In this blog, I’m sharing exactly what we did, plus 5 tips to help your night go smoothly. These are the real, practical tips you are dying to know before your visit!
Overview
- Current parade times: 9 PM & 11 PM
- Fireworks: 10 PM (“Happily Ever After”)
- Route: Starts on Main Street and ends in Frontierland
- Length: 12 minutes
- Characters Include: Mickey, Minnie and Friends, Snow White and Dopey, Peter Pan, Wendy and Tinker Bell, Mirabel, her sisters Louisa and Isabella, Bruno, Queen Elsa, Asha, Miguel, The Blue Fairy, Pinnochio and Gepetto, Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, Belle and the Beast, Princess Aurora and her Prince, Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Moana
*No parade on party nights (like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween or Very Merry Christmas Party)
5 Tips for Starlight Parade:
1. Skip the First Parade
The 9 PM show is the most crowded. Instead, use that time to ride rides with lower wait times and grab a snack or mobile order dinner. IF you choose to watch the 9PM, secure a spot early where you can see the castle, and stay there for the fireworks too.
2. Watch fireworks and parade from Frontierland or Liberty Square
If castle projections don’t matter to you during the fireworks, watch the 9 PM parade AND 10 PM fireworks from Liberty Square or Frontierland, It’s less chaotic, and close to two bathrooms (by Pecos Bills and by Frontier Trading Post) and rides for in between like Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tiana's Bayou, and Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse (which is cool at night). You can grab some food before it starts from Liberty Square, Frontierland or Adventureland. I recommend Dole Whips from Aloha Isle, Columbia Harbor House, burgers and fries from Pecos Bills, or Nutella and fruite waffles or funnel cake from Sleepy Hollow.
3. Bring a Hand Fan and a Drink
It was hot and crowded—we were so glad we had portable hand fans and waters while waiting. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself.
4. Don’t Get Stuck on Main Street
If you have little kids, don’t wedge yourself deep into the crowd in front of the castle or hub. The second someone needs a bathroom, you’ll regret it. You can see 4K videos of the projections anytime on YouTube. Just enjoy the fireworks and the music, and count the videos on the castle as a bonus!
5. Shop Your Way Out
After the parade or fireworks, cut through the gift shops on the right side of Main Street to move faster toward the exit. It’s cooler and moves quicker than the street.
Bonus tip- Bring bubbles and glow sticks to keep your kids occupied while they wait. There are glow wands and bubble wands available for purchase as well.
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My Family's Personal Experience:
We watched the 9:00 parade from the "porch" of Country Bear Jamboree. It was a great spot, and less chaotic than Main Street. The first float arrived to Frontierland at 9:24. We found our spot around 8:45and had to wait 45 more minutes. We saw people holding spots before we used our Lightning Lane for Haunted Mansion at 8:15! We were not in the front row for the parade, but instead behind about 3 rows of people, but being a little bit elevated on the boardwalk helped. The floats are pretty tall and we could still see fine. However, we didn't see Tinker Bell, who is the only walking character.
People were getting pretty heated over finding a spot, or standing where it was roped off, just to be redirected by Cast Members. The Cast Members do not let you stand (or even have 1 foot on) the emergency walking path. In these first few months of the new parade, it's imperative that you secure a spot (or have 1 member of your party save a spot) pretty early on.
After the parade ended at 9:36, we grabbed some food at Pecos Bill's Tall Tale Inn, instead of fighting crowds to the castle for fireworks viewing, and we rode Aladdin’s Magic Carpets which was a walk-on. Afterward, we tried to walk through Liberty Square to get a spot for the fireworks across the bridge. Bad move- Cast Members redirected us and we ended up in a standing-only spot in a crowd near Crystal Palace which was partially behind a tree. (We have seen Happily Ever After many times, know all the words, and watch it regularly on YouTube, so it wasn't a big deal for us to have a spot partially blocked by branches.) If it's your first time, go straight to a castle viewing location after the parade, instead of eating and riding like we did.
After the fireworks, we went against the grain of the crowds again, and rode Pirates of the Caribbean, just to let the crowd thin out, and it was our last Lightning Lane. The 11 PM parade had started right after our ride, and we got "stuck" on Main Street until the floats passed. We didn’t leave the park until midnight (being stuck at Magic Kingdom isn't a bad problem to have, but we were tired!)
I loved the new parade, but I wish it had walking characters too, like the previous Main Street Electrical Parade. I liked the mixed of classic and new characters. The soundtrack has to grow on me, because it wasn't very memorable, compared to Happily Ever After or the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Lastly, I think 12 minutes is a bit short compared to the 20-22 minute MSEP we were used to. But, it was still very pretty, fun to watch, and bright!
The Starlight Parade is magical, but the **double parade + fireworks** setup is something Disney hasn’t done in years—and it shows. Cast Members are still adjusting, and crowd control is a work in progress. With a smart plan, a flexible mindset, and a few of these tips, you can manage seeing both the parade and fireworks.
See the full parade photo gallery, courtesy of WDW Magic Here.
If you want more Disney planning tips and reviews head over to our Walt Disney World Planning Page and check out some of the articles. If you're ready for a free quote for your Disney trip, and need an expert on your side, submit a free quote form, and one of us will reach out to you!
Summer Squires loves to help families book stress-free Disney trips, especially first timers! Email her at summer@kingdomkonsultant.com.
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