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One of our favorite Walt Disney World parks is Animal Kingdom and we were so excited when they opened up this park past 6 PM. With new nighttime experiences and the opening of Pandora World of Avatar, there is so much more to see & do at Animal Kingdom at Night!

We have always loved Animal Kingdom. We love the animals. We love the nature. We love the conservation message. And we love Expedition Everest. But what I missed most is a nighttime atmosphere.

Starting last summer, Disney’s Animal Kingdom became a nighttime park. And with the new Rivers of Light Nighttime Spectacular beginning in February and Pandora World of Avatar opening in May, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has become an all-day {and night} experience!

Animal Kingdom at Night

Animal Kingdom at Night: What’s New?

A completely different atmosphere come over Animal Kingdom when the sun goes down. In fact, there’s all new nighttime entertainment to enjoy:

Rivers of Light Nightime Spectacular

One of the most anticipated new events of the spring for Walt Disney World was the new nighttime water and light show, Rivers of Light Nighttime Spectacular. Debuting in February, this is an incredibly brilliant show that features glowing lanterns, magical fireflies, dancing fountains, and animal spirits.

The show begins with two storytellers teaching us through forms of authentic Asian dance that make the Rivers of Light come alive. The show has amazing water features, with projected animal images and a wonderfully moving score. My family was mesmerized when we saw it in April – definitely worth seeing. Here’s the sneak peek of some of what we saw:

TIP: Try to get a FastPass+ for the Rivers of Light Nighttime Spectacular. We were able to walk right up about 20 minutes before the show started and had terrific seats up front. Standby lines start growing about 2 hours before the show even begins. They are also offering Dining Packages to see the show as well.

Nighttime Awakenings

At the center of Animal Kingdom stands the impressive Tree of Life. It’s mesmerizing during the day, being over 145 feet tall and 50 feet wide at its base & having over 300 detailed animal carvings on it’s trunk. And now at night, it becomes even more impressive.

During the evening hours, the Tree of Life comes alive. Watch animals dance around & communicate with one another and see several favorite Disney Nature movies come to life, projected up on the tree. If you like Celebrate the Magic, the Cinderella Castle projection show, you will not want to miss this one. Here’s a sneak peek of what we saw last spring:

A street festival begins in Harambe – the Harambe Wildlife Parti is a lively street festival that kicks off in the afternoon. Some of the entertainment you can expect:

Muziki – Located in Harambe’s drum circle, this delightfully unusual goodwill shaman perched high atop regal stilts invites children to join him as he plays his own instruments, dances and makes them official drummers of the day.
Karibu Sisters – Resembling regal African cranes, these 3 women add to the rhythm of Harambe Marketplace through elegant dance, acapella songs and acoustic renditions of African party music.
Harambe Soccer Meerkats – Cheer on the village’s finest soccer players as they ramble through the streets rallying anyone within sight for a quick pick-up game—entertaining with comic soccer moves inspired by African animals and delighting with skillful acrobatic teamwork and dancing.
Harambe Village Acrobats – Wearing costumes of grass, beads, bells and feathers set against a mosaic of African prints, this troupe of skilled performers move with the synchronicity of circus performers as they drum, dance, tumble and climb into man-made pyramids and break away into spinning, tumbling towers.

Animal Kingdom at Night: The Attractions

So what does Animal Kingdom at night mean for the rides at Animal Kingdom? A few of them have a special way of incorporating night time, making it a completely different experience.

Kilimanjaro Safari’s Nocturnal Encounters

Kilimanjaro Safari comes to life at night. The nighttime safari tour showcases all the animals in a completely different way. Because it was evening, we found the animals to be very active. The hippopotamuses were walking around outside of the water. The Lions were patrolling on their pride rock and the rhinoceroses were walking across the path in front of the jeep. As much as I enjoy Kilimanjaro Safari’s, I have to say seeing it at night was a completely different experience – one that I cannot wait to try again.

Expedition Everest

Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s premiere roller coaster still runs at night. To experience this roller coaster at night was such a completely different adrenaline rush – we felt cold air where I hadn’t felt it before and the ride was mostly pitch black, so you didn’t know when the turns were happening. It felt like a completely different ride!

Kali River Rapids

If you like to get wet during the daytime, you can continue to in the evening on Kali River Rapids. The rafting expedition in the heart of Asia is still running in the evenings.

Animal Kingdom at Night: Pandora World of Avatar

And one of the most anticipated openings at Animal Kingdom this summer is Pandora World of Avatar. With 2 spectacular attractions, Na’Vi River Journey and Flight Of Passage, and unique dining, Pandora is going to be very popular this summer.

But that shouldn’t stop you from seeing it at night. Make sure to take a quick walk through Pandora at night to see the bioluminescent glow from the walkways and plants.

As if you needed another reason to visit Walt Disney World…….

Why You Must Experience Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Night

Animal Kingdom at Night

Animal Kingdom at Night: What’s New?

Animal Kingdom at Night: The Attractions

Animal Kingdom at Night: Pandora World of Avatar

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