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Festival Of The Lion King Will Officially Debut On May 15 At Animal Kingdom

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By: Author Allyson Koerner

Published: May 8, 2021 Updated: May 8, 2021

Festival Of The Lion King Will Officially Debut On May 15 At Animal Kingdom

Hakuna Matata, indeed! We have some exciting news coming out of Walt Disney World on May 8. Festival of the Lion King’s modified show will officially debut on May 15 at Animal Kingdom.

As reported by BlogMickey.com on May 8, A Celebration of Festival of the Lion King is currently in the soft opening phase, but it will open in full force come Saturday, May 15. You can now check showtimes in the My Disney Experience app and online.

Show dates and times leading up to May 12 are currently listed as follows:

  • May 9: 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
  • May 10: 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m.
  • May 11: 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5. p.m., 6 p.m.

Starting May 12 and beyond, the daily showtimes are listed as:

  • 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p. m.

Cast Members told BlogMickey.com, “Any showings prior to May 15th are officially considered soft openings.”

You can see photos and videos online from the first soft opening that occurred on May 8.

According to Disney Food Blog, modifications to the show include: “no tumble monkeys, no mention of the animal section names (warthog lion elephant giraffe), birds don’t fly, but they do dance, choreography has been changed for distancing, only encouraged audience interaction during Lion Sleeps Tonight is clapping and waving; no singing.”

On April 19, Walt Disney World Resort President Jeff Vahle revealed that Festival of the Lion would return sometime in mid-May. Now we have an exact reopening date.

In January, Disney also announced that Festival of the Lion would finally be returning in summer 2021, but the show may look a bit different due to the implementation of necessary health and safety protocols.

At the time, Disney also said the show would return in a “modified format” and that adjustments would be made both on stage and behind-the-scenes, including with choreography and audience seating to allow for physical distancing.

It’s definitely exciting to see another form of entertainment return to Disney World after all this time.

If you’re looking to plan a trip this summer to Walt Disney World (and to see Festival of the Lion King), be sure to reach out to Small World Vacations.

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