Later this year, Disney is debuting a brand new nighttime spectacular at EPCOT, Luminous: The Symphony of US which will be replacing Disney Harmonious and EPCOT Forever. It’s going to light up the World Showcase Lagoon and be one of the best shows any Disney park has ever seen.
If there is one thing that guests love to do after eating all EPCOT’s amazing snacks and drinking around the World Showcase, it’s gathering around the lagoon and watching the nighttime fireworks show.
(UPDATE) – Disney has just shared some new details about EPCOT’s new nighttime spectacular including it’s full name: “Luminous: The Symphony of US.” Keep reading below for the latest.
In this post, we are going to explain everything we know about “Luminous: The Symphony of US,” the newest fireworks show in EPCOT.
Think of this as EPCOT Fireworks 101. We will go over the potential Luminous opening dates, and other details such as its, music, potential IP, and what technology will be used in the show.
We’ll share the fireworks viewing times, all the songs and music from the show, all the characters, and films represented, plus all the new technology it uses such as the lights, LED panels, and if we have to still deal with massive floats in the middle of the lagoon.
Lastly, once it debuts, we’ll explain the best places to watch Luminous: The Symphony of US, dining packages, any FAQs you may have, and share our full review of the show including how it compares to other fireworks shows like Happily Ever After over at the Magic Kingdom and any previous EPCOT nighttime spectaculars.
This is a new announcement and Disney hasn’t shared many details about the project yet, but as we learn more we’ll update this page, as well as answer any FAQs about the show you might have.
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Table of Contents
(UPDATE) – Name and Opening Date Announced for Disney Harmonious Replacement Show
Since we first found out about the new nighttime spectacular coming to EPCOT and replacing Disney Harmonious, Disney hasn’t really shared too many details about the show. That is until now.
At “A Celebration of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” presentation at Destination D23 on September 9, 2023, Walt Disney World President Jeff Vahle revealed some updates on the new EPCOT fireworks show, including the name and opening date.
First of all, we found out that the new show will be entitled: “Luminous – The Symphony of US.” That breaks away from using the name “Disney” in the title as Harmonious and Enchantment both did.
We also found out that Luminous – The Symphony of US will debut on December 5, 2023. That mans we are getting the new fireworks show before the end of the year.
Vahle said that Luminous will be a “Brand new show filled with fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects. Fabulous Disney music. Luminous is going to touch your heart. And it’s going to continue our long tradition of amazing nighttime entertainment EPCOT. I cannot wait for you to see it.”
Show Director Tom Vazzana with Walt Disney World Creative Entertainment said: “This special show through music, pyrotechnics, lasers, and lighting reflect the commonality in all of us. You can be you, I can be me, and we can all be together in this one beautiful show.”
EPCOT is going to be the center of the Disney100 celebration in Walt Disney World, and that is starting in the Fall. You can be sure executives want to debut the new nighttime show for the celebration, which is why they are making sure it will be ready in the last quarter of the year.
We expect much more info on the new nighttime spectacular in EPCOT in the coming months so stay tuned for that. In the meantime, keep reading below for everything we know so far.
Overview
After less than one year, Disney has already decided to cancel the EPCOT nighttime spectacular Disney Harmonious in favor of a new show around World Showcase Lagoon.
This has been quite a turbulent time for EPCOT nighttime spectaculars as it will be the 4th show in a span of fewer than 4 years.
Disney Harmonious was supposed to be the long-term replacement for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, which had its final performance on September 30, 2019. But before Harmonious, there was also the holdover show EPCOT Forever, which debuted on October 1, 2019.
This new EPCOT nighttime fireworks show is in honor of the Disney100 Anniversary celebration as well as EPCOT’s 40th Anniversary. At the D23 Expo, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro described it as “continuing the park’s legacy of inspiring nighttime entertainment on World Showcase Lagoon.
Much like its predecessors, this new show will invite guests to gather around World Showcase Lagoon for a show “that will unite us through commonalities of the heart in a dazzling display of fireworks, lasers, music, and light.
What is the New EPCOT Show About?
As of this writing, Disney has not given many details on just exactly what this new EPCOT show will include, but we do have some clues.
One thing we know is that it is being made in honor of the Disney100 celebration. That means it will likely celebrate important moments from the company’s past 100 years, and if I were to guess, it will feature many of the most popular IP from that time span.
We recently found out about the music for the show. According to Disney it will include “an original composition along with select songs from the Disney songbook, this new spectacular will remind us that we’re more alike than different, connecting our hearts together as one.”
I know many are hoping for a show that is more unique in design and similar to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, and so far it sounds like that is what they are going for. Let’s hope that it’s not similar to Harmonious in the way it basically just highlights company IP (the overall company trend). I would like to see it put together in a more thoughtful way and it’s not just a mismatch of Disney’s greatest hits.
Here’s hoping that it includes some inspirational non-movie music to go along with the music from the films that is sure to be featured.
What about the World Showcase Lagoon Barges?
Something many people are probably wondering is if the new EPCOT fireworks show will still use the gigantic barges that are currently located in World Showcase Lagoon.
From the moment they were installed, guests have complained about how much of an eyesore they are and how they ruin the sightlines across World Showcase Lagoon. I am happy to say that Disney has already taken down the barges after Disney Harmonious finished in April. I wholeheartedly agree with this decision and am happy to see them go.
Even though those screens and the huge octopus water screen have been tied down to the bottom of the lagoon, it seems that Disney realizes that no one liked them and it ruined the aesthetic of World Showcase when they are in there.
The only question is will Disney hang on to them in hopes of using them again at some point, or will they be destroyed? I would think that Disney has invested too much money to just throw them away at this point, but at least they are going away for the time being.
When is the New EPCOT Nighttime Fireworks Show Opening?
We now know that the new nighttime spectacular “Luminous – The Symphony of US” is opening at EPCOT on December 5, 2023. For months now all we heard was that the new show would debut sometime “later in 2023,” which we always thought implied a Fall 2023 debut.
Well, technically, December 5 is still in the Fall so we deserve partial credit for that. We’re just happy to know when we need to make our travel plans to be there.
Since Disney Harmonious debuted as part of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary, it stayed there through the end of the celebration. In fact, the last performance of Disney Harmonious was on April 2, 2023.
This whole time, D’Amaro did say that the new EPCOT fireworks show will debut in honor of the Disney 100th anniversary celebration which is happening in Fall 2023.
Of course, with a show of this size and magnitude, it’s going to take time to bring everything together, which is why EPCOT Forever has replaced Harmonious temporarily until the new show is ready. This all happened in April, so they are planning to keep EPCOT Forever there for a total of 9 months.
Even though we now have an opening date for Luminous, it’s worth noting that Disney has a terrible track record of getting nighttime spectaculars done in time. Disney Harmonious was supposed to debut at least one year earlier than it actually did and it was continuously delayed due to production and technical issues.
Disney probably always had a target date in mind, but they only now are willing to share it with the general public because they are sure they will be able to meet that date.
Even though opening dates from Disney can unreliable, we tend to feel that they will make this one work. There is too much on the line with the Disney100 Anniversary celebration, there is no room to push it off more.
But this wasn’t the only news about a new nighttime spectacular coming to Walt Disney World we’ve had in recent months. Earlier this year we had the return of Happily Ever After to Disney’s Magic Kingdom as it has now replaced Disney Enchantment.
As much as we were not thrilled with Harmonious, we liked Enchantment even less and were extremely happy Disney decided to bring back what we consider to be the second best nighttime show that’s ever played in Disney World (right behind Illuminations: Reflections of Earth).
That brings to a conclusion our look at Luminous: The Symphony of US. This is a new announcement, so I’m sure we’ll be hearing much more about this show in the coming weeks and months.
Whatever happens, it should be exciting times with this new nighttime spectacular debuting at Disney World later this year! Stay tuned for more soon!
For more information on planning your vacation to Walt Disney World here are some of our most useful posts:
- Disney World Planning Guide
- Disney World Crowd Calendar
- When Is the Best Time to Visit Disney World?
- New Attractions Coming to Walt Disney World in the Next 3 Years
Your Thoughts
I want to know what you think about the new Luminous The Symphony of US fireworks show at EPCOT…
- Are you excited for the show?
- What features would you like to see in Luminous?
Let us know in the comments section below!
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