How loud are the Fireworks?

I realize this might seem like a ridiculous question (they’re fireworks after all), but how loud or immersive feeling are the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Illuminations? My 3 yr old wants to see them but if there are a bunch that really make you feel them we’ll probably skip the shows. You know, the ones that resonate in your chest? Those freak him out.

He seems ok with ‘quieter’ fireworks, and we will bring his ear protection as a backup plan, but it would be nice to know in advance. As I think about this more, it may be a pitch thing rather than a decibel thing… he’s more ok with the higher pitch than the really low ones.

I am not recalling any that were the chest-resonating kind. When my DD was about 4, she was afraid of all loud noises and fireworks, so did freak out on us once at Epcot. Once she blocked her ears, she was fine. And was fine the years after that as well. Sounds like he is looking forward to them and you are well prepared. And I would say that the fireworks feel closer (more immersive) at Epcot.

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Honestly, both my 4 year old and 2 year old were terrified of Wishes. I spent the whole time clutching them both while they jammed their fingers in their ears. But they had very little exposure to fireworks beforehand, and we made the mistake of trying to watch from the bridge in NFL, and it’s like we were surrounded by fireworks. Oops. :grinning: Good Luck!

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If you are at all concerned it might be best to find a place outside of the park to watch from where you can see them but the noise will be much less intense.

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They’re super loud, and the crowds in the hub and on main street are really, really overwhelming. My 10-year-old and I both have some mild sensory issues - nothing intense enough to need OT, but enough to make us quirky. We both did fine at WDW until the fireworks in MK. It was bad.

My suggestion is to find a place on the edges away from the castle to watch them. Maybe even outside of the park near the buses/boats. I think I would enjoy them more across the water at one of the resorts like Poly (once the beach is fixed.) I can’t remember the exact locations inside MK that people have suggested, but I wouldn’t do the Fantasyland locations that are behind the fireworks. I think they are probably louder there. Maybe Frontierland? Or the train station near the front entrance might give you a good view and enough distance to make things bearable. Plus, you could slip out easily from there if it’s still too loud.

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They’re about average for a typical fireworks show – except for the holidays (for something like Illuminations) where it really can rattle your innards out.

What’s nice about Disney fireworks is that they use compressed air to launch the fireworks, so the “boom” of the launcher isn’t as loud as other fireworks displays. It is still loud enough that if the weather is just right, Wishes will rattle the windows on our house about a mile and a half away.

That said, when our daughter was two, we were able to take her to fireworks and have her sleep through them. It really depends on the kid. The loudest place in MK to watch them is in Fantasyland, where they are right over your head and you’re pretty sure they’re going to fall on you. (Hey, they have sprinklers on the roofs of the buildings for a reason!) The quietest place in MK is either at the far end of Main Street or a little distance back in Frontierland. For Illuminations, what you’ll want to make sure is that there’s no building directly behind you that the sound will bounce back on.

Illuminations is a good way to test a child with fireworks because you have about 2-3 minutes of moderate fireworks near the beginning, and then you’ve got the globe part of the show in the middle. If your child is freaking out after the initial fireworks, you can use the globe part of the show to move back from the lagoon or start making your way to the exit.

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Loud + very crowded = watch from outside the parks with tiny ones. You can try that, see how it goes.

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Thank you everyone! Your answers help a ton…

I think I had read about watching Wishes from near the TTC, so I will try to find that blog again to verify.

Good call @mascardofamily on making sure there are no buildings behind us for Illuminations as well as the heads up on a good time to relocate if necessary.

Worst case, we only watch half a show. I’m sure we’ll be back when the kids are older.

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For my DD starting at age 5 up to now at 7, they are REALLY loud. At 5 she would cry and want to go away. We once quite by accident watched Hallowishes from the Carousel, where you’ve got them in surround sound, and she was not a happy camper.

Last trip, now that she’s 7, we saw a little of them from the exit from Space Mountain, and it was okay. She also willingly enjoyed the Frozen fireworks from a distance.

I try to just accept that I’m not going to get to enjoy them much myself unless I’m on a solo evening or the kids are older, and that’s okay. :slight_smile:

I do think watching from the MK exit could work for us…

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@B_squared, here is a link to the blog post of Wishes Viewing Locations I was thinking of. Initially I had no interest in being far away, but now it sounds like the TTC dock is where we will be!

Do you ever watch See Ya Reel Soon videos on Youtube? They have a more recent one with really good footage of their view of Wishes from the park exit too, and got them to the busstop before the crowds. TTC sounds good too. Lots of folks love the Poly or FW beaches too, of course.

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My 3yo hated Wishes. I had to take him into the bathroom to calm him down. He covered his ears, but he was still terrified the whole time.
That being said, my 5yo slept through the whole thing… :smile:

In front of The Diamond Horseshoe is a nice location to see the fireworks. The night we did that, there was hardly anyone there, we could sit and we could hear the music better than on the hub or Mainstreet. You give up the castle, but if you feel like the walls are closing in around you because of all the people, this is a great alternative.

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Ds4 was ok with wishes but liked them a lot better from the train station… It’s crazy what a little distance down Main Street does! However… Hallowishes will be skipped this year… He said they were too “bright”… Go figure :slight_smile: good luck!

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Thank you for posting this link!

Watching them from behind the castle really cuts down on the crowds and the noise.