Arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in late December and finding it lit up by the Osborne Family Lights Spectacular was a wonderful surprise.
The theme for Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday this week is Disney Hollywood Studios in celebration of International Hollywood Studios Awareness Week. I love the Hollywood Studios park (formerly known as MGM Studios) in no small part because of my great love of theatre and movies. We aren’t a family that loves thrilling roller-coasters so we have never been on the big name rides here. We go to this park for the shows and attractions like The Great Movie Ride and Voyage of The Little Mermaid.
Our most recent trip to Disney World was a few days after Christmas last year. We checked into our hotel late in the afternoon of the 28th and decided that we had time to spend a few hours at Hollywood Studios. I hadn’t checked ahead of time to find out if there was anything special happening for the holidays so we were completely taken by surprise when the sun went down and an incredible light display was turned up.
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights was held on Streets of America each night from mid-November through the first week of January. The display includes over 4 million Christmas lights – about 80% of which came from the original collection of the Osborne family from Arkansas. Starting in 1986, the Osborne family displayed an increasingly more elaborate light show until the mid-1990s when neighbours threatened legal action to have it discontinued because of the traffic jams that resulted from onlookers coming from all over the state to view the lights. At that point, Disney stepped in and offered a location for the Osborne family to display their lights.
When darkness falls over Hollywood Studios, the Osborne Family Lights come on and every ten minutes the spectacular display “dances” to holiday music. Magically, snow begins to gently fall and onlookers forget for just a moment that they are standing on a fake street in Orlando, Florida and not in some wintery wonderland. My photos don’t begin to do it justice but, trust me, it was the most amazing light display that I have ever seen.
Related Link
Globetrotting at EPCOT’s World Showcase
Disney (Almost) Wordless Wednesday is hosted by Deb at Focused On The Magic.
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lisa wood
Oh gosh that sounds so magical – with lights that magically come on and then snow! Gorgeous 🙂
Mark
The Osbourne Lights have always been a favorite of ours during the holiday season. I enjoyed them when the first were shown on Residential Street (which, sadly is no more) and still enjoy them now as the Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
V No Privacy At All Around This Place
This is definitely on my bucket list of things to do! See? http://noprivacyatallaroundthisplace.blogspot.com/2012/03/note-to-self-disney-world-to-do-list.html
And it will ALWAYS be “MGM” to me! 🙂
Lisa Goodmurphy
It was absolutely magical! I love Christmas lights and this display is unbelievable!
Lisa Goodmurphy
This was the first trip that we had ever made to Disney over the holidays and I had never heard of the Osborne lights – it was such an amazing surprise!
Lisa Goodmurphy
You are going to love it, V! I have to keep reminding myself not to call it MGM as that’s always the first thing that pops into my head! 🙂
DisneyDaybyDay
Love this time of year and these amazing lights. Great shots. And it’s always MGM to me as well.
Lisa Goodmurphy
Glad to know that I’m not the only one whose brain doesn’t deal with name changes very well! 🙂
Debs at Focused on the Magic
Beautiful shots! I love experiencing the Osbourne Lights, it’s so amazing! I can’t imagine what a great surprise it must have been for you, not knowing they would happen and then walking into it. Awesome!
Thanks so much for sharing and for linking up to the Disney Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop today.
Stephanie Zielinski from The Cookie A Day Challenge
Beautiful! I can imagine how awesome that must have been. It’s like and unexpected fireworks show!
I have a quick travel question for you, Do you have any tips or posts on traveling to Boston? I’m taking the boys there is a few weeks and am looking into what to do. Any tips would be helpful, thanks!
Also, The Cookie A Day Challenge will be hosting a new “Cookie Hop” starting next Tuesday. Have a favorite cookie or recipe, I would love to have you link up.
DIStherapy
Absolutely in the top 3 of “not to be missed Disney attractions”. They take my breath away every time…
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Stephanie – it was amazing!
We haven’t been to Boston yet but I have emailed you a link with some posts written by Mara at Mother of all Trips. She is a great resource for Boston information. Have a great time!
Lisa Goodmurphy
It was beautiful – and when it started snowing, my 8 year old was beside herself!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Debs – it was the best surprise ever!
Disney on Wheels
We saw the lights for the first time last year. Such a magical experience!
Jodi Whisenhunt / Magical Mouse Schoolhouse
Beautiful Christmas pics!
Lisa Goodmurphy
It was magical – I have never seen so many lights!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Yeah, not really the right time of the year for Christmas pics but I still like them! 🙂
Colorado Mountain Mom
I’ve never seen this, it looks gorgeous and I think your pictures are great! Thanks for putting them together and taking us with you 🙂
Michele @ Malaysian Meanders
We’ve seen these lights before, but I never knew the story of where they came from. I love that it’s a homegrown collection, not a big corporation. When we were there, it was so cold that it snowed on some of the Florida beaches, so the Winter mood was really set.
Lisa Goodmurphy
I didn’t know the story about the lights until I looked it up afterward. When someone at the park told me that it was the Osborne family lights I thought they meant Ozzy’s family!! 🙂 Snow on Florida beaches?!? That would put a damper on your vacation!
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thank you! I did my best but the lights were amazing!!
Spencer
Good on you! You are giving your children a type of education they would never be able to get at school. I am sure it will lead to good things in them.
JuiceBox2Go
Those lights are amazing! Hollywood Studios is our favorite park too! When we came back from my son’s first trip he kept asking to go back on the “Fire, Water Train Ride” (Backlot Tour).
Lisa Goodmurphy
Thanks, Spencer!
Lisa Goodmurphy
We’ve never done the Backlot Tour – sounds like fun!!