Last night, Disney performed what appeared to be a full test of the upcoming Luminous The Symphony of Us fireworks show at EPCOT. The test took place around 12:15am and had a runtime of roughly 16.5 minutes. Crews were testing various lighting effects for roughly an hour before fireworks were introduced to the testing. Of course, EPCOT was completely cleared of guests well before the testing began, but guests could watch from the BoardWalk area and we made it out to enjoy an almost chilly late night to grab photos and video of the testing.
Before we get too far into the article, here’s how Disney describes the show:
Luminous: The Symphony of Us – Starting December 5, 2023
Feast your eyes on an all-new nighttime spectacular as it lights up the sky over World Showcase Lagoon.
A Sparkling Spectacle
Delight in a dramatic show designed to bring us all together. Marvel at a dazzling pageant of fireworks, fountains, music and lights set to an original composition. New music, along with evocative selections from the Disney songbook, come together to remind us that we are more alike than we are different.
When watching the test below, it’s important to keep in mind that this is a test – perhaps even the first full test of the show on World Showcase Lagoon and that crews have about a month to continue to adjust the show before the announced December 5th debut. That means that we could very well see changes in fireworks and/or light programming.
It’s also important to realize that while we enjoy giving fans a sneak peek of what’s to come, we’re filming from 1/3rd of a mile away and with an obstructed view. There will be 6 barges that are part of the show and perhaps even more water-level elements that we simply couldn’t see from our vantage point.
Also, there is no show music audible in the video of the testing. You may hear music from the Beauty and the Beast movie, but it was playing quite loudly from the France pavilion. We suspect that Disney anticipated some guests would be watching the testing and didn’t want too much of the show music audible. That said, we did hear some music playing before the pyrotechnics test that did appear to be associated with the show. We heard a portion of the original song Disney officially previewed titled “Heartbeat Symphony”. Songs that we heard during early testing and that Disney has previously announced would be in the show include (in no specific order):
- “Proud Corazón” – Coco
- “You’ll Be in My Heart” – Tarzan
- “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Toy Story
- “Friend Like Me” – Aladdin
- “So Close” – Enchanted
- “When She Loved Me” – Toy Story 2
- “Remember Me” – Coco
- “Into the Unknown” – Frozen 2
- “Beating of our Hearts” (original song)
- “Heartbeat Symphony” (original song)
To support the show, there are 6 main barges and 24 firework show platforms spread throughout the lagoon. The barges support an impressive array of lighting and pyrotechnics capabilities. We anticipate that the show will be visually impressive, with water, fireworks, lighting, and lasers. Here’s a look at some of the barges positioned in World Showcase Lagoon recently. The barges have on-board motors that will allow them to be stored backstage during the day and then brought out to World Showcase Lagoon in the afternoon and evenings as crews prepare for the nighttime fireworks show.
Ok, with some of the caveats out of the way, here’s a look at the 16.5-minute test of the upcoming Luminous The Symphony of Us nighttime spectacular fireworks show coming to EPCOT later this year.
We also took some photos of the light testing and pyrotechnics during the full show test.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!