‘Summer
Nightastic!’ Dazzles with After-Dark Excitement at Walt
Disney World Resort June 6 - August 14, 2010:
Summer nights at Walt
Disney World Resort will enchant theme park guests when
glittering light magic, high adventure, dance fever, thrills
and chills set the after-dark scene. From June 6 through
Aug. 14, “Summer Nightastic!” lights up the entertainment
experience at the Vacation Kingdom with a megawatt parade, a
fireworks extravaganza, a rockin’ dance party, concerts and
other surprises.
Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot all
present special events designed to add summertime energy to
the after-dark theme-park experience. At Magic Kingdom,
thousands of tiny lights illuminate the return of the
beloved “Main Street Electrical Parade,” and the elaborate
new “Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular” paints the
night sky more brightly than ever.
“There’s a special
energy in the parks at night,” says Chris Oyen, show
director for the “Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular.”
“It’s all about the magic and the sense of adventure and
mystery that nighttime possesses in the Magic Kingdom.”
At Disney’s Hollywood
Studios, The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror
adds new effects – and a summer-only drop sequence – to the
mix for guests daring to step into the attraction’s infamous
service elevator for a ride into the “fifth dimension.” And
on Hollywood Boulevard, in the shadow of the 122-foot-tall
Mickey’s Sorcerer’s Hat icon, guests are invited to the Rock
n’ Glow Dance Party, where a DJ and live rock band keep
popular tunes coming five nights a week.
At Epcot, live “Sounds Like
Summer” tribute-band concerts rock guests
each evening from June 12 to July 31 with familiar tunes
ranging from “Hotel California” to “Stayin’ Alive.” The multi-park
festivities promise a veritable Cinderella-coach-full of
sensory surprises for all who visit during the 10-week-plus
summer celebration.
“Main Street Electrical
Parade” – This classic pageant of
illuminated floats goes all the way back to 1972, when it
first debuted at Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif. With 23
floats, more than half a million tiny colorful lights, 80
performers, synthesizer music based on “Baroque Hoedown,”
and Disney theme songs woven in, the parade returns to Walt
Disney World Resort for the first time since 2001. A
nostalgia trip for many, this “crown jewel of summer” kicks
off the season with lighting effects, floats and characters
new to Walt Disney World Resort.
Tinker Bell waves her magic wand from the basket of a
dazzling balloon float. The Tinker Bell float alone
generates more than “25,000 points of light,” says Paul
Chychota, the parade’s production manager. Pinocchio and the boys from the
classic film’s Pleasure Island sequence join the parade in
Magic Kingdom this year, and Snow White appears with the
Seven Dwarfs on a Diamond Mine float glittering with
colorful gems.
Ten thousand strobes of “pixie-dust” light the parade trail
as a treasury of classic Disney stories comes to life.
Floats feature enhanced effects and, though the music stays
true to the original parade, the score’s dynamics soar to
greater heights thanks to state-of-the-art technology,
Chychota says.
Beloved floats like the “Honor America” finale display –
featuring the American flag and giant American eagle –
return, along with costumed characters like Alice in
Wonderland, Mickey Mouse and Goofy.
“Summer Nightastic! Fireworks
Spectacular” – Magic Kingdom presents more
after-dark magic when the sky explodes with vivid color and
visual effects that tell a thrilling story headlined by
fairies and pirates.
“With this show, we’re
making the skies come alive – we’re not just going to
immerse you, we’re going to surprise you, too,” says show
director Oyen.
The summer fireworks are accompanied by a whimsical score of
classic Disney tunes and theme music from the hit film
“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.”
The Fairy Godmother from “Cinderella” and other famous
fairies star in the fireworks spectacular.
The fireworks perimeter around Magic Kingdom will expand by
25 percent for the summer show. No matter where you are in
the park, you’ll be surrounded by the spectacle.
Pirate Alert: Captain Hook and his band of buccaneers burst
onto the scene to seize the park’s Cinderella Castle.
Disney’s creative entertainment team designed fireworks that
tell the story, including a skull-and-crossbones display and
other visual effects convincing enough to make you believe
the castle is under siege.
“We’re constantly innovating, pushing ourselves to be more
creative with the kind of pictures we paint in the sky –
we’re trying to make the skies come to life and dance,” Oyen
says.
New Frights at Twilight Zone
Tower of Terror – If you think you’ve been
to the “fifth dimension” and survived The Twilight Zone
Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, think again.
Surprise enhancements to this headline attraction are
programmed to deliver even greater levels of special-effects
frights just for the “Summer Nightastic!” celebration.
Rock ‘n Glow Dance Party –
Disney’s Hollywood
Studios guests are invited to trip the light fantastic at a
rockin’ dance party every Tuesday and Thursday through
Sunday. A DJ and a special engagement rock band play
sizzling summer sounds beginning three hours before park
closing on Hollywood Boulevard. Watch for popular Disney
characters to step into the dance party spotlight.
“Sounds Like Summer”
– Blasts
from the past are in store at Epcot, where the curtain rises
on popular rock-band tributes June 12 at the park’s America
Gardens Theatre in World Showcase. Each evening through July
31 at 5:45, 7 and 8:15 p.m., “Sounds Like Summer”
tribute-band concerts drum up lots of nostalgia with hot
tunes and cool riffs, from “Satisfaction” to “Saturday in
the Park.” The lineup (subject to change):
June 12-19:
Stayin' Alive – A Tribute to The Bee Gees
June 20-26: Hotel California – A Salute to the Eagles
June 27-July 3: Karin Lawson – A Tribute to Janet Jackson
July 4-10: Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones Tribute Band
July 11-17: Slippery When Wet – The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
July 18-24: 2U– A Tribute to U2
July 25-31: Beginnings – A Tribute to Chicago
Guests can Learn more about “Summer Nightastic!” and check
out deals for summer travel by visiting
www.disneyworld.com/night or by calling 407/W-DISNEY
(934-7639) or a local travel agent. All special summer
events are included in regular theme-park admission.
The
USA Gymnastics Open Championships will be held next
year June 2-5, 2011at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.
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