Disney in a Minute: What is Backstage?

In Disney lingo, backstage means places in the theme parks where Cast Members are allowed to go, but guests are not. Why is it called backstage? In the Disney vernacular, theme parks are a “show” for the guests. If there’s a show, there’s a stage. And if there’s a stage, there must be a backstage!

Backstage at Disney is the behind-the-scenes places where things like food prep, cast break rooms, mechanical rooms, parade staging, waste processing areas, storage, and laundry all happen out of sight. To keep the illusion alive, there are “do not enter” signs throughout the parks to keep guests from wandering backstage. But it turns out that “backstage” is a slightly fluid concept.

Disney World offers a few tours that go through backstage areas, for an additional fee. The Keys to the Kingdom tour takes guests through the underground “utilidor” tunnels underneath the Magic Kingdom. Here, deliveries and even trash are transported out of sight of the guests. You can go Behind the Seeds at Living with the Land or see what it takes to care for elephants and rhinos in Animal Kingdom. If you’re willing to pay for the privilege, you could see many otherwise off-limits areas of the parks.

Disneyland and some of the other Disney parks also offer tours that go through backstage areas. And on Disney Cruise Line, it’s not uncommon to catch a glimpse of backstage areas through an open door or during emergency drills.

Sometimes, you may get routed through a backstage area at no extra charge! During times when there are crowds or construction, Disney may open backstage areas to facilitate better crowd flow. You might be asked to exit a land or a park via routes usually off-limits to foot traffic. One of the places where this happens most often is backstage behind Main Street in the Magic Kingdom. You may get routed behind the buildings on the left or right side of the street as huge crowds head for the exits after the nightly fireworks. This area (shown above) is also routinely used during events like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.

If it happens when you’re visiting, take it all in!! It’s a little bit like seeing how a magic trick is performed. Which can make you appreciate the “show” all the more.

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a bit more explanation? Let us know in the comments.

Thanks to Erin Foster for an earlier version of this post.