Disney World is Retiring This Fan-Favorite Theme Park Experience Next Year

The Walt Disney World Resort is currently in the midst of celebrating its 50th anniversary, and it has been truly magical. The event kicked off on October 1, 2021, offering a variety of new and exclusive experiences across the Resort, including the Fab 50 Character Collection golden statues, new character cavalcades and outfits, specialty snacks and merchandise, nighttime spectaculars and so much more.

Now Walt Disney World is looking toward the New Year, and the end of the celebration which is set for March 31, 2023. Some experiences that debuted during the event have become such a memorable part of visiting Disney Parks over the past year that you may be surprised to learn what is set to be discontinued by April.

The World’s Most Magical Celebration may have left something to be desired depending on who you ask (and there is no doubt that Disney World’s 50th-anniversary plans were impacted by the pandemic) but there are some elements of the celebration that the majority of fans have come to love.

One of the most beloved features of the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World has been the Beacons of Magic, that offer new lighting packages and short shows on the icons of all four Disney Parks. In particular, the Beacons of Magic on Spaceship Earth have become especially memorable for fans as they have changed based on the season, and special event or festival.

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At the beginning of the year, Muppets fans enjoyed a “Rainbow Connection”-inspired Beacons of Magic performance on Spaceship Earth during the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. And recently, the 40th anniversary of EPCOT was honored with a lighting set inspired by the Park’s opening year music and attractions in a display that fans of the Park found quite touching.

Disney has begun advertising the World’s Most Magical Celebration’s end date, with most of the company’s marketing campaigns updated noting which experiences Guests should see before they’re gone. Disney’s officially website now lists the Beacons of Magic as one experience that it’s your “Last Chance to See” alongside the Celebration Character Cavalcade in the Magic Kingdom and anniversary-specific merchandise and snacks.

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The Fab 50 Character Collection statues, which are also located around all four Parks, were recently outfitted with the required technology to interact with MagicBand+, and they are not listed on this portion of Disney’s website, so we expect them to be sticking around after March 2023.

So far, the Beacons of Magic are set to go with the end of the anniversary celebration, however, we would not be surprised if they came back in a new way. The success of EPCOT’s Beacons of Magic alone should be enough to convince Disney that the experience has become a fan-favorite, and it has proven that the show can be changed and still draw crowds.

For now though, we can speculate that the Beacons of Magic will be reimagined and stay in the Parks in some form, but officially and according to Disney, you have until March 31, 2023, to see them. If you have been hoping to see the Beacons of Magic in person but have not yet had the chance, you will want to book your next trip prior to the end of March just to be safe.