Is Disney Preparing to Bring Back a Past EPCOT Fireworks Show?

The Walt Disney World Resort is gearing up for lots of upcoming changes!

With the 40th anniversary of EPCOT approaching on October 1, 2022, and the Resort’s 50th anniversary wrapping up next spring, on top of some exciting (and a little vague) announcements out of this year’s D23 Expo, there is a lot to be excited for around Walt Disney World.

Chairman of Disney Parks, Products, and Entertainment Josh D’Amaro took the stage at the Parks panel during this year’s Expo to share a packed list of upcoming nighttime spectaculars coming to Disney Parks around the World. For Disney World, fans were given the news that the current fireworks show Harmonious would eventually be replaced with something new.

Harmonious debuted as a special engagement for the 50th anniversary of the Walt Disney World Resort, with the show using impressive effects through water screens, pyrotechnics, and more alongside an incredible soundtrack with classic Disney songs in the spirit of World Showcase.

The show, while breathtaking in its own way, has had mixed reviews from fans, especially when compared to past fireworks spectaculars in this Disney Park like IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and most recently, EPCOT Forever.

The latter debuted ahead of the kick-off to Disney World’s 50th-anniversary celebration as a placeholder for Harmonious, and while it has not had the same hold on Guests as IllumiNations did, the show does have quite the following and a fair number of fans would be thrilled to see it return to World Showcase Lagoon.

Without further details revealed so far on the end of Harmonious, we have to wonder if EPCOT Forever could be returning to the Park. So far, Disney has only shared when Harmonious would end, not when a new show would debut. And logically, it seems confirming both details would have made sense to share during the initial announcement at D23 (that is, if the new show’s opening date were confirmed internally.)

We speculate that EPCOT Forever could briefly return to the theme park this spring as another placeholder for Disney’s newest nighttime fireworks spectacular. Another thought worth considering is the recent confirmation that Disney KiteTails will soon come to an end at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

RELATED: Disney’s Animal Kingdom is Officially Retiring This Popular Show

KiteTails uses jet skis to pull the kites during its performances, much like a daytime version of how the jet skis had previously been used during EPCOT Forever (or perhaps a clumsier version given KiteTails’ intentional crash landings…)

If our guess is correct, part of the reason for KiteTail’s closure could be to move the jet skis (and the performers on them) over to EPCOT in time to rehearse and re-introduce EPCOT Forever back to the Park for a limited time.

When EPCOT Forever was listed as entertainment on Disney’s official site, the description read:

Witness the wonder as the story of Epcot and its next incredible chapter come to life in this new nighttime spectacular. Behold the single “spark of imagination” that started it all. Watch it grow, evolve and transform into an epic nighttime extravaganza that stirs the senses and captures all you love about Epcot—and all that’s to come—with dazzling fireworks, stunning laser effects set to tunes that have become theme park favorites.

Of course, we cannot confirm anything until Disney shares the details first, so we will continue to monitor updates out of EPCOT and will let you know about the next fireworks show to debut at the Park as soon as we learn more here on Disney Tips.