Three of the four Walt Disney World theme parks have had a holiday celebration for some time now and today Disney announced that the last remaining one, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is adding a holiday festival of its own.
Each land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is going to have a separate celebration, Discovery Island, Pandora: The World of Avatar, Africa, Asia and Dinoland U.S.A. Each land will be decorated differently, and will look and feel different during the day and night. Things begin in Discovery Island:
Discovery Island: Decorated to a celebration of Winter with hand-crafted decorations made by an eclectic community of artists who call Discovery Island home. Expect colorful and sparkling white, animal-inspired luminaries line the rooftops, and wireframe lanterns in the shape of beautiful birds throughout the area.
During the day, Discovery Island springs to life with a life-size, artisan-sculpted puppets of winter animals like: reindeer, foxes, polar bears, penguins and more. They as well as musicians interact with guests, accompanied by serenading musicians as they create a playful atmosphere of festive fun.
As day becomes night, the rooftop luminaries and bird lanterns all around Discovery Island bring a warm and festive glow to the entire village. At the center of everything, the Tree of Life awakens with a series of wintry tales, complemented by a familiar and heartwarming holiday-inspired musical score.
Between awakening moments, the Tree of Life continues to shimmer and sparkle throughout the night, alive with the magic of nature and the spirit of the holidays.
Asia: The residents of Anandapur have decorated the theatre district in celebration of Diwali, the holiday festival of lights in India. Glowing flowers, lanterns and more illuminate the square between Anandapur Theater and the waterfront stage, home to authentic cultural performances.
Dinoland, U.S.A: As you are probity aware, the new Donald’s Dino-Bash! debuted this past Summer, and now the characters there like Donald Duck and friends are working the holiday festival into their performance. Expect colorful holiday decorations everywhere. Also around the Truck-O-Saurus there will be a Holiday Hoopla Dance Party with Chip ‘n Dale with plenty of interactive fun and games.
Village of Harambe in Africa: There is always a party going on in Harambe Village and so this fits right in. There will be a unique holiday presentation, blending the inspiration and style of western traditions with the colors and textiles of authentic African celebrations.
Festivities carry on inside the Tusker House restaurant with a holiday character dining with Mickey and his friends. Expect the musical groups that normally appear in Harambe Village to play new holiday music and change up their costumes accordingly.
Pandora – The World of Avatar: Lastly, the ex-pats living and working on the moon of Pandora bring some Christmastime fun to their alien home. A kitschy holiday décor display will be set up at Pongu Pongu. Everything will be a combination of vintage Earth pieces and handcrafted items made from materials indigenous to Pandora.
I understand Disney wants people to celebrate the holidays, but honestly I have to wonder if this is just a bit too much. It’s bad enough that Disney starts its Halloween festivities basically after the 4th of July, it was nice to have one park that still felt unique and not so commercialized. Now that Disney has crossed into that territory though, I”m sure it’s going to be an every-year occurrence.
The Holiday Festival in Disney’s Animal Kingdom starts November 8, 2019.
Your Thoughts:
I want to know what you think about the holiday festival coming to Disney’s Animal Kingdom…
- What do you think about the addition?
- Would you rather it stay as it is or change?
Let us know in the comments section below!
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News Source: Disney Parks Blog
My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. I started young when my parents took me to Disney World when I was 18 months old. Little did they know that would be the first of an uncountable number of trips we would take. I have so many amazing memories going to Disney with my family and friends and it has been interwoven into my DNA.