The Electrical Water Pageant has glided across Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake since October 1971, filling the water with glowing sea creatures, twinkling lights, and that wonderfully retro electronic soundtrack. While Walt Disney World officially turns 55 on October 1st, the Pageant reaches its own 55th anniversary on October 25th.
There aren’t many pieces of 1971 Walt Disney World you can still experience almost exactly where they began. In fact, several of the illuminated floats traveling across the water today date all the way back to its 1971 debut. The whale and turtle are both originals, along with the three jumping dolphin floats, four seahorses, and King Neptune, who presides over the entire procession.
Here are a few more fun facts about one of Walt Disney World’s longest-running shows, plus where you can still watch it today.
1. It Debuted as Entertainment for Resort Guests
The Electrical Water Pageant made its first appearance on October 25, 1971, just a few weeks after Walt Disney World opened and one day after Fantasy in the Sky debuted at Magic Kingdom.
Disney created the Pageant as nighttime entertainment for guests staying around the Magic Kingdom resort area, particularly guests attending the Polynesian Village Resort’s luau dinner show. Disney’s Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show never reopened following the 2020 closure, and its former location eventually became part of the site for the new Island Tower.
The Electrical Water Pageant also predates Disneyland’s Main Street Electrical Parade, making it Disney’s original light parade. You can even see some similarities between the Pageant’s flat illuminated figures and the early Electrical Parade floats that followed.
2. “If It Isn’t Baroque… Don’t Fix It!”
The show uses illuminated barges stretching roughly 1,000 feet across the water, glowing with tens of thousands of twinkling light bulbs.
The 25-foot tall barges create turtles, dolphins, whales, an octopus, a sea serpent, a dinosaur, and other creatures that look like they swam directly out of a very 1970s computer screen… I mean that affectionately.
The soundtrack has changed through the years, with songs accompanying different figures, including “A Whale of a Tale” for the blue whale and “Poor Unfortunate Souls” for the octopus. Who is Ursula, I guess?
Up until 1996, the original soundtrack featured Gershon Kingsley and Jean-Jacques Perrey’s “Baroque Hoedown,” which later became closely associated with the Main Street Electrical Parade. If you happen to find an original 1973 picture disc record, you’ll hear that original version of the Electrical Water Pageant soundtrack.
3. You Can Catch a Sneak Peek During the Day
Want to see what the Electrical Water Pageant looks like without all those twinkling lights? During the day, its 14 floating barges rest in a backstage canal near Magic Kingdom. When riding the Resort Monorail, look out the left side after leaving Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and before arriving at Magic Kingdom.
— They’re truly flat and unassuming during daylight hours. Nighttime does wonders for them!
You can also occasionally spot the barges traveling across the water before the show begins, marked by small green lights as a tiny yet mighty crew compromised of 5 Cast Members moves them into position for the evening.
4. You Don’t Need a Park Ticket to Watch
One of my favorite things about the Electrical Water Pageant is how easy it is to work into a resort evening without entering Magic Kingdom. The Pageant’s current nightly operating window is from approximately 8:35 PM through 10:05 PM weather permitting, as it makes its way around Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.
Here are the official viewing locations:
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
- Narcoossee’s patio
- Resort boat dock
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Resort boat dock
- Resort beach
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Resort boat dock
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Geyser Point
Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
- Resort boat dock
- Resort beach
Approximate viewing times can change depending on the evening, fireworks schedule, and operating conditions, but you can generally expect the Pageant to make its rounds between 8:35 and 10:05 PM. Current schedules typically place it around the Grand Floridian and Polynesian earlier in the evening, followed by Wilderness Lodge around 9:30 PM, Fort Wilderness around 9:45 PM, and the Contemporary around 10 PM.
5. It Only Takes Five People to Run the Show!
Just five Cast Members operate the show each night: one safety boat operator, two pilots positioned in the first float of each barge, and two co-pilots riding in the last floats.
The crew gets the show underway as soon as everyone moves into position, which helps keep changing winds from throwing off the setup. And despite all those twinkling lights, the process requires a very hands-on approach. Following specific light and music cues, the co-pilots manually flip the switches at exactly the right moments throughout the performance.
A True Disney World Classic
This October, the Electrical Water Pageant officially joins Walt Disney World in the 55-year club.
I have countless memories of watching this charming little spectacle from the beaches of Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, or catching it from the dock at Wilderness Lodge.
Even near the Magic Kingdom turnstiles at night, I’ll sometimes notice families stop what they’re doing when the music starts up and those familiar glowing creatures appear across the lagoon.
Walt Disney World has changed tremendously since October 1971, but those wonderfully retro sea creatures are still out there floating around Bay Lake every night. As Walt Disney World celebrates 55 years this week, save a little love for one of its oldest nighttime traditions!
The post Disney World’s Electrical Water Pageant Is Turning 55! first appeared on The DIS.
