Of the many nighttime activities and celebrations that take place around Walt Disney World every night, Celebrate the Magic might just be my favorite. Taking place about 15 minutes before the Wishes fireworks, Celebrate the Magic is equal parts technology, musical score, and magic. The current show debuted on November 13, 2012, and replaced The Magic, the Memories, and You.
The time between the Main Street Electric Light Parade and the Wishes fireworks is not an easy time to fill. Once the last float of the parade passes by, people flood Main Street to try and find the best spot for Wishes. As you may already know, the circular road in front of Cinderella’s Castle (the Hub) is one of the most crowded spots in the Magic Kingdom. If you’ve already seen Celebrate the Magic, there is no reason for you to be anywhere near the Hub during Wishes. Instead, you should be in New Fantasyland or somewhere in Frontierland so you have the smallest crowds while still having a great view. If you haven’t seen Celebrate the Magic, then the Hub is where you need to be.
Let’s take a step back to around 7:30pm. This is generally when you should be arriving at the Hub. This will provide you with plenty of time to secure a spot on the sidewalk for the nights events. Fast forward past the mickey bars and popcorn to the last float of the parade. Hopefully you don’t have to deal with a mad dash of people looking to fill in the space in the street that the floats have left, but if you do, try and position yourself right where the Hub meets Main Street. It is important not to get too close to the Castle or it will block out Wishes afterword.
Now it’s time for the good part. I think the real magic of the show is in the emotion it invokes from seeing your favorite Disney classics projected onto the iconic Castle. The show contains everything from Steamboat Willie to Frozen and even a quote from Mr. Walt Disney himself. I feel like the creative directors have struck the perfect balance between classics and some more recent movies that children can relate to today. Frozen was added to the show a few weeks before its theatrical release in November of 2013.
I’ve had the opportunity to view the show multiple times and I’m in awe every time. The way the Castle comes alive, in sync with the musical score, makes Celebrate the Magic a show not to be missed. If you would like to see the show, I’ve linked to a video I shot from the very front of the Castle a few days ago.
[…] noticed the greatest amount of people made their way to the railings when the 10-minute warning for Celebrate the Magic was given. That means you should be prepared for just over a half hour of standing. Given the […]