4th July festivities at Walt Disney World

Celebrate the 4th July festivities in style this year at the Disney parks, as you soak up the Independence Day spirit and salute the red, white and blue in the Florida heat!

Across Disney World Resort, crowds from both the US and overseas flock to the annual celebrations of the Birth of the Nation, so be prepared to consider arriving early and staying late to make the most of your visit.

As the parks get busy, they are closed to new guests at various points during the day, so it might be advisable not to hop between parks, but stick with one and enjoy the celebrations!

Independence Day is the second busiest day at the parks, so be prepared for crowds and queues on some of the more popular rides. However, despite being busy, the amazing atmosphere and special events make the 4th July visit to the parks well worth the effort, and a memory you’ll treasure for the rest of your life!

4th July festivities at Magic Kingdom

If you want to experience Independence Day the Disney way, a visit to Magic Kingdom has to be on the cards. With identical celebrations on both 3rd and 4th July, there is ample opportunity to live the American Dream.

It is worth noting though, that as Epcot only has its fireworks on 4th July you might want to consider visiting Magic Kingdom on the 3rd for an experience with slightly smaller crowds, then heading to Epcot the following day.

Back to Magic Kingdom for now though, and a rundown of the events lined up for the festivities…

The parks are open as usual, but there are several patriotic and special events that are laid on that you might want to pay special attention to:

• During the day in Liberty Square, under the replica Liberty Bell cast from the same mould as the original in Philadelphia, The Muppets Present… Great Moments in American History serves as a timely reminder of the events of the War of Independence and more starring Kermit, Miss Piggy and all your Muppet favourites.

• Every day in the park there is a Flag Retreat Ceremony, which takes on special patriotic significance over this period. During this 20-minute ceremony guests are welcome to pledge allegiance and hear patriotic songs as the Star-Spangled Banner is lowered.

• Over in Tomorrowland and Frontierland, DJs will be playing host to dance parties that will let you dance off any extra energy and impress the crowds as you throw your best shapes!

• Finally, to round off your 4th July experience, make sure that you get a great viewing position for the culmination of the celebrations – the fireworks. A good spot to be able to see everything is along Main Street USA, and you should plan your visit around the evening’s main attraction which starts at 9:15pm, a special fireworks display Celebrate America - A Fourth of July in the Sky. This annual event is the big draw for the Independence Day celebrations and features spectacular, dazzling pyrotechnics that light up Cinderella’s Castle, choreographed to patriotic music, lasting around 15 minutes.

4th July festivities at Epcot

Once you have recovered from your celebrations on the 3rd at Magic Kingdom, head across to Epcot to see what is happening on the 4th July:

• The first thing to do is pay a visit to the American Adventure Pavilion to enjoy a brief rundown of the history of the USA with a 30-minute show utilising Audio-Animatronics, film and music. Throughout the day you will also be able meet with your favourite Disney characters, dressed in Independence Day and patriotic outfits outside the pavilion.

• In addition, to ramp up the pioneering American spirit, the fabulous a cappella group Voices of Liberty will be adding to the patriotic feel of the day. Dressed in 19th-century attire, the eight-piece group are set to perform traditional American tunes on the America Gardens Theatre stage at scheduled times in the evening.

• Fireworks again are the big draw for the celebrations of Independence Day at Epcot. The evening will close with a literal bang with the IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth fireworks display. This amazing spectacle features fireworks, alongside lasers and a stirring musical score, enhanced especially for July 4th by the special Heartbeat of Freedom display which follows the normal IllumiNations show and ramps up the patriotic feel of the event with classic American music while lighting the sky red, white and blue.

If you wanted to visit Hollywood Studios over the holiday it’s worth noting that there are no particular Independence Day events scheduled for 2018. There is a regular nightly fireworks display that you can catch though – Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular which has recently added a new sequence for Summer 2018 featuring the latest film in the franchise, Solo: A Star Wars Story. This is a must-see display for Star Wars fans, as you’ll find yourself in the middle of the action, being put inside iconic scenes from the films with the help of state-of-the-art projections, lasers and pyrotechnics. However, you might want to save this for another day in your trip, and head to either of the two special events that we’ve already mentioned.

Wherever you go for the 4th July celebrations, you are sure to have a great time in the Disney parks. Though, if you want to catch the fireworks at either Magic Kingdom or Epcot, you might want to think about saving a firework spot several hours before the show. It’s probably worth scouting out some good sites beforehand, just to make sure you will get the best view you can that will let you take some spectacular night-time photos to make you the envy of your friends back home!

If you are going to the festivities this year, or have been in the past, we’d love to hear from you. How did you find the experience? Do you have any tips for guests who are planning on going this year? Also, if you have any photos that you have taken we’d love to see them and share them on our social media channels, so please get in touch!