Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park shines the spotlight on our beautiful, bountiful planet with its annual Earth Week Celebration, set for April 18-24, 2022.
During this popular event, guests are steeped in the wonders of the natural world through family-friendly experiences and special offerings. They become part of the park’s conservation story and connect with many of the animal species the Disney Conservation Fund is working hard to protect.
To celebrate the third planet from the sun, the park is pulling out all the stops! Guests will be treated to unique character sightings, fun learning opportunities, specialty merchandise, themed food and beverages, a limited-time Wilderness Explorer badge, and more.
Along the way, guests will discover the power that lives within them to create positive change and be inspired by the natural world everyone shares.
“Earth Day 2022 is one day, April 22, but our celebration of this planet we call home is so magical, it goes on all year long,” said Sarah Riles, vice president of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. “We invite guests to join in fun that is both entertaining and inspiring.”
Highlights of the week include:
- Find a riverbank perch and catch a glimpse of special characters who will join other favorite Disney pals on the Discovery Island Character Cruise as it sails around Discovery River. Be on the lookout for more character sightings on Discovery Island!
- Throughout the month of April, guests can learn to draw favorite Disney Characters at The Animation Experience at Conservation Station. There, Disney artists bring favorite characters to life by using animals for inspiration. Guests can try drawing characters like Crush and Squirt, Bruce, Dumbo, Terk, Heimlich, Shere Khan, and Simba, whose real-life counterparts represent amazing stories of conservation work around the globe. Each 25-minute session features step-by-step instruction so guests can let their creativity shine!
- Nature-themed challenges invite guests to earn a limited-time Wilderness Explorer Earth Day Nature badge.
- Disney PhotoPass puts the focus on magic during the special celebration, featuring Earth Day Celebration Magic Shots and Tiny World Shots. Available now are amazing Magic Shots that frame guests with a whimsical Wall-E and Eve from Disney and Pixar’s animated feature “Wall-E.” Thanks to Disney PhotoPass Lens, guests who purchase Genie+ and are in the park can add Wilderness Explorer accessories to themselves and those in their party.
- Savvy shoppers can score an Earth Day 2022 limited-edition trading pin or a cuddly plush inspired by some of the species that call Disney’s Animal Kingdom home; or check out Island Mercantile’s eco-friendly water bottles, tumblers and reusable bags that promote sustainability.
- A sampling of Earth Week eats includes a selection of limited-time specialty cupcakes: a Honeybee Cake at Restaurantosaurus and Creature Comforts, and a strawberry-flavored Flamingo Cupcake at Pizzafari and Flame Tree Barbecue. Specialty beverages include the Sea Turtle, a frozen blend of blue raspberry and lemonade, topped with a wave of cotton candy.
- On Kilimanjaro Safaris, guests can marvel at animals and meet the newest arrivals. For example, three baby rhinos born over a 13-month period now call the Kilimanjaro Safaris savanna home.
- Beginning April 2, guests can view a detailed sand sculpture celebrating Disneynature’s “Polar Bear.” The new film will stream only on Disney+ on Earth Day.
For more information on how Disney cares for animals and helps protect species in the wild, visit
DisneyAnimals.com, or follow along on Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment Instagram (@DrMarkAtDisney) and Facebook (@DisneyASE) pages.
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