Wednesday round-up: Fireworks live and Tokyo Disney in virtual reality

June 29, 2016, 10:26 PM · Can't make it to the parks for the the Fourth of July celebrations? Or do you just know better than to be stuck in those worst-of-the-summer crowds? Either way, you don't have to completely miss the festivities. Walt Disney World will be live-streaming the Independence Day fireworks from the Magic Kingdom on July 4. The livestream will be on the Disney Parks Blog front page, starting at 8:50 pm ET.

The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resorts will be hosting a two-weekend sand sculpture celebration at the close of the summer holiday season. The "Sandtastic Weekends" will be held on August 26-28 and September 2-4, which is Labor Weekend. From the hotel's press release:

The event will offer guests a variety of different ways to take part in the action, from watching the masterpieces being created up close to learning the tips and techniques of sand sculpting during a sand sculpting clinic. Those with a competitive side can take part in amateur sculpting contests or try to stump the professionals by giving suggestions for speed sculpting demonstrations, where a piece is created in just 10 minutes.

The fun will extend beyond the sand sculpting, with plenty of indoor and outdoor food selections featuring creations from the resort’s award-winning food and beverage team, including the resort’s own Phins and Feathers craft beer; games on the beach like corn hole and table tennis; a DJ; and to close the day, a campfire and s’mores.

* * *

The Tokyo Disney Resort is kicking off its summer season with a 360-degree "virtual reality" flight through the parks. Here's a look at "Flying Summer Magic!" (Chrome browser works best for this on a laptop or desktop computer.)

The effect is way more impressive if you access go to tdrfun.jp/summer on your iPhone or Android and play the demonstration on your phone's screen. Sure, the instructions are in Japanese, but it's pretty intuitive, and if two-year-olds who can't yet read English can figure out an iPad, you probably can figure out how to use this.

Replies (0)

This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

Park tickets

Weekly newsletter

New attraction reviews

News archive