It’s here! It’s here! It’s here! Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away is debuting on July 20th, and we’re here in the Magic Kingdom to watch.

Not only are we here to watch the new nighttime parade, but it feels like everyone else is here, too. Come with us to take a look at the crowds while we’re trying to find the best spot for viewing.

We do have to say that when we arrived at Magic Kingdom late this afternoon, we were surprised at the LACK of crowds. Park Passes for Magic Kingdom were sold out — in fact, we were asked whether we had a reservation when we entered the Magic Kingdom parking lot!

And the wait times? Can you say ZERO minutes?! Here’s what things were looking like at 4:30PM.

But the heat index as through the roof — and we speculated that many people were waiting until closer to showtime to come to the park. And we were right!

Lots and lots of people lined up for the show! These folks were waiting more than three hours before the parade kicked off.

A new Starlight souvenir collection was released today, and crowds headed towards the Emporium to buy new ears, shirts, and bubble wands.

There’s also a special Starlight popcorn mix at the Confectionery.

Speaking of popcorn, there’s a new popcorn bucket to celebrate the parade!

While this parade is following the same parade route, there’s something MAJORLY different — this parade goes BACKWARDS! That means that the normal spot of standing on Main Street, U.S.A. and looking back down at Cinderella Castle isn’t going to work for this parade.

From what we’ve found, there are three ultimately ideal spots for the parade, but keep in mind that these will be POPULAR, so you’ll need to grab your spot a minimum of an hour ahead of time:

• Standing on top of the train station balcony — this spot is used for VIP viewing, and probably won’t be available, but it doesn’t hurt to check. 
• Standing in front of Main Street Theater with the train station in the background (the trick here is to see the parade as it’s coming around the corner! If you want to avoid some of the crowds, try watching from the Main Street Theater porch.)
• Standing along the parade barrier in the Hub, facing the castle either in the center, near the Partners Statue, or to the left as the parade heads into Liberty Square.

It’s also important to remember that Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show, Happily Ever After, WILL still be happening in between the two parade showings, and they’re going to be just as popular as they are now. If you want to see both the parade AND the fireworks, you’ll need to choose which parade you want to see (the 9 PM or 11 PM) and get ready to stay in the same spot back to back. If you watch the first parade, you’ll want to hang out for 30-40 minutes until the fireworks begin, which should work out pretty well.

However, if you DO want to do fireworks and then the 11PM parade, be prepared for a less than stellar view of the fireworks, because lots of people from the first parade will hang out in their same spots on Main Street. However, if crowds clear out a bit, you could find a decent spot, but that’s a little tricky and more risky. Now, if you want a no-stress spot for the parade, stake out in Frontierland! While it still may be very busy, it won’t be NEARLY as busy as Main Street, and you can expect the parade to arrive about 20 minutes past its starting time.

If you’re worried about getting out of the park following the parade and/or fireworks, it’s going to be a mass exodus, just like it is now after Happily Ever After. If you want a spot that will get you a great view AND bring you closer to the exit of the park, staying near Town Square Theater is your best bet. The closer you are to the exit when the fireworks or parade ends, the easier it is to turn and RUN to get out of there before you’re stuck in a 45 minute bus line with your exhausted kids. If you stay for the second parade though, you’ll likely deal with a smaller exit crowd, especially if you watch from Frontierland — then the parade won’t end until about 30 minutes after park close.

With that being said, 11 PM is a LATE night for kiddos and adults alike. Trust us when we say you don’t want to push through tantrum-level exhaustion (from people of ALL ages) just to have a slightly less crowded parade, because no one will enjoy it. If staying up late isn’t an issue for you though, then the later parade is 100% the way to go. Crowds will be lower, it won’t be as stressful leaving the park afterwards, and you can take some cool almost-empty pics on Main Street once the parade passes by!

We’re thrilled to welcome Disney Starlight to the nighttime spectacular family at Disney World. We’re dropping all the details you need for your visit to watch the parade, so make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for more.

IT’S OFFICIAL: THIS IS THE BEST PLACE TO WATCH DISNEY’S NEW NIGHTTIME PARADE

Are you excited for the new Starlight parade? Tell us your thoughts in the comments!