Letting off steam (or something) after Illuminations?

[Tamar]

A few times in the past couple of months we have been in the Boardwalk area around 10:30 pm, and have heard/seen explosions coming from the World Showcase. Do they routinely explode faulty fireworks or something at that time?

 

[disney junky]

A few times in the past couple of months we have been in the Boardwalk area around 10:30 pm, and have heard/seen explosions coming from the World Showcase. Do they routinely explode faulty fireworks or something at that time?

I understand that they do rehearsal or practice tests for new effects or changes in the shows. Perhaps that's what you are hearing.

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

It is the Barge blow off (they have name for it, but it is escaping me right now) post Illuminations. They do it everynight around that time. We happened to be leaving a late dinner at Le Cellier one night and got to see it, it was REALLY cool. They make an announcement stating that they are going to do it and that it is controled so that you don't freak out and then BOOM! You can feel the heat coming off the lake, it is very intense. I kind of considered it Epcot's version on the MK Kiss Goodnight. Very cool!!!

 

[May Queen]

That has happened! Once, we were actually exiting World Showcase and this odd green fog was hanging over everything! Something must be very complex about IllumiNations. Or it could just be (aliens!)
~May Queen

 

[cigar95]

They make an announcement stating that they are going to do it and that it is controled so that you don't freak out and then BOOM!

Making the announcement might be new - I've seen the blow-off in the past, and they waited until everyone was out of the park. (I think I may have been the last guest in the park, waiting around for the blow-off, walkking past France on my way out.)

Perhaps they're doing it earlier now, so there could be more guests remaining in the park.

It is indeed quite a sight - not especially loud, as I remember, but a huge ball of flame.

 

[rhiansmom]

I remember the announcement as "one last something special or another" and it lasted about the total of three seconds... everyone was saying "was that it?"

 

[EpcotMatt]

Here you go:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9057279533439476147&q=EPCOT+BARGE

 

[dbm20th]

We heard it from the BW a few times. Very quick, but it is maintenance related as far as I know

 

[kkevcamsmom]

A little blurb by the video (very cool, by the way!) states:

Daily after Illuminations and the park closes, the operators of the fire barge release the remaining liquid propane that turn it into a huge fireball over the World Showcase Lagoon.

Lori

 

[Tamar]

Thanks everyone! I knew someone would know something about this. Gotta love the Internet!

 

[mydisneykids]

Thank you for the link. My husband's dream job just got better. He always wanted to set off fireworks, but now they get to blow things up too. He would be in heaven.

 

[budbeerlady]

That is so cool, I might have to hang out a bit later one night on the next trip and see what happens!

 

[cigar95]

Here you go:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9057279533439476147&q=EPCOT+BARGE

Very interesting - leave it to Disney to make a show element out of an engineering procedure.

But one question about the video - was that two separate blow-offs a few seconds apart, or two different nights edited together? (It definitely doesn't look like the same one repeated twice, as the second definitely looks bigger.)

 

[CDSTapisRouge]

Very interesting - leave it to Disney to make a show element out of an engineering procedure.

But one question about the video - was that two separate blow-offs a few seconds apart, or two different nights edited together? (It definitely doesn't look like the same one repeated twice, as the second definitely looks bigger.)

I think it is two seperate nights edited together. From my experience seeing this event it was only one blow off.