Whether you’re an Orlando native, or you’re visiting to get away from the cold, CitySurfing Orlando wishes you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Holidays!
Last year was the final year for the much loved Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, which ran for 20 years at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. So we thought it would be fun to revisit our coverage of the holiday event.
This is the last year of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and I recorded some video clips of the lights during my visits to the park in the last month.
This first one is shot at the backside of the canopy of lights, one of my favorite parts of the light display:
Disney die-hards knew it was just a matter of time, but it’s still hard to take the news that Walt Disney World has officially called an end date to the wonderful Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
The event will be back for this holiday season, but that will be it, as far as Disney is concerned. Thomas Smith, Disney Parks social media director, wrote on the official Parks blog:
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It hasn’t been officially announced, but the Walt Disney World website reveals that The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will once again be returning to Disney’s Hollywood Studios this holiday season. They will run , 2016.
The Osborne Lights are one of the highlights of the holiday season and can be found on the Streets of America section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Every single facade is decorated from top to bottom with holiday lights and decorations that often dance in time to the holiday tunes blasting over the speakers.
We’ve just passed Halloween, so it’s time for Walt Disney World to start bringing out their Christmas-themed events. One of my favorites is The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and I got a sneak peek at this year’s version on Wednesday night.
For those not familiar with the history of the event, it all started in 1986 when Jennings Osborne decorated his Arkansas home to make his daughter happy. It started with 1000 lights, and grew to the point that he had to buy two neighboring homes to hold the light displays. By 1993, there were over 3 million lights, and neighbors filed a lawsuit claiming the traffic driving by to see the lights was too much. Disney caught wind of this and offered to move the display to Walt Disney World.
In 1995, the first Osborne Lights were put up on what was then “Residential Street” on the backlot of the park (which no longer exists). It now occupies the Streets of America area, all the way down to the entrance of Lights! Motors! Action! (which is located where the old Residential Street used to be).
It hasn’t officially been announced but some browsing of the official Walt Disney World site revealed that The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will be returning to Disney’s Hollywood Studios this holiday season.
The Osborne Lights will return to the park’s Streets of America area from November 7, 2014 to January 4, 2015. Every single facade is decorated from top to bottom with holiday lights and decorations that often dance in time to the holiday tunes blasting over the speakers.
For your viewing pleasure, here is a clip of the dancing lights at the 2013 Osborne Family Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They are synchronized to Tran-Siberian Orchestra’s rocking Christmas tunes.
I shot this at the beginning of light display, at the start of Streets of America..
For your viewing pleasure, here is a clip of the song “Winter Wonderland” performed by the dancing lights at the 2013 Osborne Family Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I shot this underneath the canopy of lights on the side street of the display.
We at CitySurfing Orlando thank you for discovering us and for returning to read us time and time again.
We hope that wherever you are, you are having a wonderful day with family, friends and loved ones.
Stay safe through the holidays and may Santa bring you all that you desire.
The above photo was taken at the Osborne Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s one of my favorite parts of the whole display.