Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Disney's Hollywood Studios
2015 was the final year for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights due to the addition of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge.
Disney's Hollywood Studios used to host the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The lights would come alive approximately every 10 minutes and "dance" to holiday music while "Florida snow" fell in the background, making this the perfect Christmas setting.
There were all sorts of easy-to-overlook details that left guests smiling such as the infamous mannequin leg lamp from A Christmas Story. Guests used to have a lot of fun looking for the black cat that the designers would hide in different places year after year.
Santa Goofy made nightly appearances on the Streets of America and greeted guests in Goofy's Winter Wonderland, an area that used to be located in Tri-City Square.
As
the story goes, Arkansas resident Jennings Osborne and
his family were very big on the Holidays. In 1986, Jennings
asked his youngest daughter Breezy what her Christmas wish was. She replied that she would like to see their whole house
covered in lights. They had quite a large house but Jennings
was determined to make his daughter's Christmas dream
come true. That first year the Osborne family covered their home with a modest 1,000 red lights. With each passing year, the family wanted to do more. The Osbornes eventually purchased property adjacent to their own in order to expand on their newfound hobby.The display grew to millions of lights. There were flashing lights, multi-colored lights, custom-made light sculptures and a 75-foot Christmas tree adorned by lights. This drew onlookers from all over Arkansas. Displeased by the resulting traffic jams, the local residents asked that the Osborne family stop the annual display. Legal intervention was sought, and it appeared that the Osborne's beloved tradition was about to come to an end. When Mickey Mouse got word of this, he offered a venue where the Osborne lights could be shared with visitors from around the globe. In 1995, Residential Street at the Disney's Hollywood Studios became the home of this dazzling light show.
In 2003, Residential Street began undergoing a major renovation in preparation of the new stunt show that was scheduled to open in 2005. For the first time in 8 years, the Osborne lights were not displayed. Fortunately, a new home was found for this magical attraction. The Streets of America (formerly New York Street) began hosting the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
As evening would descend, this amazing display sprung to life. Formerly drab buildings became twinkling light sculptures, while a host of angels flew overhead. Visitors were welcome to stroll through at their own pace. With over 5 Million Christmas lights, this display was not to be missed. To enhance the experience, Florida "snow" fluttered down while Christmas tunes filled the air.
In its later years, the lights were all converted to energy-efficient LED lights. Scenes and music from the ABC holiday show "Prep & Landing" were also added.
Admission to the display was free with admission to the
park, and it was MUST SEE for all guests who visited Walt Disney World
over the holidays.
