Hey there, hi there, ho there Kathleen, and welcome to planDisney. We are thrilled you have stopped by the most magical place on the internet to get answers to your specific Disney vacation question. Fireworks were one of Walt Disney's favorite "plusses" to make the experience at Disneyland special for Guests of all ages and this tradition continues at theme parks bearing his name today.
While I am unable to know for sure at this time because the calendar has not been released for January 2024, I can tell you that in 2022, 2020, 2019, and 2018 the fireworks at Magic Kingdom Park typically begin at 8:00 PM. There are some days in January of the past that the fireworks did start at 9:00 PM or even 10:00 PM but that does not seem to be the recent trend. Typically the fireworks hours are released about 60 days in advance, right about the time your
dining reservations may be made. As you get closer to the date I would pay attention to the
Happily Ever After landing page for updated times.
In preparation, I would plan to finish dinner around 7:15 -7:30 PM and that means making a reservation for a large group 90 minutes before the fireworks.
Table Service meals usually take about an hour but big groups need more time. Remember, you always have
Counter Service restaurants that your group may visit and then you meet up at your decided viewing spot 30 minutes or more before the fireworks. Happily Ever After is not to be missed.
planDisney Pro Tip: Large groups are tough to manage when tens of thousands of people want to watch the fireworks. You may want to consider sending a small envoy of people to hold your spot while the rest finish dinner. The best place to experience the fireworks is between
Casey's Corner and the
Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. You will be able to view all the fireworks and the
Cinderella Castle and Main Street, U.S.A. projections perfectly.
One more thing; since you have a large group purchasing a
Memory Maker will help photo document your entire trip. Not every person needs to be in each photo but when the time comes that you want that big group shot, you will have a superb
Disney PhotoPass photo keepsake.
Kathleen, thank you for stopping by planDisney. We are here to help you with more Disney vacation planning tips. Please feel free to
write me back directly with any follow-up questions.
Enjoy making many Magical Memories.
~Jason