It’s been 9 years since Magic Kingdom has seen a nighttime parade, and on July 20, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away made its Main Street debut. I got to be among the thousands of viewers in the part that night — here’s how it all went down.
It had been a long day at Magic Kingdom in what felt like over 100-degree weather, and I decided to pop down to Main Street around 7:00PM to browse the shops. Much like everyone else in the park, I planned on seeing the first official showing of Disney Starlight that night at 9:00PM.
What I didn’t expect, however, was to see hundreds of guests already securing their spots along the parade route down Main Street and crowding around Cinderella Castle. As I weaved through all the guests (who were mostly Disney adults donning the new Disney Starlight merch and live-streaming the event), I realized this parade was an even bigger deal than I thought. I had seen the Main Street Electrical Parade a couple of times, I saw Paint the Night at Disney’s California Adventure, and I even saw SpectroMagic back in its heyday. But never had I seen a crowd like this for a Disney Park parade.
Fine with any random spot I could get, I decided to take the two hours before the parade to ride The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, grab a Dole whip (because I was in Disney, of course dessert comes before dinner!), and get dinner at Casey’s Corner. Everyone’s favorite hot dog joint was backed up due to the parade, and it appeared dozens had the same idea as me: eat dinner at Casey’s outdoor dining area and watch the parade from there. I happened across this little tip by accident a few years back when I got lunch during Festival of Fantasy and could enjoy the floats from afar while I ate.
There was a line out the door of Casey’s – both the front entrance and the mobile order section – and when I finally got my dinner, I began scanning the seating area for an available table. By now, it had to be 8:30PM, and with 30 minutes to spare, I managed to find an unoccupied spot along the garden ledge next to all the tables. A few other guests sat there as well, all eagerly waiting to see Magic Kingdom light up.
Except, when the clock struck 9:00, a voice appeared throughout the park announcing, “Tonight’s presentation of Disney Starlight has been delayed.” Fortunately, there wasn’t much reaction to the delay, and guests remained filling the sidewalks, patiently waiting for the parade to begin.
The delay only lasted about 10 minutes, and finally, the floats arrived, lighting up Main Street as characters like Miguel from Coco, Elsa from Frozen, and a slew of princes and princesses elicited magic across the park. The finale float that carries Snow White and Dopey in a mine cart, Rapunzel and Flynn in a boat, Aladdin and Jasmine on a magic carpet had to be the most memorable of them all.
Here, you’ll see what the view was like from the outdoor dining area at Casey’s:
By the end of the parade, the crowd cheered for Mickey and Minnie’s arrival before dispersing into the park. The parade ended with less than a half an hour until Happily Ever After was set to begin, allowing the guests on Main Street to secure a perfect spot for the fireworks.
