I recently had the chance to watch the new Magic Kingdom nighttime parade, Disney Starlight, and as soon as I heard the beginning of the music, the waterworks started.

The Blue Fairy

Nighttime spectaculars are my thing, so when I heard I would get to see my favorite characters light up the night sky, I was ready to whip out my bubble wand and start celebrating. Since it’s in Magic Kingdom, you can also catch another top nighttime show — Happily Ever After! Want to try to catch both? Well, you may need a new strategy.

Disney Starlight currently runs at 9 PM and 11 PM, and Happily Ever After, the fireworks spectacular, plays at 10 PM. This means you have two choices for the parade, but only one for the fireworks.

Disney Starlight — Frozen Float

If you watch the fireworks, we recommend planning on the 9 PM parade and choosing a spot where you can watch both shows without moving. That means you’ll want to choose a spot around the parade route that is on Main Street, U.S.A., or near the castle if you want the full fireworks experience.

Crowds for the parade

You might want to scoot a little closer to the castle after the 9 PM Starlight showing ends to get a better view of the castle projections for Happily Ever After. Be warned: you will be moving upstream, so be prepared to navigate through.

Magic Kingdom Fireworks

Are you set on the 11 PM Starlight show, which typically has fewer crowds? You might not get as stellar a spot for Happily Ever After. Without the parade, I like to be in my Happily Ever After spot an hour or so before the show starts, especially if you have a specific spot in mind. Since people have probably been in their places for an hour or more before the early Starlight showing, you might struggle to find a spot, especially while the parade is so new.

Crowds

Despite Happily Ever After being around for years, it still brings on the crowds, and while some of the crowds will lower for Starlight after the newness wears off, we’re not expecting it to be empty.

Happily Ever After

If you’d like to see the fireworks and hear the music but don’t care too much about the castle projections, the music plays in numerous locations around the parks. I loved watching the 11 PM parade in Liberty Square, where there were fewer crowds, but I could still hear the music to one of the best fireworks shows to ever grace Magic Kingdom. If it’s your first time watching Happily Ever After, you may want to prioritize those Main Street or castle spots, but don’t knock watching it in other places within the park.

People lining up early in Liberty Square

I’m so excited that Disney Starlight is here and how it’s making my Magic Kingdom park day even more spectacular. Make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for more!

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Have you watched Disney Starlight yet? Tell us your thoughts on it in the comments.