Tree of Life Awakenings return to Animal Kingdom on Nov. 1

The projection show comes back when Daylight Saving Time ends, and nightly shows are likely once Christmas starts Nov. 13. Plus, three baby nyala join Animal Kingdom Lodge.

The Tree of Life is about to start glowing again.

Walt Disney World has added showtimes for Tree of Life Awakenings on select nights in November, Disney Tourist Blog reported Thursday, Oct. 22. The projection show hasn’t run in months.

The reason is simple. It gets dark earlier.

When does Tree of Life Awakenings come back?

Sunday, Nov. 1, the day Daylight Saving Time ends. Here’s the schedule for the first week, according to Disney Tourist Blog:

• Nov. 1, 6:10 to 8 p.m.

• Nov. 2, 6:10 to 7 p.m.

• Nov. 3 and 4, no shows.

• Nov. 5 and 6, 6:10 to 7 p.m.

• Nov. 7, 6:10 to 8 p.m.

The show starts about 30 minutes after sunset and runs about every 10 minutes. So expect the start time to creep later as November goes on.

Why does Daylight Saving Time matter for Animal Kingdom?

Because Animal Kingdom usually closes early. Once the clocks change, sunset at Disney World drops to about 5:40 p.m., compared with about 6:50 p.m. right now, Disney Tourist Blog said.

That leaves time for a projection show before the park closes. On the nights the show runs, Animal Kingdom stays open until 7 or 8 p.m. On the two midweek nights without it, the park closes at 6.

Animal Kingdom after dark is a whole different park. Pandora glows, the crowds thin out and you can hear the bugs more than the people, as Tom Bricker of Disney Tourist Blog put it.

Will Tree of Life Awakenings run every night?

For now, the calendar shows nothing after Nov. 7. That’s likely to change.

Disney World usually extends park hours a week at a time, on Fridays about three weeks out. Disney Tourist Blog expected the hours for Nov. 8 to 14 to post Friday, Oct. 23.

Christmas at Disney World officially starts Nov. 13 and runs through Jan. 6, 2027. Bricker expects the show to run nightly during that stretch. Anything before then is a bonus.

Will the holiday version of Tree of Life Awakenings be back?

Probably, but maybe not on Nov. 1. Disney hasn’t said which version will play first.

In some past years, Disney started the holiday edition early. Bricker is hoping for the regular show through Nov. 12, with a bigger holiday debut Nov. 13. His dream is drones, though he admitted that would take a real Christmas miracle.

Here’s the Tree of Life Awakenings from its 2016 debut, from WDWMAGIC on YouTube:

What else is happening at Animal Kingdom for the holidays?

Plenty. Merry Menagerie, the giant animal puppets, and the rooftop luminaries on Discovery Island are Christmas favorites.

Disney Tourist Blog called Merry Menagerie the No. 1 highlight of Christmas at Disney World that’s included with park admission. The blog’s advice is to get there early enough to catch the last set before the puppets head off for the night.

Animal Kingdom is also getting Santa’s Holiday Grove this year, with snow flurries, as PNP reported Oct. 7.

Are there baby nyala at Animal Kingdom Lodge?

Three of them. Disney World announced three new nyala calves at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, Laughing Place reported Friday.

They’re backstage bonding with their moms for now. Disney says they’ll make their public debut on the savanna “soon.” They don’t appear to have names yet, and Disney hasn’t said whether they’re boys or girls.

Nyala are spiral-horned antelope from southeastern Africa. They have reddish-brown coats with white stripes and spots, which help them hide in tall grass.

Young males slowly get darker, shaggier coats and, eventually, those big spiral horns. It’s not the lodge’s first nyala baby this year. A male calf named Parker joined the savanna earlier in 2026.

Animal Kingdom also has new arrivals of its own lately, including the white wallaby joey PNP covered Oct. 22 and a second Ankole calf.

So if you’re there in November, stay past dark one night. The tree and the bugs are worth it.

Article compiled and written by Kambrea Pratt (editor-in-chief), Derek Gibbs (beat editor) and the Pirates & Princesses newsroom. Pirates & Princesses is part of WebReef Media.

Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

Hat Tips:

• Disney Tourist Blog, Tom Bricker (Oct. 22, 2026), the Tree of Life Awakenings schedule, Daylight Saving Time and the holiday outlook

• Laughing Place (Oct. 23, 2026), the nyala calves

• Pirates & Princesses (Oct. 7, 16 and 22, 2026), Santa’s Holiday Grove, the Ankole calf and the wallaby joey

• WDWMAGIC on YouTube (2016), the Tree of Life Awakenings video

AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.