Can you believe The Lion King is celebrating its 20th anniversary? It’s true! Disney’s Animal Kingdom is hosting Harambe Nights every Saturday evening June 7 – August 9, 2014. A Welcome Reception begins at 7:00 pm with appetizers and African-inspired beer and wine, followed by a special performance of The Lion King – Concert in the Wild at 7:30 pm. A little bird whispered that this was a new-improved version of the spectacular previous live version. Simba comes to life in this brand new performance featuring a live orchestra and choir, dancers, dramatic lighting and scenes and digitally projected movie moments! The lineup for guest narrators is just amazing!
- June 7 – Viola Davis of The Help, Ender’s Game
- June 14 – Avery Brooks
- June 21 – Montego Glover of The Following, Memphis
- June 28 – David Alan Grier of Porgy & Bess, In Living Color
- July 5 – Sons of Anarchy’s Michael Beach
- July 12 – The Five Heartbeats’ Harry Lennix
- July 19 – Joe Morton of The Good Wife
- July 26 – Alfre Wooard of Miss Evers Boys
- August 2 – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1’s Patina Miller
- August 9 – Brian Stokes Mitchell of Ragtime and Trapper John M.D.
This celebration continues with the Harambe Nights Street Party with the beat of African music while you partake of African cuisine and gourmet dessert in an all-inclusive buffet! Join the Disney Characters as they show you their African moves! A special Disney finale ties up a wonderful evening of memories about 10:30 pm.
Tickets range $119 – $134 for adults; $79 – $94 for ages 3-9, plus tax. Admission is included for the special event only and parking is complimentary. No other attractions, entertainment or offerings outside the designated event area will be available. Please make advance reservations as special Disney events are very popular. You can contact your favorite travel agent for reservations and tickets.
America Gardens Theater at Epcot presents 2014 Sounds Like Summer Concert Series under the skies this summer! The three nightly shows are included in park admission June 8 – July 26 at 5:30 pm, 6:45 pm and 8:00 pm except July 4th when show will be 5:15 pm, 6:30 pm, and 9:00 pm. The lineup looks fantastic!
- June 8-14: Hotel California ~ A Salute to the Eagles
- June 15-21: Don’t Stop Believin’ ~ Journey Tribute Band
- June 22-28: Good Vibrations ~ A Tribute to The Beach Boys
- June 29-July 5: Don’t Look Back ~ Boston Tribute Band
- July 6 to 12: Stayin’ Alive ~ A Tribute to the Bee Gees
- July 13 to 19: Slippery When Wet ~ The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
- July 20 to 26: 2U ~ A Tribute to U2
Calling all car buffs! Downtown Disney Car Masters Weekend is the place to be June 14 -15, 2014! This special Cars event features more than 150 classic exotic and muscle cars. Cars 2 Lightening McQueen, Mater and Finn McMissile, along with automotive designer Chip Foose and Jay Ward, Disney-Pixar Cars filmmaker will be making special appearances for guests. Special tickets are available for a Cars & Cars 2 movie marathon at the AMC Downtown Disney 24, and a “test drive” of Ridemakerz “Cars” models. Themed food and beverage, live entertainment, and caricatures top off the event with a ZOOM!
Soccer players Alert! Disney Soccer Academy kicks off for Kids ages 5-18 for 4 days of instructional camp at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. No official word on the featured guests yet but in the past professional English premier League players, Craig Bellamy of Liverpool, Paul Robinson of Blackburn Rovers, and Fulham’s Aaron Hughes have made appearances during the 4-day camp. Three high energy sessions, led by licensed coaches, are offered this summer:
- Session 1: June 16 – 19
- Session 2: June 23 – 26
- Session 3: July 7 – 10
Here’s a free downloadable event kit and printable event information for your convenience. Be sure to register soon!
Join the Rebellion! Star Wars Weekends end this month at Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Weekend 4 (June 6-8, 2014) features Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Taylor Gray (Ezra Bridger), Ray Park (Darth Maul), and Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian). Weekend 5 (June 13-15, 2014) features Dee Bradley Baker (Captain Rex/the Clones, Bossk and several additional characters), Tom Kane (Yoda, the series’ narrator and several additional characters), Matt Lanter (Anakin Skywalker and other additional characters), Steve Blum (Zeb Orrelios), and James Arnold Taylor( Obi-Wan Kenobi on Star Wars: The Clone Wars) is the event’s official celebrity host.
Make June a Magical Month!
Till Next Time, Leigh Anne
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Leigh Anne, originally from Mississippi, lives in North Alabama with her husband and a menagerie of furry kids (FIDS), including dogs, cats, exotic birds, fish and a lionhead rabbit. Figment, her African Grey parrot, is named after Disney’s small purple dragon, Figment. She works as a motivational speaker and pastoral counselor. In 1974, Leigh Anne marched with the Enka High Marching Band in the Magic Kingdom daytime parade. Leigh Anne fell in love with Disney while on her Disney honeymoon with her husband in 2002. They have made an annual trip back to Disney to celebrate their anniversary every year since. Since they own a piece of the mouse with their Disney Vacation Club (DVC), some years they go twice! She also plans to be the grandmother that introduces all her grandchildren to Disney World first. She has a great start ~ 2 out of 3 so far! As a DVC member married to the best Disney shopper in the world, Leigh Anne has lots of experience in finding the most frugal way to have the most fun in the parks and resorts! Leigh Anne admits to being spoiled as a DVC member but is always on the lookout to keep their WDW vacations fun and frugal! She blogs at Queen of Hysteria and tweets @la_haygood
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