UPDATED July 12, 2026

A new nighttime parade is NOW SHOWING in Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom as of July 20th, 2025. It’s time for Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away!

In August 2024 at the D23 Ultimate Fan Event in Anaheim, California, Disney shared the big news about this new nighttime spectacular, revealing that Disney Starlight would be “using the latest technology to tell new stories about the characters you love.”

Disney Starlight follows in the footsteps of previous iconic nighttime parades like the Main Street Electrical Parade and SpectroMagic.

In the announcement, Disney Experiences Chairman (now CEO) Josh D’Amaro shared that, “Disney Starlight will add to that legacy” of these beloved nighttime parades.

Click on any of the links below to hop to a Disney Starlight section:

• Disney Starlight Showtimes, Run Time, and Parade Route
• Disney Starlight Characters and Floats
• Disney Starlight Music
• Disney Starlight Inspiration
• Disney Starlight Costumes
• Disney Starlight Viewing Tips

Disney Starlight — Showtimes, Run Time, and Parade Route

Disney Starlight is presented once or twice per evening. 

July 2026 Disney Starlight Showtimes, as announced so far, are as follows:

• Wednesday, July 1: 9PM
• Thursday, July 2: 9PM, 11PM
• Friday, July 3: 10PM
• Saturday, July 4: 10PM, 12AM
• Sunday, July 5: 10PM
• Monday, July 6: 9PM, 11PM
• Tuesday, July 7: 9PM, 11PM
• Wednesday, July 8: 9PM, 11PM
• Thursday, July 9: 9PM, 11PM
• Friday, July 10: 9PM, 11PM
• Saturday, July 11: 9PM, 11PM
• Sunday, July 12: 9PM
• Monday, July 13: 9PM
• Tuesday, July 14: 9PM, 11PM
• Wednesday, July 15: 9PM, 11PM
• Thursday, July 16: 9PM, 11PM
• Friday, July 17: 9PM, 11PM
• Saturday, July 18: 9PM, 11PM
• Sunday, July 19: 9PM, 11PM
• Monday, July 20: 9PM, 11PM
• Tuesday, July 21: 9PM, 11PM
• Wednesday, July 22: 9PM, 11PM
• Thursday, July 23: 9PM, 11PM
• Friday, July 24: 9PM, 11PM
• Saturday, July 25: 9PM, 11PM
• Sunday, July 26: 9PM, 11PM
• Monday, July 27: 9PM
• Tuesday, July 28: 9PM, 11PM
• Wednesday, July 29: 9PM, 11PM
• Thursday, July 30: 9PM, 11PM
• Friday, July 31: 9PM, 11PM

August 2026 Disney Starlight Showtimes, as announced so far, are as follows:

• Saturday, August 1: 9PM, 11PM

The parade typically begins on Main Street, U.S.A., and travels towards Frontierland for its parade route (in a reverse of the Festival of Fantasy daytime parade route). On nights when there are TWO showings, the later parade may reverse the route. Feel welcome to check with Cast Members to confirm the route for your preferred showing.

Disney Starlight takes 40 minutes to complete the full parade route. The parade lasts approximately 12 minutes in any given viewing area.

Disney Starlight — The Characters and Floats

Disney Starlight features beloved characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Disney Pixar films, and some have made their nighttime parade debut in Disney Starlight! As it begins, Disney Starlight is “brought to life by the magic of the Blue Fairy” from the Disney animated classic, Pinocchio.

In fact, the star on the Blue Fairy’s wand is the “first star you’ll see tonight,” and viewers are invited to wish upon that very star to kick off the parade.

Parade viewers see Disney characters from more recent Walt Disney Animation Studios films, such as Encanto.

Isabela swings on vines on the Encanto float, just like she does in the beloved film.

Disney Starlight has its own Frozen moment.

A Moana float is also part of the parade!

Accompanying Moana are Pua, HeiHei, and, Disney shares, “a manta ray representing Gramma Tala.”

Mariachi music introduces the arrival of the colorful Coco float!

Asha, Star, and Valentino are all featured on the whimsical Wish float.

Classic featured animated films include Peter Pan. You’ll see Wendy, too…

… as well as a certain sassy fairy!

Disney Princesses and their Prince (and Beast!) Charmings include Aurora and Phillip, Tiana and Naveen, Cinderella and Prince Charming, and Belle and the Beast!

Royal court dancers bookend the stunning Princess Float, as one of many nods to the iconic Main Street Electrical Parade.

And the grand finale float (inspired by the classic Main Street Electrical Parade float) features some very special friends…

Among them are Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie… all in their NEW Disney Starlight costumes!

Disney shares that “Together, the duo [of Mickey and Minnie] sends us off, reminding us to believe in the power of wishing upon a star.” And with that sentiment in mind, who else should end the parade other than Jiminy Cricket himself?

But that’s not all… In July 2025, Disney released a new YouTube video revealing that a brand-new character had been created for Disney Starlight. Meet Whimsy!

Whimsy is made of starlight and appears on the new train finale float!

Disney Imagineers describe him as “childlike, youthful, and happy.” An episode of “We Call It Imagineering” on the Disney Imagineering YouTube channel gives us a glimpse into Whimsy — we learn he was inspired by vintage Disney animation — specifically Silly Symphonies.

Disney has shared that the focus of the parade is “a nod to the past with our eyes firmly set on the future.”

Disney Starlight — The Music

Disney shared a “First Listen” and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the music for Disney Starlight! According to Disney, “For Disney fans, this new theme may have some surprises that sound familiar – be sure to listen closely for some Disney Parks favorites woven into the score.”

P.S. You can also now stream the Disney Starlight music on Spotify!

Disney Starlight — The Inspiration

The parade’s show director describes Disney Starlight as a “constellation of Disney Dreams.” The team that worked on the parade looked at past Disney nighttime parades, promising “more than a few Easter eggs.” However, they also looked to some of Disney’s earliest animated movies for inspiration.

For example, the Princesses float is inspired by Disney Legend and artist Mary Blair’s original concept artwork for Cinderella.

Disney Starlight — The Costumes

Disney Live Entertainment Costuming designed costumes that use “a blend of innovative lighting techniques and whimsical custom fabrics” (featuring a “galaxy print”) to create an experience that looks to be “kissed by starlight.” Here’s a prototype costume piece for the parade:

The idea is that it swirls down the parade route as the fabric picks up lighting from the floats, with each light synchronized to the music. WOW.

Disney Starlight — Viewing Tips

Wondering about the BEST spots to catch Disney Starlight? We have some thoughts on some of the best vantage points.

Watching a parade on Main Street, U.S.A., feels so classic and makes for the best pictures with Cinderella Castle in the background. One of our go-to spots is standing in the middle area of Main Street, the Castle hub (grassy areas in front of the Castle surrounding the Partners statue), and looking down towards the train station.

You can also stand and face the castle! The floats pass right by the castle, creating that perfect magical moment. We’re leaning towards any spots along Main Street (though any Frontierland spots certainly allow for terrific views of the floats and characters, so you will not be missing out on any of the actual parade should you opt to enjoy it in Frontierland).

If you have your heart set on a specific area from which to view Disney Starlight, we advise arriving at least an hour early, if not more, to ensure you get the desired view.

Don’t forget there are often two viewings with Happily Ever After (the Magic Kingdom fireworks show) presented in between. It is often the case that the later showing is less crowded than the first when nighttime parades are shown twice.

The NEW Disney Starlight is changing the face of nighttime entertainment at Walt Disney World for the foreseeable future. Make sure you catch it on your next Magic Kingdom visit!

Click any of the links below for the latest news about Disney Starlight:

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A BIG Parade Change Hits Magic Kingdom Tomorrow!

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REMINDER: A Parade Change Hits Magic Kingdom Tomorrow

ALERT! Magic Kingdom Fireworks are Changing This Weekend

CONFIRMED: Disney Starlight Showtimes Are CHANGING in Magic Kingdom