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You are here: Home / Walt Disney World / Disney’s Animal Kingdom After Dark: Complete Guide for Families
The Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom night show.
Disney's Animal Kingdom's iconic Tree of Life will undergo extraordinary ÒawakeningsÓ throughout each evening as the animal spirits are brought to life by magical fireflies that reveal colorful stories of wonder and enchantment. Projections of nature scenes take on a magical quality as they appear to dramatically emanate from within the Tree of Life. (David Roark, photographer)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom After Dark: Complete Guide for Families

November 12, 2019 //  by Breeze Leonard//  2 Comments

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Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Disney's Animal Kingdom After Dark
  • Rivers of Light: We Are One Nighttime Show
  • Pandora at Night
  • Tree of Life 
  • Kilimanjaro Safari
  • Expedition Everest 
  • Disney After Hours at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park

Visiting Animal Kingdom at night is a completely different experience from what you’ll see during the day. After sunset a new magical world appears. Use this list to help you enjoy all that Animal Kingdom offers at night. Bonus: it includes details about the updated nighttime show–Rivers of Light: We Are One.

Expedition Everest thrills adventurers as it lurches forward and backward through the icy peaks of the Himalayas. At night, the majestic mountain challenges trekkers to an evening ride revealing breathtaking views of Disney’s Animal Kingdom canopied by starlight. (Courtney Di Stasio, photographer)

Disney‘s Animal Kingdom After Dark

Everyone has a favorite Disney park, and Animal Kingdom is certainly my family’s favorite. Not only is it home to the most popular ride at Disney World (Flight of Passage), but it’s also the most fun to explore. And let’s be honest, the Dole whip with rum is an added bonus!

Visiting Animal Kingdom after dark is a must when visiting Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. This park comes to life after the sun goes down and there are so many things worth sticking around for. Check out our list of must-see nighttime shows, rides that are more exciting after sundown and must-see areas of the park.

Rivers of Light: We Are One Nighttime Show

This Animal Kingdom night show is an update to the original Rivers of Light show that ended May of 2019. Get ready to watch the impressive innovative technology and special effects that have been added to Rivers of Light. Disney never disappoints with these nighttime spectacular shows in any of the parks.

Seating is limited, so there are two ways to ensure a seat to watch the show. 1)  Book a FastPass+ 2) Purchase the Rivers of Light dining package which includes dinner at either Tusker House or Tiffins Restaurant and premium seats for viewing the show. To learn more about make these dining reservations, click here.

Rivers of Light: We Are One is the Animal Kingdom night show.
Rivers of Light: We Are One introduced additional, stunning imagery and familiar animal characters from Disneynature films, along with a colorful tapestry of classic moments from Disney animation to the popular nighttime show on Discovery River. (David Roark, photographer)

Pandora at Night

Pandora inspired by James Cameron’s Avatar is my favorite themed area of Animal Kingdom. The sights, smells and rides in this area of the park are some of the best in all of Walt Disney World. Visiting at night ensures you won’t miss out on the incredible details that can only be seen after sun down.

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    Pandora at night is enchanting and the bioluminescent forest is indescribable. The sparkling path ways will lead you around as you soak in the magic surrounding you. You can tell Disney’s goal is to connect you closer to the wonder of nature as you feel captivated by this new world.

    TravelingMom Tip: Check out 16 of Our Favorite Secrets at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

    Animal Kingdom night show - Pandora
    The dramatic daytime beauty of the land transforms to glow by night when bioluminescent flora and intricate nighttime experiences add a dreamlike quality to Pandora.  (Preston Mack, photographer)

    Tree of Life 

    The Tree of Life will take your breathe away as it’s the first thing you see when entering Animal Kingdom. This iconic tree is even more impressive at night when the show ‘Tree of Life Awakenings’ transforms the tree with projected images and mystical music. You can watch this once or many times during your visit at night, because the Tree of Life Awakenings begins after dark and happens every 10 minutes until the park closes.

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    Kilimanjaro Safari

    Our family loves going on the Kilimanjaro Safari. It’s not only a fun way to observe some of our favorite animals, but we also learn so much about what Disney is doing to help protect our precious wildlife. You will feel like you’ve be transported to a real African Safari.

    This 18-minute expedition is special at night because you can see nocturnal animal that you might not be able to see during the day. My recommendation is to ride the Kilimanjaro Safari right at sunset. The animals always seem to be more active and you still have a little daylight left.

    TravelingMom Tip: Here’s how you can make the most out of a One Day Visit to Animal Kingdom.

    Animal Kingdom night show - safari
    Each evening, the popular Kilimanjaro Safaris daytime experience is artfully bathed in the glow of sunset with special lighting allowing guests to explore this Disney’s Animal Kingdom attraction well into the night. During the expedition, guests can now encounter the nighttime behavior of the wildlife and better tune in to the unique vocalization of the animals. (Todd Anderson, photographer)

    Expedition Everest 

    Expedition Everest is one of the hottest rides in Animal Kingdom. Riding this roller coaster at night adds another level of thrill. At night the entire mountain is lit up making it both fun to ride and beautiful to look at. This is the one ride that my kids want to experience over and over again. Both early in the morning and at night, the wait times are much shorter.

    TravelingMom Tip: Headed to Animal Kingdom with a toddler who won’t be able to experience thrill rides? Here’s what you can do with them!

    Disney After Hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park

    Disney After Hours is a special event that requires an extra ticket purchase. It gives you the opportunity to enjoy the park for an extra 3 hours hours after it closes at 9 p.m. The special event is running now until March 2020. You can arrive as early as 7 p.m on the day of the event and stay until midnight. You will get the chance to experience the park without the daytime crowds.

    TravelingMom Tip: There are a few nighttime experiences that are no longer happening inside the park. These include Discovery Island Carnivale and The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic.

    Make sure to plan a night at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park during your next Walt Disney World vacation. You’ll be amazed at all that happens in the dark!

    Disney's Animal Kingdom lights up the night in so many magical ways! Get all the tips on evening entertainment and making the most of your Disney World visit during Animal Kingdom After Dark. #TMOM #Disney #WDW #DisneyWorld #AnimalKingdom #DisneyTips | TravelingMom
    Disney’s Animal Kingdom lights up the night in so many magical ways! Get all the tips on evening entertainment and making the most of your Disney World visit during Animal Kingdom After Dark.
    Photo Credit: Ernest Gayo from Pixabay

     

    Category: Family Vacation Ideas in the Southeast USA, Family Vacations in Orlando, Walt Disney World

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    2 Comments on “Disney’s Animal Kingdom After Dark: Complete Guide for Families”

    1. Cindy Richards, Empty Nest TravelingMom says:
      October 6, 2018 at 8:37 am

      5

      Reply
    2. Anonymous says:
      March 9, 2017 at 8:47 am

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