Celebrating 4th of July at Magic Kingdom
By Pink Diva
My family loves Independence Day. We love the way everyone comes together as family and friends and enjoys the holiday. When I was little we camped every Independence Day and would watch firework shows all over Michigan. I was lucky enough to marry someone who not only loves this holiday as well, but also really loves fireworks. For the last two years we have braved the rain, crowds, and cranky kids to enjoy the firework show at Magic Kingdom.
Magic Kingdom always has a great fireworks display. This is no exception for Independence Day. Disney’s “Celebrate America!-A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky” is on July 3 and 4th this year, 2017. They play patriotic music and cover the castle in red, white, and blue. However, it does only last about as long as the regular fireworks show. It’s only about 15 minutes long. There were some people who felt it was too short. That there shoud be “more” since it’s a special day.
Part of the finale
Summer in Florida is rainy. There is no getting away from that. The last two years we have experienced heavy rain on and around July 4th. This hasn’t stopped us from going and enjoying the show. We bring our rain coats, umbrella’s and have dry clothes in the car. Even with all the rain, the firework display has only been postponed-it was never cancelled.
DIVA TIP: If you get a good spot to watch the fireworks from, I suggest you stay there and wait it out since there is a good chance the fireworks will go off.
We went on July 3rd the first year and couldn’t wait it out. The kids were tired and wet. We ended up catching the fireworks from the parking lot. We decided to come back the next day and wait it out no matter what.
The first year we went to Magic Kingdom we ended up going a little later than we had liked-around 5 or 6ish. This was way too late to get a decent spot to see the fireworks. We were hoping to make our way up Main Street and find something, but it was impossible. It was so crowded they weren’t even letting people through Main Street. We were directed through the lot behind Tomorrowland. They had set this area up for people to watch the fireworks. Since we weren’t going to be able to get to Main Street, we figured we would give it a try. They had a few of the “Move it! Shake it!” parade floats out with a DJ. It was a fun party atmosphere and wasn’t as crowded as Main Street. We could see the fireworks okay from this point, but couldn’t hear the music. Not exactly the view we wanted, but it was better than nothing.
Our view from the lot behind Tomorrowland.
The next year we arrived closer to 4ish. We found a spot in the grassy area and stayed put. We had our stroller with us, so we would use that to secure our spot as one of us would take the kids on a ride in Tomorrowland. We packed snacks, but bought food and brought it to our spot. While it did rain, it wasn’t as bad as the previous year. We had an amazing view of the castle and the firework display.
We would love to try to see the fireworks from the Train Station Depot. I don’t remember them doing much on the castle except changing it colors, so being too close isn’t a concern for us for Independence Day.
While you can prepare for the rain, it’s not so easy to prepare for the crowds. Crowds can get close to capacity around July 4th. There are people everywhere. Most people are very friendly, but the heat, rain and waiting do get to some people. Leaving the park is the worst part of it all. Everyone is filing out at the same time.
DIVA TIP: If you can linger a bit and shop or take pictures, then do it. Sometimes you are swept up with the crowds and it’s impossible to linger. People push and shove, and can get rude while trying to get on the ferry or monorail. We always opt for the ferry-boat since they have all three going.
Great view from the grassy area. It’s hard to see, but there are people everywhere.
I have never been run into by more strollers than leaving the Magic Kingdom on July 4th. Most people pay attention, but the crowd stops suddenly and sometimes it can’t be helped. Then there are people who try to beat the crowds and try to weave through everyone. We had people practically falling on our kids in the stroller because they weren’t paying attention. They also were at a terrible height were anyone holding a bag would hit them right in the face. My youngest would stick his feet straight out to give himself a little bit of room. This year we are ditching the stroller, so hopefully leaving will be a little easier.
If you want to experience the magic of Disney and Independence Day do it! Yes, it’s hot, crowded, and wet. But it’s also fun, exciting, and patriotic. Pack and extra dose of patience, snacks, and ponchos and you will be all set!
It’s good to plan ahead for a visit like this, so take advantage of our FREE Disney Diva Travel Agent, Patricia at All For Dreams Travel and plan your vacation now!
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