Disney Starlight has officially debuted in Magic Kingdom, and we couldn’t be more excited that there’s finally a nighttime parade back in Disney World!

Disney Starlight

There are two parades each night (unless there’s a special event happening that night, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party), one at 9 PM and the other at 11 PM, with the Happily Ever After fireworks happening in between at 10 PM. So which parade should you see? Now that we’ve seen the parade a few times AND seen the crowds it’s attracting, here’s what we’ve found.

9 PM Parade

The 9 PM parade is going to be most ideal for those who want to see the Happily Ever After fireworks as well. If you’ve gotten a great spot for the parade on Main Street, you can stay in that same spot for the next 45 minutes and hang out until the fireworks!

Disney Starlight

However, 9 PM is already pretty late, especially if you’ve been in the parks since rope drop. Therefore, if you’ve got kids with you, or you yourself need your sleep and know you’ll be exhausted after a full day in the parks, the 9 PM parade is totally for you. Now, this does mean that you’ll be facing higher crowds for these exact same reasons. We’ve learned the hard way though that if you force yourself (or your family) to stay up later than they’re prepared to and start pushing into tantrum territory (again, for kids AND adults, adults totally have tantrums too) by sticking around for the 11 PM parade, no one is going to be having a good time.

It’s Bruno!

Grab yourself a spot early (at LEAST one hour before showtime) and get ready to hang out for the parade (and fireworks if you’re sticking around). Pro tip: the closer you are to the front of the park (where the parade starts), the closer you’ll be to the exit, and you can miss the mass exodus of people exiting the park right after, and therefore get back to your hotel quicker!

11 PM Parade

With that all being said, the 11 PM parade is going to be fantastic for those who don’t mind staying up late! Whether that’s because they didn’t rope drop and instead slept in, they went back to their hotel and rested during the middle of the day, or maybe late nights just don’t bother them, the 11 PM parade will be a great choice.

Disney Starlight — Princess Float

This is also the parade to go to if you, or someone in your group, doesn’t do well with crowds. When we tell you the amount of people we’ve seen for this parade has been EGREGIOUS, we’re not kidding. It’s intense, and if you know being in a big crowd causes anxiety, or just puts a bad taste in your mouth, then the 11 PM parade will be a much better fit.

Check out those crowds!

Since this parade will be less crowded, it also means you’ll likely have an easier time grabbing one of those iconic spots: near the Main Street Train Station (or on its second level, if it’s open), close to the Tony’s Town Square Theater, or in the Hub. However, if you’re looking to face the least amount of crowds at either parade, you’ll want to head to Frontierland, right towards the end of the parade route.

Disney Starlight — Frozen Float

Looking for more recent Disney Starlight news and tips? Check out our posts below!

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Which parade are you planning to head to? Tell us in the comments!