Hong Kong Disneyland Announces Events and Attractions for 2018

WDWNT on November 20, 2017

Following the announcement last month that Hong Kong Disneyland was kicking off a multi-year expansion designed to bring new attractions and experiences to guests, the resort has released a schedule of openings and seasonal events for 2018, including first-of-its-kind character experiences not currently available at other Disney parks.

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Royal Princess Garden: Even before the year is out, the new Royal Princess Garden is scheduled to open in Hong Kong Disneyland in December 2017. This exquisitely-themed garden area will serve as a meet-and-greet area for Disney Princesses, and will also house Hong Kong’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Families can also purchase an Enchanted Storybook album that captures all of their Disney Princess moments.

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Chinese New Year Event: The year 2018 is the Year of the Dog according to the Chinese calendar. To celebrate, Hong Kong Disneyland will feature Pluto during their Chinese New Year celebrations from January to March 2018. In addition, Main Street, USA, will be decorated in lucky red and gold decorations, Mickey and his pals will be dressed in festive costumes, and the park and resorts will feature festive Chinese New Year-themed meals, snacks and merchandise.

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Disney Friends Springtime Carnival: From March through May, guests can enjoy whimsical character encounters during the colorful Disney Friends Springtime Carnival. In addition to a wide variety of character encounters throughout the park, the event features festive springtime sculpts for photo opportunities as well as an egg hunt with over 100 character-themed eggs hidden throughout the park.

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“Moana: A Homecoming Celebration”: In May, the new Moana stage show will open in Hong Kong Disneyland in an entirely new outdoor venue in Adventureland. The 18-minute live show will recount Moana’s adventures after the storyline of the film, once Moana has restored the heart of Te Fiti and returned to her home village of Motunui. The new show features music, dancing and puppetry, and marks the first attraction to be opened as part of the resort’s multi-year expansion.

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Summer Event: Hong Kong Disneyland’s annual summer holiday event will feature new character additions this year from the Pixar catalog. From June through August, guests can meet Mr. Incredible, Mrs. Incredible and Frozone from the Oscar-winning The Incredibles, to coincide with the Hong Kong release of The Incredibles 2 in mid-July.

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Disney Halloween Time: The annual Halloween event is one of Hong Kong Disneyland’s most popular. The 2018 incarnation of the annual festivities will feature even more spooky fun in September and October. In addition to Jack Skellington, the event will feature “Disney Villains that guests have yet to meet,” according to the resort.

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A Disney Christmas: From November through January 1, 2019, guests can visit Hong Kong Disneyland for a special daytime show featuring Mickey and friends, carolers singing Christmas tunes, a special tree-lighting ceremony and much more.

 

In Case You Missed It…

WDWNT on April 17, 2010

Since there have been a few minor news stories in last week that have gone without posting, I figured we should just share all of them in one giant post:

Night of Joy moves back to the Magic Kingdom this year:

Past Christian music “Artists of the Year” Third Day, mercyme and Chris Tomlin and 2010 “Artist of the Year” nominees Casting Crowns and Francesca Battistelli head a star-powered 15-act lineup set for Disney’s Night of Joy 2010 Sept. 10-11 when the long-running Christian music event makes its return to Magic Kingdom.

Also part of the two-night event (when specific acts play one evening each): David Crowder*Band, Family Force 5, Red, BarlowGirl, Group 1 Crew, Day of Fire, Smokie Norful, Lecrae, 10th Avenue North and Sidewalk Prophets.

Tickets for Night of Joy 2010 will go on sale May 1. For more information about the event, visit online at nightofjoy.com.

Wishes! Desert Parties returned after the refurbishment of the Tomorrowland Terrace was completed:

The Wishes Dessert Party has returned to the Tomorrowland Terrace in Magic Kingdom, providing treats and sweets to eat along with a prime viewing location for the popular “Wishes” fireworks spectacular.

For $25.99 ages 10 and older, $13.99 ages 3 to 9, guests can settle in an hour before “Wishes” and enjoy a wide range of sweets with coffee, tea and other beverages. Magic Kingdom admission is required. Advance reservations are strongly suggested and can be made by calling 407/WDW-DINE.

Star Wars Weekends are almost here:

Once again, the power of the Force and the magic of Disney combine in May and June for Star Wars Weekends, a sci-fi fan-fest inspired by the popular film saga. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 21-June 13, 2010, Disney’s Hollywood Studios becomes the galaxy’s home for out-of-this-world characters including Sith, Bith, droids, bounty hunters, Twi’leks and Rodians.

Dates are May 21-23, May 28-30, June 4-6 and June 11-13. This year’s event will celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back,” which first appeared in theaters May 21, 1980.

More than 50 Star Wars characters will roam the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios for meet-and-greets and photo opportunities. Also featured: the chance to purchase special- and limited-edition Star Wars memorabilia, Star Wars trivia contests, Jedi Training Academy, Star Wars parades, rides aboard Star Tours and the popular “Hyperspace Hoopla” dance party.

Celebrities from the Star Wars films and creative geniuses who helped create the saga will be on hand each weekend for star conversations and autograph sessions.
(*Talent subject to change)

The celebrity hosts for each weekend are Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett in “Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi”)and Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka Tano from “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”).

Special guests making weekend appearances include:

· May 21-23: Temuera Morrison (Jango Fett in “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones”), Daniel Logan (Boba Fett in “Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones”), and Dee Bradley Baker (voice of Captain Rex in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”)
· May 28-30: Matthew Wood (voice of General Grevious in “Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”), Lorne Peterson (model-maker who worked on all six Star Wars live-action films) and Tom Kane (voice of Yoda in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”)
· June 4-6: Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian in “Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back” and “Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi”), Ray Park (Darth Maul in “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace”) and Dave Filoni (director of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”)
· June 11-13: Ray Park (Darth Maul in “Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace”), Peter Mayhew (who played everyone’s favorite Wookiee, Chewbacca, in four of the live-action films) and James Arnold Taylor (voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in “Star Wars: The Clone Wars”).

Event activities are included in theme park admission.

Press release featuring the three new restaurants coming to Walt Disney World:

During fall 2010, new culinary adventures coming to the Vacation Kingdom include an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria and a Latin chicken restaurant, while a popular Mexican restaurant reopens with a fresh menu and expanded seating:

In Italy at Epcot World Showcase, Via Napoli, an authentic Neapolitan pizzeria operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, will feature wood-burning ovens – and will import water from a source that most resembles the water in Naples, Italy, home of some of the world’s best pizza dough. This 300-seat pizzeria will feature a menu inspired by the famous pizzerias of southern Italy. The menu also will feature pastas, salads, sandwiches and Italian wines. The Patina Restaurant Group also operates Tutto Italia Ristorante at the pavilion.

At Downtown Disney Marketplace, Pollo Campero, an international Latin chicken quick-service restaurant chain, has partnered with franchisee Levy Campero to deliver a new restaurant concept. The restaurant will showcase Pollo Campero’s signature Latin chicken (which features the taste of lime and orange juices, red bell peppers and a special blend of Latin herbs and spices) as well as a new fresh concept named Fresh A-Peel (featuring fresh salads, sandwiches, fruits and healthy snacks) plus vegetarian, gluten-free, sugar-free, low-sodium or organic offerings.

In Mexico at Epcot World Showcase, an expanded Cantina de San Angel restaurant will feature 400 combined seats with al fresco seating for quick-service meals plus a new, air-conditioned table-service restaurant featuring authentic specialty dishes from Mexico created by the talented culinary team at San Angel Inn, LLC., which has operated the food service at the Mexico pavilion for more than 25 years.

The luxury “pet resort” is finally opening later this year:

Slated for a late-summer opening, a full-service luxury pet care facility on Bonnet Creek Parkway across from Disney’s Port Orleans Resort will provide a comfortable home-away-from-home for Fido, Frisky and all their pet pals! The one-of-a-kind facility will be able to accommodate up to 270 dogs in a variety of standard and luxury suites, some with private outdoor patios and play yards. The separate “Kitty City” pavilion will be able to house up to 30 cats in two- and four-story cat condos. A special room is also available for the boarding of “pocket pets,” Including pet hamsters and birds.

The facility, to be operated by Best Friends Pet Care, will comprise more than 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space plus 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas. It will replace the five existing pet care facilities throughout Walt Disney World Resort and will be open to both Walt Disney World Resort guests and visitors staying off-property.

It’s never too early to talk about the Food and Wine Festival:

When Walt Disney World Resort turned 25 in 1996, it popped the cork on a concept that has grown to become one of the Vacation Kingdom’s signature events: The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. The 2010 festival, presented by Vanity Fair Napkins Oct. 1 through Nov. 14, is celebrating “15 years of delicious discoveries” with a focus on outdoor marketplaces where everyone from neophytes to epicures and aficionados can nibble and sip their way around the Epcot World Showcase promenade and across six continents of food and beverage adventures.

While specific details are still in development for the 15th annual festival, expect talented culinarians from across America and around the world to be involved with the marketplaces as well as with specialty dinners, tequila tastings, seminars featuring cooking demonstrations and wine tastings, and the popular Saturday night grand tastings – Party for the Senses. The festival also will feature the popular Eat to the Beat! concert series each evening.

Details about the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will be available this summer online at www.disneyworld.com/foodandwine.

Epcot’s Flower Power Concert Series Line-Up 2010

WDWNT on February 17, 2010

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Epcot becomes a living jukebox featuring hit songs of the 1960s through the 1990s each Friday through Sunday of the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival at Walt Disney World Resort.

That’s when America Gardens Theatre presents Flower Power concerts – a series showcasing artists and groups involved in recordings that climbed the Billboard charts in years gone by. The 11 weekends of the 2010 Flower & Garden Festival will feature acts that produced 126 Top 40 hits – including 16 releases that topped the charts.
Here’s the lineup (Entertainment is subject to change without notice):

March 5-7 – Jose Feliciano
March 12-14 – Paul Revere & The Raiders
March 19-21 – David Cassidy
March 26-28 – Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
April 2-4 – Tony Orlando
April 9-11 – Herman’s Hermits Starring Peter Noone
April 16-18 – Ricky Nelson Remembered featuring the Nelsons
April 23-25 – Atlanta Rhythm Section
April 30-May 2 –Fran Cosmo (Former lead singer of Boston)
May 7-9 –Davy Jones
May 14 – 16 – Chubby Checker & The Wildcats

The groups’ shows at America Gardens Theatre are on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. They are included with Epcot admission.
Additional information about the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival is available at www.DisneyWorld.com/flower.

Flower and Garden Festival Blooms Early at Epcot in 2010

WDWNT on November 3, 2009

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – The 17th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival kicks off March 3 – earlier than ever – and continues for 75 days through May 16, 2010, with bold strokes of seasonal color and brand-new topiary whimsy. Last year’s festival began March 18; now Walt Disney World guests get a head start on the gardening season as they explore exhibits and activities geared toward discovery and outdoor fun.

Even before spring has sprung, Donald Duck and his topiary pals set up camp in full floral color to celebrate the Great Outdoors at the Epcot front entrance. The elaborate topiary with a North American theme, live waterfall and pond features Goofy in a fly-fishing misadventure, Daisy Duck roasting marshmallows over a campfire and Pluto in his “pup tent.” It’s a must-stop photo op for guests as soon as they pass through the park turnstiles.

“The advantage of starting earlier is that we’ll be able to feature more brilliant color than ever, with richly hued petunias, violas, snapdragons and other hardy flowers,” says festival horticulture manager Eric Darden. “By starting earlier and going through mid-May, it allows more guests than ever to experience the festival and to plan ahead for their spring and summer gardening.”

New This Year!

Up to 700 butterflies flutter into an expanded and relocated, futuristic-themed Bambi’s Butterfly House – double the size of previous years’ Minnie’s Magnificent Butterfly Garden. The new butterfly abode in Future World West, at 3,500 square feet, allows hundreds of the winged beauties to flit among the lush foliage of a larger screened enclosure, where guests can wander and watch as multiple butterfly species light on flowers filled with nectar and as caterpillars emerge from their chrysalis in a special discovery exhibit. Bambi joins butterfly floral topiaries to welcome guests to the enclosure.

Special gardens, events and children’s play areas throughout the park offer more reasons to visit the 17th annual festival:

· New Victory Garden – Disney’s “fab five” topiary pals – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Pluto and Goofy – gather at American Adventure to tend tomatoes, beans, peppers, herbs and other edibles in their first Victory Garden as a salute to the history of World War II gardens, the new White House vegetable garden and the many community gardens being planted across the country.

· Newly Expanded Pixie Hollow Fairy Garden – Colorful topiaries of Tinker Bell and friends from Walt Disney Pictures’ latest DVD release “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” will sprinkle pixie dust over this playful, expanded garden for kids. New characters on display with returning fairy favorites are fast-flying, sharp-tongued Vidia and charming Terence, dispenser of pixie dust. Tinker Bell’s Nook has hands-on activities. In a synergistic turn, the “Lost Treasure” DVD includes a bonus feature on “The Making of the Fairy Garden,” featuring Disney cast members who designed and built Pixie Hollow, along with the movie’s producer and director, who helped plan the garden.

· First-Ever American Gothic Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse – Topiary experts pull out all the stops to create an American Gothic Mickey and Minnie topiary scene based on the 1930 Grant Wood painting. At World Showcase Plaza.

· Pirates Adventure Zone – Peter Pan, Captain Hook and Croc topiaries will lure young swashbucklers to this interactive space designed for exploration and adventure. Next to the Germany pavilion.

Throughout the festival, more than 70 topiaries plus sweeping floral beds and exhibits will decorate the park landscape and showcase the extraordinary craftsmanship of Disney gardeners. A Fragrance Garden at the France pavilion will tell the “love story” of plants and perfume, and the art of bonsai will “wow” guests at the Japan showcase.

Festival highlights also include:

·Flower Power concerts – Popular bands will rock the open-air America Gardens Theatre every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. Jose Feliciano is scheduled to kick off the concert series March 5-7. On subsequent weekends, the lineup is slated to feature pop favorites like Davy Jones, Chubby Checker & The Wildcats, Tony Orlando, former Boston lead singer Fran Cosmo, and other top acts.

· Disney Gardening at Home presentations – Disney horticulturists will share gardening tips and lead guests in a hands-on, take-home activity.

· The Great American Gardeners series – Gardening celebrities and authors from across the country will reveal their gardening secrets. Opening weekend, Robert Bowden, author and director of lush Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando, kicks off the series.

· The Garden Town Festival Center – Guests can shop for festival merchandise, attend speaker presentations and demonstrations and ask gardening questions of the experts.

· Special Festival Celebrations – An Art in the Garden celebration of plein air artists is scheduled March 26-28; a Florida Farmer’s Market celebration is April 23-25, and the popular I Dig Bugs event is set for April 30-May 2.

“Around the World in 80 Bites” by Chuck Mirarchi

WDWNT on October 1, 2009

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Last week, World Showcase at Epcot® went from representing 11 countries to over 26 countries in the blink of an eye courtesy of the International Food & Wine Festival.  Celebrating its 14th year, the International Food & Wine Festival, which runs through November 8th, celebrates foods from some of the world’s greatest cities.

Although delicious in their own right, the Walt Disney World Resort is more than just burgers, fries, turkey legs and Mickey premium ice cream bars.  Charles Passy recently reported in the Palm Beach Post, “If there’s any proof of how much a culinary mecca Disney has become, it’s the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival… the festival, now in its 14th year, plays host to scores of prominent chefs, winemakers and celebrities: This year’s participants include famed chocolatier Jacques Torres, master sommelier and television personality Andrea Immer Robinson, and singer-turned-cookbook author Patti LaBelle.”

Navigating the food and wine festival, which happens throughout Epcot®, can be a bit overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be.  The festival is broken down into four basic categories: demonstrations, seminars, special experiences, and the International Marketplace.  In addition there is nightly entertainment with the Eat to the Beat Concert Series. Theme park admission is required, and although some of the events will require an additional fee, others are included with admission.

Read More about “Around the World in 80 Bites” by Chuck Mirarchi

Eat to the Beat 2009 Concert Line-Up

WDWNT on June 4, 2009

Disney has released the dates and groups performing during this year’s Epcot International Food & Wine Festival:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – A platinum lineup of popular music acts, including several Grammy-winning bands, will unleash an eclectic mix of classic and current tunes during the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Sept. 25-Nov. 8 at Walt Disney World Resort.

The Eat to the Beat! concert series will bring 17 acts – showcasing everything from rock to jazz, funk to pop – to the America Gardens Theatre stage during the 45-day festival. The lineup includes five performers playing the festival for the first time: Richard Marx, Better Than Ezra, Vanessa Carlton, John Waite and Billy Ocean.

Concerts, which are included with Epcot admission, begin at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. daily. The lineup (subject to change) includes:

Sept. 25-27
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (“You & Me & The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)”
Sept. 28-29 Richard Marx (“Hold On to the Nights”)
Sept. 30-Oct. 3 Starship starring Mickey Thomas (“We Built This City”)
Oct. 4-6 En Vogue (“Free Your Mind”)
Oct. 7-8 Better Than Ezra (“Good”)
Oct. 9-11 Sister Hazel (“All for You”)
Oct. 12-13 Kool & The Gang (“Celebration”)
Oct. 14-16 Spyro Gyra (“Morning Dance”)
Oct. 17-18 Jon Secada (“Just Another Day”)
Oct. 19-20 Sister Sledge (“We Are Family”)
Oct. 21-22 Vanessa Carlton (“A Thousand Miles”)
Oct. 23-25 Taylor Dayne (“Tell It to My Heart”)
Oct. 26-28 Boyz II Men (“Motownphilly”)
Oct. 29-31 John Waite (“Missing You”)
Nov. 1-2 Night Ranger (“Sister Christian”)
Nov. 3-5 Billy Ocean (“Caribbean Queen”)
Nov. 6-8 Los Lobos (“La Bamba”)