This morning Disney World dropped a TON of 50th Anniversary news on us!
Cinderella Castle got a 50th Anniversary makeover!
Previously, we only knew some small details — like the updates to the park icons and the new costumes for Mickey and Minnie. But now, we’ve got BIG news on some very exciting celebrations, and we’re rounding up all the announcements into one post!
A Premiere Date for Harmonious
We’ve been anxiously awaiting news on EPCOT’s new nighttime spectacular ever since it was first announced. Over the past few months, we’ve watched the barges appear in the World Showcase Lagoon and we’ve even noticed some testing of various setpieces.
©Disney
Today, Disney finally announced the opening date for what is supposed to be the most technologically advanced fireworks show yet — it’s premiering on October 1st! It’s just another great reason to visit EPCOT that day (in addition to the opening of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure), so you may have a hard time deciding which park to pick.
Click Here to Check Out Some Harmonious Testing!
A New Fireworks Show at Magic Kingdom
Besides the premiere of a new show at EPCOT, we’ll also be kicking off some new fireworks at Magic Kingdom! Disney Enchantment will be showing throughout the anniversary celebration and will feature (for the first time) projections that run down Main Street, U.S.A.
©Disney
The concept art for this show looks pretty cool, and we’re excited to see it in action! Disney hasn’t yet announced whether this nighttime spectacular will replace Happily Ever After, so we’ll be on the lookout for more news there.
Fireworks Are Returning to Disney World Soon, Get the Details Here!
A New Daytime Show at Animal Kingdom
In an announcement that we definitely didn’t expect, a new daytime show will be premiering at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park! The Discovery River Amphitheater has sat empty since Rivers of Light ended in 2020, but now it’ll come alive again for Disney KiteTails, premiering on (you guessed it!) October 1st.
©Disney
The show will feature a variety of animal kites with all your favorite Disney characters like Simba, Zazu, Baloo, and King Louie. Performers will even be stationed throughout the theater flying kites and windcatchers to Disney music. We can’t wait!
Click Here to Learn About Other Entertainment in Animal Kingdom!
50 Gold Sculptures Coming to the Parks
And speaking of announcements we didn’t expect, let’s talk about those sculptures! Throughout all four parks, a series of gold sculptures called the “Disney Fab 50” will be displayed, featuring some fan-favorite Disney characters. The Mickey and Minnie sculptures will be dedicated to Cast Members of the past, present, and future, according to Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle.
©Disney
But not only that — the sculptures will be interactive! Not many details have been revealed about this new feature, but we’re curious to see how they work. Disney plans to unveil the characters included in the lineup leading up to the anniversary, but so far we know that Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Chip, and Dale will be in Magic Kingdom in front of Cinderella Castle.
Click Here to Learn More About Decorations Coming for the Anniversary!
A New Cavalcade Coming to Magic Kingdom
And last but not least, a new cavalcade is coming to Magic Kingdom. We already knew that Mickey and Minnie would be getting special 50th Anniversary outfits to fit the “EARidescent” color scheme, but now their friends will be decked out to match!
©Disney
Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, Chip, and Dale (the same group from above) will all be wearing their special outfits in Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade, riding each day down the Magic Kingdom parade route. Do note that Disney has NOT announced a 50th-anniversary parade. It left us wondering — when WILL parades return to Disney World?
Click Here to Learn More About Disney World’s Cavalcades!
And that’s every big announcement from this morning that you need to know about! Stay tuned to DFB for all the 50th Anniversary news and updates. We’ll be in the parks on October 1st to bring you all the info you need to know!
Here’s Everything Happening on October 1st!
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So exciting
I cn not wait I’m so excited
Still no indication of extended park hours or fast pass availability. Cannot have fireworks shows in the day time.
Wow!!!oh what glorious fun my family and me can’t wait until our October holiday to the world of magic and fun adventures.
Thanks for all the previews and updates.
I’m thinking parades may not make a return at all. The Cavalcades are proving popular and far less of a guest control issue.
I really wish Disney hadn’t decided to premier everything October 1. I understand why, but still wish they would have spread them out. My family is going in September, and our vacation cannot be changed.
Epcot has been rendered hideously ugly with the addition of the horrible pieces needed for the nighttime show. The lagoon is ugly from all sides and it’s impossible to get a decent shot across it from any angle.
That was what I liked most about the old show – it was on barges, moved out for the show and then moved back once the show was done. It didn’t affect the beauty that WAS the lagoon.
Especially when it’s mentioned within the article, it would be *really* useful to have the *date* of each article appear at the top. I’ve clicked on articles that start out talking about the latest news, and then mention “by 2020” or “by the end of this month A, then starting in November B” when it’s April! Please help us know when an article may be out of date before we get to the end and check dates on any comments.
Thanks for reaching out, Josie. I’ve shared this request with management. For now, dates are in the URLs, if that’s helpful.
I love seeing all the big floats and the parades and such, but HOLY COW it’s such a mess with guests lining up everywhere and crowds forming all over the place. It’s also an enormous cost in terms of putting 100 Cast Members out there every day. While I follow some CMs on social media who got laid off due to a lack of parades, and feel bad for them, I get the point of why Disney would want to not bring them back just yet. I wish there was an easier, more practical way to do them, but I don’t see how- even in Japan & Paris they’re a mess.
I’d love to see the 50th anniversary celebration , but I just can’t get there. I’m so glad that DFB will be there showing it to us.
Not gonna lie, I’m excited for Harmonious. The kite tales on the other hand seems a little weird for the park.