Best Places to Watch the Magic Kingdom Fireworks

The fireworks are the perfect way to cap off a magical day at Magic Kingdom and I’m sharing some of our tips on the best places to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks. Even though we’ve seen them many times, I still make sure we can catch a glimpse of the fireworks on just about every night of our trip! Sometimes it’s from a prime viewing location within the park, and sometimes it’s from somewhere else at the Walt Disney World Resort.

There are several different schools of thought when it comes to watching the fireworks.  Some people will spend hours staking out one of the prime locations in order to have a perfect view, some watch the fireworks from wherever they happen to be in the park, and some utilize the fireworks time to go on as many rides as possible with shorter lines. There are pros and cons to each choice and our method is a bit of each depending on how many days we’re at Disney!

First things first, you can find the fireworks schedule here.  Right now, Happily Ever After runs every night sometime between 8-10pm, depending on the time of year.  At Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, you can watch Hallowishes at 10:15pm and at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, make sure to watch Holiday Wishes at 10pm. Without further ado, here are our fave places to watch the fireworks!

Magic Kingdom Fireworks From Main Street

Starting just about as far back as you can get from the fireworks (besides the Train Station), the flagpole area on Main Street is actually a pretty decent place to watch Happily Ever After from and has the advantage of being close to the exit if you want to beat the crowds out of the park after the show. While you’re not close enough to get the full effect of the projections on Cinderella Castle, it’s a fun place to watch and get the ambiance of Main Street. However, if you’re planning to watch the 4th of July, New Year’s Eve, or Halloween/Christmas party fireworks, be aware that you won’t be able to see the 360° perimeter bursts.

Further down Main Street (this was taken just outside of the Main Street Bakery), you have a much better view of the castle projections, especially if you can get all the way into the middle of the street so that your view is not obstructed by trees. You can typically walk into the street very last minute and still get this view although you may have some trees/buildings in your sightline if you can’t get to the middle. This option works better for solo/couple travelers than large families due to space constraints or ending up behind taller people.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks in the Hub

The Hub really is the best place to be for the full effect of the fireworks and the projections on Cinderella Castle and there are three distinct areas to choose from.  The Hub Grass on the right if you’re looking towards the castle is reserved for the Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing.  You can make reservations for this dessert party 180 days prior to your visit and it’s currently (as of March 2019) $69 for adults and $41 for kids 3-9.

The Hub Grass on the left side as you’re looking towards the castle is usually open seating though sometimes it is used as overflow for VIP groups. In the past, this area was used for FP+ but it has been open seating for the last few years. Oftentimes people will stay seated in this area, so please be aware of what the people behind you are doing, especially if you’re on the front railing.

There’s a “secret” spot on Main Street, just past Casey’s Corner and the Plaza Restaurant that is affectionately known as “The Hump”. Unless you’re really paying attention, you would never notice this small hill, but if you position yourself at the top, the road slopes downward towards Cinderella Castle minimizing the impact of taller guests standing in front of you. If you’re having trouble finding “the hump”, look for the guests with big cameras and tripods as it’s one of their favorite shooting locations!

Wherever you end up in the Hub, make sure that you can see to the right of Cinderella Castle towards Tomorrowland if you want to catch a glimpse of Tinkerbell flying through the sky. While she is set to fly in every show that’s currently offered at Magic Kingdom, she cannot fly in inclement weather so be forewarned, if it’s raining or super windy, she may not fly.

Magic Kindom Fireworks Around the Park

The Big Top Circus area of New Fantasyland has a pretty good view of the fireworks and you can hear the music, but you definitely cannot see the castle projections. This is not a spot I’d recommend for first-timers or if you only have one chance to see the fireworks on your trip, but if you’ve seen them before, it can be fun for something different.

Since we’ve seen the fireworks so many times, we often try to time a trip on the PeopleMover with the show. Since you’re constantly moving, the view changes often and you can see the fireworks over the castle as well as over other rides in the Magic Kingdom- like the Tomorrowland Speedway! Typically the PeopleMover has a very short wait so they’ll let you stay on and go for another ride if you get to the end and the fireworks are not over.

We were on the Tomorrowland Speedway one time during Happily Ever After and if you don’t care about seeing the whole show, it actually offers a great view. And for parts of the ride, you can see both the Castle and the fireworks though you cannot really hear any of the music or see the projections.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks From Narcoossee’s

The WDW Resorts around Seven Seas Lagoon (Grand Floridian, Polynesian, and the Contemporary) all offer great views of the fireworks. Many people watch the fireworks from the beach at the Polynesian or try to snag a coveted California Grill (Contemporary) reservation for the fireworks views, but did you know that other restaurants offer great views, too? Narcoossee’s at the Grand Floridian is a perfect example! The waterfront restaurant is on the shores of Seven Seas Lagoon and the window tables afford a great view of the fireworks. But if you’re wanting a really amazing view, you can go outside and watch from the waterfront verandah that’s open exclusively to those dining at Narcoossee’s.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks from ‘Ohana

Everyone raves about ‘Ohana, and we love it for the food, too, but did you know that you can watch the fireworks while you eat?! As long as you’re okay with a late dinner, you can totally watch them from inside the restaurant. They dim the lights and pipe in the music and it offers a totally different experience than watching them in the park. If you make your reservation for about 1-1.5 hours before the fireworks, you can request a window table (subject to availability, of course) and have this view from your table!

Magic Kingdom Fireworks from Resort Rooms

While certain rooms at the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian and the Contemporary (and Bay Lake Tower) have a fireworks view, even some rooms at Wilderness Lodge will be able to catch a glimpse of the fireworks. This picture was taken from the Copper Creek Villas wing of the resort and I imagine the MK facing rooms on the other wing would have an even better view above the trees.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks from the Transportation & Ticket Center

Perhaps our favorite outside the park place to watch the fireworks, and one that is often considered a secret by those in the know, is the ferry dock at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Like the resorts around Seven Seas Lagoon, the music is piped in, but the ferry dock lines you up perfectly with Main Street and Cinderella Castle so the fireworks are centered just as they would be watching from the Hub. This area usually isn’t very crowded- most of the people that watch from the TTC are photographers so please be courteous and watch out for their tripod legs.

There are so many great places to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom and we try and do different ones on every trip. We ALWAYS make sure to dedicate one night to staking out a spot, usually on “the hump,” but then we’re pretty flexible with where we watch. The kids LOVE watching from rides- especially Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. I’ll have to really improve my photography skills to get a good picture of the fireworks from that ride!!

Are you a fireworks fan?? Where’s your favorite place to watch from??

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