Walt Disney World has revealed new particulars concerning the Magic Kingdom nighttime parade, Starlight: Dream the Evening Away. This shares new float idea artwork and the parade poster, plus a couple of recent particulars concerning the upcoming leisure spectacular. Plus, extra hype for Principal Road’s first night time parade in nearly a decade, and first new night time parade since I used to be a child within the Nineties. (Up to date March 28, 2025.)
For individuals who are unfamiliar with Disney Starlight: Dream the Evening Away Parade, it’s the non secular successor to SpectroMagic and Principal Road Electrical Parade and is slated to debut someday in Summer time 2025. It was first introduced throughout final 12 months’s D23 Expo, and particulars have slowly trickled out since then, most not too long ago over the vacation season with the complete identify and extra reveals of floats.
Disney Starlight will use the most recent know-how to inform new tales concerning the characters you like, in response to 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. We now take a look at most of those floats by way of idea artwork and the parade poster…
In accordance with Walt Disney World, we’re only a few months away from the debut of “Disney Starlight: Dream the Evening Away,” an all-new nighttime parade that can mild up the streets of Magic Kingdom in Summer time 2025! To prepare for the massive day, the Disney Reside Leisure workforce has been busy designing and choreographing in Florida, recording music in London and checking in on float development throughout america.
Let’s kick issues off with a take a look at the latest float, which was revealed on March 28, 2025:
I’m truthfully just a little stunned to see Want getting its personal float, because the film was a field workplace flop and hasn’t actually gained any momentum by way of streaming. Greater than something, this most likely speaks to how excessive expectations had been internally for this movie (it’s an understatement to say Want’s underperformance caught the corporate abruptly) and simply how way back growth on Starlight began.
Setting the recognition or creative deserves of Want apart…this seems like a very good float! I’m an enormous believer that even weak IPs can kind the muse of nice theme park choices (see Pandora, Splash Mountain, and TRON Lightcycle Run), and the identical may show true right here. So maybe it’s a very good factor that Walt Disney World began growth of this parade earlier than Want bombed. It’s additionally good to get selection in leisure, and it’s one movie that isn’t represented a lot elsewhere.
The opposite large factor with this reveal is that Walt Disney World has not gone radio silent about Starlight Evening Parade. As mentioned in Is Walt Disney World’s Starlight Evening Parade Delayed?, that was certainly one of our fears. The summer season advertising and marketing marketing campaign kicked off this week and Starlight was absent from the promotional push. The plain conclusion from that’s Starlight has been delayed–or at the least gained’t debut round Memorial Day.
Releasing this idea artwork solely a few days later is reassuring to the extent that it’s not an indefinite delay as a consequence of unknown points. Nothing is “incorrect” with the parade, it’s simply delayed. I’m nonetheless hoping we get a Starlight opening date quickly, however my intestine says that we’re trying on the second half of June 2025, or maybe within the week main as much as Independence Day. I nonetheless would maintain off on reserving summer season journeys simply but, until you’re visiting in August, which needs to be “protected.”
What follows is the earlier float reveals for Disney Starlight: Dream the Evening Away…
Above is a primary take a look at the official parade poster for “Disney Starlight.”
This design, which is able to take its place amongst the enduring art work under the Principal Road, U.S.A. Prepare Station, captures the artistic imaginative and prescient for the parade by showcasing each fashionable tales and acquainted nostalgia.
In case you’ve been following Starlight updates intently, chances are you’ll discover some associates on the poster who haven’t been revealed simply but.
“Disney Starlight” will get un poco loco with a brand new Coco float at Magic Kingdom!
In a celebration of the Pixar Animation Studios movie, sounds of Mariachi music will announce the arrival of a larger-than-life Pepita, wings unfold above the parade route. Beneath, Miguel will strum his guitar on the foot of a marigold bridge to the Land of the Useless, full with sugar cranium fireworks.
This Coco float seems improbable. Coco having a presence in Disney Starlight is unsurprising, because it’s been a staple of nighttime spectaculars for the final a number of years. And for good purpose. The music of Coco is energetic and emotional, so even when there are not any accompanying visuals, it’s at all times an asset to the nighttime spectaculars. To not get too carried away, however Coco was nearly sufficient to redeem Harmonious. Nearly.
Within the case of Starlight, it’ll clearly be a mixture of music and visuals, and the vibrance of Coco needs to be excellent for an evening parade. My hope is that the marigold bridge is hundreds of factors of sunshine, and that Pepita and Dante are likewise vibrantly illuminated. Pepita withdrawing could be superior. Once more, I don’t wish to get too carried away, however this may very well be the spotlight of Starlight.
The very first float units the tone for our star-kissed constellation of Disney desires, all delivered to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy.
See that glowing star on the finish of the Blue Fairy’s wand? To paraphrase a fan-favorite Magic Kingdom nighttime spectacular, that’s really the “first star you’ll see tonight.” You’ll be invited to want upon this very brilliant star to kick off Disney Starlight Evening Parade.
Preserve an eye fixed out for Peter Pan, Wendy and Elsa on their very own floats too! (For these preserving rating at house, this brings the whole float rely to 4: Coco, Blue Fairy, Peter Pan & Wendy, and Elsa.)
Not pictured on the poster artwork is the Encanto unit (#5), however this was the second float revealed again at D23.
Isabela makes her Magic Kingdom debut alongside her fellow Madrigal members of the family within the Encanto portion of “Disney Starlight.” In true Isabela vogue, she’ll swing on floral vines identical to she does within the movie.
Principal Road, U.S.A. may also “make manner” for a Moana float (#6), full with attractive, luminescent waves.
Whereas Moana takes middle stage, in case you look intently, you’ll discover Pua, HeiHei, and even a manta ray representing Gramma Tala becoming a member of her journey.
The princess float (#7) had its personal comparable first look, which additionally revealed that Disney Starlight Parade Will Supply ‘Nod to Previous’ Magic Kingdom Evening Parades, in addition to the affect of Disney Legend and artist Mary Blair on the unit’s design.
This float will function beloved princes and princesses like Aurora and Prince Phillip, Tiana and Prince Naveen, Belle and the Beast, and Cinderella and Prince Charming.
What you do not see within the idea artwork are the royal courtroom dancers who will bookend this princess section – certainly one of many references to the basic “Principal Road Electrical Parade.”
Lastly, Walt Disney World ended with this tease: “waltzing princesses aren’t the one royalty you’ll see in Disney Starlight, however that’s sufficient for in the present day!”
Turning to commentary and hypothesis, my assumption is that the ‘different royalty’ in Disney Starlight shall be Minnie & Mickey Mouse (and possibly Goofy?). Casey Jr. pulling Mickey Mouse’s drum float is the iconic visible for Disney night time parades. Reprising this after such a protracted hiatus for Magic Kingdom is a slam-dunk, no-brainer determination for which followers of all ages will go wild. This might convey the float rely to eight.
My hope is that Disney goes this route with the Casey Jr. and drum float within the opening, and one other finale float (#9) with a medley of different fan-favorite characters. That’s the method from Dreamlights, which is Disney’s #1 night time parade. They might additionally observe the lead of Paint the Evening (and loads of different parades), with Minnie and Mickey Mouse within the finale. However my guess is that the ‘not the one royalty’ tease is referring to Minnie and Mickey Mouse, presumably in royal apparel (however not essentially–they’re “Disney royalty” even when not a correct princess and prince).
In any other case, our guess is that that is most likely it when it comes to the floats in Disney Starlight Evening Parade. To be clear, this announcement indicated that all the floats on the poster have now been revealed, not all the complete floats. So there may very well be much more. We’d be ecstatic if the whole quantity is 10 or larger. We’re skeptical of that, as Starlight is already Paint the Evening size simply based mostly on what we all know. Though it’s nonetheless a lot shorter than Dreamlights, it’s exhausting to think about that Walt Disney World goes to foot the invoice for a Dreamlights-duration parade.
That’s not criticism, it’s simply recognizing the fact of leisure at Walt Disney World vs. Tokyo Disneyland. If Disney Starlight: Dream the Evening Away is even half pretty much as good as Dreamlights, it will likely be arguably the most effective nighttime parade to ever roll down Principal Road in Magic Kingdom. The music, floats, and costuming are equal components know-how, creativity and coronary heart. If Starlight has all three, it will likely be an emotional tour de pressure.
There’s a purpose this was the #1 announcement from D23 Expo for us. We can not wait to observe it with our fellow followers, and kind new ‘core recollections’ of a Magic Kingdom night time parade with our daughter throughout her early life. Hyped is an understatement. Now the massive query is: when will Starlight debut? With Memorial Day dominated out and the primary half of June trying unlikely, right here’s hoping it arrives earlier than Independence Day.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on the Want float or parade poster artwork? What do you consider the Disney Starlight: Dream the Evening Away reveals up to now? Trying ahead to Walt Disney World’s first brand-new night time parade in many years? Any floats, franchises, characters, or different nods to SpectroMagic or Magic Road Electrical Parade, and so on., that you just’re hoping to see out of the brand new Disney Starlight night time parade? Another questions or remark? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
