Local residents living near Disneyland who have been able to set their watches for years by the fireworks show that took to the skies each night at 9:30 p.m. above the Anaheim theme park will have to reset their internal clocks now that the pyrotechnic spectaculars are starting earlier.

Disneyland’s nightly fireworks show will start at 9 p.m. through August and possibly the upcoming Halloween season.

he nightly Disneyland fireworks shows rattle homes in nearby Anaheim neighborhoods, can be seen by motorists traveling on the I-5 freeway and deliver distinctive booms that can be heard throughout central Orange County and even farther away.

Disneyland fireworks disappeared from the night sky during the coronavirus pandemic when the park closed for 412 days amid state-mandated restrictions. Disneyland reopened on April 30 without fireworks, nighttime spectaculars, parades and live shows amid COVID-19 social distancing restrictions and attendance capacity limitations.

The “Mickey’s Mix Magic” fireworks show returned to Disneyland on the Fourth of July at the traditional 9:30 p.m. start time. Disneyland’s entertainment team began testing a 9 p.m. showtime last week — and the earlier fireworks start time could stick around through October or even longer.

“Mickey’s Mix Magic” fireworks will play nightly at 9 p.m. through Aug. 29, according to the Disneyland entertainment calendar. The “Halloween Screams” fireworks show will play on weekends in September and October — with the start time yet to be announced.

Both “Mickey’s Mix Magic” and “Halloween Screams” play without fireworks on some nights with video projections, show lighting and lasers on the facades of Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street U.S.A. and It’s a Small World.

ireworks shows made little sense when Disneyland was closing as early as 7 p.m. after the park first reopened following the extended coronavirus closure. Park hours were extended to 10 p.m. on July 1 just in time for the return of fireworks on the Fourth of July.

The 9:30 p.m. fireworks start time and 10 p.m. closing time put a lot of crowd control pressure on Main Street U.S.A., the Disneyland front gate, parking lot shuttle buses and the parking structures — with everybody in the park heading for the exits at the same time.

A 9 p.m. fireworks showtime relieves some of that crowding — so much so that Disneyland is opting to stick with the earlier start to the pyrotechnics spectacular when closing time moves to 11 p.m. on Aug. 13.

The Disney theme parks fireworks tradition dates back to 1957 with what Walt Disney called the perfect “kiss goodnight.”

Disneyland has periodically shifted the start time of the nightly fireworks show throughout the park’s 66-year history. The park’s entertainment team constantly reassesses shows and showtimes.

The return of Disneyland fireworks on July 4 also brought a new pre-show announcement that replaced the traditional “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” with the more gender-inclusive “Good evening, friends.”