Special Events at WDW

The Walt Disney World® Resort has a plethora of special events that keep guests coming back to the resort year after year. Disney is always updating and finding new ways to make these events more spectacular than the last year, along with planning new special events year after year to help create new long-lasting memories. Below is a look, park-by-park, at the special events you can expect at the Walt Disney World® Resort.
 
Magic Kingdom® Park
The Magic Kingdom® Park is home to the resort's newest special event - Disney's Pirate and Princess Party. Back by popular demand, this party is returning to the Magic Kingdom® on select nights from March 1, 2008 - June 4, 2008. This special event does require a separate ticket on top of general admission into the Magic Kingdom® Park (all of Magic Kingdom's® special events require this additional ticket), as the party takes place after regular park hours at night. Disney's Pirate and Princess Party allows everyone to become a pirate or princess for a night, as you will grab a map and treasure pouch to embark on an adventure around the park in a quest for chocolate doubloons and royal beads, with special activities along the way.

The home of the Mouse also hosts two special parties for the holidays - Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is held on select nights from September 5, 2008 - October 31, 2008 and gives families and children the opportunity to trick-or-treat around the park with their favorite Disney characaters, who just so happen to be dressed up as well!
 
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party gets everyone in the holiday spirit, as you will encounter live stage shows, character greetings throughout the park, cookies and hot cocoa and even snow on Main Street, U.S.A.! This holiday celebration will run on select nights this year from November 10, 2008 - December 19, 2008. And, as with the Halloween Party, both special events also include a special parade and fireworks show.

The Night of Joy, scheduled this year on September 5, 2008 - September 6, 2008, is the final special event held at the Magic Kingdom Park. This two-day experience allows guests to feel the joy at live concerts from some of Christian music's most praise-worthy performers.
 
Epcot®
The Epcot® International Flower and Garden festival, which happens each Spring at the park, celebrates the season with a colorful array of flagrant flowers, gardens and over-the-top topiaries! You can even learn tricks of the trade from Disney's own expert gardening crew. This event, as is the case with all of Epcot's events, is included with admission to the park and is held from March 19, 2008 - June 1, 2008.

The Epcot® International Food and Wine Festival may be one of the most well-known special events at any Disney park. Running from September 26, 2008 - November 9, 2008, this 13th-annual showcase features the flavors of the world. You will explore marketplaces featuring regional foods, wines and beers, learn from renowned chefs at special demonstrations and programs and sample the finest cuisine from around the globe at all of the pavilions around the World Showcase.
 
Epcot® is also home to the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series, where, all summer long, tribute bands cover your favorite songs from classic artists such as Elton John, ABBA, The Eagles and more. And finally, at the Holidays Around the World celebration, you can experience what the holidays are like all around the globe without ever leaving the Walt Disney World® Resort. This event is extremely popular, especially the nightly Candlelight Processional, which features celebrity guests readers of the Christmas story, and the holiday-themed finale to Illuminations: Reflections of Earth.
 
Disney's Hollywood Studios®
Disney's Hollywood Studios® has a plethora of special events all throughout the year and has something for literally everyone in the family. For any Star Wars fans, Star Wars Weekends is a must-see. You will come face-to-face with your favorite Star Wars characters, see special performances and test your knowledge with trivia throughout the park. The event will be held from June 6, 2008 - June 29, 2008, this year.

All of the little ones will enjoy the Playhouse Disney-Live on Stage™ in Concert special event. Throughout the summer months, Disney Channel entertainers will perform live on select dates, allowing children to dance, sing and interact with their favorite performers. Of note, however - these concerts do require a separate (but free) ticket to the show, which are distributed once inside the park at the Coaster Courtyard Concert Stage.
 
For all you sports lovers out there, ESPN The Weekend is the perfect place to be. All of your favorite athletes and ESPN personalities are on hand for activities throughout the day, including question and answer sessions with fans and live ESPN broadcasts. There is also a Sports Zone set up in the park as well where you can practice your favorite sports or even get behind the desk to brush up on your on-air skills.
 
Daytime soaps fans come out in flocks to the ABC Super Soap Weekend. Get up close and personal with your favorite daytime celebrities, such as Susan Lucci, with celebrity motorcades through the park and autograph sessions with the more than 30 TV luminaries.
 
Finally, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights runs throughout the winter holiday months. After dark, this dazzling display of blinking and twinkling lights move in synchronized motion to memorable holiday music - and don't be surprised if a few snowflakes fall from overhead!
 
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park
Disney's Animal Kingdom® Theme Park currently only has one special event each year - but it gets wilder and wilder every winter. Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade celebrates the holidays with traditional music that will thrill you with the sights and sounds of the season. In addition, carolers also perform throughout the day in Camp Minnie-Mickey and the Oasis.
 
Whatever special event you are planning on visiting at the Walt Disney World® Resort, make sure to check out Orlando Fun Tickets' discounted Disney tickets to get you into all of the action at a low price!