KTLA

New nighttime entertainment coming to Rivers of America at Disneyland

The Disneyland Resort will celebrate its 68th anniversary on Monday and will hold a celebratory cavalcade to mark the special occasion, the resort announced Thursday. (Unsplash)

Disneyland will soon reveal a new way to enjoy the sounds of New Orleans-inspired jazz when guests visit the theme park.

The Jambalaya Jazz Band, which typically performs during the day at New Orleans Square, will entertain parkgoers with lively tunes at night as they float down the Rivers of America on a New Orleans-inspired raft, Disneyland officials announced . The band will perform three times each night starting Friday, July 21.


The band, along with special guest Queenie, will begin their nightly sets at 7:35 p.m. Guests are also encouraged to check the official Disneyland app for other performance times and updates.

Disneyland is also expected to reveal additional details soon about more entertainment in the New Orleans Square section of the park. French Market Restaurant is being reimagined into Tiana’s Palace, the newest restaurant on Orleans Street, set to open later this year.

The new entertainment on Rivers of America comes after Disneyland paused “Fantasmic!” performances through at least Labor Day after a fire broke out during a show in April.

This photo courtesy of Shawna Bell shows a fire during the “Fantasmic” show in the Tom Sawyer Island section of Disneyland resort in Anaheim on Saturday, April 22, 2023. (Courtesy Shawna Bell via AP)

The fire destroyed the large dragon prop used to portray the Disney character Maleficent. Video and photos from the scene showed the fire ignited in the dragon’s head before spreading to the rest of its body.

As the fire ignited, cast members evacuated the crowd from the waterfront viewing area and nearby attractions as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames.

In response to the fire, Disneyland previously told KTLA they would be “temporarily suspending fire effects similar to those used at Disneyland park’s ‘Fantasmic’ at select shows and entertainment experiences globally” as a precautionary measure.

Disneyland officials didn’t have an update on when the show would return but shared that new entertainment offerings will be joining the area soon.