Marathon Weekend 2025

[marty3d]

SAFD: Have never seen Boo to you but now want to! So for current I will choose Festival of Fantasy.

For which one to return - I’m going to pick Spectromagic as it was my kids favorite and I still remember them dancing along to the music when they were little.

 

[1lilspark]

SAFD: I’m a WDW girlie so I’ll say festival of fantasy but I want to give honorable mention to Magic Happens (I saw it in person finally back in September and I bawled)

For what I’d like returned either a night parade at MK or Stars & Motorcars at DHS

 

[princesspirateandrunner]

SAFD: Boo to you! We saw it for the first time in September, and it was fantastic! I can’t wait to go this year and see it again. The Electrical Water Parade is nice, but obviously a different vibe.

@lhermiston, please pop in more often! @Baloo in MI and @camaker, thank you!

We were at DL, and got home late Wednesday, so I’m still catching up. I’ll see about a longer post with my rD story soon. It’s awfully good to see SAFD continuing!

 

[DisneyParrothead]

Another vote for Boo to You. My family isn’t much for parades and we could watch Boo to You on repeat!

 

[RuntheMouse]

SAFD: We love Boo to you! It is the best parade IMHO. MNSSHP is becoming a tradition because of it.

Favorite oldie, Tapestry of Nations. RIP

 

[GADisneyDad14]

SAFD: MSEP is one of the few core memories I have from my 80's childhood visits to WDW. Fast forward to 2013 when bringing my own young/growing family, we enjoyed the last few years of that run and my kids loved it and I loved the nostalgic connection. Back then the parade would often run twice a night (and the MK was often open super later on a regular basis). That was one of the reasons we sort of got hooked on WDW - it seemed like the place was 'always on' - multiple parades, late park hours, etc. Those were great times at WDW. I try not to get hung up on Disney change but the lack of non-ticketed event nighttime parade for so many years now is one of the things on my grumpy list. Maybe someday....

Oddly enough, for as much as we have gone to WDW, Festival of Fantasy has just never caught on with us all that much (probably because that's often prime pool time).

 

[Scootin'By]

SAFD: I have to second Main Street Electrical Parade. I grew up seeing that show in the 80s at WDW. My dad liked it so much that he bought the soundtrack on cassette and so we would listen to it in the car on the very long rive back home. There was just something about ending the day with this parade in the dark, with flashing lights and a thumping soundtrack. It really was magical!

I got to see it once when they brought it back in 2000 and I think my eyes well up as the music started. To this day I regret having lost the cassette tape, but have several other versions of the music on my phone. I even have an MSEP t-shirt (which usually gets a LOT of compliments around the park).

So yeah, that's my favorite parade ever!

 

[Naomeri]

SAFD: I have vague memories (and blurry pictures) of the Main Street Electrical Parade, so I would like to see it again.

Based on this the other comments so far, I would also like to see Boo to You, so I guess it’s a good thing I’m planning on hitting MNSSHP during Wine & Dine this fall.

 

[Baloo in MI]

SAFD:
At least recently my family has not wanted to wait for parades, so hard to think of a current parade that really sticks out for me. I guess the Christmas Parade would be my vote as it is still playing each year. Ironically I have only seen it at DL when it was just part of the daily attractions. I do love that parade though!

As for parades of the past two come to mind - The Lion King Parade and The Main Street Electrical Parade. TBH - The Lion King Parade I only ever saw on VHS at my grandparents house. But I would watch it every time we visited, absolutely loved it. My grandma gave me the tape 20+ years ago, still have it. And The Main Street Electrical Parade was my childhood, so many memories. It is my all time favorite.

 

[dobball23]

SAFD: I never saw the parade in person, although I've watched it on YouTube, but Tapestry of Nations/Dreams at Epcot has my favorite music of any parade. I wish I had been a Disney fan while it was running.

 

[PrincessV]

SAFD: another vote for Boo to You! Worth the price of admission on its own.

Bring back: Star Wars Weekends parades (just bring back the entire SWWs, pleaseandthankyou) and Stars, Cars, and Motorcars at MGM.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

SAFD
Main Street Electrical Parade, I have soo many good memories of it and love how it just lights up the streets at night. Man have u guys seen Tokyo night time parade that would be my fav one but I have not seen it in person so I do not think it counts. But it blows all other parades out of the water.

 

[Goofed98]

Tapestry of Nations. The music, the massive drum, the puppets...it was amazing, and worth sitting there at EPCOT waiting for it to come around

 

[Stitch&Co.]

SAFD: I haven’t been to the parks to see any parades in quite a while so I’ll go with the Electric Water Pageant as the current favorite parade. It’s a classic and always fun. For the longest time I didn’t know it was a nightly thing as I only ever caught a glimpse of it as we waited for the monorail. I thought it was just one of those random little things that Disney did.

As for past parades I’ll pick Spectomagic. That was my first nighttime electrical parade and will always be my favorite. I loved the theme music and the clowns blowing the trumpets(?). (Ok I know they’re not clowns because that would just be wrong at Disney, but it’s the closest description I’ve got.). After Spectromagic, I was actually disappointed when I saw the original Main Street Electrical Parade. It was kind of a let down.

 

[Barca33Runner]

SAFD: I’ve only ever been to WDW, so my options are pretty limited. I really enjoy both Boo To You! And Festival of Fantasy. As I have been exclusively visiting MK during the evening in the last few years, either for MNSSHP or After Hours, it has been a while since I’ve been able to see Festival of Fantasy. It is the only thing I miss at Disney in my current “visit Disney parks as though you are a vampire” plan (although, I’ll definitely have to find some time for AK soon since night events generally don’t happen there).

As far as bringing back a parade, I vaguely remember waiting for the Teenage Murant Ninja Turtles at MGM Studios in the early-90s to drive by in some type of parade (and it being the only thing my little brother cared that we do on the whole trip). Honestly, there isn’t any specific parade I can even name that I’ve seen and would like to see again at Disney. I just think it would be cool to see some different parade-like offerings at the non-MK parks now that performers in the parks are getting a little closer to pre-pandemic numbers.

 

[jmasgat]

Another vote for Tapestry of Nations. Honestly, there isn't a parade at MK that I can ever remember stopping for. ToN was one that had me believing in the magic of Disney (hard to believe)

Very close second/tie to Toy Story parade. I remember being at Studios Thanksgiving 1995--the week the movie was released and we hadn't even seen it yet (kids were 6 and 3). But from the moment the opening bars to Strange Things sounded, I was hooked. The army men, the monkeys, Woody, Buzz.......it was great.

 

[superchime]

SAFD: I love Halloween, so Boo to You is an easy choice. The gravediggers and all of the Haunted Mansion elements, Clara Cluck in her barn, everyone in their Halloween costumes. It's my favorite! I do also love steampunk Maleficent. I've never seen MSEP but I would love to.

Also, I know it's not going to win any awards, but Move it! Shake it! has a special place in my heart for how much my kids loved it when they were little.

 

[DIS-OH]

SAFD: I love all the parades!!

But my favorite memories are of marching down Main Street as pre-parade entertainment with the HS bands for which I was the color guard director!

 

[The Expert]

SAFD: I am not a parade person, so we are usually one-and-done after seeing them with family who wants to wait. That said, the ONLY parade I ever saw multiple times was Tapestry. It was just a perfect parade, with the best music! I understand logistically it was probably a giant pain to work around the crowds, but I so wish it would come back in some form!

The only parades I recall seeing as a kid are Spectromagic (mostly the music) and of course I love the Electric Water Pageant, which I'll consider parade adjacent. And I do enjoy Boo to You, so I guess I'm a nighttime parade fan too.

 

[2girlsR2good]

SAFD: Parade I've seen: Main Street Electrical. Parade that has been rained out anytime I could have seen it: Boo to you. And I'm not sure it's ever gonna happen....Maybe if I get into W&D this year and can talk DH into going down early, but that's sure to be a crowded party and makes it a longer trip instead of the quick getaway I've been pitching to him...."fly down Friday, I run the challenge, we hit HS and Epcot to catch new rides, after party and back home Monday."