Disney's Starlight Parade

​After a decade, Magic Kingdom will once again light up the night with an all-new nighttime parade, Starlight: Dream the Night Away!
Starlight officially debut July 20th 2025, but made its first public appearance in a surprise performance on July 18th. At 7:00 PM on July 18th, an announcement was made throughout the Magic Kingdom letting guests know the new parade would begin that evening at 9:00 PM. I highly recommend picking a parade spot well before 9 PM if you want a good view, especially if any shorter guests are in your party.

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Mirabel & Isabella on their parade float

Unlike most Magic Kingdom parades, Starlight begins on Main Street and ends in Frontierland, the opposite direction of the daytime parade, Festival of Fantasy. So, plan your parade spot based on this new route. If you’re like me, and prefer to have Cinderella Castle in your parade pictures, you’ll want to stand on the left side of Cinderella Castle near the entrance to Liberty Square. Theres a very conveniently placed snack stands over there to enjoy while you wait for the parade, be sure to grab a water too and stay hydrated! Just because this is a nighttime parade, doesn’t mean it won’t be hot & humid.

Starlight opens with one of the most magical Disney characters, the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio(Pictured top left) She carries Pinocchio and his father, Geppetto, on her float as they dance and celebrate their wishes coming true. Starlight brings some magical new friends to the Magic Kingdom, who’ve never been featured in a Disney World parade before, like Asha from Wish, who has a sparkling float with her little friend Star! Mirabel, Isabella and Bruno (Yes, we can talk about him now) are getting their moment to shine in Starlight too! (Pictured bottom right) Their float features the Madrigal family’s magic candle & lots of Isabella’s flowers. Our favorite Wayfinder, Moana makes her way through the Magic Kingdom on her first ever parade float at Walt Disney World!  Moana rides atop a giant, glowing wave on her iconic canoe, sailing to new horizons around the park! These characters have become a beloved part of Disney stories, it’s beautiful to see them shine in this parade.
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Of course, all of our classic Disney characters are here too, even the original Disney Princess, Snow White! No Disney parade would be complete without an appearance from Mickey & Minnie, sporting their brand-new Starlight outfits that twinkle along with the parade! The final float in this parade is an adorable train named Whimsy, created to pay homage to the train that opens up the original Main Street Electrical Parade. This was the perfect way to reference the original nighttime parade while still bringing something new to the Magic Kingdom.

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