Disney World Tests Star Wars Fireworks Launch Site at Hollywood Studios After 6 Year Absence

A long time ago in a park pre-Galaxy’s Edge, Walt Disney World created a new, purpose-built fireworks launch site for a new Star Wars nighttime spectacular. This location has sat dormant since mid-March 2020, until the force awakened last night, and the dead spoke (sorry, couldn’t help myself), when WDW revived the pyro launch site behind Hollywood Studios for testing.

This could point to yet another post-COVID comeback happening years after the fact. Or it could amount to nothing at all, at least in terms of things that the average guest, who is not the in IT consulting business, will ever experience. It could also suggest something new entirely being prepared for the phased opening of Monstropolis in 2027 and 2028. Here’s the latest, including our speculation about what’s most & least likely happening here.

As basic background, Walt Disney World built a “new” permanent fireworks launch site across World Drive about one decade ago. That came prior to the debut of Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular, which was an indirect replacement for Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular. Two Star Wars fireworks shows with similar names, but the latter was light years better.

Part of the reason Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular received mixed reviews upon its debut was because the pyro was incredibly off-center and seemingly much more limited than the previous Star Wars and Frozen nighttime spectaculars.

This was as a result of the World Drive launch site, which was borne of necessity, since the previous launch became Toy Story Land. Once land clearing and construction commenced, Walt Disney World was forced to find a new location. The World Drive site was the ‘lemonade out of lemons’ option that would still allow for full fireworks shows.

After only a few years of use, Walt Disney World has let the World Drive launch site sit dormant since Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular unceremoniously ended its run. The only fully fledged “fireworks” show that has returned since then is “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” for Jollywood Nights, and the more recent New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July pyro displays.

The nighttime not-so-spectaculars of the last several years at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have eschewed the dedicated launch site in favor of small rooftop launch locations. This can still look good, and add a more immersive quality to the pyro than the more distant and larger-scale launch site, but a mix of both is optimal for a truly wow-worthy production.

It was to the point that we wondered whether the purpose-built DHS pyro launch site had been decommissioned entirely, suffering a fate similar to the shuttered Starcruiser. (It’s been a rough run for things on the periphery of Disney’s Hollywood Studios built for Star Wars productions!)

That is, until last night! As guests were leaving Disney’s Hollywood Studios, they reported fireworks being launched periodically from the site across World Drive. The testing spaced the launches out over the course of the night, often the same pyro bursts about 90 seconds apart. This pattern suggests pyro testing, as opposed to a full nighttime spectacular rehearsal (which is presumably still to come, since the latter usually follows the former). Here’s video:

We got more pyro tonight at Hollywood Studios! Looks like some firework testing of some sort??? Theyve shot of 4 of the same firework, about 90 seconds apart pic.twitter.com/ldDInBWZut

— RockNstardust✨ (@CoasterK24) September 2, 2026

Before we get excited daydreaming about the endless possibilities, I want to draw your attention (again) to the Best Day for Low Crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Fall 2026! As a reminder, that’s October 20, 2026.

It’s the best day due to a private park buyout during the Gartner IT Symposium. Their events are often accompanied by blockbuster fireworks shows. I would say there’s about a 66% to 75% chance that this is what was being tested last night.

If you are an entertainment pessimist, you might as well stop right here. The explanation is probably a third party with deep pockets willing to foot the fireworks bill, and Disney being happy to oblige, as opposed to anything any of us will ever experience. Everything that follows is probably wishful thinking, and unlikely to happen.

As a bit of an aside, one thing that got lost in the shuffle is that there would normally be a MNSSHP on that night (it’s literally the only Tuesday during Party Season without one!). The disruption that would be caused by having both Magic Kingdom and DHS close early during Fall Break is probably why there isn’t.

I cannot even begin to imagine what Gartner IT Symposium is paying Walt Disney World for the private park buyout if the indirect consequence is forgoing MNSSHP revenue that night. That is insane. Adding a special fireworks show, plus testing in the weeks leading up to that, might seem like a big expense, but it’s probably peanuts compared to offsetting MNSSHP and their overall spend on the IT Symposium.

I know convention season is big business. We’ve heard rumors for years that October is Walt Disney World’s biggest month of the year due to these large-scale events, what they spend on resorts, restaurants, and private parties. That the Swan & Dolphin are basically funded by the month of October, and normal guest stays the rest of the year are essentially “subsidized” by conventions. And I also know Gartner IT Symposium is the biggest of the big, but this is still a lot for the sake of one private park buyout.

I had always assumed the rumors were hyperbole, but just some back of envelope math suggests this one evening could run Gartner $5 million or more, between the event itself and the cost of the lost MNSSHP. That’s a staggering sum, but then again, event registration starts at $8,200 and does not appear to even include the night at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But I digress. 

The more interesting ~25% possibility is that Walt Disney World is gearing up to bring back a fully fledged fireworks show. Even pre-closure, we speculated that Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular would be replaced, largely due to an overabundance of Star Wars at Disney’s Hollywood Studios despite Galaxy’s Edge failing to resonate with guests to the degree expected.

As a reminder, Walt Disney World arguably over-prepared for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in the months and years ahead of its launch. The goal was helping the park to better absorb crowds, as there were internal fears that the smaller park did not have the capacity to support such a high-demand addition. That definitely was not a problem early on, but we did start to see issues arise between December 2019 and March 2020. (See Hollywood Studios: Walt Disney World’s Best Rides & Most Frustrating Park.)

Among other things, Walt Disney World sought to remedy this by debuting two projection shows (“Wonderful World of Animation” and “Disney Movie Magic”), which ran in addition to Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular and Fantasmic.

On many evenings in late 2019 and early 2020, there were 5 nighttime productions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios thanks to two performances of Fantasmic. It was a wild time–you had to be there!

Even when things got crazy in early 2020, my take was always that the biggest issues that existed with Disney’s Hollywood Studios revolved around headliner ride bandwidth during the midday stretch, and not nighttime spectaculars. To the contrary, even on busy days, we observed the two projection shows playing to no one and Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular drawing only a modest crowd.

Nevertheless, I expected a new fireworks show that would leverage a different intellectual property, perhaps with a return of the Frozen nighttime spectacular or something else. Looking back, my logic at the time partially revolved around Gran Destino Tower and the fireworks views from there. I now think that’s probably a non-factor.

With the first phase of Monstropolis slated to debut in Summer 2027, it is possible that Disney’s Industrial Engineering team has determined the park will once again need more crowd-absorbing capacity.

Perhaps the conclusion they’ve reached is that guests will stay later into the evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and two showings of Fantasmic won’t be sufficient. Maybe they realize that a real fireworks show would be valuable counterprogramming, and one that extends the day for many guests, getting them to spend more on meals, drinks, and possibly evening dining packages or dessert parties.

Alternatively, it’s possible that they want to be able to run a single showing on more ‘in between’ evenings, as the equity entertainment cost of that show is high. Even though I’m never one to bet against entertainment cost cuts, Fantasmic seems to be one thing that’s safe from them. (The show has had issues at Walt Disney World this summer, but they’re temporary technical difficulties as opposed to purposeful cutbacks.)

Ultimately, Monstropolis being right around the corner and the possibility of history repeating itself is why I’m not just dismissing this test out of hand as being for the Gartner IT Symposium. It probably is, but maybe not. It feels like Walt Disney World has been pulling from the 2019 playbook more and more, right down to the phased opening of Monstropolis.

If that extends to evening entertainment, we will get another nighttime spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in either 2027 or 2028. Honestly, that wasn’t something that was even on my radar, and you’re going to see steam coming out of my ears like an old timey cartoon character if DHS gets a second nighttime spectacular before Animal Kingdom debuts a drone show. But it would definitely make sense, and early tests like this are how we’ve first learned about a few new nighttime spectaculars or seasonal shows at Walt Disney World over the years. We’ll keep you posted should this amount to anything.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Why do you think Walt Disney World is testing the long dormant, purpose-built fireworks launch site behind Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Is it probably just for the private park buyout, or is WDW gearing up for Disney’s Hollywood Studios to be much, much busier in 2027 or 2028? Think DHS needs a fireworks show on top of Fantasmic? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!