Curtain up! With a flurry of new shows, dance parties and character interactions, now is a great time to plan a visit. Disney entertainment has been delighting audiences ever since the first parade stepped onto Main Street USA in 1971.
Did you know there are 200,000 pieces of live Disney entertainment every year? Or that there are almost 2,000 nighttime spectaculars annually? And can you believe Disney characters made over 900,000 appearances to meet guests last year?
There’s more live entertainment at Walt Disney World than anywhere else on earth. From fireworks at night to Broadway-style stage shows, there’s something for everyone. And furthermore, most of it is included in theme park admission.
Disney entertainment has packed the streets and stages, festivals and resorts, lagoons and skies with Disney magic for almost half a century.
Here’s a sampling of Disney entertainment on offer:
Live Stage Shows:
Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire: A full cast of characters are featured during this magical, musical extravaganza. The show takes place several times a day on the castle forecourt stage at Magic Kingdom. Show times.
Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage weaves a musical “tale as old as time” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Check showtimes.
Feathered Friends in Flight at Disney’s Animal Kingdom presents the world’s most exotic birds Showtimes.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has stunt performances with blazing special effects. Stunt showtimes.
Finding Nemo – The Big Blue… and Beyond: This musical version of Finding Nemo will delight audiences of all ages at Animal Kingdom. Finding Nemo showtimes.
The Festival of the Lion King Join Simba, Timon and a whole host of singers, dancers and artists as they celebrate the true meaning of the Circle of Life. Lion King showtimes.
Epcot Concerts:
There are 4 major annual festivals at Epcot and each one has its own unique showcase of entertainment. Furthermore, they are all included with your theme park ticket. No extra costs!
Disney on Broadway Concert Series at Epcot Festival of the Arts gives us show-stopping numbers from legendary Disney musicals. Concerts are held three times every day of the festival, which runs January and February.
Garden Rocks Concert Series at Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is on every night from February to May. There are 3 shows nightly throughout the festival. Garden Rocks will showcase amazing concerts in the America Gardens Theatre.
Eat to the Beat Concert Series during the Epcot Food & Wine Festival brings a whole host of headline artists to the stage. The Food & Wine Festival runs June to November
Candlelight Processional is featured nightly during the Epcot Festival of the Holidays and features a full choir and orchestra with narratives from celebrities. The Festival of the Holidays runs November and December.
Pop Up Entertainment
Dapper Dans: This barbershop quartet harmonize at Magic Kingdom. Also, there’s usually a little comedy thrown in, just for good measure. You’ll find them serenading on Main Street USA several times a day.
JaMMitors: It’s custodial craziness as these guys drum away on trash cans at Epcot. This 10 minute show features several times around World Celebration. Check showtimes.
Main Street Philharmonic: This legendary Magic Kingdom marching band rock out a mix of old-school marches, big band hits and Disney classics. They perform several times a day along Main Street USA and Storybook Circus in Fantasy Land. Main Street USA showtimes / Storybook Circus showtimes.
Custodial Water Arts: Using their broom as a paint brush and water as paint, Custodial Cast Members create magic! If you spot these guys, make sure you stop and watch! There are no set locations and no set times, you just have to be lucky to be in the right place at the right time.
Unique Encounters:
Where else can you chat with a sassy turtle or come face to face with a walking tree? Disney entertainment is packed with unusual and unique opportunities.
Turtle Talk with Crush: Wide-eyed kids talk live with Crush, the righteous reptile star of Finding Nemo. This interactive show runs continuously from park open to park close. The kids will enjoy interactions with Crush. Likewise, adults and older kids will love the comedy aspect. You’ll find Crush in The Living Seas Pavilion at Epcot.
DiVine: Come face to foliage with this walking stick of green wrapped in climbing, winding vines at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There are no set times or locations for DiVine and you’ll need to look in the foliage carefully to spot her. If you don’t see her, ask a Cast Member if they know where she is.
Voices of Liberty: Stirring patriotic music is performed by this awesome cappella group in The American Adventure at Epcot. You can catch shows throughout the day.
Casey’s Corner Piano: This talented pianist has been delighting audiences for over 30 years at Magic Kingdom. There are several shows throughout the day.
Disney Springs Entertainment: Disney Springs is a haven for live entertainment. As well as pop up performers, there’s also entertainment in several bars restaurants: Irish music groups performing nightly at the lively Raglan Road: Concerts at House of Blues; Live performers at The Edison, plus much more.
Magic Kingdom Flag Retreat: At 5pm each evening, the American flag is lowered and folded with a patriotic tribute to veterans. The pledge is said and trumpet fanfare sounds Retreat. A guest veteran is handed the folded flag, followed by a short procession down Main Street USA. Moving and heart warming.
Disney on Parade
Disney entertainment brings a whole range of parades, from classic dailies to unique party parades and short marches.
Festival of Fantasy Parade: Fairytale dreams come true in this classic parade at Magic Kingdom. Disney characters from over a dozen classic stories are represented among nine parade floats. Full of color, characters, acrobats, music and fantastic floats, this is a must-see theatrical spectacle performed daily at 3pm.
The Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade: This parade features more characters than any other parade, with almost 30 in the parade line-up. Check parade times.
Electrical Water Pageant: This 15 minute nighttime spectacle of lights snakes along Seven Seas Lagoon and the waterways of Magic Kingdom Resorts. You can view it from outside Magic Kingdom or along the shores at Magic Kingdom resorts. Check for times.
Seasonal Parades
Magic Kingdom has two ticketed events which both have unique parades. Both are spectacular and have amazing themed elements.
Mickey’s Boo To You Parade: The Headless Horseman leads dancing ghosts and a host of Disney characters in this spooky parade. This parade is held during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade: Mickey and friends sing and dance through the Magic Kingdom in this magical holiday pageant. The parade also features Santa Claus, gingerbread men, elves, reindeer, marching toy soldiers and other friends from the North Pole.
The parade is held during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and also replaces the daily parade after Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ends. Mickey’s party dates are usually held on select nights starting early November ending the weekend before Christmas.
Nighttime Spectaculars
The skies above Walt Disney World come alive at night with darting lasers, dancing spotlights and spectacular fireworks.
With amazing projections on Cinderella Castle and fireworks exploding in the skies above it, Happily Ever After is a dazzler. It showcases current and classic Disney stories and uses projection-mapping technology to dramatically fill every nook and cranny of Cinderella Castle and Main Street USA.
Luminous the Symphony of Us bursts alive above World Showcase Lagoon at Epcot every evening. There’s a host of fireworks, fountains and special effects to wow all ages.
Fantasmic: Spellbound guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios see the forces of good and evil battle it out. This amazing spectacle features pyrotechnics, laser lights, characters, music, decorative floats and dancing water. It takes audiences through the imagination of Mickey Mouse. Show times vary.
Tree of Life Awakenings at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will have you gazing in wonderment. Each night after sunset, the Tree of Life transforms into a storytelling canvas. You’ll see anything from flickering fireflies to a leaping doe to love blossoming among hummingbirds. There are numerous locations around Animal Kingdom that you can see the projections from. It starts at sundown and runs frequently until park close.
Disney Entertainment with Character
It’s a pulse-racing moment when you know you’re about to meet Belle in her storybook house. See Ariel in her mermaid grotto. Hang out with Buzz Lightyear. You’ll be spellbound when you meet a Star Wars hero or that true original, Mickey Mouse.
More than 80 Disney characters greet guests at Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, resort hotels and more. That’s 2,300-plus greetings a day!
Here’s a few locations you can meet characters:
- Around World Showcase at Epcot: You’ll find Disney characters in the countries that inspired their stories: Anna and Elsa in Norway; Mulan in China; Snow White in Germany; Aurora in France; Alice in the United Kingdom.
- Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: There’s a galaxy of stars from the Star Wars movies, including BB-8, Chewbacca, Kylo Ren and Stormtroopers.
- Dinoland at Disney’s Animal Kingdom: Donald’s Dino Bash! features Donald and pals Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad from “DuckTales.”
- Character-dining Experiences: Faces on kids and adults light up during character meals. Passing among tables for photos, autographs and hugs are cherished Disney characters. From Goofy to the Disney princesses, Winnie the Pooh to Mickey Mouse.
Disney Entertainment at Resorts
Whether you’re staying on-site or off-site, everyone can attend the live shows and entertainment offered at Disney Resorts.
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge: Home to the new Storybook Dining at Artist Point, where you can meet Snow White, Dopey, Grumpy and The Queen.
- Campfire with Chip and Dale: Sit around the fire at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. This is a great free character interaction.
- Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show: At Disney’s Polynesian Resort, you can enjoy a luau along with an all-you-can-eat buffet.
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue: This live stage show gives visitors heaping helpings of cornpone humor at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort.
- Disney’s BoardWalk Resort: The sweeping promenade rekindles the golden age of mid-Atlantic resorts with jugglers, magicians and more. When the sun goes down and the lights turn on across this quarter-mile-long stage, the boardwalk transitions into an energized street festival.
Whatever form of Disney entertainment you see, you’re sure to have an awesome time.
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