Disney debuted the Harmonious fireworks show at EPCOT on October 1, 2021, which was the start of the Disney World 50th anniversary celebration. However, the show came with mixed reviews. Many people were disappointed by the music and fireworks and overall experience. On top of that, the barges were an eye sore in the middle of World Showcase Lagoon. Disney knows this, which is why they are burning down the Harmonious Barges.
At D23, Disney announced they would be replacing Harmonious with a new fireworks show in late 2023. Disney said they are launching the new show for Disney’s 100th anniversary celebration, however this is just an excuse so they don’t have to admit they created a bad fireworks show. We saw the same thing with Enchantment at Magic Kingdom. Surprisingly, Disney has already started to dismantle the Harmonious barges by setting them on fire.
The other night, Disney was caught on camera burning one of the Harmonious barges in the middle of World Showcase Lagoon. This is the start of the demolition of Harmonious. It seems weird that they would burn the barges to remove them, however, this is actually the easiest and most efficient way to take down the barges.
While there is no official announcement from Disney on when the new show will take over, we reached out to an internal source for more information. According to our source, Disney is planning a controlled burn of all of the barges over the next few days.
We also learned Disney will be replacing Harmonious with the classic fireworks show, Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. Illuminations ran for 20 years before Disney replaced it with an inferior show. Disney has decided to reboot Illuminations, a fan favorite, and it will become the new EPCOT fireworks show going forward. Our internal source does not know the date Illuminations will officially take over, however they expect it to be within the next few weeks, potentially on November 1st.
Illuminations is our favorite fireworks show and we are so excited for the return. What do you think of Disney burning the Harmonious barges and replacing the show early? Are you excited for Illuminations to return to EPCOT? Let us know in the comments below.
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