IllumiNations Fireworks Show to End Summer 2019

Yesterday, Disney World announced that the IllumiNations fireworks show will come to an end in 2019.  While this is certainly a sad development, it is not surprising.  It had been rumored in the Disney blogosphere for quite some time.  Now that we have official confirmation that the IllumiNations fireworks show is coming to an end, what all do we know?

IllumiNations Fireworks Show Official End Date

In typical Disney style, they are being vague as to when the Illuminations fireworks show will end.  The official Disney parks blog post says the show will “run to the end of summer 2019”.  Now, what the end of summer 2019 exactly means is up to your own interpretation.  Our guess is they will let IllumiNations run until crowds die down in late August or Early September.  Winding down the show right around Labor Day would make sense.   You give one last rush of people a chance to get to the park, while kicking off the 2019 Food and Wine Festival.

Now, this is just our speculation.  If you really want to make sure you get to see IllumiNations before it ends, then you should plan to hit the parks no later than July of 2019.

What’s Replacing the IllumiNations Fireworks Show?

Good question.  Disney is being tight lipped with this right now.  All they have said is that IllumiNations will be replaced with a new fireworks spectacular.  What it’s called and what story it will tell is still a mystery.  We’ll find out sometime in the spring of 2019, most likely.

Disney did say that the new show will “debut immediately following the conclusion of IllumiNations”.  If you want to see the last show of IllumiNations and the very first show of the new spectacular, plan on being in Epcot two nights in a row.  You’ll need to get there early.  Expect massive crowds!

The new show is set to take place over World Showcase Lagoon, where IllumiNations takes place currently.

What Else Did We Learn?

Beyond the actual announcement of IllumiNations coming to an end, we also got a little bit of a glimpse into Disney’s plans for Epcot.  Nothing new per se, rather just more of the general vision.

Disney reiterated their commitment and vision of a multi-year transformation of Epcot.  They will bring “experiences that will “Wow!” guests while keeping true to the original vision of the park.”  We’ll see what keeping true to Epcot’s original vision means.  We can certainly see how some parks have evolved over the years.  Some in ways that make them not their original vision or even consistent in theme across the park.

Don’t forget Disney has previously announced a few new attractions for Epcot.  We’ll be getting the new Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster along with a Ratatouille-inspired attraction in World Showcase.  The latter will be located in the France pavillion.

Wrapping Up

While it’s sad to see the IllumiNations fireworks show at Epcot end, especially for long time Disney fans, it was probably time.  The show debuted in 1999, so a 20 year run is a good healthy go at it.  Here’s hoping that Disney creates an equally inspiring and rousing fireworks show to replace IllumiNations.  We’ll keep you updated on any news related the end of IllumiNations as Disney releases it.