Disney parades are a favorite part of many Disney guests’ day.
Special events like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party have special parades that happen during the event, and some holidays, like Easter, get special parades as well. But how many parades can you see right now in the parks? The answer is ONE.
Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade takes place multiple times a day in Magic Kingdom, and right now, it’s the only parade running in the entire resort.
During the pandemic, we used to have smaller cavalcades that were unscheduled to avoid large crowds forming, but now that the parks are mostly back to normal, these cavalcades have gone away. It was a great way to see characters when their meet and greets hadn’t yet returned, or they didn’t allow hugs.
Not only that, parades are a costly form of entertainment. Cast members involved in parades are paid more than other cast members due to the skills needed for singing and dancing, as well as the safety aspect of working around moving vehicles. It’s also very costly to keep the floats running, train all the cast members and keep their skills sharp.
Parades also gather very large crowds, and while that’s okay now post-pandemic when looking at health, it can still be a huge safety concern. Guests who unknowingly get caught during a parade may get frustrated when they’re not allowed to cross, and if they choose to disregard the Cast Members’ instructions and put themselves, and others at risk. And that goes for the whole crowd! If someone chooses not to listen, it can be a disaster waiting to happen.
So what’s taking the place of these parades? Well, fireworks are available in Magic Kingdom and EPCOT each night (unless storms prevent it), and most characters’ meet and greets have returned to the parks (with hugs)!
Other than that, however, there’s nothing really replacing the parades right now. So if you’re a huge parade fan and are looking to experience them in the parks, now may not be the best time to experience them. You may want to wait until more parade-like entertainment returns to the park or go to one of the special holiday after-hours events coming up later this year.
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How do you feel about Disney World parades? Tell us in the comments!
You’re spot on with the lack of parades as you were about the inability of Disney resort guests to purchase merchandise at the parks and have them delivered to their rooms…and the lack of trams at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT. I sense going forward more and more of what Disney guests expect and what Disney is offering will yield a further divide of interest to visit this destination.
I just had this conversation with my wife recently. I heard the spectromagic music while streaming, and starting thinking, I miss that parade at MK at night. Then realized, there are not any night parades at MK anymore.This appears to be a portion of why the “magic” has disappeared from Magic Kingdom. Parades were a big part of our enjoyment and park experience, bring them back would help bring park experiences back to what they used to be, IMO.