Disney To Surprise and Delight Guests with Soft Opening of “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away”

Disney has announced that Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, Magic Kingdom’s new nighttime parade, will have a soft opening tonight (July 18th) at 9:00 p.m. The parade officially debuts on July 20th. This evening’s performance is meant to surprise and delight guests who are visiting the park. There is no word at this time on whether or not an additional soft opening will happen on Saturday evening.

When the parade officially debuts on Sunday evening, it will be offered twice nightly at 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. Those times may slightly change throughout the year. Additionally, the parade will not be offered on evenings that Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are held.

If you’re an annual passholder, make sure you’re aware of the notice in the notifications tab of the My Disney Experience app. It reminds passholders that, due to anticipated high demand that they will need a theme park reservation (including after 2:00 p.m.) when visiting Magic Kingdom starting July 20, 2025, and afterward for a limited time.

If you’re visiting the park this evening, we hope you have a wonderful time! Remember that the parade is outdoors and will be cancelled in the event of inclement weather. It is expected to step off on Main Street U.S.A. and end in Frontierland, which is the opposite of the typical parade route. For more on the parade, see our attraction guide.

More Planning

Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Explore our resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.