Walt Disney World has revealed new particulars concerning the Magic Kingdom nighttime parade, Starlight: Dream the Night time Away. This shares new float idea artwork and the parade poster, plus a couple of recent particulars concerning the upcoming leisure spectacular. Plus, extra hype for Predominant Avenue’s first night time parade in nearly a decade, and first new night time parade since I used to be a child within the Nineteen Nineties. (Up to date March 28, 2025.)
For many who are unfamiliar with Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away Parade, it’s the religious successor to SpectroMagic and Predominant Avenue Electrical Parade and is slated to debut someday in Summer time 2025. It was first introduced throughout final yr’s D23 Expo, and particulars have slowly trickled out since then, most just lately over the vacation season with the complete title and extra reveals of floats.
Disney Starlight will use the newest know-how to inform new tales concerning the characters you’re keen on, in response to Walt Disney World. All of this is delivered to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy, along with beloved characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios movies “Peter Pan,” “Encanto,” “Frozen,” and extra. We now take a look at most of those floats by way of idea artwork and the parade poster…
Based on Walt Disney World, we’re just some months away from the debut of “Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away,” an all-new nighttime parade that may gentle up the streets of Magic Kingdom in Summer time 2025! To prepare for the massive day, the Disney Dwell Leisure staff has been busy designing and choreographing in Florida, recording music in London and checking in on float building throughout the USA.
Let’s kick issues off with a take a look at the most recent float, which was revealed on March 28, 2025:
I’m truthfully somewhat shocked to see Want getting its personal float, because the film was a field workplace flop and hasn’t actually gained any momentum by way of streaming. Greater than something, this most likely speaks to how excessive expectations have been internally for this movie (it’s an understatement to say Want’s underperformance caught the corporate without warning) and simply how way back improvement on Starlight began.
Setting the recognition or creative deserves of Want apart…this appears like a superb float! I’m a giant believer that even weak IPs can kind the muse of nice theme park choices (see Pandora, Splash Mountain, and TRON Lightcycle Run), and the identical may show true right here. So maybe it’s a superb factor that Walt Disney World began improvement of this parade earlier than Want bombed. It’s additionally good to get selection in leisure, and it’s one movie that isn’t represented a lot elsewhere.
The opposite huge factor with this reveal is that Walt Disney World has not gone radio silent about Starlight Night time Parade. As mentioned in Is Walt Disney World’s Starlight Night time Parade Delayed?, that was one in all our fears. The summer season advertising and marketing marketing campaign kicked off this week and Starlight was absent from the promotional push. The plain conclusion from that’s Starlight has been delayed–or at the least gained’t debut round Memorial Day.
Releasing this idea artwork solely a few days later is reassuring to the extent that it’s not an indefinite delay resulting from unknown points. Nothing is “improper” with the parade, it’s simply not on time. I’m nonetheless hoping we get a Starlight opening date quickly, however my intestine says that we’re wanting on the second half of June 2025, or maybe within the week main as much as Independence Day. I nonetheless would maintain off on reserving summer season journeys simply but, except you’re visiting in August, which ought to be “protected.”
What follows is the earlier float reveals for Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away…
Above is a primary take a look at the official parade poster for “Disney Starlight.”
This design, which can take its place amongst the long-lasting paintings beneath the Predominant Avenue, U.S.A. Practice Station, captures the inventive imaginative and prescient for the parade by showcasing each trendy tales and acquainted nostalgia.
In case you’ve been following Starlight updates carefully, you could discover some associates on the poster who haven’t been revealed simply but.
“Disney Starlight” will get un poco loco with a brand new Coco float at Magic Kingdom!
In a celebration of the Pixar Animation Studios movie, sounds of Mariachi music will announce the arrival of a larger-than-life Pepita, wings unfold above the parade route. Under, Miguel will strum his guitar on the foot of a marigold bridge to the Land of the Lifeless, full with sugar cranium fireworks.
This Coco float appears unbelievable. Coco having a presence in Disney Starlight is unsurprising, because it’s been a staple of nighttime spectaculars for the final a number of years. And for good motive. The music of Coco is energetic and emotional, so even when there are not any accompanying visuals, it’s at all times an asset to the nighttime spectaculars. To not get too carried away, however Coco was nearly sufficient to redeem Harmonious. Nearly.
Within the case of Starlight, it’ll clearly be a mixture of music and visuals, and the vibrance of Coco ought to be good for an evening parade. My hope is that the marigold bridge is 1000’s of factors of sunshine, and that Pepita and Dante are likewise vibrantly illuminated. Pepita withdrawing could be superior. Once more, I don’t need to get too carried away, however this could possibly be the spotlight of Starlight.
The very first float units the tone for our star-kissed constellation of Disney desires, all dropped at life by the magic of the Blue Fairy.
See that glowing star on the finish of the Blue Fairy’s wand? To paraphrase a fan-favorite Magic Kingdom nighttime spectacular, that’s truly the “first star you’ll see tonight.” You’ll be invited to want upon this very brilliant star to kick off Disney Starlight Night time Parade.
Maintain an eye fixed out for Peter Pan, Wendy and Elsa on their very own floats too! (For these holding rating at house, this brings the overall float rely to 4: Coco, Blue Fairy, Peter Pan & Wendy, and Elsa.)
Not pictured on the poster artwork is the Encanto unit (#5), however this was the second float revealed again at D23.
Isabela makes her Magic Kingdom debut alongside her fellow Madrigal members of the family within the Encanto portion of “Disney Starlight.” In true Isabela trend, she’ll swing on floral vines similar to she does within the movie.
Predominant Avenue, U.S.A. may even “make means” for a Moana float (#6), full with attractive, luminescent waves.
Whereas Moana takes heart stage, should you look carefully, you’ll discover Pua, HeiHei, and even a manta ray representing Gramma Tala becoming a member of her journey.
The princess float (#7) had its personal comparable first look, which additionally revealed that Disney Starlight Parade Will Supply ‘Nod to Previous’ Magic Kingdom Night time Parades, in addition to the affect of Disney Legend and artist Mary Blair on the unit’s design.
This float will characteristic beloved princes and princesses like Aurora and Prince Phillip, Tiana and Prince Naveen, Belle and the Beast, and Cinderella and Prince Charming.
What you do not see within the idea artwork are the royal courtroom dancers who will bookend this princess section – one in all many references to the traditional “Predominant Avenue Electrical Parade.”
Lastly, Walt Disney World ended with this tease: “waltzing princesses aren’t the one royalty you’ll see in Disney Starlight, however that’s sufficient for as we speak!”
Turning to commentary and hypothesis, my assumption is that the ‘different royalty’ in Disney Starlight shall be Minnie & Mickey Mouse (and perhaps Goofy?). Casey Jr. pulling Mickey Mouse’s drum float is the iconic visible for Disney night time parades. Reprising this after such a protracted hiatus for Magic Kingdom is a slam-dunk, no-brainer choice for which followers of all ages will go wild. This might convey the float rely to eight.
My hope is that Disney goes this route with the Casey Jr. and drum float within the opening, and one other finale float (#9) with a medley of different fan-favorite characters. That’s the method from Dreamlights, which is Disney’s #1 night time parade. They might additionally observe the lead of Paint the Night time (and loads of different parades), with Minnie and Mickey Mouse within the finale. However my guess is that the ‘not the one royalty’ tease is referring to Minnie and Mickey Mouse, probably in royal apparel (however not essentially–they’re “Disney royalty” even when not a correct princess and prince).
In any other case, our guess is that that is most likely it when it comes to the floats in Disney Starlight Night time Parade. To be clear, this announcement indicated that the entire floats on the poster have now been revealed, not the entire complete floats. So there could possibly be much more. We’d be ecstatic if the overall quantity is 10 or larger. We’re skeptical of that, as Starlight is already Paint the Night time size simply based mostly on what we all know. Although it’s nonetheless a lot shorter than Dreamlights, it’s onerous to think about that Walt Disney World goes to foot the invoice for a Dreamlights-duration parade.
That’s not criticism, it’s simply recognizing the truth of leisure at Walt Disney World vs. Tokyo Disneyland. If Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away is even half nearly as good as Dreamlights, it will likely be arguably the perfect nighttime parade to ever roll down Predominant Avenue in Magic Kingdom. The music, floats, and costuming are equal elements know-how, creativity and coronary heart. If Starlight has all three, it will likely be an emotional tour de pressure.
There’s a motive this was the #1 announcement from D23 Expo for us. We can not wait to observe it with our fellow followers, and kind new ‘core reminiscences’ of a Magic Kingdom night time parade with our daughter throughout her childhood. Hyped is an understatement. Now the massive query is: when will Starlight debut? With Memorial Day dominated out and the primary half of June wanting unlikely, right here’s hoping it arrives earlier than Independence Day.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Ideas on the Want float or parade poster artwork? What do you consider the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away reveals up to now? Wanting ahead to Walt Disney World’s first brand-new night time parade in a long time? Any floats, franchises, characters, or different nods to SpectroMagic or Magic Avenue Electrical Parade, and many others., that you simply’re hoping to see out of the brand new Disney Starlight night time parade? 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!
