7 Reasons Why April 22nd Is a BIG Day in Disney World

With Earth Day quickly approaching (on April 22nd), Disney World is officially celebrating Earth Month all throughout April.

Earth Month is being celebrated in numerous ways throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Disney World hotels. From character encounters to specially themed treats, Disney is bringing visitors tons of new experiences. Ready to check it out? Let’s go!

Earth Day is just a little under two weeks away, so each of these experiences is either already available or will be available very SOON at Disney World. And the special thing about this holiday in 2023? It’s also the 25th anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom! So you know that Disney is celebrating in a big way. We’ll start off on a delicious note — food!

New Snacks Available For Earth Month

What better way to celebrate our planet than by indulging in themed snacks?

From the Bee Hive Mousse Dome from Creature Comforts to the Flamingo Cupcake from Flame Tree Barbecue, you can get an impressive variety of snacks from now until April 30th.

You can view a FULL LIST of Earth Month snacks by clicking here!

New Characters Available at Animation Experience

One of our favorite things to do in Animal Kingdom is the Animation Experience at Conservation Station. Here, you’ll be able to create a sketch of a beloved Disney character with the help of a guide.

Throughout the month of April, you can draw characters such as Dumbo, Terk from Tarzan, Crush or Bruce from Finding Nemo, Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, or Simba from The Lion King!

New Characters on Flotillas

Animal Kingdom offers a very unique character sighting: fan-favorite characters will float along Discovery River, waving at guests as they pass by. Throughout April, special guests will be on the flotillas!

Although these character sightings occur year-round, Disney has shared that there will be “unique Character appearances on the Discovery River Character Cruise” from April 16th through the 23rd. Not to mention, you’ll also be able to meet Moana in this park!

New “Special Moment” at the Tree of Life

Disney has announced that, on April 22nd, there will be “a very special moment in front of the Tree of Life” to honor Earth Day and the park’s 25th anniversary.

We don’t know yet what this moment will be, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled on that day!

New Wilderness Explorer Badge

From April 16th through 23rd, visitors can earn a special Wilderness Explorer badge by completing a special challenge!

If you’re unfamiliar with the Wilderness Explorer activity in Animal Kingdom, it’s a wildlife and nature-themed scavenger hunt based on the movie Up. With the help of Cast Members, you can collect up to 25 badges.

25th Anniversary Merchandise

In honor of Animal Kingdom’s 25th Anniversary, all-new merchandise will be available in the parks! Disney recently showed us this merchandise preview which features an all-new 25th Anniversary bucket hat and button-up shirt.

More new merch including a Spirit Jersey and an Earth Day 2023 LE Trading Pin will be available as well.

These items will come to Island Mercantile, Discovery Trading Company, and Mombasa Marketplace starting on April 21st.

New Photo Ops

Disney announced that there will be several PhotoPass photo ops in Animal Kingdom on April 22nd. Here’s a list of the options:

• Magic Shots – Have a Disney PhotoPass photographer add a special effect to your photos, including ones created to celebrate Earth Day.
• WALL-E Photo Ops – Ask a Disney PhotoPass photographer about enhancing your photo with a special effect inspired by WALL-E, in addition to a delightful, new WALL-E Disney PhotoPass Lens.

• Recycled Material Photo Ops – In honor of Earth Day, strike a pose with fun props made from 100% recycled materials.
• National Geographic Photo Frame – Snap a pic with a National Geographic photo frame, found outside the main entrance to Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park.

As usual, follow along here at AE for all the latest Disney news and updates. If you’re headed to Disney World in April, click the link below to check out a FULL LIST of what we’re packing.

Click here to check out our packing list for Disney World in April!

When is your next Disney trip? Let us know in the comments below!

Post a Comment