Guests were surprised and delighted to see Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Tree of Life lit up once again with its projection show, Tree of Life Awakenings.

It has been a while since Disney’s Animal Kingdom has been open past dark, and the show is not currently on the park’s schedule; so, it’s no wonder guests were caught off guard when the show began!

You may recall that the holiday version of the show unexpectedly returned at the end of 2020, basically as the only functioning nighttime show at any park.

The show begins as fireflies dance around the tree, awakening the animal spirits residing in the Tree of Life’s enormous trunk. Dazzling, colorful, and bright, the show’s various scenes celebrate “the eternal balance and harmony that exists in all living things, big or small.”

Tree of Life Awakenings plays on days when the park is slated for an 8:00pm or later close. According to Disney’s website, it will begin after dark and occur every 10 minutes or so until park close. The show’s schedule listing is currently unavailable. The first show starts at 6:45pm and all of the various different vignettes can be seen throughout the evening.