Crowds at MK for the fireworks

[Disneytam]

We did the dessert party a few days ago in between two party days, and were glad we did. The hub and a good chunk of Main Street were packed to capacity. About 30 minutes (maybe more) before the show, groups of three CMs on either side of the hub ( both front and back 'parts') were 'blocking' it off to additional people, and were directing people to use the walkways behind the shops that are normally closed to keep traffic flowing before the show. People would go down the back way then come back up Main Street as far as they could. They were not directing people to move forward- but were, as mentioned, directing people away from the hub to the far end of Main Street then back up. There were also additional CMs behind the garden area in the walkways preventing people from hovering there- and directing them towards the back walkways. A few people ‘snuck’ through, but there is no way that anyone was going to show up 5-10 min before the fireworks on the evening we were there and get a good spot in the opposite garden in front of Casey's- they wouldn’t even have been able to get anywhere near that area with all of the CM’s directing people away. I wouldn't say it was impossible- as with a lot of pushing and shoving a person 'might' have been able to wedge themselves through the throng of people to get there- and then someone 'might' magically yield their spot to the person- but it seems improbable to me- just my opinion. So...realistically...if your son really wants to see the fireworks from a good viewpoint in front of the castle area- tell him to get to the hub area at least 60 minutes beforehand. If the crowds were like what we saw and is typical of a non-party day this year, 60 minutes is pushing the outside limits of what I can, in good conscience, recommend as a MINIMUM amount of time to arrive.

Thank you for this. I noticed for Dec. 6, the night they will be attending there didn't seem to be a dessert party and the fireworks show a 9:00 showing and then the castle display has a time of 10:30 pm. The MK has EMH till 1 am on this day. I would guess that both garden areas will be open with no party scheduled that night but I think I will send him to the Garden area in front of Casey's. Thank you everyone for chiming in.

 

[Disneytam]

This is not a good suggestion for projection viewing, but I watched from BEHIND the castle back in September and really loved it back there. There are fireworks literally going off all around you and the show audio is great. We also walked up 3 minutes before show time and there were no crowds.

This is a good spot for someone who has seen the show from the front before and either doesn't want to fight the crowds in the hub or is OK with something different.

Some pics attached.

This might be a good idea for them if they decide that waiting for over an hour is not in the cards and they would rather get in some of the rides. My son's girlfriend has never been to Disney before and we are trying to fit in a whirlwind tour of three days for them before they head to Universal for the rest of their trip.

 

[samantha3590]

We watched it 11/27. Arrived about 1 hour early and stood along a fence on the way to Adventureland. This was great for the projections but unfortunately a tree was in our way for a lot of the fireworks. The family next to us had been there for 2 hours and had their strollers basically blocking off a little square section for them. Of course about 10 minutes before it started another family with small children came up and the parents started pushing there way into the other families spot. This made the first family mad (rightfully so) and the two men were legitimately PUSHING each other back and forth and one guy ended up swinging at the other guy. It was horrible. There were so many people and no CM/security in the near vicinity. I was absolutely appalled by this behavior. It put a damper on the whole fireworks experience after that. Next time, I’m paying for the dessert party. I’m not an anxious person and crowds don’t really bother me but that was just ridiculous and frankly unsafe.

 

[jaysmom4285]

Thank you for this. I noticed for Dec. 6, the night they will be attending there didn't seem to be a dessert party and the fireworks show a 9:00 showing and then the castle display has a time of 10:30 pm. The MK has EMH till 1 am on this day. I would guess that both garden areas will be open with no party scheduled that night but I think I will send him to the Garden area in front of Casey's. Thank you everyone for chiming in.

There is definitely a dessert party on December 6, as I have a reservation for it. it may be sold out and unavailable, but there is one, so that side of the plaza garden area will be reserved for the dessert party people.

 

[CAS239]

5-10 minutes early will not necessarily work as when we were there both November 18 and 19, they announced that the hub and Main Street were at capacity about 20 minutes before HEA was to start. This was frightening to us as we had watched HEA from Main Street November 13 and it was packed, but they had not closed it to capacity. I can only imagine what it was like those days. Luckily, since we had already seen HEA, we were in Fantasyland one day and Frontierland the other.

They announced this over speakers or a CM told you that? I've never heard them say the hub and main street is at capacity.

 

[Disneytam]

There is definitely a dessert party on December 6, as I have a reservation for it. it may be sold out and unavailable, but there is one, so that side of the plaza garden area will be reserved for the dessert party people.

Well that certainly makes more sense. I couldn't figure out why they wouldn't be having one that night. Thank you.

 

[GusGusTheMouse]

We watched 11/11 when the crowd calendar was a 10 at MK, so I can easily say the whole day was crazy. However, we did not feel like it was that bad where we stood to watch HEA. We walked over from Adventureland about 30 minutes before the fireworks began and found a spot that was right on the edge of the Main Street circle. The thought process was that we wanted to be as close as possible to an exit back towards the rides so we could avoid going against the stream of people leaving after the fireworks. It was crowded, as in shoulder to shoulder, but everyone was able to see the castle projections and we were out of the hub within minutes of the end of the show. The one debacle we did run into was that they shut the area down from any new people about 15 minutes prior to the show. So we had some party members that had to convince the CM to let them through to join us.

As much as I liked HEA, I do feel like it is not really worth it unless you have a view of the castle. This causes all of the viewing spots towards the front of the park to be pretty miserable now. There are just not as many fireworks anymore and the music is integrally related to the projections which forces everyone to be towards the front of the park. Oh well, it was good, but we just can't watch it from our old spot near the Tea Cups anymore.

 

[Shanti]

There may not be an answer to this question but here goes. What is the easiest way to watch the new fireworks show at MK without getting trampled? My husband and I were at the MK a couple of weeks ago and the mad house that was the crowd waiting to see the MK fireworks was not for the faint of heart! My niece was in the MK last night and found it so bad that they left the park before the show even started as they witnessed guests and CM screaming at each other! My son will be at the MK this Wednesday night and would really like to view the castle show and fireworks without the chance of being trampled or crushed. Is there any way to do this? Maybe another spot besides the hub or main street.

The problem seems to me to be that the hub and main street are really the only place to be to be able to view things on the castle the way they were meant to be seen. Open to any favorite viewing spots or suggestions. MK will be open until 1 am on the night that they will be attending.

They sell nightly fireworks dessert parties at MK for just this reason. Oh, and to rake in lots of money...

 

[KaitMM]

They announced this over speakers or a CM told you that? I've never heard them say the hub and main street is at capacity.

They announced it over the speakers that Main Street and the hub were at full capacity and all guests should stay where they are. This was when we were there this past Saturday that the OP mentioned. I’ve never heard an announcement like that before in any park, either.