Walt Disney World nonetheless has not introduced an official debut date for Starlight Night time Parade, which is coming to Magic Kingdom someday in Summer time 2025. Nonetheless, the calendar retains creeping later into June and July, and a trio of suspicious schedule modifications counsel when then new nighttime leisure is prone to debut. This covers these modifications and explains why ‘the place there’s smoke, there’s fireplace.‘
It’s been one month since Walt Disney World pulled again the curtain on “Cool Child Summer time,” which I assume is form of a factor, despite the fact that 97.1% of friends could have no clue it’s occurring. With that got here the opening dates for each the Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey and Villains Unfairly Ever After, each of which can debut on Might 27, 2025. That’s about as anticipated–the larger shock was the omission of an official opening date for the all-new Disney Starlight Night time Parade.
We’ve been overlaying this saga intently in When Will Starlight Night time Parade Debut at Walt Disney World? We gained’t rehash all the pieces right here, however to shortly recap, as a substitute of showing a debut date for the parade, Walt Disney World teased that Starlight would roll down Primary Avenue in Magic Kingdom “later this summer time.” The affordable interpretation was (and is) that Disney Starlight Night time Parade has been delayed.
Since then, there have been a few developments on the discounting entrance. Walt Disney World lately launched Rooms Beginning at $99 Per Night time at Walt Disney World in Summer time 2025, with these deep reductions operating from June 29 to July 31, 2025. That got here solely two weeks after Disney’s final spherical of reductions, which included the 3-Parks Walt Disney World Ticket Deal, 50% on Youngsters Tickets Deal, Free Eating, and quite a lot of room-only reductions.
This strongly suggests summer time bookings are delicate, which is unsurprising given the opening of Epic Universe, and rising financial uncertainty and journey trepediations as shopper confidence dips. Some readers have nervous that the tip date–July 31–of the room deal signifies that Starlight gained’t debut till August. As we’ve beforehand said, that is extremely unlikely. The issue is the shortage of an introduced Starlight debut date, as there’s a lag between reserving and touring. Even when the parade debuts in early to mid-July 2025, it’s too late at this level to seize as many resort bookings as if that was introduced again in December by way of February.
There’s additionally the fact that broader points exist with bookings–financial uncertainty, plummeting worldwide journey, declining shopper confidence, and so on–that necessitate extra aggressive offers. Whereas a gap date for Starlight might’ve helped offset these problem, it’s hardly a panacea. Most people doesn’t care a few new evening parade as a lot as anybody inclined to learn a put up like this. Folks nervous about their employment or financial prospects aren’t going to overlook all that for a brand new evening parade.
In any case, that brings us to the newest developments with the Walt Disney World working calendar…
First up is that Disney’s Animal Kingdom is scheduled to host Prolonged Night Hours on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 from 6 pm to eight pm (barring a daily park hours extension, which can most likely occur–pushing that point again).
This alone definitely doesn’t elevate any crimson flags. Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are widespread backup choices when Magic Kingdom or EPCOT can’t host attributable to scheduling conflicts. In reality, one such battle is coming quickly, when Animal Kingdom is internet hosting Prolonged Night Hours rather than EPCOT on Might 5, 2025. Any such factor occurs a number of instances every year, often attributable to company park buyouts.
Magic Kingdom usually doesn’t supply Prolonged Night Hours on an prolonged foundation, however that doesn’t occur till later within the yr. Magic Kingdom stops internet hosting ExEH when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Social gathering and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Social gathering kick into excessive gear. That sometimes occurs in mid-to-late September and continues by way of early January. The traditional cadence is for Disney’s Hollywood Studios to take over ExEH in September and October, after which Disney’s Animal Kingdom in November as soon as the Jollywood Nights Christmas Events begin at DHS.
One of many “alerts” I’ve been looking forward to with regard to Disney Starlight Night time Parade is Prolonged Night Hours getting bumped from the schedule at Magic Kingdom.
That is exactly why After Hours at Magic Kingdom ends its ‘season’ early this yr–as a result of it’s a logistical problem to run these exhausting ticket occasions and a brand-new evening parade. It’s additionally one of many causes we had hoped Starlight would debut round Might 20, 2025. (And assume that was the plan again when the After Hours schedule was solidified final yr.)
In any case, Magic Kingdom relinquishing Prolonged Night Hours internet hosting duties is an indication that Disney Starlight Night time Parade is coming quickly. At this level, it’s a weak sign, although, because the schedule change is just one week and that week is Independence Day. As such, I didn’t even plan on reporting this till we had two consecutive weeks of ExEH being off the schedule for Magic Kingdom.
Which we might not get! It’s attainable this can be a nothingburger; it’s additionally attainable that Walt Disney World will attempt to supply Starlight and ExEH at Magic Kingdom. In any case, one other schedule change simply occurred–and one which’s a a lot stronger sign–that prompted me to deal with this now…
From now by way of Might 10, 2025 the showtime of Fortunately Ever After at Magic Kingdom is 9 pm. Beginning on Might 11, 2025 Fortunately Ever After will push its begin time again to 9:20 pm. This can be a regular change that occurs all year long, and is principally pushed by sundown instances. Nothing to see right here.
Nonetheless, one other change simply occurred that’s far more consequential: Fortunately Ever After moved to 10 pm on July 6, 2025. (Word that that is solely seen within the My Disney Expertise app; for no matter cause, the schedule reveals extra dates there than on the official web site.) This modification doesn’t usually occur in the summertime. Often, the 9:20 pm showtime continues till sundown instances transfer earlier.
Personally, I want earlier showtimes for Fortunately Ever After. Wait instances drop for different sights as friends seize dinner after which stake out spots for Fortunately Ever After. Then there’s the park-exodus as a excessive share of friends go away following the fireworks. The sooner all of this occurs, the higher–it means there’s extra time that rides have shorter strains. Extra importantly, Walt Disney World additionally prefers the earliest attainable (topic to sundown) showtime for Fortunately Ever After, because it makes clearing the park at closing simpler. In different phrases, they wouldn’t have shifted the fireworks to 10 pm for no cause.
So why does this matter? Effectively, it’s been a very long time since Walt Disney World has had a brand new evening parade. The closest is throughout Summer time Nightastic again in 2010, which was the return of Primary Avenue Electrical Parade. So not precisely brand-new, however new to a technology of Walt Disney World friends.
Distilling all of that precedent together with expectations for Summer time 2025 crowds, my finest guess for the schedule is as follows:
- Starlight Parade: 9 pm
- Fortunately Ever After: 10 pm
- Starlight Parade: 11 pm
- Park Closing: 11 pm
These are the precise parade and fireworks showtimes from Summer time 2010. (Clearly swapping MSEP for Starlight and Needs for Fortunately Ever After.) Accordingly, the schedule change we’ve been looking forward to right here is Fortunately Ever After shifting to 10 pm. That is virtually definitely laying the groundwork for Disney Starlight Night time Parade.
There is not going to be the choice to deviate an excessive amount of from these showtimes attributable to sundown. If Walt Disney World doesn’t wish to do 11 pm closings of Magic Kingdom, it’s attainable the park might shut at 10:30 pm whereas nonetheless sustaining the 9/10/11 cadence for nighttime leisure. Disney’s Hollywood Studios does this usually with Fantasmic.
I actually hope Walt Disney World is aware of higher than to run Starlight solely as soon as per evening. My worry is that they may begin with 2 nightly performances opening weekend, however shortly swap to 1 per evening (as a result of cheapness). If that does occur, I might see the schedule shortly altering, as Disney is disabused of the notion that one efficiency is enough fairly shortly. Even when that does occur, we’d nonetheless count on to see Fortunately Ever After at 10 pm.
In fact, that is additionally not definitive. It’s attainable there’s another cause for Fortunately Ever After shifting to 10 pm, and with no dates on the schedule previous July 6, this could possibly be a one-off. Once more, that is Independence Day weekend, in order that’s completely attainable.
One other sign is that Solid Members are blocked out beginning July 3, 2025 and operating by way of (at the very least) the rest of the schedule. This solely applies to Magic Kingdom–all different parks are extensive open at some point of summer time, as is Magic Kingdom previous to July 3.
It’s not in the least shocking to see Solid Member blockouts at Magic Kingdom over Independence Day weekend. It’s far more shocking, at the very least within the final couple of years, to see blockouts spanning virtually the complete month. There wouldn’t sometimes be blockouts as soon as the vacation weekend is over.
That is doubly true coming on the similar time when Walt Disney World is providing extremely aggressive reductions to lure vacationers and VIPASSHOLDER Summer time Days to entice Annual Passholders. Given the summer time softness, the expectation can be that Walt Disney World would need the entire heat our bodies it will probably get, as there’s no alternative price and the meals & beverage and merchandise gross sales make unblocked admission for just about everybody “price it.”
The apparent exception to that’s if and when Disney Starlight debuts. There’s solely a lot area on the parade route, and Walt Disney World would favor that not be “clogged up” by Solid Members and Annual Passholders. They’ll’t retroactively add blockouts for the latter, so that is their finest play.
For no matter it’s price, these dates are all barely sooner than the final credibly rumored goal date I’ve heard for Disney Starlight Night time Parade. However that date has bounced round between late June and mid-July, and it’s additionally my understanding that the purpose is to have the parade prepared as quickly as attainable at this level.
I’m nonetheless barely skeptical that July 6, 2025 is the debut for Disney Starlight Night time Parade. Often, as soon as one thing is delayed, it solely retains slipping–it’s uncommon for any date to be pulled ahead once more as soon as the goal is moved later. On this case, I really would enable for the chance, as it might be a giant whiff for Walt Disney World to overlook Independence Day weekend for Starlight Night time Parade.
Although the Fourth of July is now not the main vacation for attendance that it as soon as was, it’s nonetheless symbolically significant. I might see Walt Disney World management doing all the pieces in its energy to have the parade debut that weekend, even when it’s the Sunday evening as most everybody heads dwelling!
One other risk is that Walt Disney World nonetheless doesn’t know when Starlight goes to be able to roll, however they’re laying the groundwork for that to occur by shifting Prolonged Night Hours away from Magic Kingdom, shifting Fortunately Ever After to 10 pm, and blocking out Solid Members beginning July 3, 2025.
It’s higher to do all of this now so individuals can plan across the calendar, slightly than making modifications on the final minute to accommodate Starlight. I wouldn’t guess in opposition to this risk, wherein case the newest schedule updates are higher considered as steerage for the Starlight timeframe versus a definitive debut date.
Not one of the above three schedule modifications are sturdy alerts in isolation. However they’re not occurring in isolation. There may be nothing else that explains all three of those strikes apart from the debut of Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away. It’s nonetheless attainable that is only a narrowing of that date vary, however it’s undoubtedly not nothing–the place there’s smoke, there’s fireplace.
In different phrases, we will most likely safely slim the opening date vary from Independence Day weekend to mid-July. In the event you’re visiting Walt Disney World earlier than then and are hoping for the parade to debut throughout your journey, it’s advisable to mood your expectations.
Whereas it’s nonetheless attainable that Disney Starlight Night time Parade will “win” its race in opposition to the clock and the schedule will likely be adjusted for earlier dates, I’d guess in opposition to it. We’ll maintain you posted about the entire developments. We should always know very quickly if Disney Starlight Night time Parade is debuting on or round July 6, 2025.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your predicted begin date for Starlight? Suppose these are sturdy alerts when considered in combination, or are we greedy at straws making an attempt to foretell the opening date? Trying ahead to Walt Disney World’s first brand-new evening parade in many years? Are you excited by Magic Kingdom getting its personal mild parade in Summer time 2025? Another questions or remark? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
