There has been an adjustment to howĀ Disney Starlight: Dream the Night AwayĀ runs atĀ Magic Kingdom, and itās a change you’ll want to note for planning your next visit.
Beginning last night, February 12th, 2026, the second performance of the parade now travels in the opposite direction. According to WDWMagic, the 10 PM showing stepped off from Frontierland for the first time on Saturday night, marking a major operational change since its debut.
On most evenings,Ā StarlightĀ runs twice: at 7:45 PM and 10 PM. The earlier performance continues to begin in Town Square, moving down Main Street, U.S.A. toward Frontierland. The later performance, however, now starts in Frontierland and makes its way toward Town Square at the front of the park.
Since the parade premiered on July 20th, 2025, both nightly performances had always kicked off from Town Square. This marks the first time Disney has reversed the route for the second showing.
Disney hasnāt officially explained the reasoning, but the timing makes sense since Happily Ever AfterĀ begins at 9 PM, right between the two parade performances. Fireworks crowds pack the hub in front of Cinderella Castle, and when the second parade used to start in Town Square, it would head straight toward an area that hadnāt fully cleared out yet.
By launching the 10 PM parade from Frontierland instead, the floats now approach the hub from the opposite direction. That gives post-fireworks guests a bit more time to exit the area before the parade rolls through.
The update only applies on nights with two performances. IfĀ StarlightĀ runs once, it still begins in Town Square as usual.
If you’re planning to catch the 10 PM parade, your favorite viewing spot might now be facing the āwrongā direction. If youāre used to seeing certain floats approach from the castle side, theyāll now arrive from the opposite end. Itās not a huge change, but itās enough to affect photos and where crowds build first.
Historically, the second parade has been the easier one to watch thanks to lighter crowds. That should still hold true, though itāll be interesting to see whether Frontierland or Main Street fills up first now that the route flips.
Either way, itās always nice to see Disney tweaking operations to make the night run a little smoother!
