Where to Watch Disney Fireworks with Anxious Kids
Learn where to watch Disney fireworks based on the comfort level of your kids. Make sure this evening spectacular is fun for the whole family.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the many Disney family vacations we’ve taken over the last decade, it’s that your kids will never fail to surprise you.
It wasn’t until I tried to take our kids to see the Disney fireworks that I realized how anxious the huge professional display of fireworks makes them.
We watch fireworks every 4th of July at home, but they all pale in comparison to the epic Disney fireworks performances every night in the theme parks.
Here I thought I was treating them to something special, only to discover tears and covered ears, and frantic pleas to leave as soon as possible.
I assumed they’d grow out of it, that perhaps it was just their young age, but we’ve had this challenge for many visits and I’ve finally figured out the best work around!
Jump to:
- The Best Places to Watch Disney Fireworks with Kids
- Kids Who LOVE Fireworks
- Kids that are Slightly Nervous About Fireworks
- Kids that are Quite Anxious About Fireworks
- Kids Who Can’t Stand Fireworks Noise but Love the Sight
- Kids Who are Seriously Scared of Fireworks
- Parents Who Want a Quick Park Exit
- More Magic Kingdom Tips
The Best Places to Watch Disney Fireworks with Kids
Everyone thinks that the best place to watch Disney fireworks is right at the foot of Cinderella’s castle in Magic Kingdom.
I’m going to say something controversial: I think they’re all wrong.
The castle hub is actually one of the worst places to watch the fireworks because:
- SO CROWDED: Fill the square with hundreds and hundreds of exhausted park goers at the end of a long day, all elbowing each other for a view of the nightly fireworks show. What could go wrong? So much. People tend to be rude and cranky and it is so crowded you’ll struggle to see the fireworks.
- Hard to Find a Spot: The crowds make it nearly impossible to find a place to stand together as a family unless you’re willing to camp out early. We prefer to spend our last few moments of the day in the park.
- Impossible to Leave: When you’re in the thick of that crowd, it is misery to try and leave at the end of the show because you all have to funnel down Main Street together. And if you’re in the thick of it and your kid panics about the noise? You’ll seriously struggle to get through the crowd early to leave.
The REAL best places to watch Disney fireworks actually depend on your individual family and kids tolerance for fireworks:
Kids Who LOVE Fireworks
If your kids absolutely LOVE fireworks and you know this to be true, you should still know that Disney fireworks are not your average fireworks display.
They are HUGE. They are IMPRESSIVE. They are set to music and light shows. It is definitely an experience you will not forget.
If you’re still totally sure your kids are going to be ok with that, I’d try to find a spot at the end of Main Street but outside of the actual square. You’ll be close enough to the castle to see everything but ahead of the crowd when it is time to leave.
Kids that are Slightly Nervous About Fireworks
If you know that your child is just a little bit nervous about the sounds of fireworks exploding, you definitely want to distance yourself from the castle.
You could go farther down on Main Street, but our favorite spot is actually in the main entrance square. You can still see most of what is happening if they are streaming a display on the castle.
You can definitely still hear the music the fireworks are set to since it is streamed all around on speakers.
But you’re just far enough away from the hot zone that the sounds of the explosions will be that much less impactful and the fireworks won’t be right above your heads.
My favorite time watching the Disney fireworks was with my older daughter at Mickey’s Halloween Party.
We stood right at the entrance of Magic Kingdom, enjoyed the entire fireworks display, and were first in line to get out of the park at the end of the show.
Kids that are Quite Anxious About Fireworks
It turns out that my younger daughter is really quite anxious about Disney fireworks.
At the end of a long day, she’s overstimulated and exhausted, and those loud booms and crashes are just a bit too much for her nerves. I can’t say I blame her.
We actually enjoyed little sneak peeks of the fireworks as we walked from the back of the park towards the entrance.
As long as we kept moving and were heading towards leaving, she felt better about turning to see them as they went off.
We avoided the hub and Main Street and walked around the perimeter of the park instead.
Kids Who Can’t Stand Fireworks Noise but Love the Sight
For some kids, they aren’t so much scared of the fireworks themselves as they are the noise.
If you suspect that will be true for your child, I’d recommend bringing noise cancelling headphones in your park bag.
They will absolutely NOT cancel all the noise but they could diminish the sound enough to help your child enjoy the view without the fear of the booms and crashes.
Just in case, I’d recommend my Main Street strategy so you can head for the exit if it doesn’t go well.
Kids Who are Seriously Scared of Fireworks
Some kids need to have lots of distance between them and any fireworks. If your child is scared of fireworks, you have a couple options:
- Stand Outside the Park: You could actually leave the park and stand outside the gate with noise cancelling headphones and just see how your child tolerates it. They may not mind if they are far enough in the distance and feel the freedom to leave easily. We actually enjoyed watching as we waited for the line to the resort buses.
- Get a Hotel with a View: Some hotels in the area boast that you can see the Disney fireworks from your own hotel room balcony. This is especially true of Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Polynesian Village, and Grand Floridian, all on the monorail trail.
- Watch on Disney+: If your child has no interest at all in experiencing the Disney fireworks live, you can stream the Harmonious fireworks display on Disney+! Hosted by Idina Menzel, this fun fireworks and laser show is set to music at EPCOT.
Parents Who Want a Quick Park Exit
Finally, if you as a parent are only doing the fireworks to make your kids happy and are just eager to make a quick exit from the parks, you will all be happiest if you enjoy the view from the entrance at Magic Kingdom as mentioned above!
More Magic Kingdom Tips
Planning a visit to Magic Kingdom during your Disney family vacation? Be sure to check out our family’s best advice here:
Do you have a map that shows the spots you are talking about? I am not familiar enough with Magic Kingdom to know where the spots you mention are located.