It’s going to be a quiet couple of years for Walt Disney Global, with one vivid spot: Starlight Night time Parade. We’re already anxiously looking ahead to its arrival, and questioning when the brand new mild parade will make its Magic Kingdom debut and as soon as once more light up evenings alongside Primary Boulevard.
For individuals who are unfamiliar with Disney Starlight Night time Parade, it’s the religious successor to SpectroMagic and Primary Boulevard Electric Parade and is slated to debut in Summer season 2025. The brand new midnight leisure was once first introduced all over the Parks Panel presentation on the 2024 D23 Expo.
Disney Starlight will use the most recent generation to inform new tales in regards to the characters you like, consistent with Walt Disney Global. All of this is delivered to lifestyles by way of the magic of the Blue Fairy, along with liked characters from Walt Disney Animation Studios motion pictures “Peter Pan,” “Encanto,” “Frozen,” and extra. That’s the entire corporate has formally printed about Disney Starlight Night time Parade…
With that stated, the corporate did simply put up a casting name that encompasses Disney Starlight Night time Parade:
Disney Parks Reside Leisure is looking for various, vigorous performers to assist deliver to lifestyles roles comparable to Persona performers, Parade performers and Glance-Alike performers around the Walt Disney Global® Lodge close to Orlando, FL.
Persona performers play ahead of hundreds of visitors every day in Persona Greetings and Sightings.
Performers will even give you the chance to be part of Parades and Displays around the Walt Disney Global® Lodge together with the brand new Disney Starlight Parade.
Auditions for this casting name will probably be held in New York Town at Pearl Studios on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
I don’t need to learn an excessive amount of into this casting name, however I will’t assist it–that’s my nature. I had a number of rapid ideas when seeing this:
- It’s actually early to be posting a casting name for a parade that’s debuting subsequent summer time
- It’s abnormal to have a casting name for meet & greet characters in New York Town
- I wonder whether they’re nonetheless having hassle with staffing shortages for performers?
- How is that even conceivable for the reason that the School Program has returned?
I understand New York Town is a significant city and makes for a very easy hub for casting from an enormous ability pool. It nonetheless moves me as a stretch, from an applicant’s viewpoint, to relocate from NYC to Orlando for a job as a normal personality. It’s something for fairness positions or face characters, however this turns out like extra of a jump. To every their very own, although.
Something to notice right here is this casting name isn’t in particular for Disney Starlight Parade. Should you learn in moderation, you’ll see that invoked for instance of a long term alternative–like dangling a carrot of a extra thrilling long term manufacturing to lure candidates. It’s definitely extra tantalizing than languishing away as Vampirina at her Scare B&B in Animation Courtyard at DHS (no offense, Vampirina lovers–it’s the site that’s unhappy, now not the nature!), so I’ll give them that.
In different phrases, this isn’t a casting name for Disney Starlight Night time Parade–as it would seem to start with blush. However what if it had been? What would that imply for the objective debut date of the brand new midnight parade coming to Magic Kingdom? I used to be curious, so I did some digging.
On reasonable, the primary casting calls seem 5-7 months ahead of new leisure debuts. This has been the case with level presentations at each Disneyland and Walt Disney Global, together with Rogers: The Musical and all the returning productions at Walt Disney Global. With the latter, the timeframes have in most cases been quite condensed, probably as a result of they’re now not brand-new.
Then again, casting requires “The Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey” had been first posted simply over 7 months in the past, and Walt Disney Global nonetheless hasn’t introduced a gap date. There’s a lot of time for it to make its past due 2024 opening time-frame, however we anticipated it nearer to October 1, so the radio silence is…attention-grabbing. However that’s every other matter for every other day.
The closing new home parade we’ve got for mileposting is Magic Occurs at Disneyland. The primary casting name was once posted on August 30, 2019 and the parade debuted on February 28, 2020. That’s nearly 6 months. I’d be expecting one thing identical for Disney Starlight Night time Parade.
So if this casting name is not at all determinative and even instructive for the debut date of Disney Starlight, what’s?
Let’s glance to previous precedent for summer season choices. Maximum lately, Walt Disney Global has debuted the next additions all over the summer time months:
- Tiana’s Bayou Journey: June 28, 2024
- Disney Goals That Bounce Drone Display: Might 24, 2024
- Encanto Sing-Alongside: June 10, 2024
- Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind: Might 27, 2022
- Toy Tale Land: June 30, 2018
- Pandora – Global of Avatar: Might 27, 2017
- Frozen Ever After: June 21, 2016
Listed here are {the summertime} debut dates for previous parades:
- Fantasmic Go back at Disneyland (Dragon Hearth): Might 24, 2024
- Fantasmic Go back at Disneyland (Submit-Reopening): Might 28, 2022
- Primary Boulevard Electric Parade at Disneyland (sixtieth Anniversary): April 22, 2022
- Paint the Night time Parade at DCA (Pixar Fest): April 12, 2018
- Paint the Night time Parade at Disneyland (Diamond Party): Might 22, 2015
- Primary Boulevard Electric Parade at Magic Kingdom (Summer season Nightastic): June 6, 2010
As you’ll see, the ones dates are in every single place.
You’ll make much more sense of the openings by way of contrasting what was once completed forward of time table or on-time with what was once a race towards the clock or behind schedule for no matter explanation why. In nearly all the June debut dates, development or different hang-ups had been an element.
The Might 24 or 27 opening dates replicate openings within the respective years that had been the Friday ahead of Memorial Day. That is Disney’s conventional summer time kickoff, so for those who needed to merely wager on a get started date for Disney Starlight Night time Parade with none more information, the most secure wager could be Might 23, 2025.
And in truth, we predict the one possibly date for Disney Starlight Night time Parade to debut is Might 23, 2025. That’s the odds-on favourite, and by way of a somewhat extensive margin. If the parade does get started on a distinct date, it’s a long way much less predictable. (There’s additionally the truth that After Hours at Magic Kingdom has its closing date on Might 19–I might hope Magic Kingdom would have a complete slate of past due closings for Starlight, however in truth, who is aware of.)
However, let’s communicate levels. In my view, I believe the earliest the Disney Starlight may just debut–assuming the date is being purposefully selected and there are not any hiring/fabrication impediments to selecting an previous date–is April 25, 2025. That’s the Friday after Easter, and that week will probably be when spring wreck crowds fall off a cliff.
If Disney had been savvy, they could goal a date in past due April or early Might to be able to pull ahead call for into the shoulder season. This provides extra time ahead of the summer time vacationer season begins, to no matter extent that’s nonetheless a factor. It will seize locals and diehard lovers, leaving summer time open to common ole vacationers. Should you take a look at the above leisure debuts, that is exactly what Disneyland has accomplished with Pixar Fest and the closing time Primary Boulevard Electric Parade returns.
I’d wager towards that. Whilst it’s a wise means, it’s additionally one we’ve by no means observed from Walt Disney Global–simply Disneyland. The Florida parks are extra reactive or standard–it’s laborious to believe them debuting one thing large all over shoulder season. Much more likely, they’ll be offering price ticket offers and speak to it an afternoon. In equity, Disneyland has other demographics, to not point out summer time climate.
At the different finish of the variety, the tip of June is the most recent that Disney Starlight Night time Parade is more likely to debut. Whilst there were openings round then lately, the ones have all been because of development. Assuming no problems with construction or casting or rehearsals, it’s laborious to peer Walt Disney Global voluntarily choosing a date that past due.
About the one factor that might reason that to occur is Epic Universe opening later in the summertime, which is taking a look more and more most likely. If, for no matter ill-advised explanation why, Walt Disney Global desires Starlight to head head-to-head with the grand opening of Common’s new theme park, it will debut in past due June…or July…or August?!
It might be loopy to place Starlight towards Epic Universe. If the brand new park is behind schedule, Walt Disney Global could be a lot at an advantage shifting the parade ahead and seeking to seize as many vacationers and acquire momentum by way of doing the other–now not competing head-to-head towards a brand spanking new theme park in an unwinnable combat. I’ve gotta suppose Walt Disney Global realizes this, and would see the chance in grabbing attendance and occupancy ahead of Epic Universe hits and reasons no matter harm its opening goes to inflict upon Disney.
My non-public hope is that Disney Starlight Night time Parade debuts a minimum of per week or two ahead of Memorial Day and as a part of a bigger bundle of leisure. They’ve already introduced the brand new Villains level display at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, now we simply want a contemporary competition at EPCOT and a drone display at Animal Kingdom to spherical out this type of theoretical party.
I’ve already laid out all of this when making the case for a go back of Summer season Nightastic, so I’m now not going to rehash that right here. The animating thought is popping 2025 right into a summer time/season of spectaculars, anchored round new and reimagined leisure.
Truthfully, what I’d actually like to peer–that turns out like wishful considering–is a 2-week comfortable opening of Disney Starlight as a ‘marvel and enjoyment’ kinda deal. Extra importantly, to offer Magic Kingdom operations time to search out its footing with crowd regulate and scheduling. They’re gonna want it.
By the point Starlight debuts, it’ll were 9 years since an evening parade closing rolled down Primary Boulevard. That’s an eternity in Walt Disney Global phrases, particularly while you account for the whole lot that’s came about in between–particularly the Solid Member turnover and lack of institutional wisdom. I think that only a few frontline Solid Individuals operating Parade Target audience Regulate (PAC) are nonetheless round from then. Extra importantly, I concern that only a few Magic Kingdom managers nonetheless are–which means they’ll haven’t any clue how you can care for PAC except they fly in a crew from Anaheim.
Irrespective of when it debuts, I’m past excited for Walt Disney Global to in the end get an evening parade once more. Greater than the rest that’s long past lacking from Walt Disney Global within the closing decade, I omit the evening parade. Specifically, I omit SpectroMagic, which is the parade at Magic Kingdom that I keep in mind when I used to be rising up, and which was once the parade that was once working the primary a number of years Sarah and I visited Walt Disney Global in combination.
In all chance, Walt Disney Global may have sufficient runway with Disney Starlight Night time Parade that they’ll have the ability to announce a debut date that lovers can plan round months upfront. Preferably, I’d like to have a statement all over the ABC Christmas Day Parade–that’s when many households get started making plans and reserving holidays for the next yr.
That may well be deemed too early, and more likely to reduce into iciness and spring wreck bookings. (I disagree–iciness is inherently sexy for climate along side different promoting issues; ditto spring wreck, which could also be a college recess.) Regardless, I’d hope we pay attention some kind of tease in regards to the parade then, along side a gap date announcement no later than February.
Bringing an evening parade to Florida must supply a desperately wanted goodwill win for Walt Disney Global and be offering new nostalgia to a complete era of lovers. In the end of the associated fee will increase, nickel & diming, release of Lightning Lanes, cuts to such things as Disney’s Magical Specific, Additional Magic Hours, on and on—lovers may just use certain information and a explanation why to really feel much less cynical. Although it clearly can’t “compete” with Epic Universe, it’s a actually giant deal for Disney lovers…and there are numerous us! We’ll stay you posted about all the traits relating to Disney Starlight Parade.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your predicted get started date for Starlight? Taking a look ahead to Walt Disney Global’s first brand-new evening parade in a long time? Are you enthusiastic about Magic Kingdom getting its personal mild parade in Summer season 2025? Has your Walt Disney Global enjoy been negatively impacted by way of the loss of an evening parade? Any floats, franchises, characters, nods to SpectroMagic or Magic Boulevard Electric Parade, and so on., that you simply’re hoping to peer out of the brand new Disney Starlight evening parade? Some other questions or remark? Listening to comments about your stories is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please proportion your ideas under within the feedback!
