Visitors expecting to watch the Christian music event "Night of Joy" at Disney World will no longer see it as the company confirmed its cancellation after 34 years.
A spokesperson confirmed to The Orlando Sentinel that the 2017 "Night of Joy" was the last event in light of Disney's push for "continually changing its offerings."
Last year's performance featured Christian musicians MercyMe and TobyMac, who sang at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex. For the past two years, Disney mounted "Night of Joy" at this venue but much of the music event has actually been done at Magic Kingdom.
"Night of Joy" kicked off in 1983 and has brought in stars in the Christian music world such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Jars of Clay, Mandisa and Michael W. Smith. In 2017, Disney had to cancel one night of the concert when the theme parked temporarily closed because of Hurricane Irma.
Despite the permanent cancellation of "Night of Joy" this time, Disney has still invited MercyMe and another Christian music artist, Tuaren Wells, to perform at the "Eat to the Beat" event at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. MercyMe will perform on Sept. 4 and 5, while Wells will perform on Sept. 8 to 9.
There are still other Christian music concerts in Orlando, though. On Sept. 7 and 8, Universal Studios will mount its annual "Rock the Universe" event, which will feature bands like TobyMac, Jesus Culture and Casting Crowns.
SeaWorld also has a similar Christian music show called "Praise Waise." This year's event finished in February.
Disney will launch its newest entertainment events this year with the "Incredible Summer" series. Magic Kingdom will mount a dance party at the Rocket Tower Stage, while Tomorrowland will feature "Incredibles 2" celebrations in preparation for the movie's release.
A dance party centered on the "Guardians of Galaxy" will also take place at the Epcot center. Guests can look forward to performances of the film's soundtrack "Awesome Mix Volumes 1 and 2."
Finally, Disney will also finally open its Toy Story Land at the Hollywood Studios.
