Friday, September 8

• TobyMac
• MercyMe
• Natalie Grant
• Danny Gokey
• Matt Maher
• Colton Dixon
• Rend Collective
• Zack Williams

Saturday, September 9

• Amy Grant
• Steven Curtis Chapman
• Kirk Franklin
• Jordan Feliz
• David Crowder
• Jeremy Camp
• Tye Tribbett

I’m already stressing a bit trying to figure out how I am going to catch all of my favorite acts! I love TobyMac and he puts on one of the best stage shows currently touring. I’ve also waited over 30 years to see Amy Grant in concert. The only time I have ever seen her was as part of the Young Messiah tour in the early 90s! I have a feeling I’ll be running between the 3 concert venues at the ESPN Wide World of Sports venue to catch as many concerts as I can.

Which artists do you most want to see at this year’s Night of Joy? I’ve never seen Jordan Feliz, Danny Gokey, or Jeremy Camp so those 3 are also on my must-see list!

This year’s event is hosted by Matthew West so that will be different than years past. Tickets and vacation packages aren’t on sale yet but they usually go on sale in early June. Now is the time to start planning and get your friends on board so that when tickets go on sale you can get them before they sell out!

Artists and schedules are subject to change without notice.

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This year’s luncheon featured three artists, one of which was performing at Night of Joy. During the event the artists take turns visiting the different tables and chatting with the media present. I like this format because it isn’t a formal interview time, it is time to chat. Once everyone got seated we had a special visit from Mark Hall and Casting Crowns. They weren’t able to stay for lunch, because they had to do their sound check, but they said “Hi!” and posed for pictures.

The first artist at our table was Hannah Kerr. I had the pleasure of meeting Hannah last year at this luncheon. She also leads worship at her home church, and attends college! She is currently on tour with Casting Crowns and Matt Maher.

Next we had Brandon Heath. I was excited to spend some time chatting with Brandon because he is friends with my son Aaron. I met Brandon backstage when he was here in town for the “Brandisa” tour a few years ago. As soon as I told him we were Aaron’s parents he freaked out and wanted to take a selfie to send to Aaron. Brandon also wants to start blogging about his travels so we helped him with some ideas about how to get started.

Last up was Tim Timmons. This was the 3rd time I’ve met Tim at this luncheon. Honestly, the first time I met him, I didn’t like him. He was highly opinionated and off-putting. I am pleased to say, probably thanks to his publicist, he has mellowed some over the years and was more enjoyable to talk to. We spent a lot of time with him helping him beef up his social media presence. I also got to hear a few of Tim’s songs at Night of Joy in the Jostens Center on Saturday night.

I love this event and I am always honored to be invited by Disney. I can’t wait for next year!

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I am pleased to say that, in my opinion, moving the event to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex was a wonderful idea. Holding the event at WWoS (Wide World of Sports) had some positives I hadn’t thought of originally. All 3 venues had seating available and 2 of the venues had air conditioning! On top of that, they were just better concert venues. As awesome as it is to worship in front of the castle, it isn’t awesome if you are in the throngs of people packed in all the way down Main Street USA.

The headliner concerts were held in Champions Stadium, a baseball stadium where the Atlanta Braves hold their spring training. Here we saw Chris Tomlin, Casting Crowns, For King and Country and Newsboys in a stadium concert setting with great audio and lighting effects. VIP floor seating was available for an additional $20 per person per night.

The HP Fieldhouse was home to concerts by Matthew West, MercyMe, Switchfoot, Red, and Thousand Foot Krutch. In this building the floor was open for standing and the arena seating was open. The Jostens Center was a multi-purpose venue holding concerts for up and coming acts like Tim Timmons, Veridia and Zealand Worship. Unfortunately, the audio in this venue wasn’t nearly as well done as at the other locations. It was very bass heavy and often downright painful to listen too. This stage was also used for some artist Q & As on Saturday night. This building was also home to character meet and greets, classic video games, Minute to Win It competitions and the first ever artist merchandise tables at Night of Joy.

Down on the “Fields of Joy” were food trucks for additional dining options, a great DJ and from 5-9pm there were fun athletic competitions. While the “Fields of Joy” activities couldn’t take the place of a ride on Space Mountain, it was nice to have some activity options for kids who wanted a break from the concerts.

It has already been announced that Night of Joy 2017 will again take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and that there will be even more musical acts. Mark your calendar now for September 8-9, 2017. Event tickets aren’t on sale yet but its not too early to book your Walt Disney World Resort Stay. Just Email Me for more information!

The post Night of Joy 2016 Recap appeared first on The Mom Maven.

I’ve talked to several youth pastors, teens and young adults about the venue change and we’ve come up with a list of pros and cons with this change:

Pros:

• More of a festival feel
• Indoor and outdoor venues
• Seating at venues
• More affordable pricing

Cons:

• No Magic Kingdom attractions
• Less of an outreach event. Unsaved friends will come for a trip to Magic Kingdom but not to a Christian concert.
• No Dole Whip
• There is just something special about worshiping Jesus in front of the castle.

One youth pastor told me they won’t attend Night of Joy if it isn’t in a theme park. The kids like the mix of rides and concerts. Personally, I understand that a lot of people don’t like change and I too like attending in the theme park because you can catch a few rides with shorter than normal wait times! To help quench your need for rides Disney is offering  ticket options that include admission to 1 theme park and Night of Joy at a discounted rate.

2016 Night of Joy Ticket Prices

• A single-night, concert only ticket for Friday, Sept. 9 – $39 plus tax (in advance); $45 the day of the show (if available).
• A single-night concert and one-day Disney theme park ticket (valid for one of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks) for Saturday, Sept. 10 – $99 plus tax (in advance); $114 plus tax the day of the show (if available).*
• A two-night concert ticket (which includes Friday and Saturday nights’ concerts and one-day Disney theme park ticket (valid for one of the four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks) – $119 plus tax (in advance).*
• Group tickets are also available for groups of 10 or more.

* The one-day Disney theme park ticket is only valid for Saturday, Sept 10.

2016 Night of Joy Artists

Friday, September 9, 2016 – “Praise & Worship” Night

Champion Stadium

• Casting Crowns
• Chris Tomlin
• Francesca Battistelli

HP Fieldhouse

• MercyMe
• Matthew West
• Crowder

Jostens Center

• Stars Go Dim
• Zealand Worship

Saturday, September 10, 2016 – “Rock and Pop” Night

Champion Stadium

• Newsboys
• for King & Country
• Young & Free

HP Field House

• Switchfoot
• Red
• Thousand Foot Krutch

Jostens Center

• Tim Timmons
• Veridia

Please note: Artists and schedule are subject to change without notice.

photo courtesy of Disney

In addition to the concerts there will also be other activities lending to more of a music festival feel.

• Expo with a variety of vendors
• Tasty food and beverage options—including Food Trucks
• Talent Spotlight Competition
• Youth Leader Lounge with food and non-alcoholic beverages
• Family Activity Zone
• Premium reserved seating upgrade option with commemorative lanyard and pin

To plan your trip to Night of Joy to get started.

What are your thoughts about the location change? I can’t wait to see how things work out, I’ll be there and I hope you are too!

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All of the Artists that were at the luncheon. Can you name them?

This years artists were: 7eventh Time Down, Josh Wilson, Jason Crabb, Tim Timmons, David Dunn, Jon Guerra and Hannah Kerr. The guys from 7eventh Time Down actually arrived before we did. We chatted with some of them for a while before we even entered the room where the luncheon was taking place. They were all very nice and wanted to get to know us and who we were as well as promote themselves. We entered the luncheon and found our assigned table, we sat down and Jason Crabb entered the room and made a beeline for us. I told him that he had worked with our son Aaron aka Hammy from The Joy FM last year when he was on tour with Mark Lowry. He remembered Aaron fondly and asked how he was and how the wedding went. It was like we had known each other forever, we just totally clicked. Josh Wilson saw us and came over to say “hi!”, we have met Josh and is lovely wife Becca several times so it was nice to see Josh.

Before the buffet opened everyone was told to go to their assigned tables and later the artists would rotate from table to table. I had the “joy” of having Tim Timmons sit next to me. I met Tim at this event 2 years ago and I wasn’t impressed by him at all. He was very negative and boorish. I am glad to say he was more positive and friendly this time around.

Lunch was a delightful taco and fajita bar. We had choices of chicken, fish or ground beef with hard tacos, tortillas or tortilla chips with cheeses, salsa, guacamole, and all the fixings. It was a very nice, casual lunch. As the main meal was finishing the artists started rotating tables every 10-15 minutes. We had nice conversations with each of them. I was impressed by newcomer Jon Guerra and I want you to see what I mean in this less than 1 minute video about the topic of his song “Stained Glass”.

Good stuff huh?

Of course, we enjoyed talking with all the artists, even though Josh Wilson was so popular he never made it to our table We got to spend more time with Jason Crabb and we had a great time! This is what I miss from my days in Christian radio, getting to know the people behind the music. I am thankful that Disney invites me to this event each year because no matter how great the songs are, it is the true heart of the musician that matters most.

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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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Night of Joy

We have been attending Night of Joy since the 80’s! I love this event every year. This year Night of oy will be held at the Magic kingdom on September 11 & 12. Single-day ticket prices for Disney’s Night of Joy are $65 (plus tax) in advance and $80 (plus tax) on the day of the event (if available). A two night ticket also is available for $115 (plus tax) in advance of the event. Group tickets are also available by calling 877-NITE-JOY (1-877-648-3569).

2015 Night of Joy Artists

September 11, 2015

• TobyMac
• MercyME
• Jeremy Camp
• Colton Dixon
• Big Daddy Weave
• Francesca Battistelli
• Rend Collective
• I Am They
• Josh Wilson

September 12, 2015

• Skillet
• Lecrae
• For King & Country
• Mandisa
• Matt Maher
• Jamie Grace
• 7eventh Time Down
• Veridia
  Please note: Both evenings of the event run from 7:30 PM to 1:00 AM. Artists and schedule are subject to change.

I will definitely be there Friday night, I just hope the schedules work out in my favor because I have to see Josh Wilson, TobyMac and MercyME!! I’d love to go Saturday night too so I can at least see For King & Country and Mandisa! If you want to know more about Night of Joy here is the link to my 2014 Night of Joy recap post.

It’s time to get your #Disney World special event tickets for 2015!
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Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

• September 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27; October 1 – Advance: $68 (plus tax) for adults; $63 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9); Day of the Event: $74 (plus tax) for adults; $69 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9)
• October 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27;  November 1 – Advance: $74 (plus tax) for adults; $69 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9); Day of the Event: $79 (plus tax) for adults; $74 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9)
• October 9, 16, 23, 29 – $79 (plus tax) for adults; $74 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9)
• Halloween – $87 (plus tax) for adults; $82 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9)

We have attended the Halloween Party several times and it is a highlight of our Disney year. If you would like to read more about our Halloween party experiences check out these posts.

2010 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

2012 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

2013 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

2014 Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

The third and final big event at the Magic Kingdom is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This seasonal favorite is not to be missed if you are vacationing from November 8-December 18, 2015.

• November 8, 10, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19; December 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15 – Advance: $74 (plus tax) for adults; $69 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9); Day of the Event: $79 (plus tax) for adults; $74 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9)
• November 20, 29; December 4, 11, 17 – $79 (plus tax) for adults; $74 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9)
• December 18 – $82 (plus tax) for adults; $77 (plus tax) for children (ages 3-9)

2009 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

2012 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

2013 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

2014 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Will you be attending any of these special Magic Kingdom events this year? Have you attended any in the past? Which is your favorite? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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The tricky part about Night of Joy is deciding which concerts to see. For the last few years, they have only used 3 outdoor stages Castle Forecourt, Galaxy and Rocket Tower Plaza. I miss the old days of using Cosmic Ray’s (this year there was a hip hop dance party in there), the Frontierland stage and the old Fantasy Faire stage. Using stages all over the park spreads out the crowds more and makes scheduling a bit easier because the sound from the two Tomorrowland stages bleeds over onto each other when the concert times overlap.

Our original plan was to see Matthew West at the castle at 7:40pm, Building 429 at the Galaxy stage at 8:50pm, catch the end of Chris Tomlin’s 9:20pm concert at the castle, see Mandisa at Galaxy at 10:25pm and For King & Country at Galaxy at 12:10am. We didn’t plan to ride any rides after 7:00pm but we did need to find time to eat dinner at some point.

Our Night of Joy 2014

We arrived at our spot right in front of the castle around 7:00pm for the Matthew West concert. It was raining light but steady. I have never had the opportunity to see Matthew West in concert before so I was really excited about this concert and Matthew didn’t disappoint. He put on a great show and he didn’t let the rain bother him. He came out from under the tent where the band was so that he could get closer to the audience. He shared some of his great songs and some stories, including a little song he wrote about his years performing at Night of Joy and wishing he’d some day make it to the Castle Forecourt Stage. I wish I had recorded it! He was so excited about singing at the castle that he brought his daughters Lulu and Delaney on stage and told them they could sing with him, any song they wanted. Here is a short video of the song they chose. (If you are reading this in your email, click over to the post to see this video)

After Matthew west sang “Hello, My Name Is” we headed to Tomorrowland to find a spot for the Building 429 concert. Building 429 is one of my favorite bands right now and this is the 3rd time I’ve seen them in concert in 11 months! We Won’t Be Shaken by Building 429 is one of my 2 most played albums this year and the crowd at Galaxy Stage loved the entire concert.

Our next stop was for dinner. We headed to Cosmic Ray’s for a quick burger and along the way we could hear a little of Chris Tomlin. I was sad that I missed his concert since I’ve never seen him live but we just couldn’t  make it work.

We arrived back at the Galaxy Stage area at about 9:30pm and the area was already at capacity for the 10:25pm Mandisa concert! There was a long line of people hoping to be allowed in as others filtered out during the show. I hope they give Mandisa  the Castle Forecourt stage next year so more people can see her in concert. We chose to sit on a bench in Tomorrowland where we could hear the end of The Neverclaim’s concert on the Rocket Tower Plaza stage and some of Mandisa’s concert too.

We were tired and my feet were hurting so we made the decision to head back to the castle for the 11:30pm Hillsong United concert instead of getting in line for the For King and Country concert which didn’t start until after midnight. We had a long wait before this concert, but at least it had finally stopped raining! After about 4 songs I just couldn’t stand any longer so we headed out of the park, before they sang Oceans

Walking down Main Street, USA is where the enormity of the night hit me. The crowd was thick all the way to the Main St. Bakery. There was a screen set up near the Main Street Cinema and some people were watching the live feed of the concert there. It is always amazing to be among thousands of Christians worshiping Jesus at the Magic Kingdom during Night of Joy. We are so thankful that we got to be a part of this uplifting event.

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We had an amazing time at Night of Joy 2013 and we are planning on attending again this year. This year’s line-up looks great, I am a little sad that Moriah Peters isn’t returning though.

September 5, 2014

• Hillsong United
• Chris Tomlin
• Matthew West
• for KING & COUNTRY
• Mandisa
• Building 429
• Matt Maher
• The Neverclaim

September 6, 2014

• Skillet
• Casting Crowns
• Mercy Me
• Britt Nicole
• Israel Houghton & New Breed
• Colton Dixon
• Rhett Walker Band
• We As Human
• 1 Girl Nation

I have a feeling I won’t be riding many rides because there are too many bands I want to see. I should probably focus on the bands I have never seen live but I cannot miss Mandisa or Building 429 even though I have seen them both recently.

Tickets are available now. This event often sells out so make sure you get them in advance. Have you ever been to Night of Joy? Will you be going this year? Which band are you most excited to see? Leave me a comment and let me know.

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In case you don’t know what Night of Joy is…it is a hard ticketed event at The Magic Kingdom where there are concerts by all different kinds of Christian bands through out the evening. Add to that Disney rides and food and you have an awesome event for the whole family.

Friday Night’s Line-up

Castle Forecourt Stage

• 7:40pm  Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman
• 9:50pm  MercyMe
• 11:55pm Skillet

Galaxy Stage

• 7:30 p.m. – Audio Adrenaline
• 8:50 p.m. – Audio Adrenaline
• 10:25 p.m. – Mandisa
• 12:10 a.m. – For King and Country

Rockettower Plaza Stage

• 8:15 p.m. – City Harbor
• 9:40 p.m. – We As Human
• 11:20 p.m. – Moriah Peters

We arrived in the park right at 7:00pm…in the rain. My husband wasn’t feeling well and needed some food so he went over to Cosmic Ray’s for dinner while I joined the crowd in front of Cinderella Castle knowing he would join me before concert time. Due to the rain slowing down set up, the Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman concert was delayed…quite a bit but the crowd didn’t seem to mind a bit.

Soaking wet #selfie taken while waiting for the concert to begin.

The concert was AMAZING! They performed together and separately. They did a lot of their classic songs including Friends, Dive, I Will Be Here, Alleluia, and Cinderella as well as leading the crowd in a worship set that was just beautiful, especially with the backdrop of Cinderella Castle. The rain finally let up about 2/3 of the way through the concert. The only downside was that despite chants of “put down the umbrellas” most people kept them out throughout the show which made it difficult to see even the large LED screen on the stage.

Michael W Smith-Steven Curtis Chapman Night of Joy 2013

Once the concert ended, I was getting hungry so we headed to Pecos Bills for dinner. Since there were no stages in the Frontierland-Liberty Square-Fantasyland areas of the park these areas were deserted! We walked on to Peter Pan’s Flight and Voyage of the Little Mermaid with no wait. Next we headed to Tomorrowland and walked right on to Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin because everyone in Tomorrowland was at the Mandisa concert or watching the video relay of the concert on the screen at the Rockettower Plaza Stage. After the ride we headed over to Rockettower Plaza because I wanted to be in the front row for the Moriah Peters concert. I told you all about that in yesterday’s post Who Should Our Daughters Be Listening To? so you can hop over there to read about that concert. After Moriah’s concert we went to see a bit of her husband’s concert. This is the third time this year I’ve seen For King and Country,my boys even toured with them for two weeks this summer, so we stayed for three songs and then headed back to Cinderella Castle so my husband could catch part of the Skillet concert.

Skillet Night of Joy 2013

We had an awesome time at Night of Joy. I wish we had been able to attend Saturday night because I LOVE TobyMac and Building 429 and I would have enjoyed seeing them in concert. Have you ever been to Night of Joy? What Christian band would you like to hear at Night of Joy 2014? I am so excited because it has already been announced that Hillsong United will be there!

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Disclosure: We were guests of Walt Disney World at this event. We received no monetary compensation. I was not asked to post about this event. All opinions are 100% mine.

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