The Electrical Water Pageant at Walt Disney World is a little known show that takes place every evening (weather permitting) on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.
The Electrical Water Pageant from the Polynesian Village Resort Beach
The Electrical Water Pageant premiered during Disney World’s first month of operation in October 1971! It is a show featuring lights and music displayed on barges floating that are towed around after dark to the different Magic Kingdom Resorts that sit on the shores of the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.
The Electrical Water Pageant features 14 barges each carrying a 25-foot-tall light wall that depict various images. For the first portion of the show, sea creatures are displayed (a different one on each barge) along with music. The last portion of the show is a patriotic salute to America featuring red, white, and blue lights depicting flags and stars that is set to a patriotic musical medley of You’re a Grand Old Flag, Yankee Doodle, and America the Beautiful.
The Electrical Water Pageant from the Polynesian Village Resort Beach
The images are created with individual lights and they definitely have a 70’s Nintendo pixely feel and the music has the same dated feel, but it is a fun show to watch.
As I mentioned, the pageant is towed around the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake and “parks” off shore from each of the following resorts:
- Polynesian Village Resort
- Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
- Wilderness Lodge
- Fort Wilderness Campground
- Contemporary Resort
- And the Magic Kingdom
You can head out the the water’s edge at any of these resorts to watch the show. At resorts with beaches, like the Polynesian, you can lounge in their beach chairs, or sit on the rock wall or comfy outdoor couches at the Wilderness Lodge’s Geyser Point. It’s a fun time for the family.
You can also see the pageant from some resort rooms with views of the water.
The show is of course weather permitting, they don’t run it if it’s raining as you’d get soaked watching it.
Electrical Water Pageant Schedule
The Electrical Water Pageant from the Wilderness Lodge
The schedule for the pageant varies, so it is always best to check with the Front Desk of the resoer where you’ll be viewing the show for the correct time for that day.
The Pageant takes a route around both lakes pausing at each resort to present the show on a loose schedule and can be viewed from the beach/shore at each resort
Typical Electrical Water Pageant Times:
- Polynesian Village Resort – 9 p.m.
- Grand Floridian – 9:15 p.m.
- Wilderness Lodge – 9:35 p.m.
- Fort Wilderness – 9:45 p.m.
- Contemporary Resort – 10:05 p.m.
- Magic Kingdom Entry Area (near the ferry boat dock) – 10:20 p.m. (only during extended MK park hours)
Note that when the Magic Kingdom Fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m., the Electrical Water Pageant runs about 7-20 minutes after the fireworks end. ALWAYS check with the resort you’d like to view from for the daily times!
Electrical Water Pageant Show
The show presented by the pageant has varied over the years with different sea creatures being presented and different accompanying music. The current line up consists of:
Opening: “Electric Fanfare” from Main Street Electrical Parade
- Sea Serpent (four barges) “Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You Too)” from Pete’s Dragon
- Whale (one barge) “Whale of a Tale” from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Turtle (one barge)
- Octopus (one barge) “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid
- Three Jumping Dolphins (three barges)
- Brachiosaurus (one barge) “Walk the Dinosaur” by Was (Not Was)
- Crocodile (one barge) “Never Smile at a Crocodile” from Peter Pan
- Four Seahorses (one barge) “Fanfare” & “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid
- Neptune (one barge) “Fanfare” & “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid
All barges then change to the American Flag & Stars as they have been doing since 1971: (9 Piece) – “The Stars and Stripes Forever”
Closing: “Exit Music” from Fantasmic!
Electrical Water Pageant By Day
You can actually see the Electrical Water Pageant during the day (from a distance) in the location where it is parked. It’s interesting to see what it looks like in the light of day.
Disney parks the pageant in a canal just to the west (left when facing ) the Magic Kingdom.
You can get a peak of the barges when walking on the path between the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa and the Magic Kingdom. There is a special swinging bridge Disney build on the path to allow the pageant to access the parking canal from the Seven Seas Lagoon.
The pageant storage area can also be seen from the the monorail:
- On the Resort Monorail Loop – Out the left side windows between the Grand Floridian and the Magic Kingdom Station
- On the Express Monorail Loop – Out the Right side windows just after leaving the Magic Kingdom Station
How To See The Electrical Water Pageant at Walt Disney World
The Electrical Water Pageant from the Wilderness Lodge
You can watch the pageant from viewing spots along the shore at these Disney Resorts:
- Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
- Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa (including Narcoossee’s)
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Lakeside Chairs at the Wilderness Lodge’s Geyser Point
My Tips:
Electrical Water Pageant History
On Monday October 25, 1971, the Electrical Water Pageant premiered on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake for “Dedication Day” at Walt Disney World.
In addition to the 14 floats, its opening night included fireworks and pyrotechnics launched from the 14 floats and an additional float behind the Electrical Water Pageant.
The addition of the Stars and Stripes Salute was not added until 1977.
The original lineup of barges for the Electrical Water Pageant were:
- Sea Serpent (three barges)
- Whale (one barge)
- Two Sea Lions Playing With a Ball (one barge)
- Clamshell Opening and Closing revealing a mermaid (one barge)
- Three Mermaids (one barge)
- Three Jumping Dolphins (three barges)
- Octopus (one barge)
- Three Flying Fish (one barge)
- Four Seahorses (one barge)
- Neptune (one barge)
Over the years the lineup and music changed several times. Sometimes with new characters and other times just a shuffling of the barges.
The 1972 to 1976 lineup of barges for the Electrical Water Pageant were:
- Sea Serpent (three barges)
- Two Sea Lions Playing With a Ball (one barge)
- Whale (one barge)
- Turtle (one barge)
- Red Squid (one barge)
- Three Jumping Dolphins (three barges)
- Three Flying Fish (one barge)
- Octopus (one barge)
- Four Seahorses (one barge)
- Neptune (one barge)
The 1977 to 1995 lineup of barges and music for the Electrical Water Pageant were:
- Sea Serpent (four barges) “That Certain Serpent”- J. Christensen
- Whale (one barge) “Whale Of A Tale” N. Gimbel/A Hoffman
- Turtle (one barge) (An updated version of the 1972 Turtle) “I’m A Turtle” D. Dorsey
- Octopus (one barge) “Up In Arms” D. Dorsey
- Three Jumping Dolphins (three barges) “Waltz Almost” – J. Christensen
- Brachiosaurus (one barge) “Up In Arms” Reprise – D. Dorsey
- Sea Monster (one barge) (Later became a Crocodile in 1982) Bay-Sea Monster -J. Christensen
- Four Seahorses (one barge) (An updated version of the 1971 Four Seahorses)
- Neptune (one barge) (An updated version of the 1971 Neptune) “Hornpipe” (Reprise) mixed w/ all other themes
- Stars & Stripes Patriotic Medley
The 1996 to 2021 lineup of barges and music were:
Opening: “Fanfare” from The Little Mermaid
- Sea Serpent (four floats) “Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You Too)” from Pete’s Dragon
- Whale (one float) (Updated later in 1997) “Whale of a Tale” from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Turtle (one float)
- Octopus (one float) “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid
- Three Jumping Dolphins (three floats)
- Brachiosaurus (one float) “Walk the Dinosaur” by Was (Not Was)
- Crocodile (one float) “Never Smile at a Crocodile” from Peter Pan
- Four Seahorses (one float) “Fanfare” & “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid
- Neptune (one float) “Fanfare” & “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid
All floats then change to the American Flag & Stars as they have been doing since 1971: (9 Piece) – “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Yankee Doodle”, & “America the Beautiful”
Closing: “Fireworks” & “Jig” from The Little Mermaid
The 2021 to 2023 lineup of barges and music for the 50th Anniversary were:
Opening: “The Magic is Calling” from Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary with male announcer voice welcoming viewers of the show at their respective resorts and celebrating 50 years of Walt Disney World. All floats start with Walt Disney World 50th anniversary logos (two floats) and magic trails (twelve floats)
- Sea Serpent (four barges) “Boo Bop Bopbop Bop (I Love You Too)” from Pete’s Dragon
- Whale (one barge) “Whale of a Tale” from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
- Turtle (one barge)
- Octopus (one barge) “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from The Little Mermaid
- Three Jumping Dolphins (three barges)
- Brachiosaurus (one barge) “Walk the Dinosaur” by Was (Not Was)
- Crocodile (one barge) “Never Smile at a Crocodile” from Peter Pan
- Four Seahorses (one barge) “Fanfare” & “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid
- Neptune (one barge) “Fanfare” & “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid
All floats then change to the American Flag & Stars as they have been doing since 1971: (9 Piece) – “You’re a Grand Old Flag”, “Yankee Doodle”, & “America the Beautiful”
All floats then change back to Walt Disney World 50th anniversary floats (two floats) and magic trails (twelve floats) with male announcer voice wishing viewers of the show at their respective resorts a good night – Reprise of “The Magic is Calling”
Which brings us to today’s lineup mentioned above.
Have you seen the Electrical Water Pageant?
Let us know in the comment section below.
Please share your viewing tips!!!
|
This MDT Post By: Steve Bell Steve is the Military Disney Tips Founder. He is a retired U.S. Military Member who's been touring the Disney Parks since 1971! He has been writing about Disney for the US Military Community here for 18 years. Steve's mission is to help military families with their Disney vacations in every way possible. See Steve and His Family's Content |
Planning a Disney Trip? Want to get the best military discounts that are available? Feeling a little confused? See Our Great Disney Discount and Planning Info:
- Back to Basics Posts - A great place to start, offering basic topics!
- Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
- The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation GuideÂ
- Military Disney Tips Disney Packing ChecklistÂ
- Disney Military Tickets – Your Start-to-Finish Guide
- Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
- Dining Overview Page
- Transportation Overview Page
- Technology Overview Page
- Shades of Green, WDW’s Military-Only Resort
 The Mouse Experts is a travel booking company specializing in Disney vacations. Military family owned and operated! They know all the ins and outs of Disney military discounts!
|
We love the electric water pageant. Our family tradition on arrival day is to activate our tickets at MK ticket office, then ride the monorail (or boat) to the Polynesian. We grab a dole whip to enjoy as we sit on the beach and enjoy the show. We’ll have to figure out some logistics now that the walkway to the Polynesian is closed :(.
Thanks,
A great start to your trip, right?
And true with the Poly walk gone. FYI, you can still commando through the golf course and bypass the road… (if you don’t have strollers or scooters)