I Stood in the WRONG Place at 9PM in Magic Kingdom. Zero Stars, Do Not Recommend.

There’s one thing that happens (nearly) every day in Magic Kingdom that the park is known for.

I love Magic Kingdom!

It’s not meet and greets or the parades/cavalcades, although those are iconic in their own right. No, I’m talking about the Magic Kingdom fireworks! They’ve gone through different shows over the years, but you can currently see Happily Ever After around 9PM each night. However, I found out the HARD way that there are some places you 100% should NOT be standing during that time in Magic Kingdom.

In Front of the Castle

Now WAIT don’t cancel me just yet — despite being able to deal with Disney World crowds when I have to, I actively choose to AVOID crowds when I can, and standing right in the Hub during Happily Ever After is one of THE MOST crowded places you could ever stand.

Hub Fireworks Crowds

So if you’re like me, this is NOT the place for you. Yes, you’re going to be surrounded by people nearly all the time in Disney World, but not like this. However, even if you’re watching the fireworks and you don’t mind crowds, this still isn’t the best place to stand since you’re missing all the projections on Main Street U.S.A.!

In Parts of Liberty Square

Believe it or not, you CAN see the fireworks from Liberty Square…depending on where you stand. While we love the massive Liberty Tree in the square, it does NOT help when you’re trying to watch the fireworks away from the crowds.

Liberty Tree

I recommend trying out this spot if you’ve already seen Happily Ever After at LEAST once and are willing to walk around a bit until you find a good spot WHILE the fireworks are going on. Otherwise, make sure you’re somewhere on Main Street so you can genuinely see the show!

New Fantasyland

Unless you want to stay far, FAR away from the crowds (which, totally fair if you do), New Fantasyland is NOT the place to be.

Be Our Guest in New Fantasyland

This area offers little to no view of the fireworks, so you’ll hear them, but won’t necessarily be able to see them while you’re walking around. Again, that’s great if you don’t want ANY part of the fireworks (which I totally get) — in that case, head over here for sure!

The Castle Side Paths

So here’s the thing, these WOULD be a great way to watch the show…if they weren’t closed during it.

This was taken from the side path on the left!

It makes total sense why these paths need to be closed during the show (same with the area immediately behind the castle) — they’re in the firework ash landing zone, and Disney doesn’t want anyone getting hurt! I know, it’s a bummer to not be able to watch the show from this cool angle, but I DO know from personal experience that they are usually open during Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire throughout the day, so you can watch that show from the side.

Hi, Mickey!

Now, if you’re looking for some places to watch the fireworks without being in the main crowd, here are my suggestions:

Behind the castle (anywhere that isn’t roped off!)
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (experienced this firsthand and it was AMAZING)
TRON Lightcycle / Run (either on the ride itself, or just the area around the entrance to the ride is an amazing place to watch them! I was walking to my Virtual Queue while they were still going on and it was a moment I’ll never forget.)
Astro Orbiter (again, you’re up high and get a really unique view!)
Back of Main Street U.S.A. (get nearly as FAR back on Main Street as you can so you can see all the projections, AND you can turn and FAST WALK out of the park to beat the giant crowd)