Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away Nighttime Parade
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away is Magic Kingdom’s nighttime parade. It debuted on July 20, 2025. The parade features nine floats with a mixture of new and classic characters, along with performers. Below, we’ll discuss everything you need to know to see the parade on your next visit.
Find a sweet spot under the stars to watch Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away—a shimmering processional inspired by the classic Main Street Electrical Parade. It’s a star-kissed constellation of Disney dreams, brought to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy.
Watch as enchanting moments unfold from favorite Disney and Pixar stories such as Moana, Peter Pan, Encanto, Frozen, Pinocchio and more. It all happens along the parade route—from Frontierland to Main Street, U.S.A.
Performance Times: Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away is offered twice each evening as of publish time. The parade is not offered on evenings of seasonal parties like Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The parade times are slightly adjusted throughout the year based on what time it gets dark and the evening fireworks schedule. You’ll want to check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit for exact times. Like most forms of entertainment, the parade is subject to favorable weather conditions. It will be canceled in the event of inclement weather
| Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away | Magic Kingdom |
|---|---|
Parade Route: | The parade begins on Main Street U.S.A. and travels toward Frontierland. (Reverse Route) |
Attraction Type: | Nighttime Parade |
Duration: | The parade lasts approximately 15 minutes. (It really depends on how fast the floats are moving. It can vary.) |
Good For: | Everyone |
Must-Do List: | High Priority |
Perfect For: | Everyone |
Special Mention: | This is the first nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom since 2016. |
Additional Info: Guests may remain in wheelchairs or ECVs for this performance. Special viewing areas with limited space are available. Designated parade viewing areas for guests with disabilities and mobility devices are located in Liberty Square, the Hub (a circular area in front of Cinderella Castle), and near City Hall on Main Street, U.S.A. These areas are highlighted on the Magic Kingdom’s park map for guests with disabilities. These special viewing areas are first-come, first-served. In order to secure a spot, you’ll want to arrive early.
Characters
Here is the character list for Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away.
- The Blue Fairy (Pinocchio)
- Pinocchio
- Gepetto
- Peter Pan & Wendy (Peter Pan)
- Tinker Bell
- Asha (Wish) (Valentino and Star)
- La Familia Madrigal: Mirabel, Isabela, Bruno (Encanto)
- Elsa (Frozen)
- Aurora and Prince Phillip (Sleeping Beauty)
- Tiana and Prince Naveen (The Princess and the Frog)
- Belle and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast)
- Cinderella and Prince Charming (Cinderella)
- Miguel and Pepita (Coco) (Dante)
- Moana (Moana) (Pua and Hei Hei)
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Donald and Daisy Duck
- Snow White with Dopey
- Rapunzel with Flynn Rider
- Aladdin with Jasmine
- Mickey and Minnie Mouse
This parade is unique because all of the parade characters, except for Tinker Bell, ride on floats. While we prefer to get a front row spot for the parade, children might be able to see the character from a little further back. As you can see from the finale float below, the characters are positioned pretty high. You really have to look up to see them, and while this is a small criticism, they are not close. You don’t really get that feeling of being able to interact with the characters and performers as you do in the daytime parade.
Floats
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away is also unique in the fact that it runs a reverse route from the normal parade at Magic Kingdom. By this, I mean that it runs the same footprint, only it starts on the opposite end of the park. It then travels to and ends where most parades begin. So this parade steps off in Town Square toward the front of the park. It travels around the Town Square hub, straightens down Main Street U.S.A., and then circles the hub in front of Cinderella Castle. After that, it crosses through Liberty Square and takes a left into Frontierland, where it ends near Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
The following pictures of each float were all taken from the center of the hub in front of Cinderella Castle. I was facing Main Street U.S.A. and able to see the parade coming straight toward me. Most of the angles shown in the photos were taken as the castle turned into the hub. The Blue Fairy from Pinocchio is the first float in the parade.
Asha, along with Valentino, rides on the second parade float, representing Disney’s animated film Wish.
Next, we see members of the Madrigal family on the Encanto-inspired float.
Elsa from Frozen has a vibrant, icy blue and purple float.
The princess float comes next, carrying most of Disney’s royal couples.
Miguel from Coco follows in another crowd-pleaser float.
Moana is not far behind as she wayfinds her way through the crowds.
As the parade starts to wrap up, it’s back to the original classics with Peter Pan and Wendy from Peter Pan. They ride on a float featuring the Big Ben Clock Tower and an evening London scene.
The finale float features a train called “Whimsy” along with classic characters.
Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away Original Concept Art
Here is a look back at the original concept art that was initially shared for each float.
The Resorts Gal Spin on Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away
We give the parade a green light and consider something that everyone needs to experience at least once during a week’s vacation to Walt Disney World. That said, the parade is still so new that it requires a time investment to find a spot, especially for the first parade. If you can stay later, you probably won’t have as hard a time finding a decent viewing spot for the second parade. Of course, if you’re visiting during a high crowd time like the holidays, spring break, or fall break, spots for both parade showtimes will still be coveted. You’ll want to get a spot early or be okay with taking what you can get.
Final Thoughts
We hope you enjoyed this overview of Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, and that you get to see it on your next visit to Magic Kingdom Park. For similar types of entertainment at Magic Kingdom, you might enjoy the following:
- Happily Ever After (Evening Fireworks)
- Festival of Fantasy Parade (Daytime Parade)
- Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire (Castle Stage Show)
You might also like to browse the entire list of attractions for Magic Kingdom. Check back with Resorts Gal soon for more Disney World planning and details.
In the Comments
Are you excited to see Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away in person? Have you ever seen a nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom? Let us know below in the comments.