Disney World 50th Anniversary Guide

Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration started on October 1, 2021 and will run for 18 months at the parks.

During this time you'll find fun food, decor, and experiences at each of the parks.

Here is what you can expect at Disney World during 50th anniversary celebration, and my guide to all things 50th anniversary! Here I break everything down by park, and give my review of on all of the 50th fun!

Magic Kingdom

Disney Enchantment

Disney Enchantment debuted on October 1. This new nighttime show includes Disney music, enhanced lighting, fireworks over Cinderella Castle, and immersive projections on both Cinderella Castle and Main Street USA.

There has been a lot of talk about this show not living up to it's predecessor, Happily Ever After. While I understand that the previous show had more of a story, and brought an emotional connection to Disney fans, I personally really enjoyed Disney Enchantment.

I found it to be an incredibly fun show. Fireworks and projections of your favorite characters begin at the castle, with a soundtrack that includes many of your favorite classic Disney songs.

Where this show is strongest is when projections suddenly appear on Main Street. I watched the show from the middle of Main Street USA, and when the projections suddenly appeared on the buildings around me, there was a collective gasp from the crowd. It was amazing to be in the middle of that.

I loved that this new show gave more opportunity for guests to enjoy it, without having to stake out a spot in front of the castle hours ahead of time. Even on opening night I was able to walk up to a spot on Main Street not long before the show started, and I felt that I had an amazing vantage to see fireworks, the castle, Main Street, and even Tinkerbell flying through the air.

A Beacon of Magic

In the evening Cinderella Castle will illuminate the park with a dazzling glow that sparkles with pixie dust.

While the castle looks beautiful lit up, don't expect a "show" with the Beacon of Magic. It's just a projection on the Castle. So I would make sure to grab some photos if you are in Magic Kingdom, but don't feel the need to run to the Castle to see it light up.

Disney Fab 50 Sculptures

Across all 4 of the theme parks you'll find 50 characters just waiting to be discovered. At Magic Kingdom some of these sculptures include:

• Mickey Mouse
• Minnie Mouse
• Donald Duck
• Daisy Duck
• Goofy
• Pluto
• Chip 'n Dale

These fun sculptures are hidden around the park. They are very cute, and I found it fun to search for them while I was in the parks.

Mickey and Friends Cavalcade

Mickey Mouse and his friends will ride the parade route on a float throughout the day. They'll be sporting their 50th anniversary EAR-idecent outfits. You can find times on the My Disney Experience app.

This is cute, but as we have brought back nighttime shows and events, I wish this would have been a full parade instead of just a single float and dancers. I personally feel more could have been done here to really celebrate the 50th. I would have loved to see not only Mickey, but maybe some classic characters or floats based on original parades from 50 years ago.

But this is currently your only way to see Mickey in his new outfit, so if you want to check that out you can find show times in the My Disney Experience app. The cavalcade runs through Frontierland and goes through the hub in front of the Castle and then down Main Street.

The Royal Princess Processional

Be on the lookout for some favorite Disney Princesses as a part of a royal processional down the parade route. You can find times on the My Disney Experience app.

50th Anniversary Food

You'll have lots of options for special 50th anniversary food and beverages. Here are just a few of the goodies you can find at Magic Kingdom. For a full list see the My Disney Experience App.

Auntie Gravity’s Galactic Goodies

• Uncle Orville Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow Sundae – Chocolate and vanilla soft-serve, brownie pieces, hot fudge, and whipped cream topped with red, white, and blue sprinkles served in a “bathtub”

Be Our Guest Restaurant

• Squids Revenge Drink – A michelada with a salted rim and garnished with charred octopus and cucumber. Watch out, the giant squid is back!

Casey’s Corner

• Pressed Penny Silk Pie – Chocolate tart shell, silky chocolate filling, sweet whipped cream, and a chocolate-pressed penny
• 50^thCelebration Hot Dog – All-beef hot dog topped with strawberry bacon jam, crisp funnel cake pieces, and powdered sugar

Cinderella’s Royal Table

• Royal 50th Celebration Flight – Flight of Enchantée Champagne – a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunière (Enchantée Champagne is sold exclusively at the Walt Disney World Resort)

Columbia Harbor House

• Happy Haunts Milkshake – Blackberry milkshake topped with a purple chocolate-glazed doughnut covered with black sprinkles

Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café

• Mission to Mars – Burger topped with bacon and macaroni & cheese served on a bun dusted with crushed cheese-flavored puffs

The Crystal Palace

• Walt’s Favorites on the Buffet – Chicken fried steak, New York strip steak, pork chops, and more!

Friar’s Nook

• The Toad Burger – Brat burger served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and American cheese

Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen

• Veranda Fried Rice – Spicy chili-garlic shrimp served over pork fried rice with eggs and peas (from the original Verandah Restaurant menu)

Outdoor Kiosks

• Dumbo Churros – Churros rolled in peanut dust and served with chocolate dipping sauce in a Dumbo-themed churro bag
• Royal 50th Churro – Churros rolled in strawberry sugar, drizzled with marshmallow cream, and shimmer sprinkles served with chocolate dipping sauce

Plaza Ice Cream Parlor

• The Banana Boom – Traditional banana split topped with popping candy and a candied shooting star

Plaza Restaurant

• Cheers to 50 Years! – Chocolate and vanilla ice cream, brownies, cupcakes, cookie crumbles, pretzel rods, and hot fudge topped with whipped cream, EARidescent sugar, and a Mickey pretzel drizzled with caramel and chocolate icing (serves 4-6)

Storybook Treats

• Heigh-Ho Sundae! – Chocolate soft-serve, hot fudge, graham cracker pieces, chocolate gems, and whipped cream

Tony’s Town Square Restaurant

• Five Alarm Wings – Wings tossed in a sweet-and-spicy heat served with ranch dressing for dipping

50th Anniversary Shopping

You'll find some amazing 50th anniversary collections at the parks. These collections have a wide variety of styles, from classic to contemporary and will be available throughout the parks.

There are 5 different anniversary collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• Vault Collection
• EARidescent Collection
• Luxe Logo Collection

You'll find merchandise at the following locations:

Emporium on Main Street features the following collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• EARidescent Collection

Main Street Cinema features the following collections:

• Vault Collection

EPCOT

Harmonious

Harmonious is the new nighttime show that debuted on October 1. This new nighttime spectacular uses stories and music to bring people together. The World Showcase Lagoon will come to life with floating giant screens, choreographed moving fountains, lights, pyrotechnics, and lasers.

Personally, this show was not the exciting new addition to Epcot that I had hoped for. While at times it's impressive, I had a few issues in watching this show.

First, what was once a show that had no bad seats in the house, now a big part of the show relies on screens located on barges in the middle of World Showcase Lagoon. If you want the full experience, you'll want a straight on view of the circular barge. So you are limited in seating options to get that view.

So your best options are going to be near the dock between Mexico and Canada. So this would be on the World Showcase Lagoon, but on the part closest to World Celebration.

I also felt like this show didn't produce any emotion or nostalgia. There were moments that felt fun and exciting (for me that was the Coco sequence and the Princess and the Frog sequence). But these felt chopped together, and often had long weird lags between segments.

At the end of the day, it was a fun evening show, but nothing that I would ever wait an hour or more to get prime viewing for. If you are in the parks during show time, by all means stop. Watch. Enjoy! But my personal recommendation would be to skip the part where you plan your evening around holding a viewing spot for this particular show. Enjoy the rest of the park!

A Beacon of Magic

In the evening Spaceship Earth will illuminate the park as stardust emerges to symbolize beacons of possibility and optimism.

This is by far the most impressive of the Beacon of Magic lights at any of the parks. The lights around Spaceship Earth change periodically to different designs that light up the sky.

This was possibly my favorite part of the 50th anniversary celebration at Epcot!

Disney Fab 50 Sculptures

Across all 4 of the theme parks you'll find 50 characters just waiting to be discovered.

Some of the highlights at this park include Olaf, Miguel from Coco, Rocket the Raccoon, and of course Figment!

50th Anniversary Food

You'll have lots of options for special 50th anniversary food and beverages. Here are just a few of the goodies you can find at Magic Kingdom. For a full list see the My Disney Experience App.

Coral Reef Restaurant

• Key Lime Tart with toasted meringue, EARidescent shimmer, sprinkles, and chocolate garnish

The EPCOT Experience

• EARidescent Croissant Doughnut – Croissant doughnut with blue icing and sprinkles

Le Cellier Steakhouse

• Chocolate Mousse Bar – Dark chocolate mousse, caramel cookie pieces, milk chocolate shell, and chocolate shortbread cookie

Sunshine Seasons

• Mini Chocolate Bundt Cake – Mini chocolate Bundt cake with chocolate ganache, sprinkles, and icing dusted with EARidescent shimmer and chocolate 50^thanniversary garnish

50th Anniversary Shopping

You'll find some amazing 50th anniversary collections at the parks. These collections have a wide variety of styles, from classic to contemporary and will be available throughout the parks.

There are 5 different anniversary collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• Vault Collection
• EARidescent Collection
• Luxe Logo Collection

You'll find merchandise at the following locations:

Creations Shop features the following collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• EARidescent Collection
• Luxe Logo Collection

Hollywood Studios

A Beacon of Magic

In the evening Hollywood Tower Hotel (home to Twilight Zone Tower of Terror) will glitter with EARidescence, evoking the glimmer and shimmer of the golden age of imagination and adventure.

The Tower looks amazing lit up, but don't feel the need to rush to see it light up. It isn't a show, exactly. There is a quick intro and then projection mapping lights up. But it stays lit throughout the night.

So definitely see it! Grab photos. But don't worry about running there just as it lights up.

Disney Fab 50 Sculptures

Across all 4 of the theme parks you'll find 50 characters just waiting to be discovered.

Some of the highlights at Hollywood Studios include Star Wars and Pixar characters.

50th Anniversary Food

You'll have lots of options for special 50th anniversary food and beverages. Here are just a few of the goodies you can find at Magic Kingdom. For a full list see the My Disney Experience App.

Trolley Car Café

• Glimmer and Shimmer Pineapple Mousse – Golden pineapple mousse on a toasted coconut crisp with caramel cream and matcha sponge cake

The Hollywood Brown Derby

• Filet Mignon with Walt’s Hash topped with an egg (just the way Walt liked it!)

The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge, Oasis Canteen, Sunshine Day Bar, Animation Bar

• Shimmer over the Moon – Apple pie moonshine, amaretto, falernum, pineapple juice, and club soda served with a souvenir glow cube

ABC Commissary

• Chocolate Mousse – Raspberry-dark chocolate mousse, chocolate-almond cake, and a layer of hazelnut crunch and whipped chocolate-hazelnut cheesecake

50th Anniversary Shopping

You'll find some amazing 50th anniversary collections at the parks. These collections have a wide variety of styles, from classic to contemporary and will be available throughout the parks.

There are 5 different anniversary collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• Vault Collection
• EARidescent Collection
• Luxe Logo Collection

You'll find merchandise at the following locations:

Keystone Clothiers features the following collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• EARidescent Collection
• Luxe Logo Collection

Animal Kingdom

Disney KiteTails

Disney characters will take to the sky in a new performance. Kites and wind catchers will dance through the air to Disney music. You'll find three-dimensional kites of Simba, Zazu, King Louie, Baloo, and more. This show take flight above Discovery River Theater.

I greatly enjoyed this show. It is simple and fun, and I love that we were able to really get excited and enjoy a show that did not rely on screens or crazy technology. Just fun balloons and kites flying through the air, set to live music.

I would highly recommend catching this show if you are at Animal Kingdom.

A Beacon of Magic

In the evening the Tree of Life will emanate light as enchanted fireflies gather to call forth the magic of nature.

Of all of the Beacon of Magic light shows at the parks, this one is sadly the weakest link. It is still very pretty, but it is in no way a "must see" in the same way that the Epcot version is.

If you are at the park in the evening, definitely check it out, but I would not make a special trip just for this one.

Disney Fab 50 Sculptures

Across all 4 of the theme parks you'll find 50 characters just waiting to be discovered.

Some of the highlights include Nemo, Bambi, and Lion King characters.

50th Anniversary Food

You'll have lots of options for special 50th anniversary food and beverages. Here are just a few of the goodies you can find at Magic Kingdom. For a full list see the My Disney Experience App.

Drinkwallah

• Hand-dipped 50th Celebration Mickey Premium Bar – Our classic Nestlé Mickey’s Premium Ice Cream Bar dipped in blue raspberry-flavored coating with celebration sprinkles and a little bit of pixie dust

Restaurantosaurus

• Cheese Fries with Walt’s Chili – Crispy fries topped with Walt’s favorite chili and cheddar sauce
• Walt’s Favorite Chili on Foot-long Hot Dog – A foot-long hot dog served on a warm bun topped with Walt’s favorite chili and cheddar sauce

Tiffins

• 50th Celebration Chocolate Gâteaux – Almond praline, white chocolate crémeux, ganache, and chocolate-South African cream liqueur sauce

50th Anniversary Shopping

You'll find some amazing 50th anniversary collections at the parks. These collections have a wide variety of styles, from classic to contemporary and will be available throughout the parks.

There are 5 different anniversary collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• Vault Collection
• EARidescent Collection
• Luxe Logo Collection

You'll find merchandise at the following locations:

Island Mercantile features the following collections:

• Celebration Collection
• Disney Castle Collection
• EARidescent Collection
• Luxe Logo Collection

Ready to Book Your Vacation?

Get a free quotehere!

Still Confused or Need Help?

I am happy to help!Contact me.

See you at the parks,
-Julie