Disney Parks Blog Weekly Recap Aug. 14, 2016

This week, Disney Parks Blog readers were among the first to learn that the Main Street Electrical Parade, Magic Kingdom Park’s long-running nighttime parade, will officially end its historic run at Walt Disney World Resort on October 9 and then head to Disneyland Resort for a limited-time encore engagement.

If you’re planning to see the parade one last time at the Walt Disney World Resort, please keep in mind that Main Street Electrical Parade is not offered on Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights. Check for the latest parade dates and times here on WaltDisneyWorld.com or in the My Disney Experience app. Check out our update for more details.

And at Disneyland Resort, there’s still time enjoy “Paint the Night” parade. “Paint the Night” parade will continue nightly performances, just before “Disneyland Forever” fireworks, through September 5 as part of the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration. The parade will return on select nights during the holiday season later this year. Check the entertainment calendar at Disneyland.com for performance dates and times. Visit Erin’s story for more details.

And if you missed our live coverage of the royal welcome of Princess Elena of Avalor at Magic Kingdom Park this week, we’re sharing a weekend replay of the event.

Starting this month, guests at Magic Kingdom Park will be able to see Princess Elena, Disney’s first princess inspired by diverse Latin cultures, in a daily welcome ceremony on the Castle Forecourt Stage. You can also catch her starring in the new Disney Channel series “Elena of Avalor.”

Here are some of the other stories we worked on this week.

• Disney Parks Blog Unboxed – Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2016 – I recently visited Magic Kingdom Park where I attempted to get a sneak preview of the party. Instead, I received a surprise visit from the Disney Delivery Guy.
• New Disneyland Resort Eastern Gateway Coming in 2018 – Disneyland Resort is planning to break ground on our Eastern Gateway, a new arrival point that will provide guests even more choices for access and parking when it opens in late 2018.
• Craft Cocktails Star at New AbracadaBar at Disney’s BoardWalk at Walt Disney World Resort – Guests are discovering the whimsy of AbracadaBar, the newest Walt Disney World watering hole located on Disney’s BoardWalk between Trattoria al Forno and the just-opened Flying Fish restaurant.
• Wildlife Wednesday: Disney Helps ‘Reverse the Decline’ of Elephants – Friday, Aug. 12, is World Elephant Day! Elephants are amazing for so many reasons – they are the largest land mammals, have one of the longest gestation periods in the animal world and are one of the only animals other than humans to mourn the passing of another member of their species.
• Welcome to Our World! What Is The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival? – Loyal fans of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival have many different answers for the question, “What is the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival?” For some, it’s all about noshing and sipping your way around World Showcase Lagoon and continuing on to the latest new global marketplaces in Future World.
• A Fabulous 45th: The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse – As Magic Kingdom Park’s 45th anniversary approaches this fall, this new weekly series will look at one of the park’s opening day attractions that can still be enjoyed today. This week, we’ll focus on the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.