Everything Arriving Ahead of the 50th Anniversary in Disney World!

Disney World’s 50th Anniversary is in just a few days, and there’s a lot we’ll be celebrating!

Magic Kingdom is preparing for its 50th Anniversary!

New fireworks shows, new costumes for Mickey and the gang, a new ride, and new restaurants, plus SO MUCH MORE! And some of these celebrations aren’t even waiting until the 50th to start — a few of them arrived at the parks a little early.

Harmonious

Let’s start things off with one of the biggest additions coming early to the parks — EPCOT’s new fireworks show, Harmonious! The new nighttime spectacular is set to replace EPCOT Forever, which ends on September 28th.

©Disney

Starting September 29th, Harmonious will begin its performances on World Showcase Lagoon, according to the showtimes listed on the Disney World website. At 9PM on both September 29th and 30th, guests will be able to watch the show before its official opening date of October 1st.

50th Anniversary Merchandise

Another big thing that arrived early in the parks was more than 100 50th Anniversary merchandise items! The Celebration and Castle Collections showed up last week in the Emporium at Magic Kingdom, and they’ve been incredibly popular ever since.

50th Anniversary Merchandise Stand

Over the next few days, you’ll want to be very cautious when heading into Magic Kingdom’s big merchandise shop, because crowds have been pretty hefty! We’ve also noticed some of these items at other places around Disney World, including World of Disney in Disney Springs.

Early Theme Park Entry

With the 50th Anniversary, Disney World Resort guests are getting some bonus perks, including Early Theme Park Entry! The new offering allows guests of select hotels to arrive at the parks 30 minutes before they open and experience rides and attractions before the other guests.

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

If you’re staying onsite this week, the perk started its official run on September 26th, even though it was originally announced to begin on October 1st.

Disney Fab 50 Character Statues

One of the most iconic decoration choices we’ve seen for the celebration is the golden character statues, otherwise known as the Disney Fab 50. These statues represent 50 different iconic Disney characters and can be found at each of the four theme parks.

The characters have arrived!

Even though their debut was scheduled for October 1st, the statues began arriving a few weeks ago. If you’re in Disney World this week, try and find all 50 characters around the parks (some of the Magic Kingdom ones are more difficult than you’d expect!).

EPCOT Food & Wine Booths

Back when the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival began in July, it was announced that some of the food booths would be waiting to premiere until October 1st. However, Disney surprised us and opened several that were on that list back in August!

We’re all about that Mac & Eats booth…

We got to try Lobster Landing, Mac & Eats, Ireland, India, Kenya, Spain, and The Alps ahead of their scheduled opening date. We’re still waiting on Brazil and Belgium to open, but we’ll be there to try out all the delicious options on Friday!

Click Here to See Our Reviews of Every Festival Booth So Far!

Besides these things showing up early, we’ve also spotted quite a few 50th Anniversary decorations in place around the parks and resorts. The excitement is definitely building, and there’s going to be quite a bit for guests to experience in the next few days. Stay tuned to DFB for the latest news and updates!