4th of July Fireworks

[csummerlin55]

I read that MK will also have their 4th of July display on the 3rd but I am scared of those crowds. Do any off the other parks have a special display on the 3rd? Since we are stuck going this week we would like to experience as much of it as possible with as little crowd as possible. (Feel free to respond once you have picked yourself up off of the floor from laughing so hard at that last line 8( ;0D Is the 4th's display worth the trouble? We are from Louisville, KY so we can always see a really impressive show at home but we usually love how WDW puts emotion in their shows. TIA!

 

[picprincess]

My favorite memory from our July trip last year was watching the fireworks on July 3rd. We ate dinner at BOG and the fireworks started going off when we walked out the door. We stood on the bridge outside of BOG and watched them go off all around us! It wasn't the perfect front-and-center if the castle view, but it wasn't crowded and we didn't have to find a spot hours in advance!

 

[pat fan]

We've done the 3rd & 4th and yes, they are worth it. You could do the 3rd at MK and the 4th at Epcot maybe? Not sure if the other parks do special "4th" shows or not, but again, MK's are worth it.

FYI, pick your spot EARLY and don't move!

 

[WEDWDW]

Only Magic Kingdom does Independence Day fireworks on the 3rd.

LAST year's times for the fireworks on the 4th were:

Magic Kingdom-9:00 PM
Epcot-10:00 PM
DHS-10:15 PM

I watched the MK show from the TTC,then hopped on the Monorail to Epcot and watched the Epcot show and then headed out the IG and watched the last part of the DHS show from The Beach Club beach.Great fun.

 

[GoofyMB]

HS does fireworks on the 4th as well. I usually Dom on the 3rd and EPCOT on the 4th. This year I am going to brave HS but have heard it is so crowded that you will literally be shoulder to shoulder and difficult to move

 

[photo_chick]

HS does fireworks on the 4th as well. I usually Dom on the 3rd and EPCOT on the 4th. This year I am going to brave HS but have heard it is so crowded that you will literally be shoulder to shoulder and difficult to move

We did HS on the 4th a couple years ago and will never do it again. It was awful during the fireworks. The park just cannot handle everyone gathering in the streets like that.

This year we're doing MK on the 3rd (again) and Epcot on the 4th.

 

[jlhill4444]

Last year we were able to catch the 4th fireworks at MK on July 2. They had the same fireworks on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th and that provided a much nicer experience. We had a Dessert Party reservation for the 2nd and were delighted when they announced they would be showing the patriotic show for four nights. Maybe that would be an option for you as the park was not nearly as crowded.

 

[mesaboy2]

Last year we were able to catch the 4th fireworks at MK on July 2. They had the same fireworks on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th and that provided a much nicer experience. We had a Dessert Party reservation for the 2nd and were delighted when they announced they would be showing the patriotic show for four nights. Maybe that would be an option for you as the park was not nearly as crowded.

I believe that was a product of last year's Limited Time Magic promotion, which means it almost certainly won't be repeated this year.

 

[SnowWhite09]

Last year's 4th of July fireworks were the best fireworks we have ever seen. We watched them from behind the castle and it was still amazing. Hardly any crowd on that side of the castle which was great. You should defintely not miss them no matter what the crowds are like!

 

[2Tiggies]

I was debating the various options some months back and went onto Youtube and trawled through many videos to get an idea of the HS fireworks. I dismissed that option pretty quickly because I don't think that the view is great from anywhere in that park. It's too cluttered and there are always trees and structures obstructing the view. That's just my 2c, but I acknowledge I have never watched fireworks there myself.

 

[WEDWDW]

I was debating the various options some months back and went onto Youtube and trawled through many videos to get an idea of the HS fireworks. I dismissed that option pretty quickly because I don't think that the view is great from anywhere in that park. It's too cluttered and there are always trees and structures obstructing the view. That's just my 2c, but I acknowledge I have never watched fireworks there myself.

I think your 2c is "right on the money".

I watched the Silver Anniversary fireworks from the corner of Hollywood and Sunset and the view is definitely "cluttered".

DHS just doesn't lend itself to great fireworks views.

 

[csummerlin55]

Thanks for all of the feedback! I like the idea of maybe viewing from afar!

 

[photo_chick]

I was debating the various options some months back and went onto Youtube and trawled through many videos to get an idea of the HS fireworks. I dismissed that option pretty quickly because I don't think that the view is great from anywhere in that park. It's too cluttered and there are always trees and structures obstructing the view. That's just my 2c, but I acknowledge I have never watched fireworks there myself.

This was the feeling I got when I was in the park watching them. And after MK on the 3rd they were just so meh...

 

[263a2879]

We watched the fireworks last year from the bridge that connects BLT to the Contemporary and they were by far 10X better on the 4th than they were the couple of days before.

This year we are watching them from a private fireworks cruise in Bay Lake and I can't wait. Last years 4th of July fireworks were 360 degrees around us and it brought tears to my eyes...

 

[twoWDWfools]

This year will be our first 4th of July in WDW and I am really looking forward to the fireworks. We've seen WISHES from behind the castle and was thinking of doing the same for this - less crowded maybe.

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

Have the times been released? Is MK on the 3rd 9pm and Epcot on the 4th at 10pm?

 

[mamabird3]

We love the fireworks so much that this will be our 4th trip over the 4th. They're amazing. It's crowded-yes. But I don't think it's terrible. It is what it is and we see what we can see and enjoy spending time together-that's the whole point a family vacation (IMHO). Anyway-our spot is outside magic kingdom, under the monorail track. We don't even bother going into mk that day (Epcot a few times and dhs. This year ak). We bringing our glow necklaces (and yes, extra for kids nearby) and watch fireworks from there.

 

[720L]

Last year we were able to catch the 4th fireworks at MK on July 2. They had the same fireworks on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th and that provided a much nicer experience. We had a Dessert Party reservation for the 2nd and were delighted when they announced they would be showing the patriotic show for four nights. Maybe that would be an option for you as the park was not nearly as crowded.

I just read on wdwinfo.com that this is happening again this year.

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

I just read on wdwinfo.com that this is happening again this year.

Has this been confirmed??

 

[263a2879]

Have the times been released? Is MK on the 3rd 9pm and Epcot on the 4th at 10pm?

When I booked our fireworks cruise, we were told that MK fireworks were at 10pm on the 4th. Not sure about other parks or days though.