A balloon explosion at Disney World caused chaos after park visitors thought a gun had gone off. See the aftermath

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Crowding at Disney World is always a problem. No one likes a park full of people pushing against each other, but an incident at Magic Kingdom last night was a worst-case scenario of just how bad it can get. A minor panic broke out in the park after some violence between guests, combined with a loud noise that some perceived as a gunshot, sent guests running for cover.

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, which responds to law enforcement at Walt Disney World, a fight broke out between guests at Magic Kingdom sometime after 10 p.m. local time. During the fight, a loud popping sound was heard. While the sound is now believed to have been a balloon popping, which is likely given the number of balloons at Disney World, people at the time were afraid the fight had escalated and the sound was a gunshot. This led to what was being described online as a “stampede.” A video showing one of Magic Kingdom’s gift shops in the aftermath has gone viral.

We usually see gift shops in Magic Kingdom, especially at night, full of people buying souvenirs. After it becomes clear to guests that there is no shooter, the shop is empty, although there is stuff lying around and several guests are still lying on the ground where they took cover.

Walt Disney World cast members have evacuated the park, with many guests reportedly leaving through backstage areas. In a statement (via Scott Gustin), a Disney World spokesperson said…

Fights at theme parks, while rare, do happen, as they can be places where a lot of people are pushed together. We’ve seen viral videos of fights at Disneyland before, and full-blown brawls at Disney World . Details about this fight are scarce. An image purporting to be It seems that the fight and the popping sound may not have been related at all, but simply two events in close proximity that caused guests to panic.

The chances of a gun being brought into a Disney theme park are remarkably low given the resort’s security measures. People have tried to bring guns into the parks, and it happens often, but they are routinely stopped. Still, given the gun violence we’ve seen in public places, it’s not surprising that no one thought of that when they heard what could have been a gunshot. There have been no reports of injuries, either from the fight that started it all or the “stampede” that followed. Hopefully everyone is okay.