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. We wanted you to be among the first to know while there’s still time to plan a trip to Walt Disney World Resort to enjoy the magic and nostalgia of the parade one last time.
Main Street Electrical Parade is a nighttime procession filled with glowing, spinning floats that honor favorite Disney characters. Animated Disney films that are represented include “Alice In Wonderland,” “Cinderella” and more. During the parade, Tinker Bell lights the way with a wave of her wand and orchestrates half a million shimmering lights synchronized to a memorable soundtrack.
If you’re planning to visit the Walt Disney World Resort for our fall experiences and see the parade one last time at Magic Kingdom Park before it ends its run, 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.
Keep checking the Disney Parks Blog for updates on entertainment experiences at Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort.
Comments
The MSEP music is my second favorite of all time (Tapestry of Nations/Dreams being #1). It will be dearly missed by both my husband and me. My husband and I will both miss it tremendously. I hope something will replace it very soon as it appears we’ll soon be down to Illuminations, Wishes and Star Wars fireworks for night time entertainment as neither Jungle Book nor Rivers of Light are on the schedule for September.
Denise Figueroa–
Thanks! I LOVE Paint the Night, and you make a good point about its music. 🙂
Maybe this means Paint the Night or a remade Spectromagic is coming to WDW…….
Very sad to hear. Wished they would keep it but update some of it with latest technology twist in the mix.
This is a big mistake from the Disney parks, why is this change being made? This is really our biggest reason to visit Magic Kingdom my daughter love the parade more than anything else in Disney. We are having a baby boy this year and we are really very sad that he is not gonna get to see the magic of this. None of the attraction is as special as the parade for the little kids. Is there any place where we can write or something so this can be reconsidered?
YEAH! It’s coming back to California. Can’t wait to see it again. Guess some folks will be making a trip to Anaheim, CA. BTW, you’ll love It’s A Small World at Disneyland; it’s much much better.
We are so sad to see this parade go, it has always been one of our favorites. So, we have lost the Osborne lights and this in less than a year ….I hope Disney comes up with something that will please all the age groups ! I am so happy that we will be there the end of September so we plan on seeing it a few times that week !
As much as I love the MSEP and its music, I have to say I agree with Fred Sindi – the Paint The Night Parade is AWESOME! Could it be that WDW is considering replacing the MSEP with Paint The Night?! I, too, am looking forward to MSEP’s return to Disneyland but hope the PTNP sticks around as well. By the way, the PTNP incorporates the music from MSEP in its parade!
You guys are killing me!! Yes we have enjoyed MSEP for many years, but let’s not forget it was on again/off again. Spectromagic was at the magic kingdoms for the majority of 90s and 2000s.
Keep calm, though we may have a short time without any night time parade. I am sure Disney has something magical up its sleeve. MSEP really needs an update anyway
I am deeply saddened by the news of the MSEP being discontinued. My wife and I have recently conceived our first child and planned on going next May to celebrate our 2 year anniversary and our child’s first WDW trip.
I love this parade and remember being allowed to stay up past my bedtime when I was a kid on vacation with my parents and little brother so we could watch the parade.
May of 2015 my wife got to watch it for the first time on our honeymoon. She started to finally understand the magic of Disney. The parade and fireworks were major driving forces for us becoming DVC members.
Now I want the opportunity to watch it with my own children and they can stay up past their bedtime to experience the magic!
Did you hear that??? It’s the sound of my heart breaking into a thousand pieces!!! My wife and I have book our anniversary trip to Disney World in January. She hasn’t been to that park in 18 years. She was so looking forward to seeing the
MEP (Main Street Electic Parade)!!! I can’t believe that you’re shutting it down! ???
Please reconsider…..I LOVE this parade…..I always look forward to it (and had no idea that when I saw it during my last visit it would be my last time).
I am so very sad to hear of this. Will Disney replace it with something new or are they just stopping it altogether?
This is such a disappointment. Please consider bringing back such a magical experience for all.
I am so disappointed to learn the parade will be discontinued. Please reconsider!!!!! I have visited several times with my grandchild, it was the best part of Magic Kingdom. Why would a decision like this be made, when it made so many visitors happy?
WHY is the parade ending? There has to be a reason given besides just saying, “it’s over”! The parade and the fireworks have always been the truly MAGIC park of one’s visit to the parks! Disney, PLEASE RECONSIDER!
As someone who has been going to Disney parks since I was a young boy in the early 1970s, I can’t describe how sad this news is. The MSEP is one of, if not the most iconic and memorable part of any visit to the Disney properties. Over the years, I have shared the memories of the MSEP with my grandparents, parents, siblings, friends, wife and children, and hoped to share it in the future with my grandchildren. Our family trips to Disney, as recently as this summer, have always include the MSEP as a must-see, and in fact has been a contributing factor to attending the Magic Kingdom instead of other activities.
I can understand that some may view it as being slightly outdated if you have seen it many times. However, ask any child, or adult for that matter, what they remember about their first trip to Disney, and the MSEP is always at the top of the list for those who were fortunate enough to see it. It is a one-of-a-kind, magical, iconic event that leaves an indelible memory and is the definition of what a trip to Disney should be about. To say it will be sorely missed is a severe understatement.
I absolutely adore the MSEP! My mom and I would always watch it twice each evening. In recent years, the second parade would be dumbed down – they wouldn’t have as many dancers or characters. Sometimes even a float would be missing…. (i.e. Mr. Smee woudn’t be there rowing his boat or the canopies in Cinderellas court were sent home after the first parade.) I was even there one evening when they didn’t even have any dancers in the 2nd parade! Just the floats! I hope whatever new parade that replaces MSEP will be just as inspiring to watch and enjoy… and perhaps MSEP will rotate back to WDW sometime in the future.
Happy to say I get to see it one more time in Sept. I agree with the other comments, PLEASE BRING BACK SpectroMagic! 🙂
Thanks.
I am SO sad to hear this!! Was planning a vacation for next year so my daughter could see this wonderful parade that I remember fondly from my childhood. I so disappointed that she won’t get to experience it!!
The theme song ( Baroque Hoedown ) is my ringtone. This is sad news ?
Not sure if we will visit. We were going to take our grandchildren. It will not be the same.
My heart is breaking.
Everyone, The Main Street Electrical Parade is a DISNEYLAND ORIGINAL. It first premiered at Disneyland in 1972. It was originally Disneyland’s parade. So the parade is essentially going back to its original home.
I have to say, as cool as it is that the Electrical parade is coming back to Disneyland, I REALLY hope that Paint the Night will return to Disneyland at some point.
Paint the Night is a 21st century Electrical parade with up to date lighting technology. Having the original Electrical parade return to Disneyland feels like a step backwards in terms of technology and creativity.
We are going to WDW in Nov. I had reservations made for main street electrical parade dining package with VIP viewing for the electrical parade. I loved this parade. My father took us to Disney in 1976 and have been going back every couple of years. I have been talking about seeing the electrical parade with my son and he was so excited that we had VIP viewing for it. Now I get to break the news to him that we will not be seeing it. So sad to see it go. Maybe, they will replace it with something just as good, if not even better!! We can’t help but be a little disappointed.
I wouldn’t mind seeing something new. MSEP was tired and it’s time for a change. Interesting to see what it will be.
Please bring back Spectromagic back in the place of this parade. Please????? As an annual pass holder, this nighttime parade is one of the best!
To those wondering about Spectromagic- those floats were destroyed. If they were to bring it back, they would have to build everything again. I doubt they’ll do that. We never liked Spectromagic as much as the MSEP. It was better than PTN.
I love SpectroMagic- it would be cool if that came back and I’ve never seen Paint the Night!
This is my all time most favorite parade at WDW! We even went to California twice over the years to see it. As much as I love this parade, I noticed last summer that it was getting a bit shaggy around the edges so maybe it is time for a refurbishment – UGH – and then bring it back again in the future. We just returned from WDW last week. We are a family that is at the parks when they open so by 9 PM I have had enough of the heat, crowds. I just couldn’t bring myself to sit there on the pavement for another hour while other guests showed up at the last minute expecting to sit up front or pushed their kids to the front or didn’t pay attention to their kids who were pulling and snapping the rope right in my face. I guess I am getting older but we have the video of this parade from may trips and I can watch from the comfort of my couch unfortunately without a Disney treat in my hand.
This is so sad. My wife actually has tears in her eyes. We remember this from our childhood years and now get to share with our daughter as annual passholders. Very disappointed this is leaving. Another classic Disney attraction disappears. Please use some Disney magic for another classic night time spectacular. Fireworks will not be enough.
This news makes me so sad. It’s my favorite parade. When we were there in June we had to leave before the parade because my little guy got sick due to the extreme heat. I hope it returns soon!!
Nooooo!!! don’t take it away!!! It was truly magical. That is one thing that is always talked about around our family table the “magical electrical parade.” No other parade compares. Disney World will not be the same. Ending our magical day with the electrical parade and fireworks following was a memory never forgotten. We have two other people coming with us in December of 2016 which will be their very first time. They were looking forward to that magical experience of the electrical parade. What a disappointment.
How can you get rid of the Main Street Electrical Parade?!? This is one thing that I have never missed when I visit. My parents made me watch the parade for the first time 30 years ago and I have been in love with it since. I have introduced my children to the parade and they never want to leave without seeing it when they visit. I was really looking forward to having my grandchildren sit on my shoulders for their first experience. It is a shame that such a wonderful event has to be ended. I hope Disney recognizes how wrong this moves and brings back this wonderful experience.
Oh nooo! We just became DVC members. We went in June of 2015 and my kids loved this parade so much that we saw it three times on our trip. We go back Dec 3-10, 2016. My son’s 8th birthday is planned at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant just for this parade. Bring it back! Or tell us what will be in it’s place! Spectromagic looks cool. Please let us know what will be there so we know can decide our birthday dinner plans. Just update the electrical parade and bring it back ASAP!
On this magic night,
A million stars will play beside us,
Cast a spell of light,
Glimmering, shimmering, carousel-ling
‘Round the world tonight,
A symphony in SpectroMagic.
Pure enchantment lights our way!
OMG! Could this be the return of Spectromagic just in time for my visit next year ?❤️?❤️?
How about copying Paint the Night from Disneyland and have it at WDW? We were there, July 17, 2015 (THE date to be there) and the Paint the Night parade is wonderful, amazing, awesome, I can’t say enough!!! Put that in WDW and you will be like, electrical parade? What’s that?
But, in any case, I’ll be enjoying WDW and the old electrical parade in two weeks. I haven’t seen the Festival of Fantacy Parade yet. Looking forward to that.
So what is the difference between the two parades? I was watching Youtube spectromagic and it looks like another Disney parade with lights and rolling floats. Is it the music? or….what?
I think i’ve always seen the Main Street Parade…so if you visit enough, it might be a change to see Spectromagic.
I did forget to mention that we will be celebrating my granddaughter’s, Isabella, 7th Birthday on (October 26,2016)while at Disney World. This will be a special time for her. Unfortunatlely it will be without the Electrical Parade.
PLEASE tell me that SpectroMagic will be brought back in it’s place! SpectroMagic was SO much better! As a Disney fan going on her 20th trip next month, it would be SO nice to know that this would be my last trip to Disney without getting to see SpectroMagic. I miss it so much! It was far superior to the electrical parade.
I just heard about the fact the Electrical Parade is being discontinued in Disney World in early October, 2016. This could not come at a worse time for as we will be taking our 7 year old granddaughter on her first visit to Disney World. She was so excited to know about the Electrical Parade. When we told her about the Parade will be cancelled shortly before we go there, she actually started to cry. She doesn’t even want to go to Disney World. We tried to comfort her and indicated that there are other things to see and do. It is too bad that this event has to be terminated but I understand that there are good reasons. However to my granddaughter, she says that “it is not fair” and I have to agree.
I just looked up “Spectramagic” on Wikipedia and it says it’s returning to Walt Disney World on October 9, 2016!!! I’ve never seen it, so I’m at least excited about that!
I’m not sure if it’s true, but at least the dates match.
Nooooooooooooo!!! Our family just became members of the DVC and this is one of our favorite attractions. It’s such a fun and magical way to end the evening. I really hope they reconsider their decision and bring it back after its run at Disneyland. I just can’t describe how much we all love this parade. It’s the one video from our last vacation on my phone that my son watches over and over. Plllllllllease bring it back!
Please, please bring back Spectromagic!! Loved that! It’s what my kids grew up with at WDW!!
Well, as much as I hate to see it go… Here are a few realities… The MSEP originated in Disneyland. It was duplicated at Disney World in 1977, and ran until 1991. It then had another run from 1999 until 2001, and was brought back for this current iteration back in June 2010. In between runs, Spectromagic ran as the evening parade. You can probably bet that Disney World will not go without an evening parade. It wouldn’t be good business to eliminate nighttime parades. Due to the number of people who truly love MSEP (me included), you can probably bet that it will return again in a few years – but I’m not getting all bent out of shape because it’s going away for now. There will be something in it’s place, and I’m good with that. They have to change things up occasionally…. I don’t think it’s a bad thing necessarily. A little variety is good in my opinion. Cheers! 😀
DLR already has a night parade they seem to love, from everything I’ve read online and in the news. WDW already has a night parade we love. I don’t understand why both parks can’t keep the parade they already have. Now DLR will have both parades on site, though not running at the same time, and WDW has none? I made my first trip to DLR last fall and saw PTN. MSEP is much better, particularly the music. I hope this classic parade is brought back to WDW, as is, after its run at DLR. It is perfect the way it is and one of the best things to see at WDW.
I couldn’t agree more, Kimberly!!! I loved Off Kilter too, and was sad/disappointed to see it replaced with a lumberjack show that seemingly didn’t last!! (Last time I was at Epcot, there were no performance times for the show.) I also love the Electric Light Parade!! I’ll be sad with that departure as well. 🙁 I can appreciate change, and don’t expect everything to stay the same, but it seems like much of the change lately is non-value added. Of course, I still love Disney; it’s just getting harder and harder to refine my top 5 list of things to do each visit!
My heart is skipping a beat in anticipation. Welcome back!!!
No!!! You cant take away the electric parade! This was one of our families highlights to Disney World…. Bad mistake
Thank goodness! Is Spectromagic coming back???!!!! Please please please bring it back!!!!
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