2022 Night of a Million Lights for Give Kids the World: Orlando’s Best Christmas Event!
Night of a Million Lights for Give Kids the World Village is about the closest thing to a spiritual successor for the Osborne Lights at Walt Disney World, and the best display for Christmas in Orlando–probably all of Florida. If you’re one of the many Walt Disney World fans who still misses the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights and spending hours each Christmas season simply strolling the Streets of America at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, this is for you. (Updated October 7, 2022.)
For those who are unfamiliar with it, Give Kids the World is a nonprofit that provides families of children with life-threatening illnesses cost-free accommodations during their visit Walt Disney World, Universal, and other Central Florida theme parks. It’s only appropriate to start by highlighting Give Kids the World, because the organization and place is truly extraordinary.
We’ve asked readers to support Give Kids the World with past fundraising initiatives, and we won’t bury the lede: we’re doing the same today–please donate to Give Kids the World. Sarah and I strongly believe in the organization’s mission, and have been moved by our visits to the Village. It’s evident in the enthusiasm of the families staying, the passion of the volunteers and staff, and the collaborative sense of community leaders that help make Give Kids the World Village something special–something magical.
October 7, 2022 Update: A couple of months ago, Give Kids the World indicated that the village is back to operating at full capacity and announced that the organization had decided to discontinue hosting Night of a Million Lights at the Village in order “to remain focused on our mission to create life-changing experiences for wish families.”
It was bittersweet news. We were disappointed that we wouldn’t be able to experience this excellent event again, but the discontinuation was for the best possible reason–the village where it had been hosted would return to its truly noble core mission and purpose. Well, today brings good news!
Excitement will be in the air again for Christmas 2022 as Night of a Million Lights returns in a new venue – Island H2O Water Park Margaritaville Resort Orlando in Kissimmee, Florida!
From November 11, 2022, through January 1, 2023, come enter a dazzling winter wonderland illuminated with millions of lights and filled with festive family activities and live entertainment for a one-of-a-kind, fully immersive holiday experience.
Nightly entertainment at Island H2O Water Park during Night of a Million Lights will include performances by Dueling Pianos Jingle and Jangle and the strolling a cappella group Santa’s Dancing Reindeer, with DJ Jack Frost Ice Block Party leading an interactive holiday hits dance party. The Emmy Award-winning RWS Entertainment Group will once again partner with Give Kids The World and Island H2O Water Park to produce the event.
Tickets are on sale now at www.gktw.org/lights/. Admission offers guests the ability to stroll throughout the park to view the lights, watch an all-new dancing lights show on a five-story waterslide, visit children’s holiday activities space, interact with strolling performers, explore themed lightscapes, and visit with Santa Clause–all for a wonderful cause!
Proceeds from Night of a Million Lights at Island H2O will once again benefit Give Kids The World Village, an 89-acre, whimsical nonprofit resort that provides critically ill children and their families from around the world with magical week-long wish vacations at no cost. Discounts are available for groups of 25 or more, as well as Island H2O Water Park season pass holders. VIP experiences, sponsorships and volunteer opportunities are also available.
For families of children who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, who have had to rise to the challenge of a grueling schedule of doctor appointments, painful treatments, and escalating medical expenses, having a chance to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth is an opportunity for a temporary reprieve from that immense stress and worrying. When a family arrives at Give Kids the World Village for their once-in-a-lifetime trip, the team there moves mountains to ensure that each family has an amazing experience.
Give Kids the World Village is a place where “no” is not in the vocabulary. It’s a place where limitations are removed, and families are granted a reprieve from the trials and tribulations faced during grueling treatment periods. It’s impossible to fully convey this in words–you have to see Give Kids the World Village yourself to even begin to understand its scale, scope, and significance.
Note that the photos in this post that aren’t concept art are of Night of a Million Lights at the Give Kids the World Village. Honestly, we felt that a big part of the powerful experience was being inside the Village. It remains to be seen how this will translate to H2O Island Water Park, even if the lights, entertainment, and the core idea are the same. Nevertheless, we’re happy that Night of a Million Lights is returning and are cautiously optimistic that its new venue will work out well.
What follows is a look at and thoughts about our experience attending Night of a Million Lights last year. Some of the same recommendations and other info will still apply to the 2022 Night of a Million Lights.
Night of a Million Lights began last year as an inventive pivot for Give Kids the World, as the Village was forced to close to families. Nearly 100,000 guests attended last year, and it earned a number of accolades and unanimously rave reviews.
In only one year, Night of a Million Lights quickly became a beloved Central Florida Christmas tradition. It has pivoted once again this year with the return of families to the Village, finding new ways to be brighter and more festive, while preserving the privacy and comfort of wish families during their visits.
Give Kids the World’s second annual Night of a Million Lights holiday spectacular runs nightly through January 2, 2022, illuminating the Central Florida skyline, about 20 minutes east of Walt Disney World in Kissimmee.
At its core, Night of a Million Lights is a walk-through of a fairytale neighborhood with every house on the block illuminated in a wall of Christmas lights, Clark Griswold style.
Visitors to Night of a Million Lights can explore a sparkling tree trail, view larger-than-life holiday displays, take photos at step-in frames and backdrops, and enjoy a guided tour of 100 magnificently lit villas from the comfort of a tram, all included in the price of the ticket.
The event runs from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, with entry times staggered to prevent crowding (we did the last time slot of the night and it wasn’t even remotely crowded–quite the opposite, in fact). Tickets for Night of a Million Lights at Give Kids the World can be purchased here. Proceeds from ticket purchases support Give Kids the World and its charitable mission.
This year’s Night of a Million Lights enhancements include a 360-degree dancing lights show encompassing 21 fully programmed buildings set to music, with six three-minute holiday vignettes playing each hour. In addition, a holiday marketplace offers food and beverage options, festive holiday merchandise, and an opportunity to meet Santa in his elaborately decorated Florida home.
Also new this year, guests can make their visits extra special by purchasing one of a variety of VIP packages, ranging from behind-the-scenes guided tours and premium dessert parties to special events and exclusive balcony experiences.
If aspects of the above description sounds familiar to Walt Disney World fans who loved the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, there’s good reason for that.
According to Give Kids the World, a majority of the lights were donated by Walt Disney World. Upon stepping foot into the Village, it’s fairly obvious where in Walt Disney World those lights were sourced.
The production value and polish of Night of a Million Lights also appear to have Disney’s creative “fingerprints.”
I can’t say for certain the degree to which Disney Creative Entertainment or Imagineering were involved in creating the dancing displays, but it would be hardly unprecedented. Disney has been a strong supporter of Give Kids the World in the past, with Imagineering designing various buildings, assisting with attractions, and more.
Numerous departments at Walt Disney World offer support to Give Kids the World, in the form of volunteer teams, financial assistance, resources to help improve facilities, and even weekly Disney character appearances. Executives from Disney even sit on the Board of Directors and Advisory Board of Give Kids the World.
Suffice to say, Walt Disney World and Give Kids the World work very closely with one another.
Disney isn’t the only one–it’s our understanding that Give Kids the World has similar relationships with Universal, SeaWorld, Legoland, and other area attractions.
This collaborative community effort is the type of thing that’s great to see–especially when it’s for such a worthy cause.
We don’t want to go overboard with the comparisons to the Osborne Lights, but Night of Million Lights is reminiscent of the earlier years of the Disney-MGM Studios display.
This is like when the Osborne Lights were back on Residential Street, before they moved to the Streets of America and became the more elaborate spectacle.
That’s not to say there’s anything quaint about Night of a Million Lights.
It features much of the modern technology harnessed by the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights in its later years, just in a charming and whimsical neighborhood of storybook villas. It’s really the best of both worlds, and the idealized setting make the parallels to its predecessor at Walt Disney World even more pronounced.
With that said, Night of a Million Lights clearly belongs to Give Kids the World and is not simply a “Disney display” at a different location.
In addition to the dashes of Disney, there are also homes with decorations themed to SeaWorld, Margaritaville, the PGA Tour, Hasbro, WWE, Mears, Universal Orlando, and more. The best homes are arguably by Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! (yes, really) and ITEC Entertainment.
Beyond the magic of Give Kids the World Village itself, it’s wonderful to see the local community rally around such a worthy cause and collaborate on a truly spectacular light display.
In addition to support from Central Florida’s themed entertainment industry, hundreds of individual volunteers spent over 30,000 hours bringing the Night of a Million Lights to life. Their dedication shows in the finished product, which is truly breathtaking.
In terms of practical advice, we’d recommend arriving to the parking area for Night of a Million Lights around 30 minutes prior to the start of your time slot. (If you don’t have a car, drop-off is even easier with Uber or Lyft.)
Plan on doing a good amount of walking, as the area encompassing Night of a Million Lights is quite large. That means a lot of steps, but it also means that guests are really dispersed and “crowds” aren’t really a thing. We spent a full 2 hours at Night of a Million Lights, and we’d recommend allocating close to that to it.
Words and photos don’t do full justice to Night of a Million Lights, so here’s a quick video shot by Sarah of the ‘dancing lights district’ of Give Kids the World.
You can only see a portion of this residential loop in the video, and it’s one of several ‘zones’ at Night of a Million Lights. Suffice to say, there’s a lot to see during the event!
Ultimately, Night of a Million Lights at Give Kids the World earns our highest possible recommendation. If you’re looking for something to do outside Walt Disney World, this is absolutely, unquestionably worth your time and money.
Not only does it go to a fantastic cause, but Night of a Million Lights is a fantastic event–the most fun you’ll have in Florida this holiday season. Buy tickets on Give Kids the World’s website.
Even if you cannot attend Night of a Million Lights, we’d strongly encourage you to make a contribution to Give Kids the World. Readers have asked how they can support the blog since we don’t do Patreon or subscriptions. This your answer. If you like this blog and have found it has helped improve or add value to your vacations, please donate to Give Kids the World.
Give Kids the World is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization (meaning your donation is tax-deductible) with a 98.08/100 score on Charity Navigator. More than 90 cents of every dollar it spends goes to program services, and only 2.2% of their revenue is spent on administrative expenses, which is an exceptionally low amount. (It should also go without saying, but we are not receiving anything for this ‘endorsement’ of Give Kids the World or Night of a Million Lights. We paid for our own tickets to the event and will do so again without hesitation.)
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
Have you experienced Night of a Million Lights at Give Kids the World Village? Agree that it’s one of–if not the–best things to do during the Christmas season in Orlando? Do you miss the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights? If you’ve experienced both, do you see the similarities? Do you agree or disagree with our commentary? 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!
We found it to be a completely magical experience in the village last year. We never would have experienced it if it hadn’t been for your posting about it. Like you I found it bittersweet that it was not happening this year. It will probably not be the same but we will give it a try knowing we are supporting a great cause at the very least!
My wife and I went last year and was well worth the time/effort from the Wilderness Lodge. We actually left from Disney Springs and took a Lyft over and back. Breathtaking is an understatement… its truly and awesome spectacle of a million lights and assure you its well worth it. Make reservations EARLY to get the time slots. If you drive you can NOT park near the village. You will be given direction to a remote parking location and bussed to the village… very short ride.
Thanks, Tom. i just bought tix for 11/27/22. Looking forward to it!
I had a memorable and heartwarming holiday experience at this event last year, surprising my family with tickets to end a great ‘no parks’ day. I really hope they are successful with the event this year, though I honestly am having trouble imagining it taking place at a waterpark. I won’t be down during the holiday season but I’ll make a donation instead and look forward to seeing pics if you go…
I’m a long time GKTW volunteer, and I think it will still be a great event even though it will have a different feel from at the Village. Sounds like in addition to what sounds like beautiful lights, sounds like some fun entertainment and other fun activities that wouldn’t have been possible at the Village. Most important- we’re fully open again post-covid for our special Wish families. Hope people will still come to enjoy the lights and support Give Kids the World.
My wife and I went this past Tuesday and well worth the visit. For those using Lyft or Uber, I strongly recommend the earlier times to visit. Our Lyft driver had to wait behind a number of buses before he could pick us up after 10PM.
As a long-time GKTW volunteer I wanted to say thank for your great write up!!! (The Village is also a great place to volunteer – and it takes 1,800 volunteer shifts a week to staff all of the activities for the families.
I highly recommend it )
Never got to see Osborne Spectacle, so excited to see this, we just got tix for next week!
Thank you for this post! We are headed down for the Christmas party this Sunday and just booked this event for Saturday. It was all sold out earlier today and tickets opened up. I’m sure we will love it and happy to donate to this cause!
Thanks for highlighting this organization, Tom and Sarah! What an extremely worthy cause! I wish we could make it down to see the lights, but we’ve made a donation.
Give Kids the World holds a special place in my heart, because my family were blessed by Make A Wish several years ago, to stay there . My daughter Meghan and our family, made memories that will last forever ! Sadly , she is no longer with us, but I can’t stress enough what a great cause this is !
We thoroughly enjoyed this event last year and will be going again mid December.
I was wondering how they would do it this year while having families staying there ………….
Replying to myself from last year! –
I thoroughly enjoyed the lights these past 2 years as I’m a sucker for all things Christmas! So glad that the lights will be on show again this year – can’t imagine it will have the wow factor that it had at the Village – but we shall see
Thanks for highlighting this terrific group! And for all that you and Sarah do. Happy Holidays to both of you, Grateful for your blog, and your wonderful attitude towards all things Disney. You always strike just the right tone, provide great information and frequently make me laugh. Happy that you directed me towards donating to this worthy charity.
Very pleased to be going again this year. Thank heavens the children and their families have returned, so we know it will be different. But such a worthy cause and so very festive too
Tom –
Thanks for posting this! We’re doing a short trip to Disney Springs in early December and this would be a great addition to our itinerary.
ONE REQUEST THOUGH: Would you be so kind as to post a directions link in the article body? That way, people can add it to their Google/Apple/Bing maps – since it’s a little off the beaten path for folks from out of the area.
Google Map Coordinates are:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/26.0907645,-80.1093562
If you need the Apple Maps and/or Bing links, let me know.
I live in Pennsylvania and was so bummed that we couldn’t go last year as we didn’t have a trip planned, so I was absolutely over the moon to hear that they were doing it again this year and bought tickets as soon as they went on sale for the 5:00-7:00 time slot on the 14th. My 15-year-old niece was diagnosed with cancer about a month ago (the prognosis looks good), so what I was already expecting to be an emotional visit will be even more so. Thank you for all that you do for and give to this community Tom and Sarah!
This is not on my radar of charities, just made a donation. Thank you for amplifying this cause and sincere gratitude for your website!
Just bought tickets and made a donation – thanks for making us aware of the event!
It wasn’t as good as last year. I understand they were between two equally unpleasant choices, don’t have kids or don’t have the huge fundraiser. But they’ve closed off half the lights because they have families and the accessible rides are not running this year, you can’t see the train, star room, or wishing tree. They do have a tram running to see those lights on the other side.
Still a fabulous fundraiser just not the same moving experience as 2020.
Thanks Tom… this is fantastic and scheduled to attend 8 – 10 on the 7th… setup as a surprise for my wife!!
So funny! We are visiting my daughter in Maitland over Christmas and she just called me last night & said we HAVE to go to this! Your post cemented it! Thanks for all you do for us and your community. Happy Holidays!
We are excited to go next week! Thanks for highlighting this worthy cause!