Disney World's Fourth of July celebrations: What you need to know before you go on July 4th

The 4th of July celebration will be on full display around the United States next week and there will be a monumental celebration as well at Disney World.

If you are one of the Disney World patrons who brave the high crowd levels and shoulder-to-shoulder fireworks viewing, then July 4th is what you live for. For the rest of us, it might be easier to watch the celebration from a distance.

July 4th is an incredibly busy day at the Disney parks in Orlando and at Disneyland in California. It's a day-long celebration of our nation's independence that culminates in one of the best firework displays to cap off the evening.

EPCOT will have not one but two celebrations

Over at EPCOT, you can take in the nighttime show EPCOT Forever. Immediately following that worthy nightly show, is another show called "Heartbeat of Freedom."

The park, however, is not keeping longer hours. EPCOT will still close at 9:00 pm, so be ready to fight big crowds on your way out. The EPCOT ball (Spaceship Earth) should be lit in "Red, White, and Blue" for the celebration!

BIG TIME TIP: If you are planning to watch the fireworks at EPCOT on July 4th, I would highly recommend parking at Hollywood Studios and not at EPCOT. Take the Ghondalas from Hollywood. The Ghondalas will run late into the evening and since there will be no big celebration at Hollywood, exiting the park will be easier. The Ghondalas drop in front of Hollywood so you won't have to exit that park. Take a spot closer to the France pavilion and you can exit EPCOT through the back entrance between France and United Kingdom.

4th of July at Magic Kingdom

At Magic Kingdom, expect a longer day and night as the park closes at 11:00 pm.

Celebrate America - A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky will begin shortly after 9:00 pm. It will take place for two nights, July 3rd and 4th.

Unlike EPCOT where their normal nightly show will still happen, Happily Ever After will not be featured on either night at Magic Kingdom.

There will not be any special fireworks presentations at Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios.

At both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom be on the lookout for special food and drink offerings throughout the July 4th celebration. There will likely be limited merchandise available as well although I have not been able to confirm it. In years past there have been some merch to show you were there!

Expect your day to be filled to the brim with incredibly long wait times. Genie + is highly recommended for both parks.