From start to finish, the Happily Ever After nighttime spectacular has a show length of 18 minutes and 21 seconds. That is approximately 2 minutes longer than its temporary predecessor Disney Enchantment.
– A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky fireworks display is scheduled for Monday, July 3, 2023 at 9:20pm as well as Tuesday, July 4, 2023 at 9:20pm. Guests can also dance the night away with DJs mixing tunes throughout the park. Don't miss our Tips for Watching Magic Kingdom fireworks!
Firework shows happen nightly EXCEPT on nights when the park closes early (like for Mickey's-Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, or for select events like Cast Member appreciation nights). There really aren't any spots to eat and watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.
In general the best days of the week to visit the Disney World parks are Tuesday and Wednesday. The reason being is many families find that you need an entire week for a Disney vacation and typically arrive on Saturday or Sunday. We find weekends and Monday to be the busiest days at Walt Disney World.
Even with the “Wonky Weekend” trend, expect this to remain true once we get deeper into the 2023 Party Season. Outside of party season, Magic Kingdom is a great pick Wednesday through Thursday. The best day of the week in Magic Kingdom from an objective perspective is Wednesday.
The new wrinkle is that Disney Enchantment now has a second showtime each night, with a nightly performance of the fireworks at 11 pm. This is in addition to the 9:20 pm showtime, which remains on the schedule and doesn't move (because it can't really be moved forward–ask as meteorologist or astronomer as to why.
Also included are elements of lasers and glistening lights, all over the castle. The musical score also features updated versions of many Disney classics. The show is about 18 minutes long and usually kicks off at 9:00 PM, but check the park schedule for your day, as show times can change.
Without a doubt, the fairy godmother of all Disney entertainment offerings at Magic Kingdom is the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, which typically rolls through Magic Kingdom a couple of times every day.
The nightly Magic Kingdom fireworks show is estimated to cost Walt Disney World anywhere from $40,000 to $50,000 a night, but what is Disney really getting out of keeping people in the parks later than normal?
However, there are still times of the year that are better than others as far as crowd size. We tend to find that the slowest times at Disney World are in the early fall, like September and the late winter, like February.
It's probably more of a one-and-a-half or two-day park. That said, this is a one day itinerary post, and there are a few approaches you can take to have one very good nearly perfect day at Magic Kingdom. You can open your wallet to buy Genie+ and maybe an Individual Lightning Lane (or two).
If you have Early Entry, you'll probably want to start with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, or Space Mountain. We discuss the details of these rope drops in more detail in our dedicated Magic Kingdom Early Entry and Rope Drop post.
This makes the September/October 2023 a good time to visit. Even once Moana is open, we're actually expecting Walt Disney World to be relatively stable until “late 2024” when Tiana's Bayou Adventure opens. We expect TRON to keeps its virtual queue at least through the end of 2023.
When to See the Show: You can see the show nightly in Magic Kingdom at 9PM most evenings but check the Walt Disney World calendar for the most current information. Seasonal shows and holidays may interrupt this fireworks show but most of the year this is the one offered at Walt Disney World.
The first two to three hours of every day are the time of the lowest crowds of the day. It's almost Magical. The wait time for Space Mountain at 10:00 am is usually around 20-30 minutes. At noon, it's 60-90 minutes.
The Festival of Fantasy Parade occurs at 3:00 daily in the Magic Kingdom. This parade is a fantastic opportunity to view both rare and familiar Disney characters.