Disneyland Fans Fear Beloved Attraction Is Done Forever
The attraction has been inactive since the initial COVID-19 outbreak and the park's closure.
A Disneyland attraction that was once popular and much loved is likely permanently closed. At Disney Parks, there can be various reasons for a ride or attraction closing or remaining shut down until further notice. Unfortunately, The Royal Swing Big Band Ball appears to be the latest casualty. The venue offered guests the opportunity to put on their dancing shoes and enjoy tunes from a swing band that performed on stage. Despite this, the building has been vacant ever since the original outbreak of COVID-19 occurred. The official webpage for the experience has its status as "temporarily unavailable," and has been up since the final performance, pre-COVID.
Recently, fans shared their sadness over the attraction's likely closure, expressing disappointment. "For my wife and I, this was always a highlight of our Saturday nights in the park," one user wrote. "We shed a tear every Saturday night we're in the park without the live band, busy dance floor, skilled dancers, and eyes all around us." Another said, "I still don't know why they removed the dance floor it made so many people happy and not just the people dancing when I need a little rest from walking all day I would sit and watch the Dancer's it was a great way to past the time."A Reddit user reminisced, "Plays in the day and dancing Saturday nights. Never danced, but enjoyed listening and watching. Was great when we had older kids who wanted to do rides and a sleeping preschooler in a stroller. I hope they bring it back."
The lack of updates indicates no plans for this space, even though it is common for attractions at Disney to close to make way for newer and better ones. Disney closes older and more dated attractions regularly to keep the parks fresh. This can be seen in Disney's decision to close DinoLand U.S.A. at the Disney Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. Disney announced this idea last year and hinted that it might be turned into a land based on Disney Animation's Zootopia (2016). Recent rumors have emerged that Disney is considering instead converting the area into a land dedicated to Disney's Encanto (2021).
Another mainstay of big band music at Disneyland, the Carnation Plaza Gardens, closed in 2012. Carnation Plaza Gardens welcomed the Big Bands in 1959, and as the original band leaders passed away, the bands got new frontmen, but Disneyland kept paying the same wages. Eventually, a "Disneyland Big Band" was convened. World War II-inspired costumes were encouraged for dancers, and non-dancing guests enjoyed watching the uniformed men and women entertain on the dance floor. In the 1990s, the Carnation Plaza Gardens stage was an essential part of the resurgence of swing dancing. Despite it being closed now, the bands and dancers continue to perform in the Downtown Disney District every Saturday night. This all preceded the birth of the Royal Swing Big Band Ball in Fantasy Faire, its de facto replacement.
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