Everyone who goes to a Disney park has certain rides, attractions, and experiences that define their visit. As a kid who loved Walt Disney World the Main Street Electrical Parade was “Disney” to me just as much as Cinderella’s Castle or Spaceship Earth. It felt like my family made sure we watched it every single night we spent at Magic Kingdom. We loved it that much. So when I returned in 2024 after a long time away I really felt the absence of those glowing floats. Fortunately an all-new nighttime parade will soon make its way down the park’s streets. On July 20, 2025 Magic Kingdom will debut Disney Starlight*:* Dream the Night Away. And while it will feature original vehicles, costumes, music, and more, it will do what Disney does best by paying tribute to its beloved predecessor.
Concept art of floats with characters for Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade
Disney
Disney parks across the world have a long tradition of nighttime parades. Inspired by the Electrical Water Pageant, that began with the most important, most enduring one, the Main Street Electrical Parade. It debuted at Disneyland in 1972 and made its way to Orlando in 1977. But outside of seasonal events, the Magic Kingdom hasn’t had a regular nighttime one since its signature parade’s third run ended in 2016. That’s finally about to change with Disney Starlight*:* Dream the Night Away.
Disney says its newest nighttime attraction will let guests “watch dreams and wishes come true throughout this star-kissed parade.” The parade’s themed-floats and “swirling ribbons of starlight” will all be powered by “the Blue Fairy’s magic.”
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Early looks and concept art promise that description will be what exactly guests see at Magic Kingdom. Both classic and modern Disney and Pixar characters will travel through the park on blue-lit vehicles and matching attire. Those characters include:
Pinocchio‘s Blue Fairy
Peter Pan & Wendy
Wish‘s Asha
La Familia Madrigal (Mirabel, Isabela, Bruno) from Encanto
Frozen‘s Elsa
Sleeping Beauty‘s Aurora and Prince Phillip, The Princess and the Frog‘s Tiana and Prince Naveen, Beauty and the Beast‘s Belle and the Beast, and Cinderella and Prince Charming
Coco‘s Miguel and Pepita
Moana
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, Snow White, Dopey, Rapunzel, Flynn, Aladdin and Jasmine.
New merchandise for Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade
New merchandise for Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away nighttime parade.
Disney Starlight*:* Dream the Night Away will also feature its own original song. It’s pure Disney that will make diehards especially happy. Songs that accompany Disney theme park experiences-like Magic Kingdom’s “Happily Ever After” and “Fantasmic“can transport you back to the parks. They create the kind of lasting memories and nostalgia that binds generations.
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The Main Street Electrical Parade’s music still does exactly that for me. It’s objectively dated and (at best) a little silly. And I absolutely love it.
It sends me back more than 30 years to a place and time that was very special to me and always will be. I don’t even need to look at those floats to see them when I hear this song.
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Disney knows the kind of connection older visitors like me have with that parade, and they’re honoring that with their latest one. While most of Disney Starlight*:* Dream the Night Away is entirely new, it will feature a very important “whimsical” train float inspired by the Main Street Electrical Parade’s signature piece.
Starting this July kids and first-time guests of all ages will fill the Magic Kingdom’s streets when the sun goes down to watch Disney Starlight*:* Dream the Night Away. Some will instantly fall in love with the beauty and majesty of the show. They’ll buy all the new accompanying merchandise and snack on the special Starlight popcorn. Then they’ll go home and listen to the theme song when they want to quickly “visit” Walt Disney World. They will come to think of the parade as one of the experiences that defines the park itself.
And those of us who think that way about its predecessor will still see our own memories reflected in those new twinkling blue lights. And that, to me, is “Disney.”