A Pop-Up Dance Party + Surprise Characters = A Fun Afternoon at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
It’s not every day that you walk into Disney’s Hollywood Studios and are met by a massive stage at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. But that’s exactly what happened when we visited yesterday afternoon! Not only was there a stage, but we ran into multiple sets of surprise characters, a DJ spinning tunes, and a couple of cast members giving it their all on the makeshift dance floor!
It was reminiscent of a time when another stage sat in the exact location to celebrate Star Wars weekends. I don’t know about you, but in all my years of visiting Walt Disney World, those weekends are some of my best memories.
However, this stage is set for a private party later this week. So, if you’re visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios this week, you’ll want to be aware of two things. First and most importantly, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will close early on Wednesday, June 5th (2024). The park is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., so you’ll want to plan to either park-hop or call it a short day.
Secondly, and possibly even more important to some, you might run into a pop-up dance party and a few surprise characters between now and then! Instead of just installing the stage for Maroon 5, who is supposed to grace it at a private event later this week, Disney has hired a DJ and rotating characters to somewhat camouflage it.
We hung out on and off the dance floor for about an hour and saw Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack. They were leaving when we first arrived. Then, a few minutes later, Baloo and King Louie from The Jungle Book hit the dance floor. Let me tell you, those guys can shake their groove thing! After they left, Phineas Flynn of Phineas and Ferb came out to show off a few smooth dance moves!
Talk about rare character appearances! It was some of the most fun I’ve seen guests have in the parks. Everyone had a smile, and it was a simple way for guests, young and old, to interact with a few favorite characters. Here are a few photos of this limited-time magic.
We sure enjoyed this fun pop-up dance party with rare characters! Maybe we’ll see more of it in the future. Back in the day (2015ish), Hollywood Studios had a Character Palooza. The Palooza was not scheduled, but if you were in the park during the late afternoon, you might run into a large troupe of characters (many rare). It was kind of like a flash mob. You never knew if you would run into them or not. It was the characters who were preparing for the nightly performance of Fantasmic!
For more on characters, we have an entire list of characters who meet at Disney World. We hope you get to join in the fun if you’re visiting this week!
In the Comments
What do you think? Would you enjoy running into this kind of offering? Are you a fan of surprise and delight magic in the parks? Let us know, or share your special memories in the comments below!
