Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite is being offered on select nights at Disneyland in the coming weeks. Tickets are still available for most nights on the Disneyland website. This event is a celebration of all that is Star Wars with entertainment, characters, and other offerings found throughout Disneyland after the park has closed for the day. With all of the offerings, it can be a bit overwhelming to decide what to prioritize throughout the night. Below are three things you won’t want to miss when attending Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite.
A Gathering of the Resistance with Rey
Easily the best offering at Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite, A Gathering of the Resistance with Rey takes place in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in the area around the Millennium Falcon. It is offered multiple times a night. This is an incredible experience that includes those in attendance all raising their lightsabers, filling the area with color and light. It is also an opportunity for some incredible photos and videos. Rey, Vi Moradi, and Chewbacca are all on hand for this moment.
A Gathering of the Resistance with Rey is offered a few times per night. In general, the first time is the busiest. It also has the most energy. On top of that, it follows Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga’s first presentation of the night. With all that in mind, if you want to experience the first gathering of the night, get there early. It is not a bad idea to be there at 8:00 PM when Disneyland closes.
Lightsaber Instructional
The Lightsaber Instructional is another offering that you won’t want to miss. This year, it has gotten a bit of an upgrade. Instead of being in the Small World Mall area, it is now presented in the Fantasyland Theatre. With that comes video and audio effects that really add to the experience. There is also more room for those who want to participate. Speaking of participation, for those who didn’t bring a Lightsaber to the event, there are loaners on hand for this experience.
This offering doesn’t take up a huge part of the evening. It is about 20 minutes long. There isn’t a huge wait beforehand. Show up five or ten minutes early, and you should be able to get in with no problem.
Meeting Star Wars Characters
There are a LOT of different Star Wars characters that can be met throughout Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite. It is pretty much impossible to meet them all in one night. With that in mind, take a look at the list of characters and pick one or two that you really want to meet and interact with. Many of these characters have Disney PhotoPass on hand (PhotoPass is included with admission for Disneyland After Dark). Some of them don’t. Some noteworthy characters that guests can meet are Han Solo, Leia, Luke, and Darth Vader in Star Wars: Launch Bay. Darth Vader easily had the longest line for a character of the night. The other three were on the Rebellion side of Launch Bay with Han and Leia meeting some guests and Luke meeting the others.
For those who are fans of Queen Amidala or Anakin Skywalker, they can be found in Fantasy Faire. There are other characters found throughout the park as well, including C-3P0 in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!
Tips
If you are attending Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite, here are a few tips that will help you get the most out of your evening:
- Plan ahead. Have a flexible idea for what you want to do at Disneyland After Dark and when you want to do things.
- Show up at 6:00 PM during the mix-in time for Disneyland After Dark. Use this time to go on a ride, scope out what’s going on, and eat if you aren’t looking to eat event-exclusive foods.
- If you want event-exclusive foods, utilize mobile order earlier in the day and pick a time that works with your plan!
- If you want to experience something that is very popular (like Launch Bay or the Gathering of the Resistance), use the hour between the park closing at 8:00 PM and Disneyland After Dark starting at 9:00 PM to get in line.
- Be flexible. Things change, and even if the changes are less than ideal, remember you are there to have fun and celebrate a love of Star Wars! Make the most of it and make it a great night!
Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite is a great way to see Star Wars characters that generally aren’t out and to celebrate a love of Star Wars with other fans. This is an event with a great vibe, great people, some delicious foods, and opportunities to see things/characters that just aren’t available on a normal day at Disneyland!
Are you going to Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite this year? If so, what are you most looking forward to experiencing? If you already went, what did you like most? Share your thoughts, opinions, plans, and tips in the comments below!
