Ending in 2011, Walt Disney World Grad Nites were commonly a rite of passage for many Central Florida high school seniors. During this special event, schools would book the Magic Kingdom and invite the soon-to-be graduates to a late night bash that would last into the morning hours. In Spring of 2011, I got the special honor of working Walt Disney World’s very last slew of Grad Nites. These events generally began around 10pm and lasted until nearly 4am. And as the saying goes, “Nothing good happens after midnight.”
I arrived for my shift to prep the “streets” of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland for this after-hours party. Managers gave us a seemingly odd pep talk on the possible promiscuity and rambunctiousness that could occur during the evening. All of the CMs on the College Program laughed it off. You can imagine that we were all caught off guard then when things began to go awry. Here are some points that our managers touched on and the following stories that ensued.
No Bags Allowed: In Tomorrowland where I was stationed, a wall next to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin was removed and this is where many of the high school-aged Guests arrived for Grad Nite. School buses would drop off students, where they then had to go through an extensive security check before being allowed into the park. This security check was a lot more thorough than the average Disney bag check. Guests were not allowed to carry any bags in the park. Which brings us to the baffling next point.
Drugs and Alcohol: Although the Magic Kingdom is primarily a dry kingdom, my co-workers and I still reported several underage users and abusers in the park. I remember reporting a drunken, boisterous group who repeatedly rode Snow White’s Scary Adventures and contiously screamed and chanted all the dwarfs’s names. We discussed various ways in how they managed to still sneak in alcohol and other drugs under the tight surveillance over by Buzz, but we couldn’t figure it out. Another CM reported finding heavily duct-taped boxers in one restroom and portashots in another, while a third restroom was shut down due to possible drug use. Apparently Guests are quite creative.
Getting Frisky in the Magic Kingdom: Custodial was tasked with locking the companion/family restrooms in the park during Grad Nite. We were specifically told by managers to keep on the lookout for any promiscuous behavior, which we all laughed about initially, until we saw things happen firsthand. One of my fellow CMs found a few Guests hiding backstage by Space Mountain, engaging in behavior that would make Mickey blush.
General horseplay and Other Strange Sights: With “senioritis” in full swing, graduating high schoolers generally think they are on top of the world. While working the Dumbo area late one night, I heard a noise behind me. When I turned around, I jumped. Two Guests were dressed head to toe in black spandex “morph suits” with every inch of skin covered, including their faces, and ran off laughing as I regained my composure. While I stood there in shock, two angry managers quickly followed, ready to put a stop to the madness. These clever high schoolers were hardly visible in the dark morning park hours.
Entertainment: During my stint in Custodial at this event, Coca-Cola sponsored a dance party inside a giant inflatable igloo. During the late spring, the temperature is still quite warm at night, and my co-workers and I were constantly fighting over who got to work the Coke Zone and go into the “igloo,” where there were ice sculptures, “cool” music and free Coke. A giant Coke bottle near the igloo constantly spewed fizzy, carbonated “snow,” which could also be found inside and around the igloo. The entire floor was so sticky from Coca-Cola and snow bubbles, while the high schoolers pretended that this was some sort of 21+ night club. Meanwhile, out on the Castle Forecourt Stage, artists such as Taio Cruz and 3OH!3 performed at various times during the night. Grad Nite themed fireworks ended the night with a literal “bang.”
Frequent daytime WDW Guests attending this event would probably describe the overall vibe of Magic Kingdom’s Grad Nite to be nothing short of provocative and racy. It had a completely different vibe than that of a normal day at the Magic Kingdom. Although high school-aged Guests often still vacation at Disney World with their families (and I have nothing against this age group), this can only be described as something else. Get a huge group of 17-year-olds together on the verge of graduating into the adult realm and you can only imagine what will happen.
Walt Disney World Grad Nites were nestled to fill that “lull” in the middle of May between Spring Break and summer, when past crowds were low and the park had cause to close early. With the obvious increase in crowd levels the past few years, where there is literally no more “off-season,” Disney World had its last Grad Nite in 2011. Disneyland continues to hold this event, with the upcoming 2015 event marking its 54th year.
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Wow…Amazing !!!