Walt Disney World has formally introduced a brand-new night time parade coming to Magic Kingdom: Disney Starlight. This put up shares all the pieces we all know thus far concerning the non secular successor to SpectroMagic and Predominant Avenue Electrical Parade, with idea artwork and full particulars–plus complete commentary and why this information has us so excited.
This information was introduced in the course of the “Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase” or Parks Panel presentation in the course of the 2024 D23 Expo on the Honda Heart in Anaheim, California. Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro provided a sneak peek at idea artwork for the longer term as well as and teased what was to come back in a number of years.
This was simply one in every of a number of blockbuster bulletins for Parks & Resorts at Horizons, throughout which D’Amaro revealed a number of ‘shovel to soil’ initiatives that can come on-line within the subsequent 5 years, together with 8 issues that can debut earlier than the tip of 2025. He and head Imagineer adopted via on their promise to ship concrete particulars and never simply tease extra ‘Blue Sky’ prospects.
Right here’s the official announcement of Disney Starlight night time parade, coming to Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in 2025:
Image this: you’re nestled on Predominant Avenue, U.S.A. along with your family members on the brink of watch a nighttime parade come to life proper earlier than your eyes. Possibly you’ve received a churro or a Mickey Ice Cream bar in hand, or are eyeing a close-by popcorn cart, who is aware of! However the lights dim, the music swells, and now you’re watching a brand-new nighttime spectacular on the Magic Kingdom Park.
You don’t need to think about this for for much longer, as a result of in summer season 2025, a brand-new parade will make its solution to the Most Magical Place On Earth.
Broadway darlings — and former Disney Reside Leisure Solid Members! — Rachel Potter and Eden Espinosa graced the D23: The Final Disney Fan Occasion stage throughout Horizons: Disney Experiences Showcase panel with this monumental announcement. The all-new parade “Disney Starlight” is coming subsequent summer season!
“Disney Starlight” will proceed the nighttime spectacular legacy began by the “Predominant Avenue Electrical Parade” utilizing the newest know-how to inform new tales concerning the characters you like. All of this is delivered to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy, along with beloved characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios movies “Peter Pan,” “Encanto,” “Frozen,” and extra.
Turning to commentary, this was the announcement I needed most out of the 2024 D23 Expo. I do know Disney Starlight will not be as horny or thrilling as new lands or points of interest, but it surely’s additionally a lot nearer time period and is likely one of the few issues that may really function an “reply” to Epic Universe. Clearly, leisure can’t compete with a brand new gate–but it surely does function counterprogramming to peel some folks away from Common.
I’ve already laid out all of this when making the case for a return of Summer time Nightastic, so I’m not going to rehash that right here. The animating thought is popping 2025 right into a summer season/season of spectaculars, anchored round new and reimagined leisure.
Past being an oblique reply to Epic Universe, the brand new Disney Starlight night time parade is smart for various causes. Throughout the latest earnings name, Disney indicated that it anticipated the “demand moderation” at Walt Disney World to affect the following few quarters, that means an attendance slowdown that will final into 2025.
Summers have already been slower for the final couple of years, and there’s actually no purpose to consider that pattern will reverse itself in the course of the opening 12 months of Epic Universe. Though Florida summers have lengthy been scorching and humid, we’ve seen that phrase of mouth has gotten particularly unhealthy on visiting in the course of the months of Could via September.
Disney Starlight night time parade needs to be the compelling ‘hook’ that might counter all of that and draw folks to the parks at a time after they in any other case won’t go to. Not solely that, however it will necessitate longer hours and will really assist reverse the pattern about unfavorable visitor satisfaction and intent to revisit or advocate metrics. It’s the obvious solution to beat the warmth and make the parks extra engaging in the summertime–they usually may as nicely make it right into a marketable level whereas they’re at it.
Summers have at all times various levels of scorching at Walt Disney World, however holidays throughout these months haven’t at all times been disagreeable. That is why I’ve been such a champion of an evening parade and ‘Summer time Nightastic’ kind occasion. As a result of we’ve taken a number of summertime journeys to Walt Disney World over time and made a number of nice lifelong reminiscences within the course of.
Together with the fireworks, the night time parade units the nighttime temper in Magic Kingdom. It’s greater than that, although. Walt Disney first launched fireworks as his “kiss goodnight” to friends on the finish of an extended day, as a solution to ship folks dwelling on a excessive be aware. It’s similar to the grand finale of the present itself, however for the visitor’s day as a complete.
There’s one thing inherently enchanting about nighttime spectaculars, they usually can perform as a little bit of an emotional reset. Yeah, it was scorching and humid, however these previous couple of hours of the night when the solar goes down, the temperature is cooler, and the parade and fireworks are proven–there’s one thing actually magical about that point. The day ending on such a excessive be aware makes us carry out psychological revisionist historical past on the day’s earlier reminiscences and the go to as a complete turns into all that a lot better.
Mainly, I’m saying {that a} night time parade is the tentpole for a sturdy slate of choices that may reverse Walt Disney World’s present demand moderation and attendance softness, whereas additionally bolstering visitor satisfaction and different key metrics. It’s an enormous win for each the corporate and friends, and albeit overdue.
If Predominant Avenue Electrical Parade is the one nighttime parade you’ve recognized and also you weren’t significantly impressed by that, remember that it’s over 50 years previous–and it was over 40 when it final appeared in Magic Kingdom. Whereas many followers shaped nostalgia for it or beloved its quaintness and attraction, we most well-liked SpectroMagic–and even the newer Paint the Night time and Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights.
The latter is our favourite present nighttime parade, and we at all times make some extent of watching Dreamlights. For years, I’ve held out hope that Walt Disney World would create SpectroMagic 2.0, weaving collectively that rating with floats having the wow-factor of Dreamlights. There’s quite a bit we don’t find out about this new night time parade coming to Magic Kingdom, however that’s nonetheless my hope.
On a private be aware, I’m past excited for Walt Disney World to lastly get an evening parade once more. Greater than something that’s gone lacking from Walt Disney World within the final decade, I miss the night time parade. Specifically, I miss SpectroMagic, which is the parade at Magic Kingdom that I bear in mind once I was rising up, and which was the parade that was working the primary a number of years Sarah and I visited Walt Disney World collectively.
We watched SpectroMagic each single night time we have been at Magic Kingdom, and there was simply one thing particular concerning the anticipation that constructed when Jiminy Cricket’s voice began coming over the loudspeakers. He was the voice for a technology of Walt Disney World followers, and made these evenings thrilling.
A lot concerning the Walt Disney World fan expertise is chasing moments and reminiscences from the previous, attempting to recapture fleeting emotions or what makes us nostalgic for the previous. Sitting on the finish of Predominant Avenue listening to that music and ready for the primary float to strategy is a type of significant moments for us.
Now that we have now a daughter, this want has been dialed as much as 11 for us. She’s completely enamored with lights, and I can’t wait to see the brand new Disney Starlight night time parade mirrored in her eyes–actually and figuratively. It’ll be like a visit down reminiscence lane for us as we bear in mind these bygone days of watching SpectroMagic, melded with a brand-new reminiscence of no matter this night time parade has in retailer for us and our household.
I couldn’t presumably be extra excited. That is why that is such main information for us, that not even new lands or rides may high.
Finally, Walt Disney World followers actually deserve this good news. It’s a colossal disgrace that a complete technology of friends didn’t get to conclude their day with the awe-inspiring spectacle of an evening parade rolling down Predominant Avenue in Magic Kingdom. Very blissful to listen to that can change with Disney Starlight, and tons of friends may have this change into a ‘core reminiscence’ to finish every night within the park.
Bringing an evening parade to Florida ought to present a desperately wanted goodwill win for Walt Disney World and supply new nostalgia to a complete technology of followers. After the entire worth will increase, nickel & diming, launch of Lightning Lanes, cuts to issues like Disney’s Magical Categorical, Additional Magic Hours, on and on—followers may actually use some constructive information and a purpose to really feel much less cynical.
This most likely feels like extreme expectations for a easy piece of leisure, and maybe I’m overvaluing the importance of Disney Starlight night time parade to the typical Walt Disney World visitor. I actually don’t assume so, although. SpectroMagic was completely integral to Sarah and me falling in love with Walt Disney World once more as adults, and I do know we weren’t the one ones.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited by the information that Magic Kingdom is getting an all-new mild parade in 2025? Has your Walt Disney World expertise been negatively impacted by the shortage of an evening parade? Any floats, franchises, characters, nods to SpectroMagic or Magic Avenue Electrical Parade, and so forth., that you just’re hoping to see out of the brand new Disney Starlight night time parade? Another questions or remark? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
