This past Friday night my husband and I attended the 33rd annual Night of Joy at Walt Disney World. We were there as the guests of Disney and we are so grateful to them for inviting us. Nevertheless, all opinions are 100% ours. I was at the very first Night of Joy in 1982 and while the event has remained pretty much the same over the last 33 years, the crowds have swelled significantly. Both nights of this year’s event were sold out and crowds were dense at the 4 concert venues. It was also a very hot and humid Florida night so everyone was soaked through with sweat but that didn’t seem to dampen the spirits of the attendees.
Night of Joy distributes the major artists between 3 stages Rockettower Plaza Stage, Galaxy Stage and Castle Forecourt Stage. There was also a Talent Search Stage in Cosmic Rays. Here is what this year’s concert schedule looked like, minus the Talent Search stage.
Friday, September 11th, 2015
CASTLE FORECOURT STAGE
7:40 p.m. – Jeremy Camp
9:45 p.m. – MercyMe
11:55 p.m. – TobyMac
GALAXY STAGE
7:30 p.m. – Francesca Battistelli
8:50 p.m. – Francesca Battistelli
10:25 p.m. – Colton Dixon
12:05 a.m. – Big Daddy Weave
ROCKETTOWER PLAZA STAGE
8:10 p.m. – Josh Wilson
9:40 p.m. – I Am They
11:15 p.m. – Rend Collective
Saturday, September 12th, 2015
CASTLE FORECOURT STAGE
7:40 p.m. – for King & Country
9:40 p.m. – LeCrae
11:50 p.m. – Skillet
GALAXY STAGE
7:30 p.m. – Jamie Grace
8:50 p.m. – Jamie Grace
10:25 p.m. – Matt Maher
12 a.m. – Mandisa
ROCKETTOWER PLAZA STAGE
8:10 p.m. – Veridia
9:40 p.m. – 7eventh Time Down
11:15 p.m. – 7eventh Time Down
After catching a few rides in Fantasyland we headed over to Rockettower Plaza where we caught most of Francesca Battistelli’s first set on the big screen while we waited for Josh Wilson. As always, Josh put on a great concert. He is such a talented musician! We did have to duck out before Josh’s set was done. We needed to grab a lemonade and rest our feet before heading to the Castle Forecourt Stage for the rest of the evening. We were blessed with access to the VIP section which out us in the front row for MercyMe and TobyMac! The crowds for these concerts were packed in all the way down Main St USA!
This was the first time we have seen MercyMe in concert and it was phenomenal. Bart Millard, the groups lead vocalist, shared some personal stories that really moved the crowd. They did a mix of many of their chart topping songs and it was a great concert.
We had an hour break between MercyMe and TobyMac so we just sat down on the ground and relaxed until TobyMac hit the stage at 11:55pm. If you have never seen TobyMac in concert…do it! He is the consummate showman. He show is a great mix of hip-hop, rap, dance, percussion, and instrumentals. This is such a high energy show and a great way to end the evening.
I love Night of Joy and it is extra special to worship the King of Kings in the Magic Kingdom!
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