The Magic Kingdom’s new parade, Festival of Fantasy, debuted in March 2014. It’s an explosion of Disney fun and jaw-dropping surprises with your favorite characters, elaborate costumes, exciting choreography, and a soundtrack you’ll want to sing along to. Today we’ve got five top highlights to get excited about if you’ll be viewing this spectacular on your next trip:
- Disney Royalty: Festival of Fantasy begins with a regal fanfare and a royal procession! The first float is packed with princesses – Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Prince Charming, Princess Tiana and Naveen, and of course the Frozen sisters, Anna and Elsa. The characters are on rotating platforms full of details – be on the look-out for Cinderella’s mice and bird friends, Ray the firefly from The Princess and the Frog, and Olaf the snowman!
- The Snuggly Duckling: The tavern full of ruffians from Tangled has gone afloat! Rapunzel heads this portion of the parade, frying pan in hand. There are incredible, oversized axes with characters swinging back and forth to add to the story; Flynn Rider is on one side of one swing with Maximus the stallion in pursuit on the opposite side!
- Off to Neverland: Many of the Festival of Fantasy floats are quite large and tall, and with the characters high in the air, they’re easy to spot over all the heads in the crowd. Peter Pan and Wendy, for instance, are captaining the Jolly Roger pirate ship high in the sky. The canons on the ship really boom and smoke! Captain Hook is down below, and don’t forget about Tinkerbell – she’s riding at one end of the rainbow.
- Fighting the Dragon: One of the biggest “WHOA” moments of Festival of Fantasy arrives when a big purple dragon comes stalking down Main Street. There are so many elements to this Sleeping Beauty scene: the three fairies zip and zoom and seem to hover off the ground, encouraging Prince Phillip (who has some serious swagger) as he brandishes his sword against ravens and stilted thorn monsters and, of course, Maleficent. Watch out, this dragon breathes fire!
- The Grand Finale: No Disney parade could be complete without Mickey Mouse! He and Minnie round out Festival of Fantasy in a dazzling finale of colors, bubbles, carnival pageantry, and classic characters. Even the dancers have over-the-top costumes with balloons and bubblegum-colored hair.
The best way to watch Festival of Fantasy is from a curbside seat – be sure to arrive at least 30 minutes to an hour early to secure your spot along the route. The parade starts in Frontierland and ends in Town Square, and spots along Main Street or the Hub (with the castle as a backdrop!) are prime.
What’s your favorite part of Festival of Fantasy?
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