It is finally time! We have been eagerly awaiting the opening night for Disney World’s new nighttime parade, and it is finally here! Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away officially made its debut on the streets of Magic Kingdom, and we have SO much to share with you.

This brand-new nighttime parade debuted on July 20th, 2025, and we’re bringing you with us for opening night. The parade follows in the footsteps of iconic nighttime spectaculars like the Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic, and we can’t wait to give you a first look!

During its opening phase, you will be able to catch Disney Starlight at 9 PM and 11 PM, with the parade beginning on Main Street, U.S.A. and traveling towards Frontierland. Note that this is the opposite direction of the Festival of Fantasy Parade and Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade. Enough of the logistics, we know you are really here to SEE the new parade, so let’s dive in!

The Disney Starlight begins with the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio as the parade is brought to life! The star on the Blue Fairy’s wand will be the “first star you’ll see tonight,” and parade viewers are even invited to wish upon the star to kick off the parade. It starts with a nod to the Main Street Electrical Parade, too. She invites guests to “dream the night away.”

Her float was HUGE. Disney was right when they called it larger than life.

The next illuminated float was the Wish float! Asha, Star, and Valentino were all along for the ride on this whimsical-looking float complete with a towering tree and floral elements. Asha wants all of our wishes to come true, and Star moves around the float.

Don’t forget about the dancers! There were performers with butterflies that glowed and appeared to be fluttering.

The Encanto float was dazzling! Mirabel and Bruno were excitedly waving to viewers, while Isabela was swinging from the vines. Mirabel was dancing, and her float was decorated with butterflies from the movie, along with musical instruments for her to play.

We’re not trying to be dramatic, but we might have cried when we saw Elsa. All of her lights sparkled, and we felt all the magic of Frozen.

It had the call from “Into the Unknown,” and it was really when we heard that that the waterworks started. Other characters were represented on the ice behind her as she used her magic to light up the float.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Disney parade without some Disney Princesses, and this next float is loaded with them! Aurora and Philip, Tiana and Naveen, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Belle and the Beast are all dancing their way through the parade route, and they are all looking amazing. The music changes for different princesses throughout the parade.

We were dancing in the streets as the Coco float made its way by. The float features Miguel front and center, and mariachi music helped introduce the float’s arrival. Miguel kept strumming the guitar, and fireworks played on his float. He had lots of dialogue and stood on the bridge of marigolds.

The next float was calling to us, and it featured none other than Moana! The Moana float was stunning, and Moana was accompanied by Pua, HeiHei, and a manta ray representing Gramma Tala.

Moana was at the top of a massive wave inside her voyager boat. Moana stood on top as a true Wayfinder, and the lights moved around the water to make it look like waves.

Tinker Bell led the next float with her wand. She ran around the streets interacting with guests. Of course, she was beautifully lit up.

Next, Peter Pan is brought to life! You can even spot Wendy on the float, too! Big Ben was there as it looked like they were standing over the city of London. There are so, so, SO many lights.

The finale of the parade was nothing short of spectacular! The grand finale float was inspired by the classic Main Street Electrical Parade float and features some very special friends. Goofy, Pluto, Donald, Daisy, Mickey, AND Minnie are all aboard dressed in their new Disney Starlight costumes. Plus, you can also spot Snow White, Dopey, Jasmine and Aladdin, Flynn, and Rapunzel. Talk about a fully loaded float! It was the perfect ending to a gorgeous parade. 

You can also spot a brand-new character, Whimsy, on the grand finale float. Whimsy is made of starlight, and he was inspired by vintage Disney animation — specifically Silly Symphonies. Smoke came off from the top, and he made different faces that interacted with the lights around him. He goes from a fully blue train and switches to colors!

The final float, led by performers, features the Disney Starlight logo on it, but guess what? Jiminy Cricket will appear on the back! We started with the Blue Fairy and ended with good ole Jiminy.

Seriously, cue the waterworks. We were utterly blown away by the parade, and this was everything we were missing from Magic Kingdom. It’s a perfect way to celebrate the magic and truly light up the night sky. If you were questioning if you should make the time to see it, DO IT! This should be added to your Magic Kingdom itinerary and is a parade you won’t want to miss.

FIRST LOOK at the NEW parade, Starlight Dream the Night Away in DISNEY WORLD!! Look how magical it looks, are my eyes watering? Maybe it’s the humidity .. 🥹 pic.twitter.com/61IsiHn5BX

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) July 19, 2025

There are THREE spots that will be your best viewing points. One is standing on top of the train station balcony! This is a unique spot to watch the parade in general, as you’re up high and eye level with some of the tallest points of the floats. The caveat here is that this area is sometimes reserved for VIP tours. The second is standing in front of Main Street Theater with the train station in the background, and the third is standing along the parade barrier in the hub, facing the castle either in the center, near the Partners Statue, or to the left as the parade heads into Liberty Square.

If you want to see the fireworks and Disney Starlight, you’ll need to see them back-to-back with the parade, regardless of which parade you plan to see. If you want to see the first parade, just stake out your spot for the parade, then hang in there for about 30-40 minutes after to watch Happily Ever After.

If you want to see the second parade, be prepared for a less-than-stellar view of the fireworks, but you’ll likely be able to snag a great parade spot without too much trouble as the crowd from the first show clears out.

If you don’t want to stake out a spot for the parade, you’ll have the most luck strolling up at the last minute in Frontierland and – on less busy nights – you can even be a little bit late since the parade will take some time to reach you.

Leaving Magic Kingdom after fireworks can be difficult, and with the parade, it’s going to be even more chaotic. The closer you are to the exit when the fireworks end, the easier it is to turn around and get outta there before you’re stuck in a 45-minute bus line.

The 9 PM parade is likely going to be the most popular one — so if you can hold out for the 11 PM one, that’s going to be your best chance of seeing the parade and avoiding crowds. It also happens after the park technically closes, meaning you won’t be wasting time that you could be in lines for rides.

Stay tuned to DFB for all your Disney World news!

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Are you planning on seeing Disney Starlight soon? Let us know when in the comments!