How Much Does Disney Spend On Fireworks? | 2024 Analysis
If you've ever seen fireworks at Disney you've likely been left shocked by the sheer size and extravagance of these pyrotechnic displays that leave you wondering... how much do all these fireworks cost?
In this Disney Fireworks Guide, we've analyzed and researched the fireworks shows at Disneyland and Walt Disney World to estimate just how much Disney spends on fireworks each day!
Questions We'll Answer About How Much Money Disney Spends On Fireworks:
- Firework Cost Estimate Methodology
- How Much Money Does Disney Spend On Fireworks At Disneyland?
- How Much Money Does Disney Spend On Fireworks At Walt Disney World?
- How Much Money Does Disney Spend Each Year On Fireworks?
Firework Cost Estimate Methodology
To calculate the amount of money Disney spends on fireworks we use the following set of factors:
- Firework shell size (aka big firework or small firework) used throughout a show
- Amount of fireworks in a show
- Data and pricing from fireworks wholesales such as Precision Fireworks and Superior Fireworks
- A discount on typical fireworks prices as Disney probably receives a significant discount on pricing due to the massive bulk orders they make
How Much Money Does Disney Spend On Fireworks At Disneyland?
Beginning at Disneyland, we of course have the two major theme parks California Adventure and Disneyland Park.
We're starting small here as Disneyland spends much less money overall on fireworks when compared to Walt Disney World!
CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE
While California Adventure has a really fun nighttime show in World of Color, there actually aren't any fireworks at this show!
There are some other great pyrotechnic effects during World of Color though and it's one of our favorite shows, so we always recommend making some time to watch if you're open to more than just fireworks shows!
Total cost of fireworks at California Adventure: $0
DISNEYLAND
It's hard to pinpoint an exact number on how much Disneyland spends on fireworks per day mainly because Disneyland rotates six different firework shows throughout the year, however, we can put together a pretty good estimate!
Each of the Disneyland fireworks shows had a moderate amount of fireworks, but not nearly the amount you'd see at Walt Disney World because of the homes and buildings in very close proximity to the park.
Each of the fireworks shows at Disneyland last for about 12-13 minutes and features firework shells of all different sizes with most being on the smaller/medium end and a handful of large shells.
Based on these factors, as well as some existing reports, we estimate Disneyland spends about $25,000 per night on fireworks.
That means Disneyland alone spends $9,125,000 on fireworks in a single year!
How Much Money Does Disney Spend On Fireworks At Walt Disney World?
Heading over to Walt Disney World, we start to see some even bigger amounts of money being spent on fireworks and other nighttime spectaculars!
HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS
Hollywood Studios has a few different nighttime shows including their marquee show, Fantasmic, which all have a handful of pyrotechnic effects including fireworks.
The firework displays at Hollywood Studios are much smaller than what you'll typically see at Magic Kingdom or EPCOT.
Based on the average cost of commercial fireworks and the relatively small amount of fireworks that go off at Hollywood Studios, we estimate Disney spends about $10,000 each day on fireworks.
That's $3,650,000 in a single year for just the smallest firework display at Walt Disney World!
While we don't know this for sure, rumors from cast members involved with the show Fantasmic have estimated the show costs about $25,000 for each performance (this includes staff, maintenance, pyrotechnics, and more).
So just a year's worth of Fantasmic shows will cost Disney just over $9,000,000! We're only comparing firework shows in this guide though, so this number won't be included in our final totals.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
Animal Kingdom does not currently have a fireworks show and to keep the animals safe we don't anticipate this park having fireworks anytime soon either!
Fireworks would likely frighten the animals on the property too much and the dry savanna where most of the animals live would be at a high risk of catching on fire in the event some fallout from a firework were to land in the area.
Maybe it's best if fireworks show stays out of Animal Kingdom!
Total cost of fireworks at Animal Kingdom: $0
EPCOT
EPCOT has a larger firework display than Hollywood Studios, but still pales in comparison to the magnitude of fireworks at Magic Kingdom!
EPCOT has gone through quite a few different firework shows over the year including Illuminations, EPCOT Forever, and Hamonious.
Illuminations had by far the largest firework display of these shows, but the show stopped performances a few years ago and now the amount of fireworks seen at EPCOT have been significantly reduced.
The current fireworks show at EPCOT, Luminous The Symphony of Us, is about 17 minutes in length, and with a moderate amount of fireworks throughout most of the show, we estimate Disney spends $20,000 per night on fireworks at EPCOT.
That's $7,300,000 per year on fireworks at EPCOT... and we haven't even gotten to the Magic Kingdom yet!
MAGIC KINGDOM
Now for the biggest and most impressive fireworks display at Walt Disney World!
Firework enthusiasts have estimated that Magic Kingdom's previous firework show Wishes cost around $45,000 per night in fireworks.
Wishes was one of the most impressive firework displays in the entire world, and according to an old Disney press release, launched 680 firework shells throughout a 14-minute performance.
Over the years Wishes was scaled back just slightly to have fewer fireworks to reduce costs and we've seen a similar reduction in fireworks which brings us to the current firework show, Happily Ever After.
Happily Ever After is an incredible and innovative, can't-miss show at the Magic Kingdom, but it utilizes fewer fireworks and smaller shells compared to Wishes.
While not a big difference, Happily Ever After has about 640 fireworks which, from our observations and the observations of other guests, are less powerful than those seen in Wishes.
That all being said we only find there to be a slight difference in the cost of Happily Ever After vs Wishes. Despite having fewer and smaller fireworks, the increased cost of firework shells over the years has resulted in the shows costing just about the same amount of money.
We estimate Happily Ever After to cost right around $40,000 per day.
That puts Magic Kingdom's nighttime fireworks expenses at $14,600,000!
How Much Does Disney Spend On Fireworks Each Year?
In total, we estimate Disney spends upwards of $35,000,000 per year, or $95,000 per day, on fireworks between Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
We think many of our estimates are on the conservative side so we wouldn't be surprised if this number is a bit higher when you factor in some of the bigger, limited time firework shows (that occur only a few nights each year) and some daytime fireworks used as complimentary effects for smaller shows.
It wouldn't be surprising if Disney actually spends over $40 million per year on fireworks!
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