A Farewell to the Osborne Lights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

For the past two decades, Disney’s Hollywood Studios has been home to The Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, initially on Residential Street (from 1995-2004) and then on New York Street/ Streets of America (2004-2015). This holiday fixture at the park has its’ origin starting in the town of Little Rock, Arkansas and Jennings Osborne. The lights themselves have a storied past, which includes lawsuits and appeals. For those of you interested, here is that past… thanks to Wikipedia.

For me, I have been a fan of the lights ever since I first saw them back in 2010. With the exception of 2012, every January I would close out the Christmas season at Walt Disney World, shortly after the New Year, and see the lights. In 2015, I had the opportunity being there on the final night of the lights, photographing my friends Jimmy and Scott’s engagement photo shoot. (Subsequently, they are getting married up in Boston tomorrow.) For me, the lights were something to behold and, for me being a sucker for Christmas in general, a must see whenever possible.

Sadly, late in 2015, it was announced that this past Christmas season would be the last one for the lights. With new attractions, entertainment, and more coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Streets of America will not longer be able to host the lights. When I heard that, I made sure that this past January vacation included the last night of the lights, which was scheduled for Sunday, January 3rd.

In reality, the lights did not end until Wednesday, January 6th. Between capacity crowds on the final weekend and rain on the final night, late that Sunday it was decided to add three more “encore” nights after what was being deemed the “final” night, which included the members of the Osborne family turning on the lights at dusk. What was special about Sunday night (and replicated the “encore nights”) was that the end of the night included the singing of the “Mickey Mouse Club Alma Mater” while the lights dimmed for the night.

So, on Wednesday, January 6th, myself and thousands of other fans of the lights gathered for one final celebration. There was merriment, singing, dancing, and at least one flash-mob. Cast members were handing out to everyone the special (and Passholder Exclusive prior to that night) glasses that made the lights shine like snowflakes… a few of my photos towards the end shows this effect, which was quite fun. At roughly 9:55pm, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” played to the dancing lights and then, with the iconic “See Ya Real Soon!” from the Mouseketeers, the lights shut off for the very last time.

I ended up spending a total of four evenings this vacation with the lights (one in the rain), and I could have spent so much more. I will miss these lights, but I am glad I got to photograph them one last time. Please, enjoy the photos, and even though the holidays are over, I hope you have a wonderful year to come.

Did you ever get the see the Osborne Lights? Perhaps when they were on Residential Street? Share your stories below.