Season of the Force is a spring and early summer Star Wars celebration featuring seasonal snacks, exclusive merchandise and more, along with fireworks, limited-time merchandise and other new experiences. This guide covers everything you need to know about the 2024 special events at Disneyland.
First off, Season of the Force returns to Disneyland from April 5 to June 2, 2024. The DCA Food & Wine Festival begins at the end of Spring Break and ends on May 4 and continues for the month before. The conclusion comes as the summer season begins after Memorial Day.
There are also events and products that overlap with Season of the Force. As mentioned above, Disney California Adventure’s Food and Wine Festival is currently underway. late April, Pixar Fest begins in both parks. And then there's the revised Fantasmic, which makes its long-awaited return to Rivers of America on May 24, 2024.
The thing we're most looking forward to in Season of the Force is the fireworks. To be clear, there is no new Star Wars fireworks show at Disneyland. Instead, you can return to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge to enjoy “Fire of the Rising Moons,” a new nighttime 'experience' that presents a different side of the spectacular Disneyland fireworks display with musical accompaniment. Nights from April 5, 2024.
During this “Fire of the Rising Moon,” villagers and visitors to Batuu will come together to celebrate their freedom and honor the heroes and legends of the galaxy who came before them. As the skies of Batuu glow with color, imaginations are fired by iconic music associated with stories from across the galaxy. This will be a powerful moment you won't want to miss! (All of this is according to Disney.)
Let’s take a look at exactly what this means (and what it doesn’t). Basically, what “Fire of the Rising Moons” is doing is taking advantage of the great angles of the existing Disneyland pyro pad that Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge provides. This part of the park is actually much closer to the rear launch point than Sleeping Beauty Castle or Main Street. That has been true since the land opened in 2019. It's not a new development.
So what Disneyland is doing is 'borrowing' fireworks from Wondrous Journeys, Mickey's Mix Magic, Together Forever, etc. and using them to 'create' a new show. Instead of inserting (off-planet) music from that show, they're scoring music from composer John Williams' Star Warsfilm score.
This is also why “Fire of the Rising Moons” is only available on certain nights. This is because the shows mentioned above are sometimes presented in 'projection only' mode without pyro. You won't see anything in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge that night.
“Fire of the Rising Moon” can be experienced in several areas of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, including the Black Spire Starport, the TIE Echelon docking platform, and the speeding garage. MagicBand+ enhances the event atmosphere with colorful lights and ambient vibration.
This is actually a great idea. As mentioned above, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge has always been a great place to watch fireworks. but it also weird One is because no music is played (for the sake of thematic integrity). So there's pyro and maybe the cast will try to keep it on topic with some in-universe commentary about explosions or attacks or something like that.
“Fire of the Rising Moons” will bring you the authentic nighttime majesty designed for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It will also give you a reason to return to this strangely uncrowded area during the Disneyland fireworks. We wouldn't expect that to continue. But you also wouldn't expect it to be packed (after the first weekend). That would relieve some of the pressure on Main Street.
Disneyland already does this well with its projections on the Rivers of America and its “It's a Small World” façade. Having seen and photographed fireworks at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge on several occasions, I'm confident this will be an even better advantage. The overall experience is probably no better than viewing it from the main street or the central square in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. I'm looking forward to “Fire of the Rising Moons” and would like to recommend it, slowly building on the angle and John Williams' Star Wars score.
Additionally, starting April 5, Star Tours – The Adventures Continue will feature new additions inspired by characters and locations from the Disney+ show. Ahsoka, Andorand mandalorian. During your flight, you may also receive urgent transmissions from Ahsoka Tano, Cassian Andor, or Din Djarin and Grogu.
With these add-ons, you'll have the opportunity to experience one of more than 250 storyline variations in Star Tours attractions, including a visit to the planet Peridea from the Ahsoka series. Unless much more is added than we expect, an increase in this number from ~140 to ~250 suggests that there will be no distinct grouping by era in the future. Instead, it is completely randomized again.
Hyperspace Mountain, a high-speed space mountain overlay, will return to Tomorrowland for a limited time until June 2, 2024. You can once again race through the galaxy, encountering Star Destroyers and dodging TIE Fighters.
We enjoy Hyperspace Mountain. While many purists scoff at the overlay, it's fun and adds a lot more energy and excitement to the typical Space Mountain experience. Hyperspace Mountain takes the foundation of Space Mountain, a great coaster in its own right, and elevates it by combining elements from the Star Wars universe.
Stunning details, tunnel explosions, space battles, ride music, and more add to the experience. This is primarily done through the same screens used in Space Mountain's Halloween incarnation, Ghost Galaxy, but there are also a few simple yet effective additional effects. These overlays, although not revolutionary, are very fun. They maintain the core components of Space Mountain (so first-time visitors shouldn't feel “cheated”) while adding unique twists to flavors like Mountain Dew Baja Blast.
Unfortunately, other Star Wars entertainment, such as the Jedi Training Academy, will not be returning for the 2024 event.
During Season of the Force, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland Park, Star Trader in Tomorrowland, and Star Wars Trading in the Downtown Disney District. Find new products to be released in Post.
Among the new releases is the Star Tours – The Adventures Continue merchandise collection launching at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. The hoodies and t-shirts pictured above are a great way for galactic Gallivants to show off their frequent flyer status! Select items will also be available on DisneyStore.com later this year.
Harnessing the power of the Force can actually whet your appetite. Fuel up with special themed food and drinks available for a limited time, including Star Wars sugar cookies. You can also stock up on new collectibles that you can purchase while supplies last.
One food item that is sure to be popular during Season of the Force is the Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet Pouch Bucket. An old stormtrooper helmet turned upside down makes for an exciting collectible. It's the perfect way to snack on a Star Wars marathon.
They will be available for purchase at select locations throughout the Disneyland Resort on May 4th while supplies last, and will be served with popcorn, fries, or Galma Garlic Puffs, depending on location. Launching in May, the Salvaged Stormtrooper Helmet Bucket will also be available for purchase at select locations throughout Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.
Please look forward to the full Force Season menu coming soon.
New this year, aspiring bounty hunters in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge can join in the hunt for Din Djarin, Grogu, and more using the Holopack Magic Shot from the Disney PhotoPass service.
The return of Star Wars Magic Shots and themed Disney PhotoPass lenses (included with purchase of Disney Genie+ service) provide additional opportunities to commemorate your visit to a galaxy far, far away.
Besides everything seasonal For Season of the Force, Disneyland is home to Star Wars content all year long. The first thing you need to know is that Galactic Grill is a nominally Star Wars-themed counter service restaurant in Tomorrowland. This is the worst large dining venue in all of Disneyland. If they bring back the late night menu, I'm willing to reevaluate Galactic Grill because it's such terrible, terrible food that no one should ever consider eating there. There are literally no redeeming qualities. Alien Pizza Planet is also better. Alien Pizza Planet!!!
Of course, there's also Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, with thrilling attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Unlike the Galactic Grill, this Star Wars Stuff isn't “horrible and terrible.” Compared to that, it's pretty good. Both of these attractions are high on our list. Ranking of all attractions at Disneyland and DCA.
Galaxy's Edge also has other Star Wars content. At Savi's Workshop – Handbuild Lightsabers, you can build your own lightsaber with guidance from an experienced collector. Droid Depot has parts, chips, and more to build your BB Series, C Series, or R Series device. Both are very fun upcharge services. I recommend Savi's Workshop to anyone on a budget.
Then there are the dining options, and they all bring something to the table. Oga's Cantina is a great wish-fulfillment experience that we still want to experience, even if the content and atmosphere are lacking for us. Then there's Docking Bay 7 and Ronto Roasters, both of which serve delicious food.
Are you planning a Southern California vacation? For park ticket deals, read our tips for saving on Disneyland tickets. Find out about on-site and off-site hotels in Anaheim hotel reviews and rankings. Check out our Disneyland restaurant reviews for where to eat. Check out our Disney Stuff for unique ideas to enhance your trip. Contact us for comprehensive advice. Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally to the guide Beyond DisneyCheck out our Southern California itinerary for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and other SoCal cities!
your thoughts
What do you think about Season of the Force returning? Want to see the “Fire of the Rising Moon” fireworks display over Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland? Do you wish this was just another seasonal event, or would you be happy with Star Wars? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Do you have any questions? Even if you disagree with us, hearing your feedback is interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts in the comments below!