The debut of the new “Rivers of Light”, a nighttime spectacular planned for Disney’s Animal Kingdom, has been delayed. The show was scheduled to begin on April 22, 2016.
Rumor has it that one of the float’s barges sank yesterday during a trial run!
Sneak Preview of the show (pre-sinking): Rivers of Light Show
Other new attractions that were also set to premiere that day at Animal Kingdom, including an after-dark version of the popular Kilimanjaro Safaris, have been delayed. The park was planning special lighting effects for its iconic Tree of Life and additional street entertainment that would kick off on April 22nd , which is Animal Kingdom’s birthday as well as Earth Day 2016.
“With the expansion of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we’re excited to give guests even more opportunities to celebrate the magic of animals and nature as day turns into night. While we’d hoped to debut these offerings on April 22nd, unfortunately, they will not open as planned on that date as we give the team more time to bring these innovative experiences to life in a way we know will exceed our guests’ expectations,” said Andrea Finger, a Walt Disney World spokeswoman.
The April 22, 2016 opening date had been announced in early March.
An amphitheater overlooking the park’s Discovery River, seats over 5,000 guests, has now been completed and is open for guests to sit in and rest during the day.
The “Rivers of Light” show will feature animal-inspired floats and lanterns plus live performers in the form of storytellers.
Disney did not set a new opening date for “Rivers of Light”, but further information is expected in mid-to-late May.
Here was a rundown of the Rivers of Light preview events for guests to see it during its testing schedule leading up to the official opening on April 22nd. Now, add one month to all these dates and it will be pretty accurate:
April 6th, 9th, 12th, and 13th – Cast Previews
April 15th – AP/DVC “Premium” Preview (2 showings: 8:30 pm and 10:15 pm)
April 16th – AP/DVC Preview (2 showings: 8:30 pm and 9:45 pm)
April 17th – AP/DVC Preview (2 showings: 8:30 pm and 9:45 pm)
April 19th – Press event
April 22nd – Grand Opening Night (2 showings: 8:30 pm and 9:45 pm)
Read more about the delay from Disney Parks Blog: https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2016/04/update-on-nighttime-experiences-at-disneys-animal-kingdom/
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