One stunning staple has been missing from Walt Disney’s World’s holiday lineup for the last 5 years: Cinderella Castle’s Dream Lights, which transforms the icon into a shimmering ice palace. This post addresses whether Magic Kingdom might bring back the dazzling display this November. (Updated April 2, 2025.)
The Cinderella Castle Dream Lights was one of our favorite things about Christmas at Walt Disney World for the decade-plus prior to them being cancelled in 2020. We spent many a late night on Main Street, simply gazing down at those resplendent lights, savoring the scene. I lost count of how many times we did this over the years–probably over 100. And yet, it still somehow feels that we took the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights for granted and didn’t enjoy them quite enough.
The latest update is essentially part of my ongoing commitment to never shutting up about the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. It’s why the Dream Lights have made our recent lists of Big Little Things Walt Disney World Should Bring Back and What’s New & Still Missing from MVMCP, just to name a couple of our many posts that mention the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights and why they should return. This is a personal crusade, at this point. If you aren’t foolishly optimistic or invested in the return of this stunning display, you might want to check out now.
When it comes to Christmas 2025, there are a couple of developments in the saga. The first is that that Walt Disney World has seemingly had a fire lit under it within the last few weeks. Among other news, there’s the return of Resort Airline Check-In, which was a companion program to Disney’s Magical Express that hasn’t been offered since March 2020.
Then there was the last-minute change of plans, and decision to operate both Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach this summer, meaning that all 6 parks (4 theme parks and 2 water parks) will operate simultaneously for the first time since 2019. If those things can happen again after 5+ year hiatuses, all hope is not lost for the return of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights.
Then there’s the wild card that could be cause for optimism. Walt Disney World has filed a Notice of Commencement for roofing work on Cinderella Castle. The construction permit is assigned to Tecta America Southeast LLC, which specializes in commercial roofing. No further details are provided, except for an expiration date of March 27, 2026.
The permit itself pertains to re-roofing Cinderella Castle, which makes sense given that the tiles are in rough shape. It’s also worth noting that the castle was last repainted in 2020, when it received a ‘royal makeover’ ahead of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. It’s about due for another repaint, whether it retains the more vibrant and warmer color scheme or goes back to its cooler and more muted shades.
However, the reason we’re mentioning this re-roofing here is for a couple of different reasons potentially related to Dream Lights. The first is that this roofing is going to necessitate cranes, regardless; it could make sense to use those to put up new icicle lights in one fell swoop after the roofing is finished.
The second is more ambitious but also perhaps more practical; Walt Disney World could use this opportunity to integrate lighting into the roofs of the turrets themselves. This would allow not just for an updated version of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, but lighting effects that could be utilized during Starlight Night Parade, Happily Ever After, and other entertainment productions.
As should be obvious, this is all very much wishful thinking at this point. In actuality, it seems unlikely anything will happen–and the return of Dream Lights becomes less likely with each passing year. But as noted above, we’ll never pass up the opportunity to raise awareness about the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights in the hopes that it stays on the radar of fans and Disney leadership.
There’s also the elephant in the room when it comes to changes at Walt Disney World this year: Epic Universe. This is Universal Orlando’s new theme park, and it’s poised to either offer serious competition to Walt Disney World or pull new tourists to Central Florida who will also visit Disney. Perhaps a bit of both.
Obviously, the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights cannot offer 1:1 competition with Epic Universe, but they are something that can nevertheless boost bookings and attendance for Walt Disney World. We have heard from countless fans who otherwise wouldn’t visit at Christmas, but would make special trips to see the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights if they returned. This could move the needle enough to convince Walt Disney World to bring back the Dream Lights.
While this incentive for Disney to restore the display has existed for the past few years, the sense of urgency is what’s different. Pent-up demand was running hot before, and Walt Disney World frankly didn’t need to do anything to entice people to visit. Christmas 2025 is going to be a very different story. It’ll come in a year when Walt Disney World does not have a single new ride opening and when Universal Orlando is opening a brand-new theme park.
Beyond new entertainment, increased discounting, and things like the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, there aren’t many “levers” that Walt Disney World can pull at this point to boost attendance. It’s too late for any other Epic Universe countermeasures in 2025. And guess what? Walt Disney World is already doing the other two things on the aforementioned list. It’s probably foolish, but this leaves me more optimistic that the company will finally do the right thing and bring back the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. They’re bringing back a night parade for the first time in a decade, so it really doesn’t feel that far-fetched!
The other recent development is that last Christmas, Walt Disney World did bring back the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights…albeit in gingerbread form via a display at the back of the Grand Canyon Concourse in Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This display featured a gingerbread Cinderella Castle, plus evergreen trees, night sky, wishing star, and full moon. If you want to see more or read our over-analysis of what it means, see Is Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Christmas Castle Teasing Fans or Telling Us to Dream Bright?
Honestly, I don’t think this means anything. The genesis of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights gingerbread display was probably the culinary team remembering the real version, wanting to pay tribute, and no one stopping them. It is possible that Imagineering or Walt Disney World management coordinated this as a test to gauge interest or to tease the return of the Dream Lights, but I doubt it. This was probably just a nice tribute, and if the Dream Lights do return, it’ll be for totally unrelated reasons.
In my view, the most plausible path to a return of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights is pressure from Epic Universe. On top of that, Magic Kingdom is going to be a partial construction zone for the next few years, so management could feel the need to do whatever possible to offset that with enhancements. Hence Disney Starlight Night Parade…and maybe, hopefully this Christmas display. Walt Disney World probably doesn’t want to lose Magic Kingdom’s crown as the world’s #1 theme park in terms of attendance.
This opens the door for the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights to return for Christmas 2025.
With the latest update out of the way, let’s circle back and cover why the Dream Lights disappeared in the first place. When Walt Disney World began its phased reopening in the second half of 2020, a lot was missing for that first holiday season. While disappointing, it was also understandable–capacity was capped at a low level and things were a long way from normal.
In explaining the decision to suspend certain offerings for the year, such as Candlelight Processional and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Walt Disney World indicated that “holiday experiences that draw big crowds will be on hiatus this year.” Although not directly stated, this was due to physical distancing.
Colossal crowds congregated for “A Frozen Holiday Wish,” which features Anna, Elsa, and other characters in a show on the Castle Forecourt Stage. That twice-nightly show ended with Elsa using her incredible powers to present a gift to everyone in the kingdom, transforming Cinderella Castle into a glistening ice palace for the holidays.
It wasn’t just that. Throughout the evening, the hub or Central Plaza in front of Cinderella Castle was often packed with people taking photos. And for good reason, as the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights were nothing short of stunning. The Dream Lights themselves had significant crowd-drawing power, so the explanation proffered by Walt Disney World in 2020 passed the smell test.
Even beyond that, it was fairly obvious the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights wouldn’t happen for other reasons. In a normal year, the infamous/iconic crane would appear in late August or early September to begin installation of the physical lights on the castle. However, most construction projects were paused at that point and Disney likely didn’t have the workers to even put up the lights.
Speaking of the crane, it persists as an excuse for not putting up the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. That too many guests complained about it ruining their photos, so the lights were cut. That first part is actually true–many guests did complain about the crane ruining photos.
That’s precisely why Walt Disney World started lowering it during the morning hours and not doing installation work until afternoon in 2018-2019. The crane was then lowered again in the evening. So that issue was addressed before 2020, anyway. It was a non-factor in the decision to cancel the Dream Lights.
Finally, there were cost-cutting or ‘fiscal austerity measures’ in place due to the attendance caps and other constraints that were causing the parks division to hemorrhage money. While it’s (possibly) true that the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights recoup their costs in PhotoPass and other sales in a normal year, that was most definitely not the calculus back in 2020.
Since then, the 50th Anniversary started (and ended) bringing decorations with it to Cinderella Castle that, at least in theory, precluded the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. From a more practical–and probably meaningful–perspective, there was also pent-up demand and revenge travel, meaning Walt Disney World didn’t have to do nearly as much to entice people to visit.
The parks were able to cut corners and reduce offerings, while also raising prices–and people kept coming. Now that revenge travel has burned out, the circumstances are very different.
With that said, Disney has plenty of other “levers” to pull to entice demand. And we’ve heard second-hand rumblings that Walt Disney World prefers the projections, finding them to be more economical and efficient since there are no installation costs.
Conversely, the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights supposedly had significant drawing power. Over the years, there were anecdotes about bookings, PhotoPass sales, etc. that supported the notion that the Dream Lights paid for themselves.
Perhaps that’s still the prevailing sentiment, and they’ll be back. Or maybe Disney feels the projections are “performing” well enough. In our view from the outside looking in, it certainly seems like the decision could go either way.
Given the passage of time, it’s also probably likely that Walt Disney World would have to completely replace the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. We’ve also heard that the old lights have been discarded because they were no longer in usable condition after sitting in storage for so long. This also tracks.
We’ve heard similar stories about a lot of things at Walt Disney World and Disneyland having to be replaced due to non-use, improper storage, etc. Thankfully, it’s not like these lights are some kind of proprietary technology that would be costly to replace. This isn’t like a fancy Audio Animatronic or something. You have access to this tech if you live within the vicinity of a Home Depot.
If there’s a will, there’s a way to bring back the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. The issue is the former, not the latter.
Honestly, the point of this post is not to offer a prediction…but to “raise awareness” about the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights and their uncertain future. When it comes to this type of thing, it’s better to offer feedback before a definitive decision to retire an offering has been made. If Walt Disney World announces details of the Christmas 2025 slate and the Dream Lights are absent, it’ll already be too late for outrage, petitions, or guest feedback.
My hope is that it doesn’t come to that. In the last ~15 years, Walt Disney World has already lost so much that made the holiday season special. Gone is the Country Bear Christmas attraction overlay. Ditto the Lights of Winter at EPCOT. Don’t get us started on the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
This is to say nothing of the many seasonal shows, parade overlays, displays, tree lightings, and more that have quietly faded away over the years. Our hope is that the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights do not similarly make the list of beloved-but-extinct Christmas offerings at Walt Disney World.
One thing we always recommend doing is respectfully expressing your disappointment and explaining how the company’s decisions and practices will impact your vacations and future business (or lack thereof) with Walt Disney World by emailing [email protected].
If you visit this holiday season and are disappointed by the lack of Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, address it when participating in guest satisfaction surveys, bring it up if you speak with managers or others in park leadership, or even proactively contact Guest Relations to politely let them know how you feel.
“Respectfully” and “politely” are the operative words here for a reason. While an irate rant might make you feel better, it’s not the route to take if your goal is effectuating change. We’ve seen and heard way too many guests offer snide or sarcastic feedback; venting can be cathartic, but that’s about it. “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” is a cliche, but it’s also one that a disturbing number of adults don’t seem to grasp.
Given all of the negative changes and guest unfriendly policies that Walt Disney World has enacted in the last couple of years, it might seem like the company no longer cares about guest satisfaction and feedback. It’s probably true that there are some at the highest levels of leadership who don’t, or focus more on objective KPIs, but there most certainly are leaders on the ground in Florida who care. In many cases, it’s simply a matter of them being able to show “support” when fighting for things, budgets, etc.
For those who have never had a chance to see the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, they are nothing short of spectacular. Some of you cynics might think such a physical light display is quaint or antiquated, surpassed by the ease and flexibility of projections. That those of us who miss the Dream Lights are simply clouded by nostalgia and sentimentality, ignoring the daytime visual blight, installation, and simplicity of the physical icicle lights.
I wholeheartedly disagree. No projections can match the more than 200,000 tiny white lights that illuminate Cinderella Castle and transform it into a veritable ice palace. On paper or even in photos, it might seem simple and commonplace. In person, the display was anything but that.
The Dream Lights would stop you in your tracks, with the resplendent physical display being an absolute jaw-dropper. Words, photos, and video absolutely cannot do it justice. I’m not normally one for the flowery language in Disney’s press releases, but even the company’s marketing teams undersold the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. Whatever praise you’ve heard about the Dream Lights, it’s true. All of it.
Speaking of which, since no one leverages lofty language quite like Walt Disney World, here’s how the company described the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights when they first launched back in 2007:
As if suddenly dusted in a million ice crystals, Cinderella Castle shines like the galaxies, adding to the wintertime wonderment of the holidays at Florida’s Vacation Kingdom. And what a spectacle.
“We are thrilled to be adding this brilliant new castle spectacle to the holiday festivities at Walt Disney World this season and for seasons to come,” said Francois Leroux, vice president of Walt Disney World Entertainment. “This glistening holiday enchantment creates perfect fairytale magic for this festive time of year.”
“For a park aglow in holiday magic, this becomes the new and eye-filling superstar,” added Disney Entertainment show producer Rob Hamberg who supervised the weeks-long rigging of the turrets and towers for the light show. “Nothing will rival ‘Cinderella’s Holiday Wish’ for sheer visual spectacle.”
With a wave of Fairy Godmother’s wand — and guests joining in to make the wish come true — Cinderella Castle magically morphs into a glorious wintry confection, twinkling in the sky. “The castle suddenly shines like a glistening blanket of ice,” explained Disney show writer/director Alan Bruun. “Guests won’t believe their eyes at the spectacle as Cinderella’s holiday wish comes true.”
Ultimately, the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights were something special–truly a magical sight to behold, and that’s not a term we use lightly. Seeing the lighting ceremony and the transformation to a bona-fide icicle castle at dusk was mesmerizing. Turning the corner when entering the park and seeing Cinderella Castle aglow in 200,000+ glistening lights took your breath away.
The Dream Lights were literally wow-inducing, and the projections cannot hold a candle to that. Walt Disney World should do the right thing, deliver an experience that exceeds expectations, and bring back the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights for Christmas 2025.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the holiday special projection effects at Magic Kingdom? Prefer these to the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, or hope those return for Christmas 2025? Planning on voicing your thoughts about the Dream Lights–or anything else–to Guest Relations? Do you plan on visiting Walt Disney World this holiday season, or are you sitting this year out? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!