We are going to DL and DCA Sunday to Thursday well clear of labour day but I have NEVER SEEN the Disneyland basic fireworks, going for the first time at 16 when all my friends said it was “stupid” and going the second time Xmas week. Went to WDW last year in October and screwed up and missed the projection and fireworks show that WASN’T halloween themed.
So - is there a question here, YES, yes there is…for anyone who has gone in weeks clear of Labour Day and holidays do they only do fireworks on weekends and Fridays, our first day there we arrive at noon on a Sunday and I am thinking to see the fireworks (whatever they are because the touring plan site doesn’t tell me what fireworks show might play after Sept 4) I will have to see them Sunday or I will miss out. Am I right in thinking this?
Thank you MouseGirl42! This is excellent advice! With closing times for September not yet posted (WOW different from WDW where we knew 6 months in advance!) I will watch for that for SURE!
Probably Fantasy in the Sky if they don’t switch immediately over to Halloween Screams. There Might be an off chance they go to Remember…Dreams Come True but I wouldn’t bet on it.
I will definitely do that! I’m sure I will be back before September 9 for more advice - I’m giddy (and being Canadian: self deprecating and apologetic) to have found this resource!
Unless DL has a specific event going on (like the 60th Anniversary Diamond Celebration that ran from May 2015-Sept 2016 and fireworks ran nightly) after Labor Day the fireworks will be only on weekends or holidays so you are correct in thinking to see them Sunday if wanting to do fireworks. It will also be the only night F! will run.
As for what show it will be, Disneyland hasn’t announced anything at all about what their plans are for nighttime entertainment following the Pixar Fest that ends right before you go. Usually in times of transition between events/seasons Disneyland is VERY late in the game to announce what will be offered so don’t be surprised if you’re within 30 days (maybe even 2 weeks) & you still don’t see the entertainment on the calendar (so very different than WDW to be sure). Most recently their “regular” fireworks show has been “Remember… Dreams Come True” which was the show done for the 50th Anniversary in 2005. It was brought back last year as a “limited time offering” and was shown starting Spring 2017 for weekends, then everyday in summer peak season, Halloween season (on non-party weekend nights), and then briefly again Spring 2018 (like very super brief because there was construction on Main St most of the late winter/spring so there were only a few weeks of fireworks in between that construction & the start of the Pixar Fest on April 13th with the new Pixar fireworks show).
Also this year has some very big questions like “Is the Paint the Night Parade really going away after Pixar Fest or will they keep it around for awhile because it does really well at bringing in crowds?” and “When will World of Color be operating again?” (it was supposed to be back from refurbishment this month but there were bigger problems with the infrastructure that they are dealing with repairing so all Disneyland has said is it will return “Late 2018”. Even though Paint the Night and World of Color are DCA nighttime offerings if neither are offered after Labor Day then Disneyland could change up their nighttime entertainment to make it so that there is at least one nighttime show on the resort everyday (would probably be Fantasmic! though over fireworks).
TL;DR- Yes you are right in thinking to see fireworks on Sunday. Disneyland doesn’t announce specific schedules until 4-6 weeks out so just keep checking back on the calendar and/or announcements on the Disney Parks Blog.
“Halloween Screams” is only done during Halloween party nights so for non-Halloween party weekend nights they still show a fireworks show, since we’ve been going frequently (i.e. 2013) it’s been “Remember…” at Halloween-time, (except for during the 60th Celebration when it was “Disneyland Forever”). However, I do agree with you that I wouldn’t bet on “Remember” as last year they announced it returning as a “limited time” offer.
Will you just come with us and guide us - I’ll carry you on my back like Yoda, anything you want ? thank you so so much! How pathetic is this? Rosh Hoshannah is Monday we are there - gonna hold out for for some fireworks that day But I will watch closely - I really want to see them - told my party I will be center Hub at 7pm with my churro and ears looking expectantly up if they need me :)
I hope you get something much better than “Fantasy in the Sky” or as we jokingly call it in our family “Five Minutes in the Sky” because the show is really just a few seconds over 5 min. The first time we watched it we couldn’t believe it was a Disney fireworks show for how short it was & ever since then if it’s on the schedule we do other things than fireworks at that time.
Yeah I’ve changed my wish - I want Dreams - although I think that played at Xmas 2014 but it was awesome - there were no projections at that time tho - have projections been added?
I wish I could just come down on a dime & help people around “on the ground”. I do know a fantastic person who does DL VIP tours though if you are interested in a service like that. She is a DLR guru & genius so let me know if you are interested at all and I will PM you her info.
You want to be in front by the castle for DL & if you aren’t right up center, veer towards the Tomorrowland side over the Frontierland side (large trees that block all the biggest burst block your view from this side).
They played “Believe” that year which is the Christmas show, I am certain of it because we kept trying to watch it on our first (& only) time going Christmas week & it kept getting cancelled due to winds.
They did add projections for “Remember…Dreams Come True” and they are stunning. I only saw the show 1x before the projections & the projections really add so much to it.
I missed the WDW fireworks when we were there last year Halloween week and then came home and watched it on youtube and bawled - they were that gorgeous and I am that much of a freak - YES PM me the information - have been looking for a tour I am all about trivia and tidbits! You’re right it was believe - saw it Christmas night 2014 from center main street where it snowed and people were amazed and I’m a BC girl from Canada filming snow in California. My kids left me to watch the parade at 330, looking for a “real ride” after I imposed a Disneyland Day on their first visit and Christmas day to boot, I had released them to the wonders of DCA and they had not returned by 9 pm and I sat and watched and listened to carols and wandered an emptied out main street (DL had closed earlier in day reaching capacity crowds), rode the train around the park and marvelled at beds of poinsettias and thought “I am the luckiest person on planet earth” That was the only night they put them on - too many winds and they had warned us it might not go but hey, Christmas is magic personified. Being in the center of Disneyland on Christmas day with it all to yourself is one of my life’s best memories <3
We were supposed to go to WDW this summer but life took some turns so we aren’t but I am SO excited to see them whenever it is that we can get ourselves back to WDW because I hear some amazing things about them.
Wow your whole experience sounds incredible & filled with pixie-dust-Disney-Christmas magic. We were there the 26th-29th that year & yeah the fireworks never went off (or maybe they did but we decided to do World of Color that night…I can’t remember for sure lol).
YUP! I bet I SAW you there…um…yeah no - I couldn’t see across the sidewalk on one side of main street that week - my kids were all 14-21 and just slack jawed at the crowds - we had to regroup once they basically got in and couldn’t see anything but people and head to Indiana Jones and then Big Thunder Mountain first thing so they knew why I even wanted to GO THERE. This is after basically classing me as sub standard mom for never taking them to Disneyland before that time and then me decidedly blowing that outta the water with a xmas eve reveal and flight. The fireworks only played on Christmas and New Years eve night that week. My best advice is IF you go Xmas week stay to bitter end - the last hour was worth the first 6.
Thanks again - I am reading all your posts on other threads and making notes. Thank you for the validation that organization at DL is a virtue! Good luck re invigorating your plans for WDW - one piece of advice? Even if you are Budgeting - stay ONE night in a disneyworld hotel - it allows you to book your fastpasses, dining bookings, etc for the ENTIRE time of your stay 6 months in advance. We stayed in All Star Music Resort our first night - as Canadians that got us free magic bands which are not for sale here and free shuttle service from airport and to the park in the am - they kept the luggage for us til midnight the next day when we uber’d to our Airbnb in Kissimee. For 80 bucks a night american we saved an additional 60 at least and got fast passes to Avatar when the rest of our party was locked out the whole stay 2 months after it opened and had to wait in vicious lines - something to think about with Star Wars land on horizon :)
It was the ONLY time I’ve ever gone to Disneyland & been “ready” to leave because I was done with being around people constantly. Our Annual Passes are now blocked that week (& unless we ever spring for a pass at both coasts they probably always will be) so I don’t think we’ll ever be back that week. The last year that we had the pass & knew that it would be blocked the next year, we toyed with going but decided we’d rather not push ourselves through that crowd. Although, your evening at the end does sound so truly magical!
We went the first time a couple of years ago & even with all the planning still had things left that we wanted to do, do again or get more out of (some of our family got sick towards the end of the trip so not everyone was able to enjoy some of the things we were doing those days). We’d hoped to go back every other year but even with postponing it this year, we know we’ll be back!
I love all the perks that onsite gets at WDW so I can’t imagine staying offsite (maybe if we were going super super cheap or would be going somewhere else in Florida where our accommodations were paid) so I totally agree with you! If Star Wars Land is newly open when we go, we may just avoid it all together. We like Star Wars, just don’t love all the hype & craze & masses of people that come along with anything Star Wars related LOL.
I turn 50 with WDW and we toyed with going that year (2021) because it will be amazing and it’s 2 years after star wars land opens but it STILL seems too close to that blessed event for me - the distance between the parks really had me wondering about NOT getting a park hopper next time and committing to one park at a time.
We had FREE (yes, FREE) accommodation in Kissimmee when we went but would absolutely positively stay in WDW site next time
Ok - I’m stopping because this is now another topic - thank you again for everything!
? thank you so so much! How pathetic is this? Rosh Hoshannah is Monday we are there - gonna hold out for for some fireworks that day 
But I will watch closely - I really want to see them - told my party I will be center Hub at 7pm with my churro and ears looking expectantly up if they need me :)
