Schedule Changes Coming to Both Day and Evening Parades at Magic Kingdom in January 2026

Magic Kingdom’s parade schedule will change as we head into the New Year. Disney’s five-day calendar reflects that the Festival of Fantasy Parade, which returns to the park on January 1st, will be offered twice daily on Thursday (1st), Friday (2nd), and Saturday (3rd). The parade will run at both 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on those days. It returns to its normal 3:00 p.m. schedule on Sunday, January 4th.

Additionally, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, the nighttime parade, will run at 7:45 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. on January 1st-3rd. It then returns to 7:45 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 4th. Here is a screenshot from the Walt Disney World website showing both parade schedules for the long New Year’s weekend.

a screenshot of Disney's parade Schedule for early January — Walt Disney World Website Screenshot

You may notice that the screenshot above shows the last Christmas Parade of the year will be offered on December 31st. We have a separate article discussing the 2025 Christmas week parade schedule if you would like to learn more.

Nighttime Parade Schedule Changes

If you’re planning to visit a little later in January and hope to see the nighttime parade, keep an eye on the schedule. This next screenshot shows that Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away will run on a reduced schedule, with only one showing from Tuesday, January 6th, through Thursday, January 8th. It returns to a two-night offering for the 9th and 10th. As of publication, the parade’s showtimes are not listed past Saturday, the 10th.

Whether the parade will be offered on a reduced schedule going forward remains to be seen. Since its debut last July, the parade has run twice nightly except for evenings when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party were offered. With the seasonal parties behind us, the nighttime parade will run twice nightly through January 5th.

The main point is that if you’re visiting between now and early January, you should be aware of the schedule changes for both parades and plan accordingly. For example, you wouldn’t want to plan to see the 2nd nighttime parade on a night it was only offered once. Our best advice is to always check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit to confirm performance times for the entertainment offerings most important to your travel party.

For other entertainment changes at Magic Kingdom, see our overview of the 2025 holiday fireworks schedule changes for Christmas and New Year’s. You might also want to note the added showtimes for Fantasmic! this 2025 holiday season at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you’re visiting later in the month, be aware of this January 2026 early closing for Magic Kingdom.

Are you planning a visit to Walt Disney World in January? Don’t miss our guide to Disney World in January. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more details.