NEWS! The Disney Starlight Parade Is Opening EARLY With First Performance in Magic Kingdom TONIGHT

We’ve been counting down the days (hours, minutes, seconds…) until we can say that a nighttime parade is back at Disney World. Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away is debuting on Main Street, U.S.A. on July 20th, but Disney decided to start EARLY!

Today, July 18th, Disney Starlight will roll down the streets of Magic Kingdom for a soft opening in less than two hours, and we’re so stoked we can barely stand it!

Right around 7:15 PM, we heard a very special announcement in Magic Kingdom that said, “Good evening, stargazers. We have heard your wishes upon a star, and with glad hearts we grant them to come true, as we proudly present a preview of the new nighttime parade, Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away. Beginning at 9 PM, Disney Starlight can be viewed from the parade route throughout the Magic Kingdom. We look forward to inviting you to dream the night away soon!”

The parade officially opens on July 20th and will have two nightly showings at 9 PM and 11 PM, except for nights with special events. Disney Starlight is also dependent on the weather and can be canceled if it proves dangerous for the performers or guests.

It’s also important to remember that Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show, Happily Ever After, will happen at 10 PM each night for a full evening of nighttime spectaculars. If you watch the first parade, you may want to stay in your spot on Main Street for the fireworks (and then prepare for the MASS EXODUS as people exit the park in droves). However, if you want to watch the 11 PM parade, we suggest grabbing whatever spot you can for the fireworks, but remember that you may have a better chance grabbing a great spot for the second parade, as it’ll likely be less crowded.

Tips for Watching Disney Starlight

• • If you’d rather avoid the crowds, consider watching the parade in Frontierland! Remember, though, that it will take the parade about 20 minutes to get to you.
  • More picture-perfect spots include: on top of the train station, in front of the Main Street Theater, or close to the Hub.
  • If you care about your viewing spot, get there EARLY, especially while the parade is so new. We suggest at least an hour in advance to play it safe.
  • Remember, the parade starts on Main Street, U.S.A., so if you want to leave early, watch from the front of the park. Then, you can turn around and bolt for transportation as soon as it’s over if you don’t plan to stay for anything else that night.
  • If you want to watch the fireworks, we recommend watching Starlight at 9 PM and then Happily Ever After at 10 PM.
  • The 11 PM showing of Disney Starlight will almost always be less crowded than the 9 PM, BUT that’s a very late night, especially for kids. You’ll want to balance what’s more important for you and your group — fewer crowds or being less grumpy at 9 PM in comparison to 11 PM.

If you’re looking for a travel agent to help with your vacation, we recommend our friends at Mouse Fan Travel. They’re experts in the field with over 20 years of vacation planning experience, and they can help take a bunch of the stress out of the entire booking process for you!

Make sure you keep following AllEars for more Disney news.

FAVORITE SPOTS TO WATCH PARADES AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

What parade float are you most looking forward to seeing? Tell us in the comments!