We are now one month into the 18 month long 50th anniversary celebration also known as the The World’s Most Magical Celebration. I was very fortunate to be at Magic Kingdom on its 50th anniversary, October 1st, 2021. I was able to spend the day with my parents who both visited Magic Kingdom in the summer of 1972 and have been many times since then. We had the goal to ride or experience every opening day attraction. In addition, we watched the first viewing of the fireworks show, Enchantment, and enjoyed the reimagined Steakhouse 71 Lounge on its opening day.
Popcorn buckets heading towards Fantasyland
One of the most entertaining parts of the day was seeing all of the long lines for merchandise, such as the famous popcorn buckets. We watched a large stack of them being wheeled towards Fantasyland. I did observe that the colors of the popcorn buckets corresponded with the banners outside of the different theme parks: green for Animal Kingdom, blue for Epcot, pink for Magic Kingdom, and yellow for Hollywood Studios.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant 
Peter Pan’s Flight 
New paint job on “it’s a small world” 
Big Al in Country Bear Jamboree 
View of Frontierland from the Riverboat 
View of Magic Kingdom from Swiss Family Treehouse 
Swiss Family Treehouse
Wait times for the attractions really were not that bad, except Jungle Cruise which we thought could have been linked to the release of the movie this summer. We were able to ride all of the opening day attractions in addition to some personal favorites. Majority of guests were waiting in line for merchandise and food or waiting to see the new fireworks show. We were very lucky to grab lunch reservations to Liberty Tree Tavern the day before. This is why it is always important to check back on My Disney Experience for last minute reservations!
Focusing on riding all of the opening day attractions really allowed us to experience rides that we had not in sometime. My Mom thought this was the first time she had ever been on the Liberty Square Riverboat and while the Country Bear Jamboree is not my family’s favorite, the audience was certainly enjoying the show. There are classics that we frequently hit such as Dumbo, Peter Pan’s Flight, and “it’s a small world” and I always love the views of Magic Kingdom from the Swiss Family Treehouse.
New 50th Anniversary Cavalcade 
New paper with Mickey pretzels
Some other new things for the 50th celebration included Mickey’s Celebration Cavalcade featuring the song The Magic is Calling and there is new paper with the Mickey pretzels. I know that is a very small detail, but the paper is a great souvenir once you’re finished with your pretzel!
Lastly, we were able to watch the new fireworks show, Enchantment. While this show is no Happily Ever After, it is still a tear jerker I loved that they included some clips from more recent Disney films and Tinker Bell is still flying! Would it really be a fireworks show in the Magic Kingdom without Tinker Bell?
I created the scavenger hunt below including all of the opening day attractions/experiences in and around the Magic Kingdom. My family loves scavenger hunts and they are staple on many of our family vacations. Especially when returning to one of our favorite places, scavenger hunts allow us to discover and learn new things.
Here are your clues:
- Home of the Dormouse
- Sponsored by Goodyear
- Listen to a Yodel Song
- First there was one, now there’s two
- This attraction opened October 3, 1971
- The Dread Family
- Snazzy Singers
- Oldest ride in Magic Kingdom
- Mary Blair and Alice Davis helped create this attraction
- Concrete roots
- Original Richard F. Irvine
- Defend the Constitution
- Tropical Serenade
- Blood on the Saddle
- Tombstone, AZ
- Schweitzer Falls
- Three by sea or twelve overhead
- Grand Circle Tour
- Lagoon Parade
- Turn-of-the-century Vehicle
Here is a link that you can download and print off your own version of the scavenger hunt: Link to Magic Kingdom 50th Anniversary Scavenger Hunt
If you need any hints for the scavenger hunt, here is a list of the opening day attractions in and around the Magic Kingdom:
- Country Bear Jamboree
- The Dapper Dans
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Electrical Water Pageant
- Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade
- The Hall of Presidents
- Haunted Mansion
- “it’s a small world”
- Jungle Cruise
- Liberty Square Riverboat
- Mad Tea Party
- Main Street Vehicles
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Swiss Family Treehouse
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
- Walt Disney World Monorail
- Walt Disney World Railroad
- Walt Disney World Water Transportation
Thank you for joining me! I know this week was a little different than my previous posts, but I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience in Magic Kingdom on October 1st and the scavenger hunt that I created for all of the opening day attractions. My next post will be back to Hidden Mickeys. Any requests on Disney resorts or areas of the theme parks you would like me to cover next, please leave in the comments!
If you need any hints or have any recommendations for me regarding the scavenger hunt, please all leave those in the comments! And if you complete the scavenger hunt I would love to see all of your photos!
Travels with Tink & Toni 