The Disney Starlight Parade officially opens at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World on July 20th but there was a surprise soft opening this evening and we were there to see it!
This is the first nighttime parade at Disney World in nearly 10 years. Our review covers our first impressions of the parade plus PHOTOS of all the floats.
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Disney Starlight Parade Soft Opening
The highly anticipated Disney Starlight parade kicked off two days early at Magic Kingdom. When the parade officially starts on July 20 it will have two showings a day at 9 PM and 11:00 PM. For this soft opening, the parade ran at 9 PM.
Disney Starlight Lights Up Parade Route
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As you can see from the pictures, the lighting of these floats is so stunning that it lights up the entire area.
Peter Pan Float Shines
The Peter Pan float might just be my favorite, so beautiful!
Encanto Starlight Float
Encanto is a popular choice to incorporate into the parks, this float is so bright and vibrant.
Wish Float Stuns with Contrasting Colors
I love how they incorporated such bright colors. The Wish float is stunning. Even though this wasn't the most popular Disney film, the visuals from this film are so gorgeous and work well as a parade float.
Disney Princesses Shine
This float dedicated to the Disney Princesses shines bright!
Belle and Beast Dance at the End
You'll see Belle and Beast dancing at the end of this float.
Frozen Float Steals the Show
The Frozen float showcases Elsa looking fantastic. The coloring here works so well.
Coco Float Brings Magic of Pixar
The Coco float is also impressive featuring the life size alebrije from the film.
Moana's Float Combines Water and Light
The Moana float does a nice job of using the “starlight” to create waves.
Meet Whimsy!
And of course, the finale float we've heard so much hype about includes the new character “Whimsy” created just for the parade. The inspiration of this new character came after studying old vintage Disney animation including the Silly Symphony animation shorts. He's adorable!
This is a breathtaking addition to Magic Kingdom! It's so nice to see such a stunning nighttime parade return to the park. And don't worry, if you're visiting in the Disney World Halloween or Disney World holiday season, Disney Starlight will run on nights the seasonal parties aren't taking place so it's not going away anytime soon!
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