A new permit filed by Disney suggests that they could be bringing a drone show to Disney Springs soon. As you may remember, Walt Disney World hosted a drone show called Disney Dreams That Soar during the 2024 Summer season. The show debuted in May 2024 and ran through early September 2024. It was a hugely successful addition to Disney Springs, bringing in crowds and keeping them around through dinner and beyond. The show was presented over Lake Buena Vista, the lake that separates Disney Springs from Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort. A new permit suggests that a drone show could be returning, and rather soon.
Permit Suggests Drone Show Is Coming to Disney Springs
The new permit lists the Jim William Fence Company as the contractor. You may recall that the construction of a fence was really the only construction required for the Disney Dreams That Soar drone show. As a refresher, a fence was built in a nearby Disney Springs parking lot to act as a launch site and (presumably) a storage site for the drones. Other elements required for the drone show included an impressive array of speakers and theme park-style lighting, but I don’t think those required construction permits.
A few things make this fence permit interesting to me. First, the address is the exact same address as the work related to the Disney Dreams That Soar drone show. Second, the description of work is exactly the same as the Disney Dreams That Soar permit. Both permits called for 870 feet of 6-foot-tall fencing. Furthermore, both permits called for 5 access gates in the fence. Of course, both permits list the same company for the work.
One thing that is a bit of a headscratcher is that this permit predates any sort of official announcement. Previously, the Disney Dreams That Soar drone show was announced in late March for a late May debut. The fencing permit was submitted in early April, and work began two weeks later.
If the construction schedule follows the same cadence as 2024, we would expect to see fence installation begin in the middle of September for a late October show debut. Of course, that would mean that Disney should’ve announced the show a couple of weeks ago, and they have done no such thing. That begs the question: Will there be a drone show at Disney Springs soon?
From a business standpoint, I’d imagine that the Disney Dreams That Soar drone show was a success. Guests flooded Disney Springs to catch a glimpse of the show, and it seemed like those same guests were all too happy to spend some money on food, drinks, and possibly even some shopping. If it were anything other than a financial success, I’d be shocked.
That said, it was a Summertime show. Summer has slowed down in recent years, and it would seem that the show was meant to be a magnet during slow times. If the show were to follow the previous timeline established by Disney Dreams That Soar, it would run from around Halloween through the Holiday Season. That would be absolutely wonderful from a guest satisfaction standpoint, but does Disney need help getting guests to visit Disney Springs during that timeframe? I would suggest the answer would be no.
As much as I’d love to see another drone show at Disney Springs (and a theme park, or two), I’m not sure what the business argument would be right now. If there were a drone show coming to Disney Springs, I would hope that it would be something new and not Disney Dreams That Soar (even though I really enjoyed it). I’d imagine that at this point it would be a holiday season offering, perhaps starting in early November to coincide with the start of the 2025 holiday season at Walt Disney World.
Regardless of my very amateur armchair theme park accounting, the new permit is interesting if it isn’t an accident. We’ll try to find out more from Disney and get an answer one way or another if a drone show is coming to Disney Springs. Right now, I would say that there’s a good chance that something is in the works.
I’ll tag this as a rumor for now. Anything contained in this article should be considered unofficial speculation unless and until Walt Disney World confirms it.
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