This post may contains affiliate links for your convenience. If you make a purchase after clicking a link we may earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more! Read our full disclosure policy here.
- The Monsters University meet and greet will see a quick refurbishment, from January 29 – February 8. It’s rumored that the characters will be going back to greeting guests as the older versions of themselves, as featured in Monsters Inc.
- The new Festival of Fantasy Parade has officially been confirmed to begin in March. No specific word on the exact date. Disney has released an image of one of the floats. It’s of Maleficent and she stands at 26 feet tall and 35 feet in length.
©Disney - Team Disney at Downtown Disney Marketplace is now closed. It will make way for the Marketplace Co Op, which will be comprised of 6 different smaller boutique stores, each selling different and unique merchandise. As a reminder, the shops will be:
- Beautifully Disney – will feature make-up, fragrance and beauty accessories.
- Centerpiece – Home product with a splash of Disney including room furnishings, textiles and everyday use
- Cherry Tree Lane – Accessories for woman, such as scarves, shoes, bags and jewelry.
- D-Tech on Demand – A place to personalize and customize electronic accessories.
- The Trophy Room- Vintage inspired sports apparel and collectibles.
- Zoey and Pickles – A girls’ destination featuring the latest trends and glamor items
- Speaking about Downtown Disney, a new counter service restaurant is open. Attached to House of Blues on the WestSide is The Smokehouse. This BBQ inspired restaurant serves up delicious dishes such as pulled pork sandwiches, pulled chicken sandwiches, half-racks of ribs, a turkey leg, a brisket sandwich, and hot dogs. Sides include cole slaw, potato chips, and baked beans. There is no indoor seating here, but there is a seating area off to the side that also is next to a stage for live music seven nights a week. The Smokehouse opens at 11:30 a.m. daily, and closes at 10 p.m.
- The shop, Creature Comforts, which is found at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the Discovery Island section of the park is going to be closing, but not any time soon. It is slated to close in January 2015. It will be turned into a counter service dining location and is expected to reopen in the Summer of 2015.
- The artists for the Flower Power Concert Series at Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival have been announced. The artists, who were popular in the 60s and 70s include:
- March 7-9 The Guess Who “American Woman”
- March 14-16 Gary Lewis and The Playboys “This Diamond Ring”
- March 21-23 The Orchestra starring former members of ELO “Evil Woman”
- March 28-30 The Lovin’ Spoonful “Summer in the City”
- April 4-6 Paul Revere & The Raiders “Good Thing”
- April 11-13 Village People “Y.M.C.A”
- April 18-20 The Grass Roots “Midnight Confessions”
- April 25-27 Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone “I’m Henry the VII, I Am”
- May 2-4 Starship starring Mickey Thomas “We Built This City”
- May 9-11 Chubby Checker & The Wildcats “The Twist”
- May 16-18 Alan Parsons Live Project “Eye in the Sky”
The concerts take place at 5:30, 6:45 and 8:00 p.m. every Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Festival and the lineup is subject to change without notice. The concerts are included with your park admission.