Which Disneyland Parade Should You See
Disney diehards know that the theme parks are all about the thrilling rides, fabulous meet-and-greets and the spectacular shows. But, honestly, Harry Richman had it right in his song “I Love a Parade,” when he touted, I love a parade; The tramping of feet, I love every beat I hear of a drum. I love a parade; When I hear a band I just wanna stand And cheer as they come!
Disney has plenty of don’t-miss parades to choose from and enjoy while you’re on vacation, but why should you choose? No matter what park you’re visiting – Disneyland, Walt Disney World or one of the international parks, make sure you see all of the parades while you’re there. They each have their own dazzling show, spectacular effects, cast of characters and memorable moments!
Paint The Night Parade
Let’s first start at Disneyland in Anaheim, where you can enjoy the 17-minute Paint the Night Parade at California Adventure, which debuted only a few months ago in April. This is a Disneyland parade that Home Improvement’s Tim “The Tool man” Taylor would be proud of with its over one million lights — Oh-ho-ho-ho! Kicking off the parade is Sorcerer Mickey Mouse and he’s joined by Tinker Bell, Ariel, Belle, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Peter Pan, Rapunzel, Mike and Sulley and so many more of Disney’s favorites.
The kids – okay really you too – will be shouting and pointing at all the floats in the parade, including the popular one inspired by The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2.
Pixar Play Parade
Another Disneyland parade is the 45-minute Pixar Play Parade, where you’ll see Carl and Russell from Up! with their house and big batch of balloons. You’ll experience Joy and Sadness from Inside Out as the parade continues. You won’t believe how cute this Pixar Fest is, especially when you see Mike and Sulley, Crush, Nemo and all of your other Pixar friends.
Mickey’s Soundsational Parade
And if music and the tunes get you in the mood for a parade, you won’t want to miss Mickey’s Soundsational Parade! This 36-minute extravaganza has Mickey at the head of the parade leading the drum line with dancers, musicians and more. It’s a rockin’ parade and you won’t be able to sit still from the time it starts until it ends and you’ll enjoy a round of beautiful fireworks to top it all off!
Fantasmic
Lights! Camera! Action! In Fantasmic! you’ll get the pyrotechnics and the battle of good and evil It’s the return of Fantasmic! In Mickey’s dream, witness the forces of good and evil battling bigger and better than ever before—thanks to enhanced special effects and jaw-dropping entertainment during this musical, pyrotechnic spectacular!
Christmas Parade
Finally, give yourself the gift of a Disney Christmas Parade for your holiday vacation when it returns to Disneyland in November. Your Disney faves, including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Anna, Elsa and Olaf will help you enjoy the Christmas season and welcome in the New Year. And, yes, Santa Claus shows up too in this 40-minute Christmas parade favorite and it’s the same parade that you see on television on Christmas morning.
The best tips we can give you for seeing these parades are to find a seat and find it early. Parades are popular with visitors of all ages and the routes are often jam-packed with viewers who get there super early. Finding the right spot can be tough. So you’ll want to scope out the route early and make sure that you can see over the crowd, especially if you have little ones.
We’ll give you the down low on all of Disney’s other parades soon!
