Before the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights was a part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (previously Disney-MGM Studios). The Christmas light display started as a passion project from Arkansas businessman Jennings Osborne. His daughter wanted their home decorated in Christmas lights and so that’s what Mr. Osborne did.
Osborne kept buying lights and property to make the display larger. By the time 1993 rolled around Osborne had over three million lights including an illuminated globe, a 70-foot tall Christmas tree of lights with 80,000 lights, and two rotating carousels of lights.
The display became popular in Arkansas attracting news crews and visitors. It also didn’t help that the Osborne family lived on the busiest street in Arkansas.
By 1995, Disney acquired the Osborne lights. The Osborne family still did a display in Arkansas but it was much smaller. Several cities originally wanted the display but Disney ended up the ultimate winners.
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights would occupy the Streets of America section of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Throughout its run, the show was sponsored by both Sylvania and Siemens. The dancing lights would entertain guests for many years. To dazzling songs like “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12–24)” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Feliz Navidad” by José Feliciano.
In 2015, Disney announced that the holiday season would be the last for the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. The final performance would be on January 6, 2016. The final songs that the lights would dance to would be “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and “Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater.” (Videos below will showcase this).
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights and the Streets of America section would be replaced by Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The replacement is worthy but it will never change the fact that the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights was the best Disney Parks holiday show by far. The show leaves quite a legacy still. Who would have thought that Jennings Osborne’s passion project would become such a fun holiday experience for so many people?
Here are two videos from the final lighting of The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights will remain one of the coolest and most magical experiences that I ever got to witness at Disney. Although its replacement is spectacular it doesn’t change the fact that the Osborne Lights will always remain as an incredible memory from Walt Disney World.
Happy Holidays from the Boardwalk Times
Zach Perilstein is the Editor-in-Chief of the Boardwalk Times
