Here’s What You Need to Know About Disney Starlight
In less than two months, Magic Kingdom will add to its storied history of parades.
Here’s everything you need to know about Disney Starlight, the shiniest nighttime presentation in theme park history.
About Disney Parades
Photo: Disney
When Disneyland first opened to the public in 1955, park officials threw a parade.
This one-time-only star-studded presentation featured actor and future President Ronald Reagan, legendary host Art Linkletter, Davy Crockett star Fess Parker, and Thurl Ravenscroft, the legendary voice artist for several Disney classic attractions.
Photo: Los Angeles Examiner/USC Libraries/Corbis via Getty Images
This parade also displayed Disney characters, some of whom got their own floats, like Snow White.
Disney even gave Cinderella a pumpkin coach, establishing the baseline for pageantry during theme park parades.
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Over the years, the parks evolved their presentations, splitting them between days and nights.
The earliest daily parades hosted marching bands and various celebrities of the era, such as Guy Williams, who starred as Zorro on a popular television series of the era.
Yesterland
However, as Disney shows evolved, they moved away from this sort of concept, focusing instead on the Disney characters themselves.
By 1960, theme park cavalcades were already a thing, making their huge comeback in the 2020s all the more fitting.
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We can highlight a few parades as genuine game-changers for Disney, starting with the Main Street Electrical Parade in 1972.
This glow-in-the-dark nighttime presentation is so technologically advanced that it reportedly includes 500 miles of wiring!
The parade we’re about to discuss, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, draws heavy inspiration from the Main Street Electrical Parade, as well as one other presentation.
That one is Paint the Night, which debuted at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2014 and quickly followed at Disneyland Park in 2015.
The Paint the Night parade has redefined what people perceive as possible for nighttime presentations due to its shiny, glossy imagery and otherworldly vibe.
What Is Disney Starlight?
On July 20th, 2025, Magic Kingdom will glow in the dark as Disney Starlight becomes the latest nighttime spectacular in a historic line of Disney parades.
In a way, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away unifies the vision Disney officials once had for the Main Street Electrical Parade and, later, SpectroMagic and Paint the Night.
(Paul HIffmeyer/Disneyland Resort)
A nighttime Disney parade should take guests’ breath away with its beauty, enrapturing us in a classic Disney story that makes the night come alive.
The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio will make our wishes come true as she introduces us to many of her Disney friends.
Credit: Disney
Disney indicates that the various floats will create dreamscapes, resplendent dreams involving your favorite characters.
We’re talking about all the characters from the Sensational Six, plus others from beloved Disney stories like Coco, Frozen, and Tangled.
As for the presentation itself, it sounds like it’s teeming with Disney magic. “Through the power of the Blue Fairy’s magic, you’ll watch dreams and wishes come true.”
Apparently, the production team has connected these dreams and wishes by having “the lights dance from float to float,” which sounds gorgeous.
Photo: Disney
The conceit of the story is that you’re watching a constellation of Disney characters whose joyous actions light up the night. They’re the proverbial Starlight here.
Disney promises that the various floats hosting these characters are “storytelling stages on wheels,” which ramps up the expectations about what they’ve created here.
Meet the Starlight Floats
Photo: Disney
Let’s quickly discuss all the specifics we know about the Disney Starlight presentation.
Disney recently revealed specifics about the various floats in the new parade, including their order of appearance during the show.
Credit: Disney
Fittingly, Disney Starlight will begin with its host, the Blue Fairy, whose magic imbues the rest of the presentation.
Soon afterward, Peter Pan & Wendy appear, as the parade begins with some of Disney’s most iconic characters.
Photo: Disney
Then, Disney moves to more recent characters and stories, with Wish’s Asha and Valentina followed by Encanto’s Mirabel, Isabela, and Bruno.
Disney Starlight will blend the old and new to create an enticing new mix of Walt Disney Animation classics on parade.
Photo: Disney
Elsa will anchor the Frozen float, with a host(ess) of Disney Princesses and their partners following her on the next float.
This group consists of Aurora and Prince Phillip, Tiana and Prince Naveen, Belle and the Beast, and Cinderella and Prince Charming.
Photo: Disney
Let’s just say that’s going to be a VERY popular parade float section. After that, Miguel and Pepita from Coco appear, and then we get a Moana float immediately after that.
Finally, the parade ends with floats starring the Sensational Six, including Mickey & Minnie Mouse in new character costumes, plus a few special friends.
That group includes Snow White and Dopey, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, and Aladdin and Jasmine. This grand finale float is quite the spectacle!
So, we’re talking about an intoxicating mix of Disney favorites and first-time parade representatives at Disney Starlight.
Disney Starlight Miscellany
The July 20th opening date is less than two months away, and Cast Members are already well underway with their rehearsals.
Disney thoughtfully invited MickeyBlog to a presentation about the parade. We got a sneak preview of the soundtrack, a bit of which you can hear here.
It’s so catchy, isn’t it? Disney appears to have taken elements from previous musical pieces like Wishes, Happily Ever After, and the SpectroMagic soundtrack.
That’s fitting since Disney describes the show as “a nod to the past but also (with our) eyes set firmly on the future.”
We also got our first look at some of the exclusive merchandise available, and I can assure you that it’s oh so shiny.
Disney has also created a colorful popcorn snack mix that will blow your mind.
This sweet concoction consists of “Bubble Gum and Blue Raspberry Candy Popcorn, M&M’S® Milk Chocolate Candies, mini-marshmallows, and white chocolatey drizzle.” YUM!
Frankly, there are so many exciting elements to this show that it’s hard to pinpoint just one as the best of the best.
You can decide for yourself when the show debuts on July 20th. Disney Starlight will anchor Magic Kingdom nights for years to come.
You’ll want to be among the first to witness it. So, please speak with a MickeyTravels agent to book your summer vacation now!
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Feature Photo: Disney
