Multiple sites have reported that Burudika, a band that performs in Harambe, is returning to Animal Kingdom beginning on September 29th. They are set to perform Thursday-Monday every week. While this hasn’t been confirmed as a temporary or permanent change, it will be the bands first return inside of the park since 2019. In this post, we’ll give our thoughts on the news as well as why we view Burudika as an important part of Animal Kingdom’s future.

I typically stay away from covering smaller bits of news because that’s not really the goal of this website. When I saw this bit of news come across a few days ago though it felt especially noteworthy. I’ve been calling for Burudika to be brought back to Animal Kingdom for a while, and was very frustrated when they were part of the entertainment cuts in 2019. Suffice to say, I’m thrilled by this news.

Animal Kingdom has always been a favorite park of mine. Whether it’s worthy of being that is a fair question. Taking us back to 2019, or a few years prior, shows just how much potential the park has. Along with a top heavy, albeit limited, attraction roster, Animal Kingdom showcased the best entertainment of any domestic Disney theme park. There were giant Pandora Rangers roaming around, the always excellent Festival of the Lion King, several stage shows in Asia and the lovely Tree of Life Awakenings that encapsulated the spirit of the park. Along with all of that, a giant outdoor theater in Asia represented potential that’s never quite been realized with both Rivers of Light and KiteTails cycling through.

Even with all of those interesting, if not great, entertainment options, Burudika was my favorite of the bunch. Something about how the band showed so much joy in their performance perfectly matched the lived in feel of the land they performed in. If you had the chance to see the band then you probably enjoyed a mix of dancing, catchy melodies and positivity.

Burudika being a part of the entertainment cuts was the beginning of a bad five years at Animal Kingdom. To be fair, some of that wasn’t the park’s fault. COVID took it’s toll from what is Walt Disney World’s most atmospheric park. But the pandemic doesn’t take most of the blame. More than half of the entertainment I mentioned above were missing for a significant amount of time. Some things still are. That made the lack of rides in the park even more of a glaring hole, especially once DinoLand got torn up. Animal Kingdom lost the evening hours the park had worked hard to cultivate and there just was a lack of quality options for a while despite the park’s beauty.

A few shows have since come back but most of the atmospheric entertainment was still missing. Hopefully Burudika’s return is a signal of what’s to come. While this is still a smaller piece of news, I see it as a possible harbinger for Animal Kingdom. We all know about the Tropical Americas expansion coming! Somewhere backstage those Pandora Rangers costumes are ready to be used again. That massive theater in Asia is ripe for a larger daytime show. A nighttime one would be even better!

There are plenty of reasons to be bullish on the future of Animal Kingdom. I’m hoping that the last few years will be the unofficial ‘dark period’ of the park. This may be a lot to put on a band that plays in a small area of a very large theme park, but Burudika should help get Animal Kingdom’s spirit back. While other entertainment in the area has also been great, the joy that the band brings was missing. I loved how inviting the area was, especially as the sun was beginning to set.

At the very least, it’s great news to be getting Burudika back in Animal Kingdom. I encourage everybody to go enjoy a set or two! Grab a drink from the Dawa Bar or dinner from Harambe Market. Enjoy some sweets from Zuri’s or grilled corn on the cob. Take a ride on the safari or a walk on Gorilla Falls Trail nearby. Explore one of the most detailed theme park lands created before listening to some music that holds it all together. The return of Burudika may signify an even more exciting age to come of Animal Kingdom. But even if that’s not the case, having some of the best entertainment in Walt Disney World back is a good consolation prize!

Are you excited for the return of Burudika? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below! If you are planning a trip to Disney World, then check out our planning guide. Looking for discount Walt Disney World tickets? Check out this site! Please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. You can do all of that on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!