Attraction Stats

Location: Asia, Animal Kingdom

Type: Nighttime Spectacular

Length: 15 Minutes

Audience: All Ages

Open since February 17, 2017

3.5 Stars Out of 5 Rating

A Good Attraction, Worth A Moderate Wait

Genie+ Lightning Lane Available Genie+ Lightning Lane Available

Serene meets nighttime spectacular in Rivers of Light. In Animal Kingdom’s daily grand finale, you won’t see much bombast or any pyrotechnics. Instead of including explosive elements that could potentially disturb the nearby animals, Rivers of Light dazzles audiences with beauty. Featuring live performers, dancing water fountains, projections, and ornate glowing floats, this is Disney World’s most subdued spectacular. It’s a fitting sendoff at Animal Kingdom, which focuses on the beauty of our world.

Rivers of Light sits in the “you should see it at least once” category. It’s a gorgeous show, but its slow pacing makes it not that popular with younger guests. We recommend checking it out at least once during your Disney World vacation, but don’t wait too long.

This show was updated in 2019 as “Rivers of Light: We Are One.” The show now incorporates scenes from Disney animated movies such as The Lion King, Jungle Book, and Bambi, as well as showing footage from Disney Nature films. While these scenes add more appeal to younger guests, our recommendation remains the same.

Tips

  • Unlike being able to watch the fireworks at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios from anywhere in the park, you have to go to a specific area to best enjoy Rivers of Light. The seating entrance is by Expedition Everest. The seating rows are not the most comfortable, as they are made of concrete/stone. You should factor that in to how early you want to arrive.
  • This attraction features Fastpass, which gets you into a preferred viewing area. It is still recommended to arrive 15-30 minutes before showtime.

Rivers of Light Images