How to catch the best spots to see Happily Ever After and Epcot Forever for the last time

With Epcot Forever seeing its last showing on Sep. 28 and Happily Ever After seeing its last on Sep. 29, limited time remains to catch Disney's current biggest nighttime spectaculars before they are replaced by new shows on the 50th anniversary.

Visiting the parks before those end dates is the only guaranteed method to see the shows in-person again, and with such limited time to see them, getting a great spot is more important—and more difficult—than ever.

Crowds have been building heavily in the evenings since the nighttime spectaculars returned, and even more so since the announcement of their finales. Magic Kingdom® Park has seen the greatest influx of crowds, so we suggest getting something to eat and staking out your spot an hour prior to showtime. Less time has seemingly been needed in Epcot® with there being a wider array of great viewing locations, but getting to a spot in advance is the best way to ensure nobody is standing in front of you and blocking your view.

Avoid watching from the several outdoor dining locations placed throughout World Showcase. Hanging rooftops can block vision, so as convenient as sitting in a chair for the show can be, it can also stop you from seeing some of the best moments. Most countries around World Showcase make for a great viewing spot, though Italy (especially its bridge) tends to be the best.

The hub and Main Street, U.S.A. Area are the best places to see Happily Ever After, with a fair distance from Cinderella Castle providing a more comprehensive view of the fireworks and projections than an up-close one. If seeing the show in its fullest is less of a priority, then it is possible to get a great spot behind the castle in the Fantasyland Area.

Similar strategies are likely to be in play once the new shows debut on Oct. 1. No matter which show it is, waiting early in your spot will have to be the strategy in order to get prime viewing for Disney's nighttime spectaculars.