Disney’s newest nighttime parade is here!
Disney Starlight
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away premiered on July 20th, 2025, in Magic Kingdom nearly a year after it was announced. We stopped by the parade’s debut (and a sneak peek of the show), leaving us with lots of thoughts, feelings, and tips! One thing that you’ll need to know about this parade is how to escape it when it’s over.
Disney Starlight has finally arrived! The crowds absolutely turned out for the first night of the show, with people lining up along the parade route more than three hours in advance. There’s new merchandise, a new popcorn bucket, and even a specialty snack to celebrate the nighttime spectacular.
Disney Starlight popcorn mix
We have fallen in love with the new parade, which runs almost every night at 9 PM and 11 PM. (It won’t run on nights when an after-hours party is happening like Mickey’s Not So Scary!) The parade kicks off on Main Street, U.S.A. and goes into Frontierland which is the opposite route compared to the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Disney Starlight crowds!
The parade kicks off with the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio as she lights up the night with her magic! After her massive float, you’ll see Pinocchio and Geppetto before seeing SO. MANY. CHARACTERS!
The Blue Fairy
Movies like Wish, Encanto, Coco, and more are represented in the parade along with Disney princesses, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, and Mickey and his pals! This parade really is an absolute sight to behold, and we totally get why the crowds are showing up. That being said, the moment the parade has ended and the crowds are still around, things start to get a bit overwhelming.
Princesses
If you’ve been to Disney before, you might already know that leaving after the fireworks is a hassle, so how does the parade change that? Happily Ever After, the fireworks show, is taking place at 10 PM right now, putting it directly between the parade times. Leaving the park is still going to be a nightmare if we’re being honest, but there is going to be one main spot that can help ease that burden.
Encanto Float
If you really want a great view of the parade, a pretty good view of the fireworks, and you’re desperate to beat the crowds out of the park, we would recommend staking out your viewing location near Town Square Theater. Assuming you’re watching the 9 PM showing of the parade before fireworks, the closer you get to the park exit for your viewing spot, the easier it is to turn and escape the moment the fireworks are over.
So. Many. People.
The quicker you can get out of the park and to the monorail, ferry, or bus line, the easier it is to avoid a long 45-minute wait just to hop on transportation with your exhausted self and kids. If you’re watching the second parade, there will be a smaller exit rush, but it might still lead to some transportation lines.
The Peter Pan float!
Yes, you can still stand close to the exit for the same tips. You can also consider watching it towards the end of the parade route and have a very neat experience as you see low crowds as you slowly make your way out of the park. The 11 PM parade shouldn’t end until roughly 11:30, which is after the park has closed.
Disney Starlight
Main Street will be fairly empty by the time you make it to the front of the park, leaving you with a very cool evening (even if you can’t feel your feet anymore.) This new parade has truly blown us away, and we can’t wait to watch it over and over again. As always, be sure to keep following DFB for more Disney tips and tricks.
FIRST LOOK at the Stunning NEW Nighttime Parade at Disney World
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It’s years down the road so nobody is thinking about it, but there will be more congestion in the hub and Main Street when Piston Peak and Villians land opens. Those areas will dramatically increase overall capacity of the park. Attendance will increase pushing more people to the hub for the nightime spectaculars.
Will give a positive rating, though with several caveats. It is beautiful, vivid and well executed. It is also shorter, and the musical theme is not unified (and LOUD…did mention that the music is REALLY LOUD?).
Enjoyed the many characters, but was very disappointed in the street level performers. Their costumes were poorly lit, and because of the lack of light, they just kind of disappeared. I like the parade, I will continue to enjoy it, but it doesn’t resonate like the old ELP.