It’s going to be a quiet couple of years for Walt Disney World, with one shiny spot: Starlight Night time Parade. We’re already anxiously awaiting its arrival, and questioning when the brand new mild parade will make its Magic Kingdom debut and as soon as once more illuminate evenings alongside Fundamental Avenue. (Up to date November 9, 2024.)
For many who are unfamiliar with Disney Starlight Night time Parade, it’s the non secular successor to SpectroMagic and Fundamental Avenue Electrical Parade and is slated to debut in Summer season 2025. The brand new nighttime leisure was first introduced in the course of the Parks Panel presentation on the 2024 D23 Expo.
Disney Starlight will use the most recent know-how to inform new tales concerning the characters you’re keen on, in keeping with Walt Disney World. All of this is dropped at life by the magic of the Blue Fairy, along with beloved characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios movies “Peter Pan,” “Encanto,” “Frozen,” and extra. That’s all the corporate has formally revealed about Disney Starlight Night time Parade…
The primary bit of excellent information is that Disney has already posted casting calls that embody Starlight Night time Parade. Auditions for the primary (probably of a number of) casting calls have been held in New York Metropolis at Pearl Studios in early October. This was not a casting name solely for Disney Starlight Night time Parade–so it most likely shouldn’t be be indicative of when the parade will debut. However what if it have been? What would that imply for the goal debut date of the brand new nighttime parade coming to Magic Kingdom? I used to be curious, so I did some digging.
On common, the primary casting calls seem 5-7 months earlier than new leisure debuts. This has been the case with stage exhibits at each Disneyland and Walt Disney World, together with Rogers: The Musical and all the returning productions at Walt Disney World. With the latter, the timeframes have sometimes been barely condensed, presumably as a result of they’re not brand-new.
Alternatively, casting requires “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey” have been first posted simply over 7 months in the past, and Walt Disney World nonetheless hasn’t introduced a gap date. There’s loads of time for it to make its late 2024 opening timeframe, however we anticipated it nearer to October 1, so the radio silence is…fascinating. However that’s one other matter for an additional day.
The final new home parade we’ve for mileposting is Magic Occurs at Disneyland. The primary casting name was posted on August 30, 2019 and the parade debuted on February 28, 2020. That’s virtually 6 months. I’d anticipate one thing related for Disney Starlight Night time Parade as soon as wider casting does start. However once more, that’s not what this primary casting name is.
Earlier than we dig into additional opening date hypothesis, let’s check out a brand new piece of idea artwork shared by Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro in the course of the Disney Experiences panel at D23 Brazil on November 9, 2024. The float includes a base of waves with Moana aboard her outrigger canoe atop the crest:
In case you’re shocked that Moana has a presence on this parade, you most likely haven’t been taking note of leisure in the previous few years. It’d as nicely be Florida and California legislation that something new should embrace Moana. I’d’ve been shocked if this didn’t, so actually the one factor value saying right here is that the float seems cool, formidable, and huge scale.
Turning our consideration again to the potential debut date for Starlight, the opposite large current growth is that Common Orlando has introduced that Epic Universe will open on Might 22, 2025. This grand opening within the lead-in to Memorial Day weekend units the almost certainly timeline for Disney Starlight Parade, which is basically Walt Disney World’s counterprogramming to the park.
It’s additionally value noting that the brand new park can have prolonged previews previous to that. Epic Universe is not only going to do a chilly open on Might 22, 2025. Common has already previews for Annual Passholders and staff. In all chance, there might be over a month of previews, maybe nearer to 2 months, for a variety of company.
It’s fully potential that Walt Disney World will need to capitalize on this, and even get out forward of Epic Universe’s official opening, by debuting Disney Starlight Night time Parade even earlier. In such a situation, rolling out the brand new nighttime leisure providing across the someday in April or earlier in Might may additionally make sense.
In fact, it’s additionally potential that Walt Disney World marches to the beat of its personal drummer, recognizing the truth {that a} night time parade can’t compete with a model new theme park. By which case, Epic Universe would don’t have any bearing on Disney Starlight Night time Parade. Disney would possibly wait till June or past when colleges are totally out of periods and summer time vacationer season arrives in full drive.
Assuming Walt Disney World does disregard Epic Universe in figuring out the debut date of Starlight Night time Parade, let’s look to previous precedent for summer season choices. Most lately, Walt Disney World has debuted the next additions in the course of the summer time months:
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey: June 28, 2024
- Disney Goals That Soar Drone Present: Might 24, 2024
- Encanto Sing-Alongside: June 10, 2024
- Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind: Might 27, 2022
- Toy Story Land: June 30, 2018
- Pandora – World of Avatar: Might 27, 2017
- Frozen Ever After: June 21, 2016
Listed here are {the summertime} debut dates for previous parades:
- Fantasmic Return at Disneyland (Dragon Hearth): Might 24, 2024
- Fantasmic Return at Disneyland (Submit-Reopening): Might 28, 2022
- Fundamental Avenue Electrical Parade at Disneyland (sixtieth Anniversary): April 22, 2022
- Paint the Night time Parade at DCA (Pixar Fest): April 12, 2018
- Paint the Night time Parade at Disneyland (Diamond Celebration): Might 22, 2015
- Fundamental Avenue Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom (Summer season Nightastic): June 6, 2010
As you possibly can see, these dates are all over.
You can also make much more sense of the openings by contrasting what was completed forward of schedule or on-time with what was a race in opposition to the clock or delayed for no matter cause. In virtually all the June debut dates, development or different hang-ups have been an element.
The Might 24 or 27 opening dates replicate openings within the respective years that have been the Friday earlier than Memorial Day. That is Disney’s conventional summer time kickoff, so if you happen to needed to merely guess on a begin date for Disney Starlight Night time Parade with none additional information, the most secure guess can be Might 23, 2025.
Previous to the Epic Universe announcement, we thought the only almost certainly date for Disney Starlight Night time Parade to debut can be Might 23, 2025. Now I’m not so certain that that is the odds-on favourite. Having the parade debut within the shadow of Epic Universe would probably lead to it being, nicely, overshadowed.
The a lot savvier transfer can be to debut Disney Starlight Night time Parade per week earlier or later. Might 16 or 30 would make sense, as that provides a little bit of respiration room. Clearly, we’ve supplied a reasonably wide selection of dates–however the level is that there are lots of variables, and Epic Universe is one other complicating issue. (There’s additionally the truth that After Hours at Magic Kingdom has its final date on Might 19–I’d hope Magic Kingdom would have a full slate of late closings for Starlight, however actually, who is aware of.)
However, let’s speak ranges. Personally, I believe the earliest the Disney Starlight may debut–assuming the date is being purposefully chosen and there aren’t any hiring/fabrication impediments to selecting an earlier date–is April 25, 2025. That’s the Friday after Easter, and that week might be when spring break crowds fall off a cliff.
If Disney have been savvy, they could goal a date in late April or early Might with a view to pull ahead demand into the shoulder season. This provides extra time earlier than the summer time vacationer season begins, to no matter extent that’s nonetheless a factor. It may seize locals and diehard followers, leaving summer time open to common ole vacationers. In case you take a look at the above leisure debuts, that is exactly what Disneyland has achieved with Pixar Fest and the final time Fundamental Avenue Electrical Parade returns.
I’d guess in opposition to that. Whereas it’s a sensible method, it’s additionally one we’ve by no means seen from Walt Disney World–simply Disneyland. The Florida parks are extra reactive or typical–it’s exhausting to think about them debuting one thing large throughout shoulder season. Extra probably, they’ll provide ticket offers and name it a day. In equity, Disneyland has completely different demographics, to not point out summer time climate.
On the opposite finish of the vary, the tip of June is the most recent that Disney Starlight Night time Parade is more likely to debut. Whereas there have been openings round then lately, these have all been as a consequence of development. Assuming no points with growth or casting or rehearsals, it’s exhausting to see Walt Disney World voluntarily choosing a date that late.
Once more, debuting later is a nasty thought as a result of then it “competes” with Common’s model new theme park. It might be loopy to place Starlight in opposition to Epic Universe. Walt Disney World can be significantly better off transferring the parade ahead and making an attempt to seize as many vacationers and acquire momentum by doing the other–not competing head-to-head in opposition to a model new theme park in an unwinnable battle. I’ve gotta assume Walt Disney World realizes this, and would see the chance in grabbing attendance and occupancy earlier than Epic Universe hits and causes no matter harm its opening goes to inflict upon Disney.
My private hope is that Disney Starlight Night time Parade debuts at the least per week or two earlier than Memorial Day and as half of a bigger bundle of leisure. They’ve already introduced the brand new Villains stage present at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, now we simply want a recent pageant at EPCOT and a drone present at Animal Kingdom to spherical out such a theoretical celebration.
I’ve already laid out all of this when making the case for a return of Summer season Nightastic, so I’m not going to rehash that right here. The animating thought is popping 2025 right into a summer time/season of spectaculars, anchored round new and reimagined leisure.
Actually, what I’d actually prefer to see–that looks as if wishful pondering–is a 2-week smooth opening of Disney Starlight as a ‘shock and delight’ kinda deal. Extra importantly, to offer Magic Kingdom operations time to seek out its footing with crowd management and scheduling. They’re gonna want it.
By the point Starlight debuts, it’ll have been 9 years since an evening parade final rolled down Fundamental Avenue. That’s an eternity in Walt Disney World phrases, particularly whenever you account for every thing that’s occurred in between–particularly the Solid Member turnover and lack of institutional data. I believe that only a few frontline Solid Members working Parade Viewers Management (PAC) are nonetheless round from then. Extra importantly, I concern that only a few Magic Kingdom managers nonetheless are–which means they’ll don’t have any clue the way to deal with PAC except they fly in a crew from Anaheim.
No matter when it debuts, I’m past excited for Walt Disney World to lastly get an evening parade once more. Greater than something that’s gone lacking from Walt Disney World within the final decade, I miss the night time parade. Specifically, I miss SpectroMagic, which is the parade at Magic Kingdom that I keep in mind once I was rising up, and which was the parade that was working the primary a number of years Sarah and I visited Walt Disney World collectively.
In all chance, Walt Disney World can have sufficient runway with Disney Starlight Night time Parade that they’ll be capable to announce a debut date that followers can plan round months upfront. Ideally, I’d like to have an announcement in the course of the ABC Christmas Day Parade–that’s when many households begin planning and reserving holidays for the next yr.
That could be deemed too early, and more likely to reduce into winter and spring break bookings. (I disagree–winter is inherently engaging for climate together with different promoting factors; ditto spring break, which can be a college recess.) Regardless, I’d hope we hear some form of tease concerning the parade then, together with a gap date announcement no later than February.
Bringing an evening parade to Florida ought to present a desperately wanted goodwill win for Walt Disney World and provide new nostalgia to a complete technology of followers. After all the worth will increase, nickel & diming, launch of Lightning Lanes, cuts to issues like Disney’s Magical Specific, Additional Magic Hours, on and on—followers may use optimistic information and a cause to really feel much less cynical. Regardless that it clearly can’t “compete” with Epic Universe, it’s a very large deal for Disney followers…and there are lots of us! We’ll hold you posted about all the developments relating to Disney Starlight Parade.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your predicted begin date for Starlight? Trying ahead to Walt Disney World’s first brand-new night time parade in many years? Are you excited by Magic Kingdom getting its personal mild parade in Summer season 2025? Has your Walt Disney World expertise been negatively impacted by the dearth of an evening parade? Any floats, franchises, characters, nods to SpectroMagic or Magic Avenue Electrical Parade, and many others., that you simply’re hoping to see out of the brand new Disney Starlight night time parade? Every other questions or remark? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
