It’s been a while! I’m glad to be back and write about some of my recent experiences at Walt Disney World. Today, we’re focusing on the Independence Day celebration at the Magic Kingdom. If you want to fast-forward to my review of the overall experience, scroll to the bottom of the post. The review will be in a light pink box.
The first thing I noticed when I walked into the Magic Kingdom were the Independence Day decorations spread throughout Main Street. One of the many joys of visiting the Walt Disney World parks is seeing how they decorate each area depending on the season, festival, or celebration that is happening during that time. The colorful decorations built-up excitement within me for what was to come. The anticipation for the fireworks show boiled up inside me.
A pamphlet was handed to me as soon as I entered the park. On this pamphlet was information about discounts for food and merchandise at select locations within the park. The discount deal was only available for 3 hours, from 9 pm to 12 am.
As I walked through the Emporium, I noticed that there was a section dedicated solely to Independence Day Disney merchandise. My sister especially loved this section because she has a soft spot for anything to do with USA-themed Mickey Mouse.
Throughout the park, there were DJs playing music to entertain the crowds. DJs pumped up the crowds as they waited patiently in their spots throughout the park for the fireworks show.
Fantasyland 
Adventureland 
Tomorrowland
Fireworks viewing areas were spread throughout the park. Of course, most people (including myself) were more concerned with having a frontal view of the castle during the fireworks show but for the people who simply wanted to watch the show and avoid the immense crowd in front of the castle, these viewing areas were good alternatives.
One of the fun things that we did together was to take a photo at a photo pass location next to Pinocchio’s Village Haus in Fantasyland. Here, you were able to take a photo in front of the Cinderella Carriage while holding a 4th of July sign.
Before the fireworks show, I visited the Hall of Presidents to brush up on some United States history and admire the important figures who influenced it.
Finally, night fell and the greatly anticipated fireworks show began. Although I had gotten to the park hours before, I ended up watching the show all the way in the back of Main Street in front of the train station. The show was spectacular and even featured 360° fireworks! This meant that no matter where you turned, fireworks could be seen exploding in the sky. If you want to watch the entire show, here’s the link to Disney’s live stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjWcUxfl0k8. To observe the 360 fireworks, fast-forward to 19:49 and 21:11.
To my surprise, there was more celebration happening after the fireworks show was over. Cinderella Castle lit up with the features of the American flag, party lights lit up the sky, and music started playing loudly causing the crowd to dance around. The environment in front of Cinderella Castle was reminiscent of a night club, which was an interesting change that I’d never experienced at the park. I couldn’t help but dance whenever a good song came on and it was nice to see families have fun together instead of forming into a mob racing to exit the park once the show was over.
Here’s my review: Overall, the night was quite fun. The fantastic decorations and firework show made me feel like I was able to experience the Magic Kingdom Park in a completely new way. This was the first year I had ever celebrated the 4th of July inside the park and I’m glad I had the experience. Despite this, I don’t think I would celebrate Independence Day at the Magic Kingdom again. As fun as the night was, the crowd was enormous. It was worse than a Saturday night during peak season at the parks. I got to the park around 4 pm, a whole 5 hours before the fireworks show began and people had already claimed their spots for the fireworks show. People seemed especially rude and the cast members were exhausted. The heat and the close proximity of people everywhere caused me to sweat profusely throughout the evening. Getting around was a struggle just for my sister and me, I couldn’t imagine hauling around a stroller or keeping track of children. With that being said, if you’re someone like me who has been to the parks a ton of times but has never experienced the Independence Day celebration at the Magic Kingdom, it may be worth it to satiate your curiosity but take into account the issues I’ve mentioned. If you’re thinking about visiting the parks next 4th of July solely to experience the celebration and fireworks show, I would weigh the pros and cons deeply before deciding.
Thank you so much for reading! Here’s a preview of my upcoming post 🎢.
DelCarmz 
As always I enjoyed reading about your experience at Disney. Excellent review! I love the Disney Parks but not as much as to sweat for hours with huge crowds. Seemed like a lot of fun though! Go USA!
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