“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls…”
The Main Street Electrical Parade is sticking around a bit longer.
“The return of Disney’s ‘Main Street Electrical Parade’ to the Magic Kingdom has been an overwhelming success,” Magic Kingdom Vice President Phil Holmes said in a news release. “Guests begin cheering as soon as they hear the opening fanfare and see those fantastic floats covered in lights. The parade is a magical part of a visit to the Walt Disney World Resort, so we’re thrilled to be announcing we’re leaving the lights on.”
The Main Street Electrical Parade, which ran from 1977-1991 and from 1999-2001, will run indefinitely.
From the opening notes of “Baroque Hoedown,” the parade’s theme song, to every float that follows, the Main Street Electrical Parade was a true classic. The parade is perhaps the most beloved parade ever to run along the Magic Kingdom’s parade route.
When the parade returned, it featured a few updates. For example, Tinker Bell will lead the procession, and the Pleasure Island haunts of Pinocchio and the diamond mine of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs return to the parade’s lineup of 23 floats.
In addition, Disney is touting the parade’s new LED lights, which use less power than incandescent lights.
In 2001, the parade started at Disney’s California Adventure where it runs under the name of Disney’s Electrical Parade. The original incarnation of the parade debuted at Disneyland on June 17, 1972.
IF YOU GO: Walt Disney World is an easy getaway from Atlanta. It’s a roughly 8-hour drive, and there are a number of roadside attractions worth seeing en route – including the Confederate Missile in Cordele and the “World’s Largest Peanut” in Ashburn. In addition, a number of airlines – including Delta and AirTran – offer direct flights between Atlanta and Orlando.