There’s a NEW parade in Disney World, and it’s already very popular!
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away premiered in Magic Kingdom on July 20th to absolutely massive crowds. It has been years since the park has had a nighttime parade (besides those at the holiday parties), and fans are HYPED. But if you’re planning to go to Magic Kingdom soon, the parade may seriously affect the way that you leave the park.
Currently, Disney Starlight happens at 9PM and 11PM with Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show, Happily Ever After, running in-between. This means that starting around 8PM, you can expect to see Main Street, U.S.A. pretty packed for the rest of the evening. (Possibly even earlier than that on busy days!)
Now these, showtimes could change as Magic Kingdom’s park hours fluctuate, and as the sun starts to set earlier later in the year. You’ll want to keep checking the Disney World website before your trip to stay in the loop. It’s also important to know that Disney Starlight will NOT happen on nights that Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party take place. Those parties have their own specialty parades.
So what do you need to know when LEAVING Magic Kingdom at night these days? How does the parade affect the crowd flow? Well, for starters, you should know that it travels backwards down the parade route.
Instead of starting in Frontierland like Festival of Fantasy and the holiday parades, Disney Starlight kicks things off in Town Square. From there, it travels around Town Square (in front of the train station), down Main Street, U.S.A., around the castle hub, through Liberty Square, and then wraps up in Frontierland, exiting next to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
This means that as the parade leaves the Main Street area, those people can exit the park more easily! Instead of having to follow the parade all the way to the end to exit, you can just watch it toward the beginning of its route and then duck out once it’s done.
However, this also means an important note for those who want to watch the fireworks. If you choose to watch the first parade of the night in Frontierland or Liberty Square OR you skip the first parade altogether but then want to watch Happily Ever After, you may have a hard time finding a spot on Main Street, U.S.A. Large crowds of people will already be there — ready in their spots — from the 9PM parade showing, and it could be challenging to squeeze in and get a good view.
Because of those pre-fireworks crowds, if you’re planning on leaving Magic Kingdom after the 9PM parade, you’ll definitely want to watch near the front of the park if possible. It’ll keep you from having to bob and weave through more folks than necessary.
But if you’re waiting to leave until the 11PM parade is over, then you’ll be in the park after closing time. In that case, there are two exit strategies. 1) Watch the parade from Town Square and be among the first to leave once it’s through. Or 2) Watch the parade from Frontierland or Liberty Square and leisurely make your way out of the park with the final wave of people at the end.
No matter what, you’re likely to be facing some kind of heavy exit crowds after the nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom. But just if you left after Happily Ever After, the best thing to do is be patient, move slow, and keep your party together. Disney World Cast Members know how to get fans out of the parks as effeciently as possible, so wait your turn and do what they say.
We’ll make sure to keep you in the loop if showtimes change for this parade in the future! Keep following AllEars for the updates.
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Click Here to Learn About the BEST Spot to Watch This Parade!
Are you planning on watching this parade during your next trip? Tell us in the comments!
It’s about time they gave that some thought,sounds like the person that came up with that move should be promoted to take iger position
I don’t mind the crowds. I like looking at the parades. I get to see the excitement through the eyes of children. It’s a thing of beauty!
Here is the real secret if you’re planning to watch the first parade and then the fireworks. Assuming things work like past parades that begin on Main Street. Watch the parade from near the train station. Then, as the end of the parade passes, jump in behind the parade. You can walk up Main Street to the Hub virtually unimpeded and stop wherever you like to watch the fireworks since they allow viewing from the street now. The street will be empty since the parade just passed.