The new Disney Starlight parade debuted this week and it could not be more magical! Disney Starlight is the new nighttime parade inMagic Kingdom and it got me right in my feels! It has been a long time since we had a nighttime parade here in Walt Disney World. It has been missed. I am so excited to share some pictures with you! But just know, the pictures and videos do not do this parade justice, you truly need to see it in person!
What Came Before Disney Starlight?
Before Disney Starlight was lighting up the night in Magic Kingdom there were two other nighttime parades. The first was the Main Street Electrical Parade that ran from 1977 – 1991. It was replaced by the SpectroMagic Parade shortly after in 1991 for the parks 20th anniversary. SpectroMagic closed in 1999 but then reopened in 2001. Sadly the parade closed permanently in 2010 and we have not had a nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom since then. The last time I remember watching SpectroMagic was with my now 16 year old in a stroller when we came for his first birthday. I can picture his little face watching from the area of Adventureland that goes into Frontierland by the Diamond Horseshoe. Seems like another life!
Disney Starlight Storyline & Details
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away is brought to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy from Pinnocchio. The parade is a story of dreams and imagination with characters encouraging guests to wish upon a star! The floats are truly beautiful and the music has some great throw backs to SpectroMagic and Main Street Electrical parade. That made me so happy! The parade had a soft opening on July 18th with the official opening on July 20th.
You can catch the parade nightly in Magic Kingdom at 9pm and 11pm. If you get a good spot on Main Street or the hub for the 9pm show you could hang out and have a great spot for Happily Ever After Fireworks too! And at that point why not just stay for the 11pm parade too??
Conclusion
Watching my kids watch this parade was my favorite part! My nine year old is quickly approaching that time where he stops being a little kid anymore. So these moments where he is just that make me happy. He had to have the glow bubble wand and his eyes got so big when he saw the size of the floats going by. Looking at my 16 year old and remembering that little baby watching SpectroMagic almost made me cry honestly. I am not usually the mushy mom crying over days past but this hit me a little different. But isn’t that why we all love Disney so much?
It’s these core memories that are imprinted in our minds and evoke the best feelings. That’s what Disney Starlight did for me on Sunday night. I remembered watching Main Street electrical parade as a kid and how much I loved that. Then saw my not so little guy back in a stroller watching SpectroMagic. All the way to my youngest making a new memory seeing a nighttime parade in Magic Kingdom for the first time. I hope you all get to come see this parade soon, it is truly beautiful! Thank you all for reading along and make sure you are subscribed to the blog so you never miss a post! Have a magical day!
