Next time you find yourself grumbling about the wait for Space Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean, spare a thought for Tokyo Disney Resort guests this week. The lines there weren’t just long, but attracted police attention.
Queues are as much a part of the Disney experience as churros and character meet-and-greets. The company has long experimented with ways to manage them, from Lightning Lane at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort to Disney Premier Access at Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Paris. Still, for those unwilling — or unable — to pay extra, standby waits often stretch for hours.
The Curtain Falls on Big Band Beat
This week, it was entertainment that stirred up Disney fans in Japan. At Tokyo DisneySea, the beloved show Big Band Beat: A Special Treat played its final curtain call, drawing unprecedented crowds desperate to catch one last performance.
The production, staged at the Broadway Music Theatre on the American Waterfront, has been a mainstay since 2006.
Featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie, and a live jazz band, the revue later welcomed Donald Duck when it was updated in 2021. The resort describes the musical as one that “keeps the concept of a stylish revue featuring swing jazz.” Earlier this year, Tokyo Disney Resort confirmed the show would close permanently in September.
On the night before September 30, guests began assembling outside the park long before opening. One X, formerly known as Twitter, user reported:
Waiting for tomorrow’s Sea opening
At 22:30, 40-50 people
明日のシー開園待ち
22:30時点で40〜50名 pic.twitter.com/gEF16Mjwkb— BKのディズニーChannel (@maihama_sanpo) September 29, 2025
By midnight, that number had swollen to around 150, prompting a police visit.
Officers reportedly announced over loudspeakers that a report had been made, but left without further action.
On the final day of BBB, the all-nighter group waiting for opening (at the pedestrian entrance) had about 4-50 people by 23:45, and roughly 150 people at the sports park.
The police were here until just now, announcing over the speaker that a report had been made, but they basically did nothing and left.
BBB最終日の徹夜組（開園待ち）は23:45で歩行者入口前に4,50人くらい、運動公園にざっと150人ほど
先程まで警察もいて通報入ってまーすってスピーカーで言ってましたが、ほぼ何も対応せずに帰っていきました。 pic.twitter.com/MuvZsrOqLd
— 【ジョマジ】ジョー・マジック【YouTuber】 (@joejoemagic) September 29, 2025
Frustration mounted among fans who felt authorities should have done more to discourage overnight gatherings. “Just talking ain’t enough — this crowd won’t listen…” wrote one user (translated from Japanese). “If you don’t take action and just rely on words… the anniversary event and all the events to come will keep going like this!”
Here are the folks on standby duty for tomorrow
There are so many it’s disgustingly depressing#TDR__now
こちら明日の待機組の方々です
気持ち悪いくらいいて鬱#TDR__now pic.twitter.com/TMHzIv6auz— ｷｰﾁｬｿ (@guwaguwa_love) September 29, 2025
A Park in Transition
Demand for access was intense. Disney Premier Access tickets, priced at 2,500 yen (about $16.90), vanished within a minute of going live — one guest said they were gone by 8:01 a.m., an hour before the park opened. Others relied on the resort’s entry request system, which assigns times for one of the five scheduled shows.
Tokyo Disney Resort has been riding a wave of transformation. Fantasy Springs, the park’s largest expansion in years, opened in 2024 with new lands themed to Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010), and Peter Pan (1953). Looking ahead, Disney reportedly has plans to refresh Port Discovery, including replacing the original Aquatopia attraction.
No successor for Big Band Beat has been announced. Given the fervor surrounding its final performance, whatever comes next will face lofty expectations. For fans who queued through the night — and drew police presence in the process — the show’s legacy is already cemented as one of the most passionately defended productions in Disney’s global theme park history.
What’s the longest you’ve waited in line at a Disney park?
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