Via DisDining.com
No one does entertainment like Disney! So when we visit Walt Disney World, we always fit in as many live entertainment experiences as we can. Like everything else, the number and kind of live shows available in WDW has changed during the pandemic. But the good news is that there are many live entertainment experiences currently open, or that will soon be back, in altered formats to ensure everyone’s safety. Here are a few!
1. Festival of the Lion King
If you’ve been missing Festival of the Lion King, you’ll be thrilled to know that a modified version will return to Disney’s Animal Kingdom this summer. While we have no official start date, Disney has announced a “mid-May” debut! The show has been updated to allow for physical distancing, and you’ll notice a difference in seating arrangements at Harambe Theatre too, with a goal of keeping cast members and guests safe while they enjoy the show. We can’t wait to join the celebration of this spectacular live show!
2. Voices of Liberty
I’ll never forget stumbling onto a live performance by the incomparable Voices of Liberty at Disney’s Epcot – it was an utterly magical moment! And there are plenty more magical moments in store for guests, as the group performs daily at America Gardens Theatre (with a totally new repertoire, featuring a healthy heaping of Disney favorites!). If you’ve never treated yourself to the dulcet tones of the Voices of Liberty, now’s the perfect time, and if you’ve been missing their stunning vocal acrobatics, welcome back!
3. Feathered Friends in Flight
The latest in a series of shows featuring live birds at the Caravan Stage Theater in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Feathered Friends in Flight has been entertaining guests since the park reopened in summer 2020. It’s hosted by actual animal trainers at WDW, and showcases the natural talents and survival techniques used by birds in the wild. The show features several different bird species, many of which you’ll see flying overhead; you’ll learn a thing or two about our amazing feathered friends while seeing them in action!
4. Cirque du Soleil and Disney – Drawn to Life
If you never got to experience the La Nouba show by Cirque du Soleil at Disney Springs before it closed in 2017, you’ll be just as excited as I am for Drawn to Life! A collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Disney (I’m in!), this new live show is a delightful collision of Disney animation and gravity-defying acrobatics. Performers interpret classic Disney animation through choreography, inspiring costuming and even an all-new score – with classic Disney music as its inspiration, of course. We’re told the stage is actually designed as a larger-than-life animation table! While we don’t have an exact opening date to share with you yet, Drawn to Life is coming “later this fall” to Walt Disney World – and we can’t wait!
5. For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Do you have a Frozen fan in your household? If so, you’ll want to head to For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration in Disney’s Hollywood Studios on your next WDW vacation. Performed several times daily, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to belt out all of your favorite Frozen songs along with Elsa, Anna and Kristoff, and you’ll enjoy your favorite scenes from the movie – wearing a mask and in physically distanced seats, of course, for safety!
6. Dapper Dans
Ah, Dapper Dans, how we’ve missed you! Thankfully, this iconic barbershop quartet has returned to Disney’s Magic Kingdom, putting smiles on faces up and down Main Street USA. You’ll find them in the train station or on a trolley car now, but the stellar harmonies and wacky humor you love are the same as you remember! The Dapper Dans perform 20-minute shows throughout the day.
7. Grand Floridian Pianist
We’re still mourning the departure of the unparalleled Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, but there’s good news – the Grand Floridian Pianist has returned to the lobby of Disney’s flagship resort! Safely physically distanced and wearing a mask, this maestro of the keys will entertain and delight music lovers of all ages. There’s something so magical about live music in the posh lobby of Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, and we couldn’t be happier!
