We’re just a few weeks away from the debut of Disney’s new nighttime parade, Disney Starlight!

©Disney

Disney Starlight will debut on July 20th, 2025, and we know it’s going to be VERY popular. If you’ll be in town and plan to get a spot for the parade, you’ll want to ensure you give yourself enough time. But how much IS enough time? We’ve done the math, and this is what you’ll want to plan for!

For The First Three Months

If you’ll be visiting Magic Kingdom within the first three months of the parade opening, you’ll want to allow for A LOT of time to grab your spot. For any type of spot that can be considered decent, you’ll want to grab a spot a MINIMUM of an hour ahead of time.

©Disney

Now, if you’re looking for a place to stand that isn’t necessarily good, then you can probably make do with grabbing a spot half an hour ahead of time. Anything after that? Do NOT risk it. This parade is going to be wildly popular for the first few months, especially with it being the first nighttime parade in YEARS, so if you want to see it and you don’t travel to Disney often, grab yourself a good spot to enjoy.

Beyond 3 Months

Now, over 3 months after the parade has debuted, we’ll be past the summer season, meaning most kids will be back in school and less vacations may be happening. However, don’t assume that means that crowds around this parade will go down immensely. If you’re looking for a great spot, we recommend getting a spot anywhere from 45-60 minutes ahead of time. If it’s a busier season, or a weekend, lean closer to 60.

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If you’re looking for a “meh” spot — something that won’t be fantastic but you’ll still be able to see, get a spot half an hour ahead of time. Now, if you want a place to stand that isn’t great, 15 minutes ahead will be fine, but again, expect to have your view blocked for a large part of it.

Additional Tips

With this being a nighttime parade, it’s entirely possible families with younger kids will choose to go back to their hotel in the middle of the day for a nap, then come back at night for the parade. So if you see crowds have dropped in the middle of the day, don’t totally assume it’ll stay that way at night for the parade.

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Additionally, people may choose to park hop over from other parks in the evening only for the parade. This is another reason we recommend grabbing a spot early! While we know it’s tempting to have one person hold a spot for your whole family, we advise against this for a long period of time. Spots are often first come, first serve, and it’s not fair to the others around you who waited with their whole family for the parade, only to have the remaining 5-6 members of your family arrive 5 minutes before the parade. Be courteous to others!

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We can’t wait to see the parade in person for the first time, and we’ll be bringing you all our thoughts, so stay tuned to DFB!

BREAKING: FULL LIST of Showtimes Announced for NEW Disney Starlight Nighttime Parade

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Are you looking forward to this new parade? Tell us in the comments!