The new Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade is now performing nightly at Magic Kingdom, and we’ve had the chance to watch the parade on multiple nights, in multiple locations, and at multiple showtimes. In our Disney Starlight parade review below, we’re going to have not only a ton of photos and a full video, but also offer our thoughts about Magic Kingdom’s new light parade. As with all of our reviews, we were not hosted by Disney or given any special access. Let’s jump right in!
New Disney Starlight Parade: Need to Know Info
The Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade officially debuted on July 20, 2025, after two nights in a row of surprise soft opening performances.
The parade is currently being shown twice per night – once at 9pm and again at 11pm, with no difference between the two parade showtimes beyond anticipated crowd levels. The showtimes are always subject to change, so make sure to check the Walt Disney World website when planning your visit, and the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit.
The parade begins on Main Street USA, between the firehouse and barbershop, looping around Town Square in a counterclockwise direction before traveling down Main Street USA toward Cinderella Castle. A counterclockwise loop around the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle finds the parade headed into Liberty Square before continuing on to Frontierland (a great spot for some last-minute viewing). The parade exits the guest area of Magic Kingdom next to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. This is a similar route to nighttime parades of the past, but a reverse route when compared to the current daytime parade, the Disney Festival of Fantasy parade.
We’ll have a dedicated article discussing crowd dynamics once we get a few more viewings in, but suffice it to say that these early days of the parade have seen a significant drop-off in viewership for the 11pm parade following the conclusion of the 10pm Happily Ever After fireworks show.
The Disney Starlight parade is roughly 12 minutes long, depending on how quickly the floats are moving. We’ve seen some significant spacing between floats in some of the early showings, and I haven’t found an official runtime from Walt Disney World.
Disney Starlight Backstory
The backstory for the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade is delivered by a bit of narration at the start of the parade, and some backstory courtesy of Disney.
The narration, like so much of the parade, is actually a nod to a previous Disney nighttime spectacular! In this case, the narration immediately reminded us of the Blue Fairy at the beginning of the former Wishes fireworks show. Here’s a comparison of the two narrations.
When stars are born, they possess a gift or two.One of them is this: they have the power to make a wish come true.
Good evening, everyone! Welcome to this wonderful night.Did you know, that when a star is born, they posses a gift or two. One of them is this: they have the power to make a dream come true.
So come with us now, as we go on a magical journey through the stars and dream the night away!
In short, Disney Starlight is a dreamlike journey through familiar Disney IP, tied together by an instantly classic soundtrack and sparkling floats loaded with stunning visuals, including some of the best nighttime lighting that we’ve seen.
Here’s how Disney describes the Disney Starlight parade:
Disney Starlight transports guests into the stories of our beloved Disney characters. Through the power of the Blue Fairy’s magic, you’ll watch dreams and wishes come true. As the lights dance from float to float, you’ll see favorite classic and contemporary characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Pixar films, some for the very first time in a Disney Live Entertainment nighttime parade!Brought to life by the creative hands and hearts at Disney Live Entertainment, Disney Starlight is the perfect continuation of our legacy of nighttime parades, with bits of nostalgia sprinkled throughout a dazzling procession that raises the bar for the future.
This idea holds true for every part of this parade, not only in the float design, but in the music, choreography, and more. With several members of the creative team having worked on fan-favorites such as “Main Street Electrical Parade” and “SpectroMagic,” you will see the inspiration from ever-iconic electrical parades of years past. “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away” recalls the nostalgia of nighttime spectaculars with innovation lighting the way for a magical experience like never before.
Disney Starlight Full Video
If you’d like to watch the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade before jumping into the review, here’s our video of the parade from opening night!
Disney Starlight Float-by-Float Review
We’ll keep this section of our review somewhat organized, with a float-by-float review. We’ll take a detailed look at each float, offering our thoughts along the way. At the end of the article, we’ll have some comprehensive thoughts about the parade as a whole, so be sure to keep reading for our final verdict!
Blue Fairy/Pinocchio Float
A towering float, the Blue Fairy kicks off the Disney Starlight nighttime parade with a little bit of magic, figuratively and literally. The Blue Fairy was previously a part of the Main Street Electrical Parade decades ago, and she has a presence in the Tokyo Disneyland version of the parade.
For Disney Starlight, the Blue Fairy appears to be a nod to the old Wishes fireworks spectacular that was replaced by Happily Ever After in 2017. At least, according to Disney promotional material, which has a nod to Wishes in the official description of the float.
Hidden within the blue swirls terminating from the Blue Fairy is a sometimes-lit display case (for lack of a better term) with Pinocchio and Geppetto inside. While the cadence of the effect usually allows for observant guests to see it, it’s infrequent enough that it’s possible that you may miss the duo. Here’s a closer look.
Overall, I really like the idea of the Blue Fairy as a way to kick off the parade. As noted in the article title, I believe that the parade has great bones. In general, that means that the things that are difficult to change, such as the floats and music, are wonderful, but the parade desperately needs a “glow-up” elsewhere. One of the things that would be “easy” to address is the lack of performers between the floats. That’ll be a recurring theme of this review.
While the Pinocchio/Geppetto effect is a fun surprise, the execution leaves me wanting more. I’m not sure that I want them out of the display case and onto the street, but something is missing here in both the execution of the reveal and the timing of it.
Wish Float
The next float to follow behind the Blue Fairy keeps the idea of wishing upon a star alive. The Wish-themed float features Asha, along with a static figure of Valentino, and a digital representation of Star. The trio is in and around the wishing tree from the film, which is actually itself a nod to Walt Disney and the “Dreaming Tree”. The tree glows and changes colors along the parade route. Star can be “seen” zipping through the trees with a glowing trail draped from the branches.
Stepping back for a moment, each Disney Starlight float is loaded with technology, including a dynamic lighting package that is almost best appreciated from a distance. That said, the technology is never overwhelming and is always understated. There isn’t a single piece of tech in the whole parade that stands out like a sore thumb.
The Wish float is sort of an in-between float. It’s currently the smallest float of the parade, but still too big to be a “filler” float (think bumble bee from Main Street Electrical Parade).
Going from the large Blue Fairy float to the Wish float is a bit jarring, especially with no performers on the street in between. In fact, it feels so out of place that the placement of this float may have changed during the development of the parade. The Disney Starlight parade soundtrack could be a hint that the float order was shuffled up ever so slightly.
Beyond the placement and size of the float, I think it’s interesting that Walt Disney World kept Wish in the lineup following the disappointing reception for the film. It feels like a different legacy IP could’ve been used instead. Either way, I do think that it is visually impressive, and it’s nice to see some IP and characters that the next generation may end up enjoying.
Encanto Float
After a bit of a subdued start, the Encanto float is up next, and Mirabel is bringing the energy! She’s joined by Isabela and Bruno. Disappointingly, Luisa was left out for some reason. We would’ve really loved to have seen the three sisters together. Perhaps Luisa can be added at a later time, along with some donkey dancers, dancing behind the float as a way to address the general lack of characters on the street for Disney Starlight.
That said, the Encanto float does introduce the first street performers of the Disney Starlight parade. As seen below, there are roughly half a dozen performers with light-up butterfly backpacks that walk in front of the Encanto parade float.
There really isn’t much going on here. The butterflies are a nice enough effect, but there has to be a more elegant way of presenting them. The costumes are rather uninspired, and there is no real choreography or energy to speak of. We also had to do some serious work with our photos to even see the performers. That’ll be a recurring theme as well: street performer costuming is bad, and they are not lit well at all.
Turning our attention to the float itself, we find that the Miracle Candle is the centerpiece, with Mirabel and Isabela visible as the float approaches. Except for the absence of Luisa, this is about as close to a “no notes” float as Starlight has. The LED candle is beautiful, if slightly lacking in the “flame” up top. A butterfly slowly flaps its wings on the nose of the float. The entire float is wonderfully lit and rather dynamic. It’s stunning to see in person.
In fact, despite my best efforts with photos and video, I would argue that the entire parade is more impressive in person than on the phone or laptop that you’re likely reading this on. Some Walt Disney World offerings are easy to judge via photos and video, but the Disney Starlight parade is something that I would recommend that you reserve judgment on until you’re able to see it in person.
Mirabel really brings the energy, and I’d say that she’s the most energetic performer in a parade that sometimes lacks energy. Isabela makes her Magic Kingdom debut on a swing made of flowery vines, and we find Bruno at the back of the float, along with a rat.
Frozen Float
With the orange glow of the Miracle Candle and Encanto float passing us by, were are met with a very blue Frozen float. Or rather, a Frozen II float.
Like the Encanto float, we have more marchers in front of the Frozen float, this time with the Spirits of the Enchanted Forest leading the way. Again, we find rather uninspired costuming and minimal choreography. To be fair, there really isn’t a ton of choreography that is probably possible here. All of this would be forgiven if the low-energy marchers weren’t the only performers on the street. A character or two between the spirits and the float would be great!
Once again, we find a visually stunning float, complete with dynamic LED screens that present characters from the films in the frozen fractal reflections. Elsa is the only character for the float, which feels a little bit underwhelming.
Royals Princesses Float
Next up is the Princess, or Royals, float. This float is preceded by a group of three couples of Royal Court dancers waltzing in front of the float. The costumes are sparkling with lights that synchronize with the princess float itself. Just like other street performers, they are dimly lit (although that may have changed already). I had to really push my camera settings to get them as bright as they are in the photos below. That said, I wanted to highlight the costuming, which is much improved compared to what we’ve seen with the other street performers up to this point.
Turning to the float itself, we actually find two floats in one here, connected by a fountain. Like many of the floats, the lighting package here is super dynamic, even changing colors to match the “theme” of each princess, or royal pair, as a snippet of an iconic song from their film plays.
On the princess float, we find four royal couples. The front half of the float features Princess Aurora with Prince Phillip, and Princess Tiana with Prince Naveen. The second half of the float features Belle with Beast, and Cinderella with Prince Charming.
Now is probably as good a time as any to mention that I felt that the railings on a lot of the floats were somewhat obtrusive when viewing the characters. Perhaps that is more of a photography complaint than something that will actually make a substantial difference in your viewing experience. That said, I felt that there were just a few points in the parade where the railings were a foot higher than I would’ve liked, and I’m 6’2″ – I can only imagine what it must be like for a child or someone seated. They would probably only get a clear view of Cinderella’s head if they’re lucky.
Closing out the princess unit is another trio of dancers, dressed the same as the trio in front of the parade float.
Coco Float
After an ethereal experience for the Frozen float and a waltz for the princess float, it’s back to high energy and dancing for the Coco float.
We find skeleton Miguel at the front of the float, guitar in hand, and Dante at his side. Behind him is the larger-than-life Pepita, an imposing Alebrije. She slowly flaps her wings and occasionally breathes fog.
This float is extra vibrant, complete with the marigold petal bridge leading to the Land of the Dead. That may sound grim, but it’s a fiesta as part of the Día de los Muertos celebration! Light-up “fireworks” explode above the vibrant city.
The Coco float is an exceptionally strong float and one of my favorites of the parade. As with a number of the Starlight floats, I wish it were 10-20% bigger, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for with wonderful visuals. It feels like we’re nitpicking a bit now.
The scenic design here is outstanding – it really draws you in. I feel like there are plenty of details to be discovered on this float, and I’ll be keeping a close eye when we go back to watch Disney Starlight again in the near future!
Moana Float
Before we get to the Moana float, we find the best implementation of street performers yet. Unlike the butterflies and floating spirits, the light-up waves in front of the Moana float add enough kinetic energy to get a thumbs up. I wish there were light-up elements on the costumes themselves, but Disney appears to have made a decision to want the performers fade into the darkness. That works when there are compelling props like the waves here, but it doesn’t work for the other street performers.
Another beautifully lit float brings a blue glow to Main Street USA. Moana can be found in her boat atop swirling waves. Occasionally, a manta ray representing Grandma Tala lifts from in front of Moana’s boat, as if to guide her along her journey through Magic Kingdom.
The float also throws some light diagonally off the front of the float, extending the visuals beyond just the float box. I’m a fan of Disney extending the lighting package beyond the float, and hope that it is something that they really lean into for the future. Pictured below, you can see some swirling spotlights thrown against the buildings of Main Street USA. Of course, this effect is best enjoyed through a moving picture medium (or better yet, in person).
The Moana parade unit is wonderful. The float design conveys the swirling ocean tides, the boat perched atop the waves provides excellent views of Moana and her companions, Heihei and Pua, and the extra magic of Grandma Tala rising from the ocean is unexpected and pretty well executed. It’s a little shaky, but hopefully that can be remedied. Like many of the floats, we see a swirling line of light cutting through the float.
Here’s a closer look at Moana! Note that the sail behind her changes colors depending on whether or not Grandma Tala is present. When she is present, the sail starts to glow with magic.
Peter Pan Float
Next up is the Peter Pan float, featuring the skyline of London with Big Ben front and center. A crescent moon-shaped feature extends from the back of the float over the center of the float. Two stars are perched atop the feature.
The Peter Pan parade unit is the only unit that features a Disney character on the street, believe it or not. As we’ve mentioned before, the lack of characters on the street is the biggest weak spot of the Disney Starlight parade. We greatly miss the interactions that came along with previous night parades when characters and smaller floats zigzagged from side to side across the parade route and came right up to kids sitting on the curbs.
So, who is the Disney character walking along the parade route? It’s a character most recognizable as flying through the Disney parks, of course. Tinker Bell prances along in front of the Peter Pan float, spreading pixie dust that allows Peter and Wendy to “fly”.
We put “fly” in quotes because previously released concept art shows the duo flying over the rooftops of London, but they are definitely not flying during the parade. I’m sure it would be a beautiful dance through the air, creating a real wow moment, but I’m not convinced that it’s in the immediate plans. For now, we have to judge the parade as presented, and while the float itself is beautiful, the placement of the characters can make it difficult to see them.
If Peter and Wendy can think of a wonderful thought and get airborne, this will be a showstopper. For now, this is another example of a float with great bones with some room for improvement.
Finale Float
We’ve made it to the end of the Disney Starlight parade, and Disney may have saved the best for last! An all-new character named Whimsy leads the way of the parade’s finale. Whimsy is actually the whimsical train at the front of this float, and we can see the character’s face appear and disappear at the front of the boiler.
Whimsy’s personality shines through as the train “disappears” by turning into a dark sky of stars, and then reappears as the vibrant train seen below.
On the float itself, we have some fan-favorite characters, starting with Pluto and Goofy in the cab. Behind them, we find Donald Duck and Daisy Duck.
Three “vehicles” magically float between the front of the train and the end of the train. First up is Snow White and Dopey in a twinkling minecar, followed by Flynn Rider and Rapunzel floating toward a gleaming lantern on their boat.
The final “vehicle” is the magic carpet, where we find Aladdin and Jasmine.
Finally, Mickey and Minnie can be found at the very end of the Disney Starlight parade! Just like the other railings in the front of the train and railings in other floats, I found it hard to get a nice, clear view of Mickey and Minnie. That said, it’s always great to find them at the end of a parade as a final wave goodbye – reminding us to wish upon a star!
Technically, the final float is a small title card that trails behind the end of the finale train. On the back of the title card is a brand new animation of Jiminy Cricket, created specifically for the Disney Starlight parade. Be sure to stick around and give Jiminy a final wave goodbye!
Disney Starlight Soundtrack
Over the years, Disney nighttime parades have had iconic soundtracks. Of course, this dates back to the Main Street Electrical Parade and was carried forward by parades that followed. Disney Starlight is a love letter to the past, while still confidently entrenching itself in the present and future.
We have embedded the Disney Starlight soundtrack below for your listening pleasure, but one thing that isn’t represented in the album, and something that is excluded from many parade videos due to copyright issues, is the parade kicking off with a snippet from Baroque Hoedown.
I was a bit surprised that Disney went with a song so iconically a part of the Main Street Electrical Parade to lead off, but just before it becomes too indulgent, we’re thrown into the very orchestral Disney Starlight anthem. The music for Disney Starlight is absolutely one of its strengths, and the Starlight Anthem is an instant classic in my book. It marries the electronic sounds familiar from decades of nostalgia with the Main Street Electrical Parade and the orchestral vibes of SpectroMagic.
As a side note, when you’re watching the parade in Magic Kingdom, the Starlight anthem swirls along and between floats. With the soundtrack below, you’re only getting the parade unit part. In the park, it all works wonderfully.
The parade closes with another homage to the sounds of the Main Street Electrical Parade in the most nostalgic bookend perhaps ever created for a nighttime parade. Well done. No notes.
Closing Thoughts: Great Bones, Desperate Need for Glow-Up
I really like the Disney Starlight parade. I’ve seen some really interesting opinions, some even going as far as wanting to send the parade back and have nothing at all. That’s insane to me. I think that the parade has “great bones” – a solid foundation upon which Disney can build in the coming years if they choose. That said, the way that it is presented now could leave some Disney fans, and even casual Disney visitors, wanting more. A glow-up is needed.
The majority of the floats are wonderful, with only a few head-scratching elements. I do wish that there were one or two more major floats to bring the total runtime over 15 minutes. That’s not going to happen anytime soon. What can happen soon is an improvement on the ground. The current lineup is brutal, to be honest. The parade feels incomplete at points, and that needs to be addressed.
When I first watched it, I had a much higher opinion of it than I do after a few more viewings. I think that is mostly driven by the fact that I was watching the parade through a camera lens the first few times. When taking photos, empty time between floats is a wonderful thing. It allows me an extra few seconds to reset for the next float, review photos, and adjust any settings if needed.
Once I put the camera down, that dead space between floats that I enjoyed turned out to be anticlimactic, taking the wind out of the sails of the parade. Honestly, some might even consider it boring at points. Disney needs to take those complaints seriously and address them quickly. More street performers, and maybe even a little free-roaming mini-float or two (or three), would fix that instantly.
That said, Disney Starlight is a really good parade. It’s not perfect, and it’s not the lightning in the bottle of the Main Street Electrical Parade, but it’s really good. It has all of the right elements, and if Disney wanted to spend more than $12 on building out a good lineup of street performers, Starlight will become a classic. Think of that, sprinkle in 5-8 characters on the ground, a Segway mini-float here or there, and we’ve got the glow-up that the parade needs. A parade with great bones becomes a parade that is simply great.
Regardless, the nighttime vibes of Magic Kingdom are back. I’m a fan of Starlight, and I think that a great many guests who visit Magic Kingdom will also become fans (across generations), but even if you aren’t a fan, the addition of a new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom is an undeniable win.
We’ve spent a couple of nights now watching Starlight, Happily Ever After, and Starlight again, and it reminded us of warm summer nights from a decade ago. It’s not easy for Disney to recreate nostalgia these days, but they have done just that with Disney Starlight.
One of the things that I think Disney did a great job of is the visual language of the floats. They all flow wonderfully, connected by swirling ribbons of starlight, oftentimes cutting through a float.
We can see that represented nicely in the Disney Starlight poster. It’s a way to tie in the Blue Fairy through the entire parade route, down to the final swirls of magic seen creating Jiminy Cricket on the back of the title card float at the end of the parade. There are some really great concepts at play here that create a cohesive feel to the parade that only requires a bit more glue from ground performers.
I’m hopeful that some of the “problems” of Starlight will be remedied, but if I’m honest, I’m not going to hold my breath. Performers cost money, and Walt Disney World Live Entertainment doesn’t have a great track record of spending money on enough parade performers. Parades like the Festival of Fantasy Parade and even seasonal parades like those found at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party have seen cutbacks in recent years.
Still, what we have is a really good parade with an excellent soundtrack and some stunning floats. I’m a fan of Disney Starlight, and I think you will be too once you get a chance to see this parade in person.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
