Why Disney Got Rid of EPCOT’s Lights of Winter

Why can’t everything you love just stay at Disney World FOREVER?! Why’d they have to get rid of rides like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride (we’re still jealous of you, Disneyland) and Maelstrom?! There’s room to build new expansions, right? Why not say “in with the new, and in with the old too?!” no need for anything to go “out”? 😂

In all seriousness, there are MANY reasons why Disney sometimes forces us to say “goodbye” to our favorite rides, experiences, and more. Grab your box of tissues because today we’re talking about a beloved EPCOT tradition that sadly has joined things like the Osborne Dancing Lights and Honey, I Shrunk the Audience in the “extinct” Disney box.

First, we want to give a massive shout-out to our AllEars reader who sent us a message requesting this article be written. We LOVE to hear from you so be sure to drop us a comment about what things YOU want to learn about!

Today’s topic? Well, we’re throwing it back to the late 1990s and early 2000s when one EPCOT experience was still available during the holiday season — EPCOT’s Lights of Winter!

For those not familiar with it, the Lights of Winter was something that had been around for MORE than a decade before it was discontinued. The lights were last available in 2008 and Disney then decided to not put them up in 2009.

As Disney historian Jim Korkis describes, the Lights of Winter consisted of a canopy archway made of 30,000 DAZZLING colored lights!

The archway of lights used to run along the walkway from then-Future World (now World Celebration) to World Showcase Plaza. But the lights weren’t stationary. They would be synchronized to some holiday tunes to really get you in the spirit.

The experience was immersive and really towered over you as you walked through the archway.

So why was it removed? Well, according to Korkis, it seems antiquated technology is what Disney “officially” pointed to. The official Disney Twitter reportedly indicated, “tech to operate the lights is obsolete, prompting us to retire the lights.”

Korkis has pointed out that this is interesting, however, because several of the sections had been updated in past years and, at the time, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights had undergone an upgrade too, giving it some modern technology. So it’s not as though Disney was totally unable to update things. But it’s possible that the cost to upgrade this experience was simply deemed to be not worth it. It’s also possible that other factors came into play in deciding to end the offering.

For starters, the set-up of the arches took up a bit of space which can block some of the crowd flow in the area. They also drew a decent amount of crowds to that walkway area, which could (with even larger crowds) create issues in terms of getting people through this central artery between World Showcase and the rest of EPCOT.

As new attractions and experiences are added to other areas of the park, thereby allowing Disney to increase the park’s overall capacity, crowd flow throughout the entire park is something that must be seriously considered. Having tons of people standing in this central spot and blocking a main passage to/from certain parts of the park might simply have been too much of a headache to try and deal with, making removing the lights altogether a simpler solution.

Plus, the arches did block some of the views through to World Showcase. So if you wanted to stand all the way at the back of the arches (closer to Spaceship Earth) to watch the fireworks, you would have some lights as obstructions. That might not have been an issue for many, but you do seem to get a bit “clearer” of a view without them.

It also feels like Disney moved away from many of these lights-based displays in general as the Osborne Dancing Lights were ultimately removed from Disney’s Hollywood Studios, though that show didn’t end until much later — in 2016.

Perhaps Disney was only willing to update the lights at one show rather than two, opting to focus on the Osborne Dancing Lights while they were still around since that was a much more extensive display.

Lately, Disney also seems to be more focused (at least at times) on things that can remain in place permanently and used year-round, rather than extensive amounts of decor or technology that needs to be put up and taken down each year.

That’s not the case everywhere because seasonal decor does still go up in many areas of the parks and hotels. But, consider the permanent new nighttime look for Spaceship Earth that debuted with the 50th Anniversary. All of the lights added to the park icon can be used year-round, creating unique displays for each season. There’s no need to take them down, and no need to put up cranes or do extensive construction work each year — they just remain in place and can be reprogrammed as needed with special technology.

The same thing could be taking place over at Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. While the Dream Lights used to be a must-see for the holiday season, Disney has not indicated whether they’ll be returning in 2023, but they have NOT returned in recent years.

For 2023, Disney has only said that a brand new stage show is coming to Magic Kingdom for the holidays and they have shown an image of the Castle that does not appear to showcase the Dream Lights. Disney has also promised an “entertainment experience that will illuminate the castle in a whole new way.”

If Disney does utilize projections on the castle to create a winter look (instead of the Dream Lights)– as it has in recent years — that would further emphasize their turn toward technology that is available year-round rather than technology that must be put up and taken down each year.

EPCOT’s Lights of Winter may be gone, but that doesn’t mean Disney has totally forgotten about them. In fact, the Lights got honored in a special way back in 2021. That year, Disney used the lights on Spaceship Earth in a special way during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. In a post shared via Instagram, Imagineer Zach Riddley explained that they added a nod to EPCOT holidays past in the 2021 Spaceship Earth show.

Specifically, visual elements from the Lights of Winter display were actually incorporated into the light show on Spaceship Earth. In 2022, a more wintery-themed show debuted for the Festival of the Holidays with snowflakes and the northern lights.

For now, it seems the Lights of Winter will remain just a memory but you never know what the future may hold at Disney World in terms of what holiday decor could appear next.

What do you think? Were the Lights of Winter a must-see for you at EPCOT? Are they something you wish Disney would bring back or something you don’t miss being in the “extinct” box? Tell us in the comments!

To learn more about extinct things from EPCOT, click here to learn all about Body Wars, and check out the history of World of Motion here!

Were you a fan of the Lights of Winter? Tell us in the comments!

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