Walt Disney Global has had a large number of ‘Starlight Time table Shenanigans’ for the reason that new night time parade debuted at Magic Kingdom. There were operational and showtime adjustments, a few of which can be commonplace and a few of which can be a results of WDW Operations looking for its footing and set up crowds. This covers the newest changes, together with the partial reversal of the reversed course rule (were given that?), and our remark.
We’ve reported at duration at the scheduling shenanigans since Starlight began. For some time, that concerned Walt Disney Global now not posting showtimes on time, instances being fallacious as soon as first posted, after which later corrected. The excellent news is that the days are actually correct as soon as posted. The dangerous information is that Starlight continues to be one of the crucial ultimate issues to have showtimes scheduled, that means it’s commonplace to look “no instances to be had” till absolutely the ultimate minute.
We nonetheless get a large number of involved feedback about this from readers who’re frightened that the parade goes darkish for no matter reason why, yet there’s no motive for worry. In reality, as I write this, there aren’t any showtimes posted but for March 2026 and past. Worry now not, Starlight will completely be carried out throughout Spring Damage–and almost certainly two times nightly.
This has been the opposite large alternate as of 2026. Closing 12 months, Starlight used to be carried out two times in line with night time on dates when the park didn’t shut early for the Halloween or Christmas events. After all, that used to be a large number of nights between August and December!
That modified as soon as the height season crowds subsided in early January. Starlight continues to be scheduled for 7:45 pm nightly on a daily basis (thus far). It has had a 2nd later efficiency at 10 pm after that on many nights, most often Fridays thru Sundays and throughout height weeks.
Taking a look on the present time table, you’ll see this. Starlight is scheduled for 7:45 pm and 10 pm the entire subsequent week-plus, which is sensible because of it being the worst week of wintry weather at Walt Disney Global. However the next Monday thru Wednesday, which will probably be a lot quieter, there’s just a unmarried 7:45 pm efficiency.
There are as soon as once more 2 showtimes Thursday thru Saturday, February 28, 2026, which is the ultimate day at the time table. Don’t be stunned if there are unmarried showtimes from Monday thru Wednesday for the primary week or two of March, prior to Spring Damage kicks into top equipment.
At the one hand, we had was hoping that Starlight would have two nightly performances for its first complete 12 months. Then again, the typical week this wintry weather has nonetheless had extra Starlight showtimes than maximum weeks from August thru December, even with just a unmarried efficiency on the ones weeknights. We’ll take the present cadence over Celebration Season, any day.
Accordingly, we’re now not labored up about this and would now not even deem it a cutback, as long as height weeks proceed to have two nightly performances. That is infrequently unheard of; Walt Disney Global has diminished night time parades to a unmarried efficiency throughout off-peak dates previously. Even on average crowd dates, the parade course (in particular in Frontierland and Liberty Sq.) doesn’t in point of fact replenish for the second one efficiency.
The even larger alternate is a quiet one, which is however a minor-but-meaningful win for crowd glide round Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away.
From the time when Starlight debuted thru mid-February 2026, the parade started each performances on Major Side road U.S.A. and traveled alongside the parade course against Frontierland. This used to be to permit for higher visitor glide on the finish of the night time, in line with Walt Disney Global.
Starlight stepping off on Major Side road and touring alongside the parade course in ‘opposite’ against Frontierland used to be now not a marvel. It’s in step with what Magic Kingdom prior to now did for Major Side road Electric Parade when it used to be ultimate carried out.
This is thought of as a parade course ‘reversal’ in spite of being commonplace previous follow with SpectroMagic and MSEP as it’s the other of ways each and every present parade in Magic Kingdom is proven–together with Pageant of Myth, Boo to You, and the Christmas parade. Ditto the cavalcades and the entirety else. Over at Disneyland, Paint the Night time is going down Major Side road for its first efficiency, prior to reversing and going up Major Side road for its 2nd efficiency.
That has now modified. Walt Disney Global is reversing the reversed parade course rule for the second one Starlight showtime. (Or said it appears that evidently, it’s going to be the standard course.) With this, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away is now going to make use of the similar means as Disneyland for Paint the Night time…yet in opposite. That is complicated, so right here’s a simplification:
- Early Starlight Efficiency (~7:45 pm): Begins on Major Side road, Results in Frontierland
- Past due Starlight Efficiency (~10 pm): Begins in Frontierland, Ends on Major Side road
On nights with a unmarried Starlight showtime, the course would be the first one, stepping off on Major Side road and finishing in Frontierland. That is every other win for WDW Operations. It’s a fair larger victory for photographers like me who’ve anxiously awaited that iconic shot of the floats coming near with Cinderella Citadel within the background!
(I’m almost certainly way more interested by this information than actually every other fan, yet I swear that’s now not the one explanation why. That is significant for you, too. Even though it’s admittedly a miles larger deal for me because of pictures!)
The explanation for this course alternate to the second one yet now not the primary Starlight is understated. It lets in for the primary parade to move visitors nearer to the go out, after which the ones visitors to go out the park in a orderly style prior to Fortuitously Ever After.
There’s a stable circulation of visitors in a position to go away their spots as Starlight passes, that means crowd glide regulates itself naturally. No less than, for essentially the most phase. There’s additionally an inflow looking to clutch Fortuitously Ever After spots, yet that’s unavoidable. It’s the character of the beast with the parade and fireworks one-two punch, and a part of the rationale WDW resisted an evening parade for goodbye.
Then the second one parade, which is all the time much less busy, heads in the other way and (significantly) arrives on Major Side road later. It offers the Fortuitously Ever After crowds extra time to transparent after the fireworks, as they may be able to proceed heading against the go out even after Starlight’s 2nd showtime begins. And crowds following the parade are precisely the place Walt Disney Global needs them on the finish of the night time, close to the park go out.
This will likely appear inconsequential to non-photographers, however the crowd glide considerations about Starlight are important. Ask someone who noticed Starlight and Fortuitously Ever After from Major Side road in a few of September and maximum of October.
That is one thing we’ve documented in Keeping off Magic Kingdom’s Night time Exodus, as there were chaotic stipulations within the Central Plaza between Fortuitously Ever After and the second one Starlight. That used to be most commonly throughout Celebration Season, so the stakes are somewhat decrease now, nevertheless it’s nonetheless excellent to look.
The “downside” has been that the primary Starlight, Fortuitously Ever After, and 2nd Starlight are all too shut in combination. On some nights, it takes a complete hour for the crowds to totally filter between the ones performances, and the congestion is exacerbated by means of crowds flowing in several instructions as some visitors attempt to depart and others arrive concurrently.
This transformation doesn’t deal with the worst of that, which is between the primary Starlight and Fortuitously Ever After, yet there’s no best technique to that. Disney has already higher that buffer to 75 mins, which is a great transfer (albeit one who received’t be imaginable when sundown shifts later). This provides a repair for the duration from Fortuitously Ever After to the second one Starlight.
There’ll nonetheless be traces for the monorail and the entirety else, yet they’ll self keep an eye on to a better level and there received’t be the similar congestion of everybody leaving the park abruptly. Between this and Magic Kingdom spacing out each and every of its middle of the night leisure showtimes by means of a complete hour, they’ve executed with reference to the entirety imaginable to mitigate congestion.
In the long run, we’re happy to look Walt Disney Global making the “right kind” operational selections with Starlight Night time Parade. It were given somewhat dicey again in October when the time table used to be too condensed and the parks have been too busy, nevertheless it’s been smoother crusing since. Reversing the reversed course for the second one Starlight is every other minor-but-meaningful growth that a large number of visitors received’t even realize, yet that’ll lend a hand with crowds significantly.
We stay large fanatics of Starlight, for essentially the most phase. The parade is a worthy addition to Walt Disney Global’s legacy of middle of the night leisure, and we can’t get sufficient of Starlight. It’s some distance from best, nevertheless it’s nonetheless certainly one of our favourite issues at Magic Kingdom.
For sensible where-to-watch recommendation, seek the advice of our rundown of the Very best Starlight Night time Parade Viewing Spots & Tricks to Beat Magic Kingdom’s Huge Crowds! I’ll replace that quickly as soon as I’ve a possibility to do “analysis” at the new course…which is able to most commonly simply contain taking pictures from my favourite spot with Cinderella Citadel within the background!
Now, right here’s hoping the following adjustments to Starlight are substantive. There’s nonetheless a non-working impact or two, and the parade badly wishes a more potent floor recreation. This contains extra performers, higher costuming, and extra fur characters.
All of this used to be made abundantly transparent to me when our daughter in any case noticed it for the primary time. Children hook up with the ones characters strolling alongside the parade course, and there’s actually most effective certainly one of them in Starlight. However that’s every other article for every other day–palms crossed that it’s a put up about how Walt Disney Global has “fastened” that downside, too!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Happy by means of the Starlight scheduling selections? Taking a look ahead to catching the brand new middle of the night parade, or will you employ the ‘further’ time in Magic Kingdom to journey points of interest with shorter wait instances? Ideas on Disney Starlight: Dream the Night time Away Parade? Do you suppose Magic Kingdom’s first new night time parade in many years is a great addition or underwhelming? Agree or disagree with our tests? Every other questions or remark? Listening to comments about your stories is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas under within the feedback!
