There’s a HUGE change coming to Magic Kingdom, and really, we aren’t talking about it enough.

©Disney

No one is more excited for the nighttime parade, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, debuting on Main Street on July 20th, than we are. However, because this parade is expected to be extremely popular, Disney is making a significant change to their reservation system. If you’re planning to catch the parade on opening day, make sure you know the details!

If you are an Annual Passholder and want to catch Starlight on opening day, you NEED to have a theme park reservation.

©Disney

Typically, if it’s after 2 PM, you can head to any of the four parks without needing a reservation. For the opening day of the parade, a reservation is required.

Disney Starlight debuts July 20th in Magic Kingdom ©Disney

While making a Magic Kingdom would be the easiest if you’re heading to the castle to watch Starlight, park hopping is still in play, so you can book a reservation at any of the four parks and then park hop over to Magic Kingdom. Keep in mind that park hopping is subject to availability, so if Magic Kingdom is at capacity before you get there, you might be out of luck.

©Disney

Let’s recap. If you are an Annual Passholder and want to watch Starlight on July 20th, here’s how to do it:

• Book a reservation for Magic Kingdom
• Book a reservation for Animal Kingdom, EPCOT, and Hollywood Studios, and park hop to Magic Kingdom when you’re ready, but make sure that Magic Kingdom isn’t at capacity

Merch!

This new parade will take place at 9 PM and 11 PM, except on nights with specialty parades, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

Disney Starlight Popcorn Mix

One incredible part about this parade is that they are changing the traditional parade route. Instead of starting in Frontierland and ending on Main Street, it will proceed in reverse, beginning at the front of Main Street and concluding in Frontierland.

Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie are READY to light up the night in Disney Starlight!

If you want to catch the fireworks show, Happily Ever After, it usually runs at 10 PM, so you can watch them before or after the parade, depending on how late you want to stay. Keep in mind that July 20th will be BUSY, so if you want to watch the fireworks, you might not have the most ideal spot since lots of people will be there for the parade.

©Disney

We’ll be in the parks on July 20th, ready to bring you photos and details on the new parade (and trust us, we’re screaming with excitement to be there), so make sure you are following Disney Food Blog for everything Starlight.

3 TRICKS TO GETTING THE BEST VIEW OF HAPPILY EVER AFTER FIREWORKS IN MAGIC KINGDOM

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When do you plan on seeing the parade? Tell us what you’re most looking forward to in the comments!