There have been an array of nighttime shows at EPCOT over the last couple of years. And while Illuminations had a 20 year run, interim shows Harmonious and Epcot Forever ran for shorter terms. Luminous: The Symphony of Us, however, is the culmination of years of work in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Disney. Featuring a message of togetherness with multilingual additions to familiar Disney songs, Luminous takes everything you loved about the EPCOT nighttime shows of the past and combined them. Here we’re sharing the time, length and lyrics of Luminous the Symphony of Us show at EPCOT.
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EPCOT Nighttime Show
One of the best parts of a Walt Disney World vacation is staying late in the parks to watch the Disney Fireworks and nighttime shows. And at EPCOT there are two evening shows to watch before you leave the park, and both are new. The first is the nighttime light show that covers Spaceship Earth, and syncs with the light pillars and ground lights of the World Celebration area. The second is the Luminous Symphony of Us show over the World Showcase Lagoon. This show features pyrotechnics, fireworks, and images on the screens of the water barges, and fountains. Including original music and compositions, Luminous shares the story of life, through some of Disney’s most popular films. The Lion King, Aladdin, Tangled, Coco and Frozen are all part of the Luminous Symphony of Us soundtrack.
When did Luminous Symphony of Us start at EPCOT?
The EPCOT Nighttime shows have been varied over the last few years. When Illuminations had it’s final show on September 30, 2019, it made way for an interim show, EPCOT Forever, which ran intermittently throughout the pandemic, and up until Harmonious began on October 1, 2021. Harmonious followed much of the same theme as Luminous and the shows before it and ran through April 2, 2023. This newest fireworks show at EPCOT, Luminous Symphony of US began December 5, 2023 in honor of the 100th Anniversary of Disney.
EPCOT’s previous show, Harmonious, utilized large barges, that looked more like a war fleet, than something you would see on the calm waters of EPCOT Park. As such, this new show had been eagerly awaited. With dreams of a new nighttime show setup that would offer beautiful panoramic views of the World Showcase, Luminous still uses barges. But, thankfully, not as many. As a living and breathing body of water, the barge system is currently Disney World’s only way to offer a pyrotechnic and fireworks show on the lagoon. Unlike Worlds of Color at Disney’s California Adventure Park, the inability to have a full construct under the water creates limits. That said, Luminous includes images from Disney films on the barge screens, as well as the chance to choreograph water, fire and fireworks to the music.
Luminous the Symphony of US
This show highlights shared experiences, which is a favorite theme of EPCOT. And in the Luminous show you’re brought along the journey of life. With sounds of a beating heart, baby cries, and children laughing, the entire show honors our alikeness, as we walk together in this life. Featuring original compositions by AJ Sealy, Scott Hoying, and Shelea Melody McDonald, original songs, Heartbeat Symphony and the Beating of Our Hearts begin and the end the show.
- Luminous EPCOT time: 9:00 PM. Check the My Disney Experience App for any changes to the time of Luminous.
- Luminous EPCOT length: 17 minutes
Luminous EPCOT Lyrics
The Luminous Lyrics, much like the Lyrics for Happily Ever After, includes original music by Pinar Toprak. Both spoken and sung to familiar songs from Disney films, the music and lyrics of Luminous work with the lights, fireworks and fountains to tell the story of unity. So much of this show is filled with original lyrics, that it will take some time to learn if you want to sing along. Unlike Happily Ever After, while you’ll hear the music from familiar films, you won’t be singing along with words you know. As such, we thought we’d share the lyrics to Luminous, so that you can learn the story before you see it!
Welcome Narration
“Welcome, to the great gathering.”
( At this point in the show, each of the World Showcase countries welcomes people in their native languages)
“Everyone on this Earth is part of the great Symphony of Us. Each of us a unique instrument playing harmony to one another. And even though we are all playing different parts, it’s our unified heartbeat that connects us, reminding us that we are more alike than we are different. A rhapsody of rhythms that unites us and connects us through commonalities of the heart. Come, find your place in the great Symphony of Us.”
Heartbeat Symphony
Written and composed by AJ Sealy, Scott Hoying, and Shelea Melody McDonald, Heartbeat Symphony, begins the show with an original song.
“Can you hear the sound of a world in motion?
The wind through the trees, the tides of the ocean
Can you feel the beat of a million hearts? All in time
Like the sun, the moon, the light
And in those tiny moments in between, I remember
You are a part of me, and I am a part of you
Just like the symphony, different melodies, live in harmony
So go ahead and sing your song, I’ll be there to sing along
When we come together, it’s a Heartbeat Symphony
It’s a Heartbeat Symphony
You are a part of me, and I am a part of you
Just like the symphony, different melodies, live in harmony
So go ahead and sing your song, I’ll be there to sing along
And all of the world will become a symphony
Will become a symphony”
You’ll Be in My Heart | Tarzan
“When we are born, we come into this world to raw noise. Cradled in tenderness, we tune ourselves to the world around us.”
Proud Corazón | Coco
“We begin to understand what our instrument can do. We find our voice and add it to the ensemble of our ancestors, our family, nuestra familia.”
You’ve Got a Friend in Me | Toy Story & Friend Like Me | Aladdin
“We begin to recognize the music in others, trading notes and improvising. Music becomes play.”
Can You Feel the Love Tonight | The Lion King & So Close | Enchanted
“Sometimes we find another, and our melodies blend, and suddenly, with the hum of our heartstrings, our world becomes a duet.”
When She Loved Me | Toy Story 2 & Remember Me | Coco
“Inevitably in life, the accompaniment drops out, and we experience great loss. We find that the melodies we cherish are gone, and for a moment, we are playing alone.”
Into the Unknown | Frozen 2 & I See the Light | Tangled
“But we are never truly alone. Sing out so others can hear you. The music we make echos back at us, in chorus, in concert, in symphony! Together our voices can illuminate the world, if we only listen closely for the sounds of each other.”
Narration
“How miraculous that we exist on this planet at the same time, and yet it’s the human connection that unifies us.”
Beating of Our Hearts
Beating of Our Hearts was written by The Heavyweights and performed as a duet between Katharine McPhee and Shlea Melody McDonald.
“A pulse, a beat, like gravity
The rhythm of our hearts is all around
A bond, a pledge, a common thread
Connects us in the unifying sound
Like the pounding of a drum, steady spinning ’round the sun
The beating of our hearts, it goes straight up to the stars
For all the world to hear, it never fades
Steady, are you ready? can you feel it? here it comes!
We all, come together as one
Like a wave across the ocean, like a river of love when your heart’s wide open
The sound, it’s in all that we are
Feel it in the beating, feel it in the beat of our heart
The beating of our heart
One single moment in time, resounding all together every bead of light
So look around, and hear the love
It echoes in our hearts
Come together as one, come together as one
Like a wave across the ocean, like a river of love when your heart’s wide open
Love, it’s in all that we are
Feel it in the beat of our heart
The beating of our heart
The beating of our hearts, beating of our hearts”
Closing Narration
“In the great, Symphony of Us. We’ll become a symphony!”
Luminous EPCOT Show Review
While the Luminous EPCOT music and Luminous EPCOT soundtrack are original and unique, the pyrotechnics and fireworks are astounding. Beautiful lights, colors, and familiar scenes on the barges all set the backdrop for the light show. And it’s really worth watching in person, up close. You can see the show from any of the spots around World Showcase Lagoon. If you’re looking to add a little more magic to your night at EPCOT, then be sure to stay for the Luminous show. This show begins at 9:00 PM, which is typically when the park closes. People tend to save their spots for the show at about 8:30 PM.
Something to know ahead of time, is that if you do stay to the see the show, be ready for the mass exodus of people, and long bus lines as soon as the show is over around 9:20 PM.
Is Luminous the Symphony of Us worth it?
If you’re like most people you pack your Disney days with activities, rides, and meals all day long. Staying at the park until 9 PM may not seem like the biggest deal, but after walking all day long at Disney you may just be ready to go back to your resort, and avoid the crowds at the bus and monorail. That said, if you’re looking for a show with music that will get stuck in your head, Luminous isn’t it. The lyrics are meaningful, but will feel different for everyone. As a Disney nighttime show that doesn’t have familiar Disney songs you can sing along with, the message will most likely be lost on children. As a result, it may not have the longevity everyone was hoping for.
In regards to whether or not you should make time for this show, the visuals are amazing. The pyrotechnics and fireworks shoot fireworks sky high over the lagoon, in swaths of color. So much so that you can see them from nearby resorts. In fact the Disney Swan Reserve has rooms that overlook the BoardWalk, and EPCOT and give you a great view of the light show. We recently were able to also watch the show, though not up close, from our room at the Disney Yacht Club.
Rochelle Mariah is a writer, designer and photographer with an MLIS in Information Science and a B.S. in Arch and Design. Determined to make Planning a DIY Disney Vacation easier she makes lots of lists and drinks lots of coffee. When not designing apparel at Polka Dot Pixie Shop, she's watching old movies and planning the holidays. She has been traveling to Disney destinations since 2010.
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