By: Olivia Vadnais
On October 1, 2021, Magic Kingdom - one of the four main theme parks of Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida - turned half a century old. The 18-month-long celebration will take place in Walt Disney World through March of 2023, and is slated to be filled with many new attraction openings, exclusive snacks and entertainment, as well as plenty of merchandise and other experiences available to commemorate the event.
Magic Kingdom is kicking off its birthday with some brand-new entertainment. The park gained a new cavalcade in honor of the celebration as well as a new fireworks display (Disney Enchantment), replacing the beloved Happily Ever After, which has been running since 2012. Magic Kingdom isn’t the only park celebrating the anniversary though. The other three parks - EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom - are all getting in on the festivities. EPCOT debuted a new fireworks show as well, titled Harmonious, which is the largest nighttime spectacular ever created for a Disney park. Hollywood Studios has “Beacons of Magic”, where its Tower of Terror is lit up in celebration of the anniversary in addition to the other four park icons. Animal Kingdom has a new daytime show in the Discovery River Amphitheatre called Disney’s KiteTails, which performs multiple times daily. And of course, throughout the resort there is plenty of merchandise and snacks specially themed to the celebration.
In addition to these celebrations, quite a few openings will be occurring through the next eighteen months at the resort. Magic Kingdom will be welcoming a new TRON coaster hopefully sometime in early 2022, as construction delays have pushed it back multiple times due to the pandemic. Splash Mountain is supposed to get a retheme to the 2009 film Princess and the Frog, but a timeframe has not been given yet. On October 1 EPCOT’s France pavilion unveiled its expansion including a new trackless ride called Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and a new creperie restaurant. EPCOT is also set to open Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind sometime in 2022, which is another brand new state-of-the-art coaster. Space 220, a full-service restaurant where diners feel as though they are dining on a spaceship circling Earth. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is slated to open March 1, 2022, and this three-day experience immerses guests in the Star Wars world like never before: from sleeping, eating, and daily activities, a stay at the Starcruiser is not to be missed for fans of the franchise.
Magic Kingdom and the resort as a whole have changed greatly over its fifty-year lifespan, but its charm persists. It is a welcome celebration and shows how successful Walt Disney’s vision for the Florida park could be. If you want to join in the fun, you have plenty of time, but make sure to book quickly, because high crowds are expected throughout the span of the celebration. Hope to see you real soon!