Chip ‘n Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long
Opening back in 1971, shortly after the opening of Walt Disney World, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground has been a cornerstone of the resort. With its 800 campsites and 409 Cabins, it houses a large number of guests regularly. One thing is for certain, all of those guests need to be kept well occupied, and this resort is well known for its activities. Some of which, like the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue are quite popular with its hootin’ and hollerin’ and eatin’. But it can be quite an expensive undertaking, and is therefore not for every budget.
For the more frugal guest, Disney does provide an excellent alternative, Chip ‘n Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long. This nightly event (weather permitting) includes soaking up the great outdoors and taking in a movie. Let’s not forget trivia and bingo nights, plus a guest appearance by the lovable scamps Chip ‘n Dale. There’s also singing, dancing, and… wait for it… campfires. 
How much would you pay for all of that? Well here’s the best part, this nightly event, including everything I’ve just mentioned, has the best price possible: Free.
What about eating? Well there is a concession stand called the Chuckwagon that sells various items at very reasonable prices. It should be noted that the prices do seem to fluctuate somewhat based on my research. Here are the prices at the time of writing:
Hot Dog – $4.79 (+$1 add Chili)
Nachos with Cheese $3.99 (+$1 add Chili)S’mores Kit – $8.99
Marshmallow Roasting Stick – $0.59
Marshmallow Bag – $3.99
Popcorn – $3.09
Ice Cream Novelties – $3.29
Candy – $1.99
Chocolate-Chip Cookie – $2.19Soda – $2.59
Bottled Water – $2.50
Apple Juice – $1.99
Coffee – $3.09
Hot Tea or Hot Cocoa – $2.99
Budweiser or Bud Light – $5.25
Mickey Straw – $0.49* sales tax not included
And while these prices may be tempting, I highly recommend that if you have access to a car you should go off property to a supermarket and get your own supplies. The event has two campfire pits, and you’re not limited to roasting marshmallows in them. You can bring anything you like that you’re comfortable cooking over an open pit fire. So a stop at a supermarket can both save you money and give you a much better meal.
The best way to get to the event is to head over to the Fort Wilderness Outpost. There are several ways to do this. If you’re coming from I-4 you can take exit 64B toward Magic Kingdom and tell a castmember at the gate that you’re headed to Fort Wilderness. 
After the gate stay to the right and follow the signs to Fort Wilderness. If you’re familiar with Bonnet Creek Parkway you can take that past Old Key West, French Quarter, and Riverside before turning left onto Vista Boulevard – the Outpost will be on your right. From the Outpost take the Yellow bus line to the 1500 stop, also the stop for the Meadow Trading Post & Recreation Area. Across the bridge and past the pool you will find the outdoor theater that hosts the campfire.
Alternatively, you might be coming from Settlement Outpost, and would also want to take the Yellow bus line from there. You might be coming from this way if you boated over from the Magic Kingdom or took a bus from the Wilderness Lodge. There’s also the possibility that you are walking through the campgrounds, or are a Fort Wilderness guest traveling by golf cart. Follow the signs as needed to get you to the Meadow area.
Recently my friend Dan organized a group to head over to the Campground to attend this event. Along with us were Shelley, Dave, and their daughter, Zoe, as well as Emily, Shane, Shalon with some of her friends, and my wife, Cheryl. Considering that this group has people eating vegan (one of whom is also gluten-free), myself eating vegetarian (so I could have s’mores!!!), and some strange gadgets from Dan – we had a lot of different food items to choose from. There were hot dogs and sausages (regular and vegan), rolls (regular, gluten-free, and vegan), 
sandwiches, marshmallows (regular and vegan/gluten-free/kosher), graham crackers (regular, gluten-free, and special vegan ones hand-crafted by Emily of BabyCakes NYC!!!), etc.
We got there early, and one of the very first things I noticed was a stage dedicated to Doctor Terminus, the villain and charlatan from the movie Pete’s Dragon. The movie schedule and times can be found at several sites online, but is also posted on a small building in the back of the outdoor theater where you can find a few hidden Mickeys. 
Based on some suggestions by a castmember, we staked out an area near the front left that we were told was “the place to be.” Why is that? Well Dan picked this night because it was Halloween. And that meant some special additions were in effect that night. Never having been before I was excited.
Certain nights of the week will start with a round of Disney trivia or a game of bingo – for us we had a trivia night. Our group broke into three teams, and, 10 question later, two of our teams took first and second place. Each team won a board game, both of which now belong to Zoe. 
As soon as we were done dealing with our spoils, the campfires were lit and ready to go. People were cooking their dinner or jumping right to marshmallows. The campfires can get a bit busy, but if you have a long enough stick and don’t mind reaching a bit, you can get your food in there and cooked.
While eating, the singalong starts. It’s a mix of Disney music, campfire songs, and Disney-fied campfire songs. After the first few songs Chip and Dale come out onto stage to join in the fun. Because it was Halloween, Chip was dressed as a pirate and Dale as a vampire. They then gave out candy to all the girls and boys, young and old. And once we were all busy getting a sugar high and sorting our candy (Smarties go to Emily!!!), a real treat occurred. We got a visit from the Headless Horseman. This is a special Halloween-only addition to the campfire, and it was really cool. Remember that castmember telling us where to sit? The Headless Horseman turned around right in front of us. It was amazing.
Then, after birthday wishes and a group mosh-pit doing the Hokey Pokey, the movies started. We were treated to a showing of The Adventures of Ichabod; sadly, we did not also get to see Mr. Toad. During this time I made myself some s’mores, and there was a very special moment that night. Emily, city girl that she is, had never had s’mores before, and I got to talk her through making her first one. 
Her initial reaction was, “Why have I not had these before?” A question all non-s’mores believers really need to ask themselves right now. I’ll be asking Emily when I can get more of her homemade graham crackers and keep saying “s’mores cupcakes” when I see her.
Ichabod was followed by the movie The Haunted Mansion, but Cheryl and I couldn’t stay. Before it started, we left along with Shelley and her family. We all had a lot of fun that night, and we’re already planning to make it a regular event.
What about you? Have you been to the campfire before? Do you want to go now? Do you like Chip? Do you like Dale? Do you like campfires? Singing? Triva? Bingo? S’mores? Free? All that and a bag of chips?
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How strict are they on not letting in guests that are NOT staying at Fort Wilderness? We will be staying off property (me, my husband, 2 yr old)..but my aunt & uncle and their 4 boys are staying at Fort Wilderness. We will be going to their campsite to “babysit” one night while the adults go on a date and were wanting to go to the campfire and see the movie…will we be allowed?
I’ve never had a problem getting in to Fort Wilderness when I tell them I’m going to the campfire. And I’ve always just walked right into the Campfire – no one has ever asked me for any form of ID or room key to do this.
We did this the next day after reading the post (Veterans Day) and my four-year-old had a good time. We arrived prior to the 6:30 fire lighting and got a good seat and it wasn’t too crowded until the singing started at 7, when it filled up nicely. The movie (Tangled) started at 7:40. We brought our own ‘Smores materials to save some money.
We were staying off-site and took the yellow bus from where we parked at the Outpost (where you first drive in from the main game) to the 1500 stop; it’s not the most well-marked location from there (go across the bridge and past the swimming pool), but we found it.
Tangled must have been really nice in that environment as much of it takes place out doors (well outside animated doors).
I felt the same way about the markings which is why I included pictures of the bus stop, signs, bridge, etc.
Thanks Todd! This sounds like something my girls and I would enjoy.
They really would Steve. If you plan it let us know, I’d love to try to go with you guys.
I want to do this on our next trip but leave when the movie starts. How long are the activities up until movie start time? An hour? Thanks!
1 hour 40 minutes from what I can tell. While the time changes with the season, in my cast activities started about 7pm and the movies at about 8:40pm. That difference seems to hold.
Thank you! I will make note of that so we can plan accordingly. Thanks for your article!
You’re welcome.
We are heading to the campground in 7 days (& counting!) Can you see any of the fireworks shows from the campground? If so, does anyone have a favorite viewing spot?
I’d head to the beach at Settlement to see the fireworks. It won’t be perfect as there’ll be some stuff in the way of some parts of it. From sitting at the campfire you can see some of the fireworks over the trees. Since you’re at Meadow that’s right in the thick of the campground.
They even pipe the music in on the beach so you get that too. You can also watch the boat parade if the timing is right (I think it is usually 9 pm). Another easy option from the campground is a quick boat (there is a direct one that runs pretty often) ride to the Contemporary and watch from their deck outside where it connects to Bay Lake Towers.
About how long were you there? Seems like a full evening of activities!
We got there before 7pm. And left before 10pm. It wasn’t that long for us, but we did leave after about 15-20 mins of Haunted Mansion.
From Wilderness Lodge, you may want to take the bus.
Really? Why?
Well you could boat or bus. I think the bus is slightly faster. Either way, coming from the lodge, you’ll end up at Settlement.
Thanks. Doing Hoop Dee Do…take the bus for that also?
Hoop Dee Do is at Settlement. So you can take pretty much any bus from either the Lodge (internal to Fort Wilderness) or Outpost and you will get to Settlement.
You can also boat to Fort Wilderness – the boat stop is at Settlement.
Thanks for the review. We will be at Wilderness Lodge starting Saturday afternoon. I was thinking about taking the boat over to FW and trying this Saturday night.
You’re welcome.
Please do try out the Campfire and then come back and comment here what you thought.
Thanks for this review! It’ll be a while before we get to go back, but i’d already decided this sounded like it would be a lot of fun to try out next time around. This is a lot more detail than i’ve found anywhere else and very helpful!
You’re welcome Lisa. Glad to help out.
You forgot to mention in the trivia part how we were all the evil Disney geek adults who beat out families with little kids to win Mouse Trap and Chutes & Ladders, lol
I’d also like to again point out to Castmembers that it’s Ichabod and not IchaBOB or Ichiban. Reminds me, we need to play Chutes & Ladders.
So glad you posted this! We’re going camping at Fort Wilderness (tent camping) the night of the 23rd over Thanksgiving. We’re semi-local living in North Florida, and we were just looking for a fun and different place to camp. No park visits this time- we’re just counting on fun things like the sing-a-long and all the other activities to make this a new and different camping trip for us. One question- I’ve been told to bring our bikes. Is that really helpful? Or should be just walk around and take the bus? (since it is 3 more large things to bring…)
Fort Wilderness is large, and bikes will help you get around a lot faster. People actually bring (or rent at $60+/day golf carts) to get around the resort more efficiently. There also is a nice trail you can ride to Wilderness Lodge. That said, if you don’t mind walking or waiting for buses, you don’t need your bikes. However, bikes can certainly be a fun and useful thing.
Enjoy your trip!
How long is the trail from Wilderness Lodge to fort wilderness?
Can a person walk from one to the other?
It’s about a 15-25 minute walk at a fair pace depending on where you want to get to. Presuming that you’re walking along the road, and then heading into the Meadow area I’d say about 20 minutes from the Lodge.
Dave is right, there are plenty of folks who bring their bikes. And doing so can certainly save you a lot of money. Golf carts are also fairly popular. If you’d like more info, including a list of authorized and unauthorized modes of transportation for Fort Wilderness you can look at this link:
http://www.fortfiends.net/_/info/golf-cart-rentals-disney-fort-wilderness-and-r100
We’ve camped there many times and bikes are great. Depending on your campsite loop some form of transportation might be a must (so you aren’t on buses all day) Check what kind (preferred, tent, etc) of site you reserved, check the unofficial guide for the loops that have that site and 10 days before call and request that loop. The location can make a big difference because it is such a big place! Have a great time that!
Love the campfire! We went about 2 weeks ago, got there a little while before scheduled start – Chip & Dale came out and played Bingo w/us. It wasn’t very crowded, so my kids got a lot of character time. More crowded later on, once sing-a-long, campfires actually started.
Yeah. I’d like to see it on a non-special event night. For Halloween it was pretty crowded. I also want to try a bingo night.