredible displays throughout the Village!
We also spotted a few characters as well! Mayor Clayton, the six-foot-tall bunny rabbit who governs the Village was out and about greeting guests…
…as was Ms. Merry, another staple of the Village…
…and there was a stilt walker roaming around dressed for the occasion as well!
Admission includes free ice cream and hot cocoa, and unlimited access to the Village’s wheelchair-accessible attractions. The event runs from 5PM to 10PM daily with staggered entry times and masks are required.
Tickets range from $25 to $40 for adults and $15 to $20 for kids depending on the night. Advance tickets can be purchased from the Give Kids the World website. There are a limited number of tickets available for each night, so advance purchase is encouraged!
Proceeds from the event will support Give Kids the World’s mission to provide vacations for critically ill children and their families. The Night of a Million Lights is to help raise funds for wish-granting when the Village reopens.
Give Kids The World President and CEO Pamela Landwirth says, “We look forward to sharing some holiday joy with the community while making it possible for future wish children to have their wishes fulfilled.”
We had a ton of fun at Night of a Million Lights — this is an AWESOME event for the whole family to enjoy while supporting a great cause! Night of a Million Lights runs from November 13th through January 3rd, so bask in those dazzling lights while they last!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Give Kids the World Village to attend their media preview of Night of a Million Lights. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
Click here to learn more about Disney’s work with Make-A-Wish!
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Will you be heading to the Night of a Million Lights? Tell us in the comments!
Kylie says
This is so sweet!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Greg Brunshidle says
Thank you for bringing this event to my attention – I had never heard of it before. I already bought my ticket.