It's Official: last year of Osborne Lights

[JimmyV]

Somebody, somewhere, is going to make a play for the lights. They have to. It just makes so much sense and is an instant crowd creator. Universal? City Walk? Gatorland?

 

[DrewJB]

I think we will see some pretty cool Star Wars and Toy Story Christmas stuff when that construction is done.

Maybe Disney will hire Jefferson Starship to perform nightly during the holidays in a grand celebration of the Star Wars Holiday Special. That would more than make up for the loss of the dancing lights......

 

[MagentaMulan]

I'm glad i'm going in December to see the lights, it's always been on my Disney to-do list.

 

[AllysonL]

This will be our first year to see the Osborne lights at DHS. We actually planned our trip so that it would fall within the dates of the lights.

However, this will not be MY first time to see the Osborne lights. I grew up about an hour from Little Rock and when I was a kid, our grandmother would take us over to see the lights in their original location, the Osborne home. I remember the lines of traffic and getting our first glimpse of the lights through the trees, traffic, and houses. It was spectacular. I am so excited I get to share it with my kids this year. I'd already considered using a photo from the lights for our Christmas card, and the fact that they're going away has solidified my decision.

I do have a couple of questions, though. What time are the lights typically lit? (A Chat CM just told me 8pm, which I cannot imagine to be correct as the park closes at 8.) Could we do the Osborne lights and F! in the same evening if F! is at 7pm? We currently have a H&V F! package, and I hate to give it up considering what I had to go through to get it. We have another evening - we could hop over to HS from Epcot and spend the evening with nothing on our agenda but the lights. What say you, Osborne veterans?

Last year, we had dinner at Mama Melrose (I want to say around 7pm) - went to see the lights - then hightailed it over to Fantasmic! I think Fantasmic! was at 9.
Depending on when you're down there... it may be Pop Warner week, which I know caused HS to close early one night we were there so we had to rearrange our schedule.

 

[Skywise]

Maybe Disney will hire Jefferson Starship to perform nightly during the holidays in a grand celebration of the Star Wars Holiday Special. That would more than make up for the loss of the dancing lights......

Are you kidding? It's going to be Wookiee Life "season" and Leia and Han will come out singing..

Oh yeah... I watched that special!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I was hoping to see them in 2017. Very sad. I'm a huge Christmas fan but could never get there around that time due to school schedules. UGH.

 

[DebbieB]

This goes along with the announcement yesterday that they will be breaking ground on Star Wars Land on both coasts in 2016. So this was the next question after that, I'm glad they made an announcement early so that people can make plans to see it.

 

[ghtx]

Too bad; I'll never get to see them. They never seemed that interesting to me, but they always got rave reviews.

 

[Meech Loves Mickey]

DISAPPOINTED!!!! Saw them once in 2010, but my boys were babies and they won't remember them. Time to start trying to convince the hubby that we need a Christmas trip this year!

 

[Praying Colonel]

saw the Lights on a 2009 Thanksgiving trip during which we all contracted the Swine Flu , but was otherwise a magical family vacation. Our night @ DHS seeing the Lights was a real highlight. So sorry WDW couldn't (or wouldn't) find another venue for them. I think the Downtown Disney idea sounds great.

 

[got2sammies]

Have seen them twice and was always a highlight of the trip! So sad this is going but maybe they can find another place for them.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Hey gang, Tristan here, yes sadly the lights will be coming to an end after the 2015 Holiday Season. My family sat down with the directors of the lights last night, and we were told that this year is going to be the biggest and best year for the lights as a final blow-out and the 20th year celebration. There are currently no plans to move the lights to any portion of HS or any other park on Disney property. (In fact we were given and inventory sheet of the items in the lights that belong to our family, which further cements the fact that they will never again be displayed on Disney property.)

While the family is sad that the lights will be leaving Disney, we are so very happy that we had the chance to spend 20 years lighting up HS and the many, many people we were able to meet and make their lives brighter after seeing the lights.

We hope you'll join us for one last hurrah, before the streets go dark. And don't worry I'm sure Disney will fill the void with something equally as magical as the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights was for the last 20 years!

-Tris

Sadly, when they remove things lately, they don't replace them with bigger and/or better...or at all for that matter. That is the disney trend the last few years. Just add this to the list.

 

[10-4 Good Buddy]

Well that sucks.

 

[prettypatchesmsu]

SO disappointed that I will never get to see them It was on my Disney list of things to do. But our trip is in Sept/Oct so we are too early. We had planned on this year maybe trying to go again at Christmas time as we've always wanted to go then, but DH ended up having surgery so the money went towards that.
I thought after reading about it that well, maybe we could drive down for a two day trip just to see them, but it'll be too expensive as we are not AP holders. Sigh. Sad.

 

[BrianL]

Sadly, when they remove things lately, they don't replace them with bigger and/or better...or at all for that matter. That is the disney trend the last few years. Just add this to the list.

Well, considering that the lights are likely being replaced with Star Wars Land, I'm not sure that really applies here. Of course, it'll be a few years, but still.

 

[bellazachmom]

Interested in hearing more details about the "Merry & Bright Dessert Party" and the "Merry & Bright Dinner Reception" ~ love that reservations open on 9/16 and "more info will be released at that time" It would be too much to ask, I guess, that they release the info prior to reservations opening so that you actually knew what your were booking.

 

[RustManFan]

was the only reason I visited DHS in 2009 and in 2016 I will have little reason to go there. With all that property at WDW I am surprised they couldn't put it elsewhere. (even if on a different scale)

 

[marivigi]

This makes me very sad.

I hope they find another location to move them to.

 

[Raya]

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...a-delightful-holiday-tradition-one-more-time/
As you plan ahead, we also wanted you to know that this holiday season will mark the finale for The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

I freaked out and booked a trip for the weekend before Christmas. I can't stand the idea that my family would *never* get to see them. Now I'm freaking out that the park will packed.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Somebody, somewhere, is going to make a play for the lights. They have to. It just makes so much sense and is an instant crowd creator. Universal? City Walk? Gatorland?

That would awesome if Universal took them!