Each longtime Walt Disney World fan has an period (or three) they need they might flip again the clock to revisit–golden ages of rides, leisure, celebrations, and extra. If we’re being sincere with ourselves, that “and extra” is commonly the decisive issue. It’s about greedy on the sands of time which have slipped by way of our fingers; revisiting the locations of fond reminiscences with households and associates. Seeing the parks by way of the eyes of a younger little one earlier than they grew up, with dad and mom or grandparents as they grew outdated, throughout a honeymoon part…you get the concept.
One among these eras for us was fairly actually throughout our honeymoon. Our “Disneymoon” to Walt Disney World was in June 2010, a few week after the beginning of the Summer time Nightastic celebration. When you’ve learn current posts about our 2024 D23 Want Listing or How Walt Disney World Can Compete with Common’s Epic Universe in 2025, you’ve most likely seen reference to Summer time Nightastic.
For this, we wish to dive a bit deeper into what Summer time Nightastic was and why it behooves Walt Disney World to deliver it again subsequent 12 months (or one thing prefer it). However we additionally wish to be clear and ‘disclose’ our biases up entrance, as now we have a sure sentimentality for Summer time Nightastic that may very well be coloring our perspective. I doubt that’s the case–Summer time Nightastic was objectively good. A robust providing popping out of the Nice Recession that gave Walt Disney World an enormous increase because it tried to compete with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Islands of Journey throughout its opening season. We’ll allow you to choose for your self, although…
Since Summer time Nightastic occurred a decade and a half in the past effectively for simply over 2 months, most of you most likely didn’t expertise it. In a nutshell, it was an leisure and evening-centric particular occasion occurring throughout all 4 parks (however largely Magic Kingdom) from June by way of August 2010.
The flagship leisure of Summer time Nightastic was the return of Major Road Electrical Parade from Disneyland, which made its first engagement at Walt Disney World since 2001. The fan-favorite parade had a bunch of new-for-Florida floats that had been added for its runs in California, and there was lots of pleasure amongst Disney diehards to see it once more for the primary time in almost twenty years.
That is the place my rose-colored glasses come off. Whereas we seemed ahead to seeing Major Road Electrical Parade throughout Summer time Nightastic for the primary time as adults, we rapidly realized that–not less than for us–it was inferior to SpectroMagic. After just a few viewings, we had been “over” MSEP and prepared for SpectroMagic to return.
We turned bitter when its run was prolonged “by well-liked demand” and downright cynical when it not directly triggered the demise of SpectroMagic. It took me a very long time to recover from that and absolutely get pleasure from Major Road Electrical Parade once more–even at Disneyland! No matter our private emotions concerning the parade, I can nonetheless admit Major Road Electrical Parade was an enormous draw for Walt Disney World followers in 2010.
For us, the actual spotlight of Summer time Nightastic was the return of the Magic, Music & Mayhem Fireworks from the Pirate & Princess Events. Few individuals attended that arduous ticket occasion, so the fireworks had been merely renamed to the Summer time Nightastic Fireworks and marketed as new.
The present was hosted by the Fairy Godmother of Cinderella with the three good fairies from Sleeping Magnificence ‘preventing’ over the colours of the fireworks. Magic, Music & Mayhem additionally had lots of instrumental music medleys from these films, plus Magnificence and the Beast and The Little Mermaid, with dialogue to weave a story collectively.
The spotlight was when pirates stormed the Magic Kingdom, with characters from Peter Pan, music from Pirates of the Caribbean, and what appeared like a New Yr’s Eve stage of pyro because the pirates attacked Cinderella Fortress. That single scene is perhaps the most effective within the historical past of Magic Kingdom fireworks.
With regards to this bombastic nighttime spectacular, our glasses should not rose-colored. The Summer time Nightastic Fireworks had been actually and unquestionably one of many biggest fireworks exhibits that Walt Disney World has ever produced, that includes perimeter bursts and different nice results. It’s our recollection that it was the highest-rated Magic Kingdom fireworks present of all-time on the time (which means it obtained higher visitor satisfaction scores than Needs; Fortunately Ever After wasn’t round but).
Whereas these two items of tentpole leisure in Magic Kingdom had been the highlights, Summer time Nightastic introduced extra to the desk.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror added new results and a summer-only drop sequence – to the combination for friends daring to step into the attraction’s notorious service elevator for a journey into the “fifth dimension.” On Hollywood Boulevard, the Rock n’ Glow Dance Get together featured a DJ and reside rock band within the shadow of the Sorcerer Mickey Hat.
Over at EPCOT, the “Sounds Like Summer time” live performance collection introduced well-liked rock tribute bands to America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase each night at 5:45 pm, 7 pm, and eight:15 pm. (Very comparable concept to the EPCOT pageant live performance collection–and an idea that continued till 2016.)
Animal Kingdom didn’t get something entertainment-wise, nevertheless it did have longer working hours. Take into account that this was lengthy earlier than Pandora, at a time when Animal Kingdom commonly closed at 5 pm or 6 pm. Throughout Summer time Nightastic, it was ceaselessly open till 8 pm.
Different parks noticed summertime extensions, though that was extra par for the course throughout this timeframe. Disney’s Hollywood Studios noticed later closings on Star Wars Weekends nights; EPCOT hours had been unchanged. Magic Kingdom was open till 11 pm or midnight each evening, with night Additional Magic Hours till as late as 3 am.
As for why Walt Disney World ought to deliver again Summer time Nightastic, let’s begin with that final level–park hours.
Disney has realized that summer time is now not peak season within the parks, and has decreased hours accordingly. This summer time, Magic Kingdom has had solely a handful of 11 pm closings. On the overwhelming majority of dates, it closed at 10 pm. No different park has closed later than 9 pm. Animal Kingdom is routinely again to six pm closings.
The issue with that is that sundown in Orlando in the course of the summer time is round 8:30 pm. This implies Animal Kingdom is closing earlier than sundown each single evening, EPCOT and DHS are barely hitting nightfall, and Magic Kingdom has an hour or two of nighttime. Summers are scorching in Orlando, so to have so few hours that supply even a slight reprieve from the warmth is a doubtful determination.
As a brief time period enterprise determination, it is sensible that Walt Disney World has extra restricted hours given the shortage of summer time crowds, nevertheless it’s nonetheless wild that–with out paying additional–there are so few dates when any park is open for greater than an hour of nighttime. That is exactly why Prolonged Night Hours are extra well-liked in the course of the summer time months and After Hours occasions have offered out regardless of decrease crowds. Company wish to spend extra nighttime hours within the parks. It’s apparent and unsurprising.
It’s additionally unsustainable. Company will go to throughout summer time, be caught with unbearably sizzling daytime hours, decide it’s “not value it” and never return. Not solely that, however they’ll inform their associates about their poor experiences and warn them towards visiting in the course of the summer time. It’s a vicious cycle, and the summer time slowdown gained’t simply proceed–it’ll worsen.
As a easy matter of visitor satisfaction and intent to revisit or suggest metrics, Walt Disney World wants later closings in the course of the summer time months. It’s the obvious method to beat the warmth and make the parks extra engaging from June by way of August–they usually would possibly as effectively make it right into a marketable level whereas they’re at it.
{The summertime} dynamic is principally the reverse of what Walt Disney World has carried out for the remainder of the 12 months. During the last decade-plus, Walt Disney World has made a concerted effort to redistribute crowds and improve the recognition of as soon as low season dates. October went from sluggish to conference season. Winter now has EPCOT’s Competition of the Arts. Then there are the massive youth occasions on the ESPN Wild World of Sports activities, extra runDisney races, and a variety of different choices strategically scattered throughout the calendar.
Satirically, these all aimed to make different dates as well-liked as summer time by including occasions to the months that weren’t June by way of August. Walt Disney World has been exceedingly profitable at this, however guess what? Now it’s the summer time season that has an empty calendar of occasions and is in want of help.
It’s not possible so as to add sporting occasions (for causes that must be apparent) and businesspeople possible have the nice sense to not schedule conventions in Orlando throughout summer time for a similar motive. Nevertheless, diehard Disney followers like us are identified to be unsensible now and again. If there’s an enormous summer time celebration, we’ll flock to the parks for it. Even with all my current bellyaching about summer time warmth and humidity, I’ll be the primary to e-book extra summer season within the parks if Disney provides me compelling causes to take action.
As for what Summer time Nightastic ought to or would wish to include past later park closing instances, the plain factor is leisure to fill these night hours. Again in 2010, Walt Disney World decided that the tentpole leisure must be concentrated in Magic Kingdom, with Major Road Electrical Parade at 9 pm and 11 pm, and the Summer time Nightastic Fireworks in between at 10 pm.
Rather a lot has modified since then, and I don’t suppose a brand new parade and fireworks are a good suggestion in Magic Kingdom. Simply seeing the group stream points brought on by such a dynamic in the course of the vacation laborious ticket occasions, I feel the higher strategy is a brand new evening parade at Magic Kingdom plus smaller-scale leisure elsewhere within the park plus main counterprogramming within the different parks.
There are already robust rumors of a brand new nighttime parade coming to Magic Kingdom, however I’ll consider it once I see it. I’ve been burned too many instances up to now, even through credible sources claiming an evening parade at Walt Disney World was a “carried out deal.” With that stated, I wish to consider. It makes full sense for a brand-new evening parade to lastly debut at Walt Disney World in 2025. A brand new evening parade might anchor a summer time celebration at Walt Disney World and is the most effective card that may be performed at this stage within the sport as an “reply” to Epic Universe.
As for what the counter-programming in different parks may very well be, it’s conceivable that different night leisure involves Disney’s Hollywood Studios and/or Animal Kingdom. With regard to DHS, Fantasmic remains to be lately reimagined, so it most likely could be smaller scale. Possibly a DJ and dance get together and/or new projections present. Maybe an ‘After Darkish’ model of Tower of Terror a la Mission Breakout throughout Halloween. I’d love a return of Star Wars Weekends or one thing of that nature, however that looks like wishful pondering and eager for a time that’s gone for good.
With regards to Animal Kingdom, I’ve droned on endlessly a few drone present. Suffice to say, I refuse to consider Disney Goals That Soar is the tip sport for drone shows at Walt Disney World. There’s no approach that the corporate spent all of that cash growing nighttime leisure for a present at Disney Springs. It’s simply too good to be the ultimate fruits of drone exhibits at Walt Disney World. It’s gotta be proof of idea–a take a look at of the know-how for one thing greater and higher in 2025.
Animal Kingdom is the plain touchdown place for a drone present at Walt Disney World. Modifications must be made for staging and to deal with authorized legal responsibility, nevertheless it may very well be carried out. And it is sensible, provided that Animal Kingdom is in want of a lift and can possible be hit hardest by Epic Universe. Drones would remedy lots of issues for Animal Kingdom, and supply the counterprogramming to a brand new evening parade at Magic Kingdom that’s most likely wanted.
Then there’s EPCOT. It’s approach too early to exchange Luminous: The Symphony of Us, however I might see ‘enhancements’ added to that nighttime spectacular. Extra possible, Take a look at Observe 3.0 might function the large draw for summer time (though it’ll exist past August). I’d additionally add a brand new summer time pageant at EPCOT, however I might’ve carried out that this 12 months–so I gained’t belabor that time.
Whereas I’d count on all the above to be included within the worth of admission, I additionally wouldn’t thoughts seeing extra upcharge choices. The vanilla After Hours have grown stale, however what a few themed one at Hollywood Studios or EPCOT a la Jollywood Nights or Disneyland After Darkish Nites? DHS may very well be a enjoyable setting for ‘Disney Afternoon Evenings.’ (If Magic Kingdom is getting a brand new evening parade, I don’t suppose it’s sensible for it to have laborious ticket occasions–though a reprise of Pirate & Princess Get together or Villains After Hours could be superior.)
In the end, it makes an excessive amount of sense to not do Summer time Nightastic from Memorial Day by way of Labor Day (or thereabouts) at Walt Disney World in 2025. Summer time attendance is trending downwards at Walt Disney World–and has been since 2016 while you take away the closure and pent-up demand anomalies of 2020-2022.
It’s the one time of 12 months going within the ‘mistaken’ route for Disney, and they need to do one thing to reverse that. A limited-time seasonal celebration that will be marketable to informal friends and trigger followers to flock to the parks. It will create a way of urgency and enhance a time of 12 months when many individuals in any other case would keep away from visiting.
Then there’s the necessity to have some semblance of an “reply” to Epic Universe (once more, counterprogramming might be the extra apt time period). Clearly, Walt Disney World shouldn’t be going to have something that may compete with Epic Universe in 2025 on a 1:1 foundation. That wouldn’t be attainable, neither is it even the aim–the aim is peeling away visits from Common’s current gates (and capturing on-site resort stays) from vacationers doing longer stays and planning to see extra than simply Epic Universe.
As must be apparent, this isn’t simply nostalgia speaking. No matter Walt Disney World does for Summer time 2025 will differ totally in substance from Summer time 2010. Heck, it most likely wouldn’t even be referred to as “Summer time Nightastic,” as that’s not precisely a reputation with robust model consciousness amongst followers. (Even when it’s a good title that succinctly conveys the when and what of the particular seasonal celebration.) Not solely is a Summer time Nightastic-like occasion precisely what Walt Disney World wants, however I’d be keen to wager it’s what we’ll get. Right here’s hoping we discover out quickly–the D23 Expo is lower than two weeks away!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider a Summer time Nightastic (or comparable) celebration at Walt Disney World? Would one thing like this persuade you to e-book a visit to WDW in Summer time 2025? How do you suppose Walt Disney World will (unofficially) try to “compete” with Epic Universe subsequent 12 months? Agree or disagree with our evaluation? Every other ideas or commentary so as to add? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
