Walt Disney World nonetheless has not introduced an official debut date for Starlight Evening Parade, which is coming to Magic Kingdom someday in Summer season 2025. Nonetheless, the calendar retains creeping later into June and July, and a trio of suspicious schedule adjustments recommend when then new nighttime leisure is prone to debut. This covers these adjustments and explains why ‘the place there’s smoke, there’s hearth.‘
It’s been one month since Walt Disney World pulled again the curtain on “Cool Child Summer season,” which I assume is type of a factor, regardless that 97.1% of friends may have no clue it’s taking place. With that got here the opening dates for each the Little Mermaid – A Musical Journey and Villains Unfairly Ever After, each of which can debut on Might 27, 2025. That’s about as anticipated–the larger shock was the omission of an official opening date for the all-new Disney Starlight Evening Parade.
We’ve been overlaying this saga intently in When Will Starlight Evening Parade Debut at Walt Disney World? We gained’t rehash all the pieces right here, however to rapidly recap, as an alternative of unveiling a debut date for the parade, Walt Disney World teased that Starlight would roll down Foremost Avenue in Magic Kingdom “later this summer time.” The affordable interpretation was (and is) that Disney Starlight Evening Parade has been delayed.
Since then, there have been a few developments on the discounting entrance. Walt Disney World not too long ago launched Rooms Beginning at $99 Per Evening at Walt Disney World in Summer season 2025, with these deep reductions working from June 29 to July 31, 2025. That got here solely two weeks after Disney’s final spherical of reductions, which included the 3-Parks Walt Disney World Ticket Deal, 50% on Children Tickets Deal, Free Eating, and quite a lot of room-only reductions.
This strongly suggests summer time bookings are comfortable, which is unsurprising given the opening of Epic Universe, and rising financial uncertainty and journey trepediations as shopper confidence dips. Some readers have fearful that the tip date–July 31–of the room deal signifies that Starlight gained’t debut till August. As we’ve beforehand said, that is extremely unlikely. The issue is the dearth of an introduced Starlight debut date, as there’s a lag between reserving and touring. Even when the parade debuts in early to mid-July 2025, it’s too late at this level to seize as many lodge bookings as if that was introduced again in December by February.
There’s additionally the truth that broader points exist with bookings–financial uncertainty, plummeting worldwide journey, declining shopper confidence, and so on–that necessitate extra aggressive offers. Whereas a gap date for Starlight may’ve helped offset these subject, it’s hardly a panacea. Most people doesn’t care a couple of new evening parade as a lot as anybody inclined to learn a publish like this. Folks fearful about their employment or financial prospects aren’t going to neglect all that for a brand new evening parade.
In any case, that brings us to the most recent developments with the Walt Disney World working calendar…
First up is that Disney’s Animal Kingdom is scheduled to host Prolonged Night Hours on Wednesday, July 2, 2025 from 6 pm to eight pm (barring an everyday park hours extension, which can in all probability occur–pushing that point again).
This alone actually doesn’t elevate any pink flags. Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are widespread backup choices when Magic Kingdom or EPCOT can’t host as a consequence of scheduling conflicts. In actual fact, one such battle is coming quickly, when Animal Kingdom is internet hosting Prolonged Night Hours rather than EPCOT on Might 5, 2025. The sort of factor occurs a number of occasions every year, normally as a consequence of company park buyouts.
Magic Kingdom usually doesn’t supply Prolonged Night Hours on an prolonged foundation, however that doesn’t occur till later within the 12 months. Magic Kingdom stops internet hosting ExEH when Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Celebration and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Celebration kick into excessive gear. That sometimes occurs in mid-to-late September and continues by early January. The traditional cadence is for Disney’s Hollywood Studios to take over ExEH in September and October, after which Disney’s Animal Kingdom in November as soon as the Jollywood Nights Christmas Events begin at DHS.
One of many “alerts” I’ve been awaiting with regard to Disney Starlight Evening Parade is Prolonged Night Hours getting bumped from the schedule at Magic Kingdom.
That is exactly why After Hours at Magic Kingdom ends its ‘season’ early this 12 months–as a result of it’s a logistical problem to run these exhausting ticket occasions and a brand-new evening parade. It’s additionally one of many causes we had hoped Starlight would debut round Might 20, 2025. (And assume that was the plan again when the After Hours schedule was solidified final 12 months.)
In any case, Magic Kingdom relinquishing Prolonged Night Hours internet hosting duties is an indication that Disney Starlight Evening Parade is coming quickly. At this level, it’s a weak sign, although, for the reason that schedule change is just one week and that week is Independence Day. As such, I didn’t even plan on reporting this till we had two consecutive weeks of ExEH being off the schedule for Magic Kingdom.
Which we might not get! It’s potential this can be a nothingburger; it’s additionally potential that Walt Disney World will attempt to supply Starlight and ExEH at Magic Kingdom. In any case, one other schedule change simply occurred–and one which’s a a lot stronger sign–that prompted me to handle this now…
From now by Might 10, 2025 the showtime of Fortunately Ever After at Magic Kingdom is 9 pm. Beginning on Might 11, 2025 Fortunately Ever After will push its begin time again to 9:20 pm. This can be a regular change that occurs all year long, and is mainly pushed by sundown occasions. Nothing to see right here.
Nonetheless, one other change simply occurred that’s rather more consequential: Fortunately Ever After moved to 10 pm on July 6, 2025. (Word that that is solely seen within the My Disney Expertise app; for no matter purpose, the schedule exhibits extra dates there than on the official web site.) This alteration doesn’t usually occur in the summertime. Normally, the 9:20 pm showtime continues till sundown occasions transfer earlier.
Personally, I favor earlier showtimes for Fortunately Ever After. Wait occasions drop for different points of interest as friends seize dinner after which stake out spots for Fortunately Ever After. Then there’s the park-exodus as a excessive proportion of friends depart following the fireworks. The sooner all of this occurs, the higher–it means there’s extra time that rides have shorter strains. Extra importantly, Walt Disney World additionally prefers the earliest potential (topic to sundown) showtime for Fortunately Ever After, because it makes clearing the park at closing simpler. In different phrases, they wouldn’t have shifted the fireworks to 10 pm for no purpose.
So why does this matter? Effectively, it’s been a very long time since Walt Disney World has had a brand new evening parade. The closest is throughout Summer season Nightastic again in 2010, which was the return of Foremost Avenue Electrical Parade. So not precisely brand-new, however new to a technology of Walt Disney World friends.
Distilling all of that precedent together with expectations for Summer season 2025 crowds, my greatest guess for the schedule is as follows:
- Starlight Parade: 9 pm
- Fortunately Ever After: 10 pm
- Starlight Parade: 11 pm
- Park Closing: 11 pm
These are the precise parade and fireworks showtimes from Summer season 2010. (Clearly swapping MSEP for Starlight and Needs for Fortunately Ever After.) Accordingly, the schedule change we’ve been awaiting right here is Fortunately Ever After transferring to 10 pm. That is virtually actually laying the groundwork for Disney Starlight Evening Parade.
There won’t be the choice to deviate an excessive amount of from these showtimes as a consequence of sundown. If Walt Disney World doesn’t need to do 11 pm closings of Magic Kingdom, it’s potential the park may shut at 10:30 pm whereas nonetheless sustaining the 9/10/11 cadence for nighttime leisure. Disney’s Hollywood Studios does this usually with Fantasmic.
I actually hope Walt Disney World is aware of higher than to run Starlight solely as soon as per evening. My worry is that they could begin with 2 nightly performances opening weekend, however rapidly swap to 1 per evening (as a result of cheapness). If that does occur, I may see the schedule rapidly altering, as Disney is disabused of the notion that one efficiency is ample fairly rapidly. Even when that does occur, we’d nonetheless anticipate to see Fortunately Ever After at 10 pm.
In fact, that is additionally not definitive. It’s potential there’s another purpose for Fortunately Ever After transferring to 10 pm, and with no dates on the schedule previous July 6, this could possibly be a one-off. Once more, that is Independence Day weekend, in order that’s completely potential.
One other sign is that Forged Members are blocked out beginning July 3, 2025 and working by (not less than) the rest of the schedule. This solely applies to Magic Kingdom–all different parks are large open throughout summer time, as is Magic Kingdom previous to July 3.
It’s not in the slightest degree stunning to see Forged Member blockouts at Magic Kingdom over Independence Day weekend. It’s rather more stunning, not less than within the final couple of years, to see blockouts spanning virtually all the month. There wouldn’t sometimes be blockouts as soon as the vacation weekend is over.
That is doubly true coming on the similar time when Walt Disney World is providing extremely aggressive reductions to lure vacationers and VIPASSHOLDER Summer season Days to entice Annual Passholders. Given the summer time softness, the expectation could be that Walt Disney World would need the entire heat our bodies it may well get, as there’s no alternative value and the meals & beverage and merchandise gross sales make unblocked admission for just about everybody “price it.”
The plain exception to that’s if and when Disney Starlight debuts. There’s solely a lot house on the parade route, and Walt Disney World would like that not be “clogged up” by Forged Members and Annual Passholders. They’ll’t retroactively add blockouts for the latter, so that is their greatest play.
For no matter it’s price, these dates are all barely sooner than the final credibly rumored goal date I’ve heard for Disney Starlight Evening Parade. However that date has bounced round between late June and mid-July, and it’s additionally my understanding that the purpose is to have the parade prepared as quickly as potential at this level.
I’m nonetheless barely skeptical that July 6, 2025 is the debut for Disney Starlight Evening Parade. Normally, as soon as one thing is delayed, it solely retains slipping–it’s uncommon for any date to be pulled ahead once more as soon as the goal is moved later. On this case, I truly would permit for the chance, as it might be a giant whiff for Walt Disney World to overlook Independence Day weekend for Starlight Evening Parade.
Regardless that the Fourth of July is not the foremost vacation for attendance that it as soon as was, it’s nonetheless symbolically significant. I may see Walt Disney World management doing all the pieces in its energy to have the parade debut that weekend, even when it’s the Sunday evening as most everybody heads residence!
One other chance is that Walt Disney World nonetheless doesn’t know when Starlight goes to be able to roll, however they’re laying the groundwork for that to occur by shifting Prolonged Night Hours away from Magic Kingdom, transferring Fortunately Ever After to 10 pm, and blocking out Forged Members beginning July 3, 2025.
It’s higher to do all of this now so folks can plan across the calendar, moderately than making adjustments on the final minute to accommodate Starlight. I wouldn’t guess in opposition to this chance, during which case the most recent schedule updates are higher considered as steering for the Starlight timeframe versus a definitive debut date.
Not one of the above three schedule adjustments are sturdy alerts in isolation. However they’re not taking place in isolation. There’s nothing else that explains all three of those strikes aside from the debut of Disney Starlight: Dream the Evening Away. It’s nonetheless potential that is only a narrowing of that date vary, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly not nothing–the place there’s smoke, there’s hearth.
In different phrases, we are able to in all probability safely slim the opening date vary from Independence Day weekend to mid-July. Should you’re visiting Walt Disney World earlier than then and are hoping for the parade to debut throughout your journey, it’s advisable to mood your expectations.
Whereas it’s nonetheless potential that Disney Starlight Evening Parade will “win” its race in opposition to the clock and the schedule might be adjusted for earlier dates, I’d guess in opposition to it. We’ll preserve you posted about the entire developments. We must always know very quickly if Disney Starlight Evening Parade is debuting on or round July 6, 2025.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What’s your predicted begin date for Starlight? Assume these are sturdy alerts when considered in mixture, or are we greedy at straws attempting to foretell the opening date? Trying ahead to Walt Disney World’s first brand-new evening parade in many years? Are you excited by Magic Kingdom getting its personal gentle parade in Summer season 2025? Another questions or remark? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
