Main Street Electrical Parade Archives

Main Street Electrical Parade

‘Fantasmic!’ Nighttime Spectacular Returns to Disneyland July 17 + the Disneyland Railroad is Reopening

June 28, 2017 / California, Disney, SoCal Fun, Travel

Summer is underway at the Disneyland Resort and visitors this time of year are in for a whole lot of WOW on their visits to both theme parks. There’s something to be said about getting to experience new magic with your family, during your visit, and creating new memories together. I know it’s a favorite in our family. The thrilling new attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! opened at the end of May and according to wait times shown on the Disneyland app, it continues to draw large crowds on a daily basis. It’s the only Disney attraction in the universe where guests step into a Guardians of the Galaxy story, as they help Rocket rescue this cosmic gang of misfits. With multiple ride profiles, guests never know which adventure they’ll encounter.

More exciting news for Disneyland Park as some of the classic attractions are scheduled to reopen n July. On Monday, July 17, which will also be the 62nd anniversary of the 1955 grand opening of Disneyland, a newly enhanced “Fantasmic!, will premiere. This popular nighttime spectacular. tells the story of Mickey Mouse and his vivid imagination. “Fantasmic!:will return to the Rivers of America in Frontierland with its classic theme song and engaging storyline, which guests have treasured for 25 years.Its portrayal of Mickey’s exploration now features new scenes with characters from “Aladdin,” “Tangled,” “The Lion King” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”One dazzling sequence finds Aladdin and Jasmine discovering “A Whole New World” as they float on their flying carpet over a bed of fog on the Rivers of America. Those sensational “Fantasmic!” adventures come alive with new mist screens and innovative, state-of-the-art projection technology to create visuals that are brighter and more vibrant than ever before.Exciting news for train lovers of all ages is the re-opening of the Disneyland Railroad, beginning July 29. Park guests aboard the Disneyland Railroad will, once again, be taken on a Grand Circle Tour of Walt Disney’s “original Magic Kingdom”.The Disneyland Railroad, one of the park’s original attractions, returns with its iconic steam-powered locomotives for new adventures. The Disneyland Railroad will now travel across the rocks on a trestle that extends out into the Rivers of America, and for the first time ever it will make a left-hand turn on its tour of the park.Along the way, guests will enjoy a view of Walt Disney’s legendary Dioramas of the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, which have been carefully restored to their original splendor with a bit of new magic added to both. Guests on board the Disneyland Railroad also will discover a breathtaking new view along the north bank of Rivers of America.

A gorgeous new Columbia Gorge section highlighted by five new picturesque waterfalls can be seen from the trains as well as from the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. This new adventure complements the scenes guests have come to know and cherish through the years. Landscapes inspired by four of America’s majestic rivers–the Mississippi, the Columbia, the Missouri and the Rio Grande–are carefully recreated, complete with indigenous rock formations, natural forests and wildlife, and the waterfalls.Other Classic Rivers of America attractions are also set to relaunch July 29, including the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sailing Ship Columbia and Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes. They’ll be bringing new adventures and breathtaking new views for guests to enjoy. Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island reopened June 16.In addition to the returning classics in Frontierland and New Orleans Square, the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade continues nightly performances in Disneyland through Aug.20, featuring such favorite scenes as Cinderella’s ball, the appearance (and disappearance) of Elliot, the smoke-breathing, tail-wagging “Pete’s Dragon,” and the glittering “To Honor America” finale.There’s so much going on this summer at the Disneyland Resort. You’ll want to be sure to check out The Summer of Heroes festivities, which continue at Disney California Adventure Park through Sept. 10. For more information about all of the happenings going on at the Disneyland Resort, visit their site here.

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are my own. Some images are property of Disneyland Resort.

8 Fun Facts About the Main Street Electrical Parade + Dining Packages with Reserved Parade Viewing

February 19, 2017 / Disney, SoCal Fun

If you haven’t already heard the news, Main Street Electrical Parade has returned “home” to Disneyland after a 20 year hiatus. There’s nothing quite like taking in a performance of this oh-so-nostalgic parade in the place where it all started…Disneyland! The encore presentation of the parade at Disneyland is only for a limited time though and will run through Sunday, June 18.I had the honor of attending the premiere night of the parade and just sitting there on the curb, watching all of the twinkling, lighted floats go by, really brought out the little kid in me . There’s just something about the sound of the synthesized “Baroque Hoedown” played throughout Main Street, U.S.A. that will bring happy tears to your eyes, especially if you remember it from way back when! By the looks of the crowd lined up to watch it on the night I was there, it must hold special meaning for a ton of others as well!Here are 8 fun facts about the Main Street Electrical Parade:

The Main Street Electrical Parade premiered in Disneyland back in 1972 and had its last performance in the park in November 1996. During its original, almost 25 year run, this parade was performed more than 3,600 times for more than 75 million guests. Although it did make a return appearance to Disneyland Resort inside Disney California Adventure Park from 2001 to 2010, it was a slightly different version.
The original opening float of the Main Street Electrical Parade float was the whimsical train that pulls a giant drum. You’ll get all the feels when you see it roll down Main Street, U.S.A. again and lighting up to read, “Disneyland Presents…Main Street Electrical Parade” in bright lights!
During the parade, guests can see some of their favorite Disney characters as their classic stories come to life along the parade route including Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Cinderella, Peter Pan and Tinker Bell, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Alice in Wonderland.
The parade floats in this dazzling and colorful after-dark parade are covered with approximately half a million twinkling lights!
The Cinderella’s Ball” section of the parade is attended by elegant ballroom dancers who wear costumes covered in lights. The Clock Tower looming over Cinderella’s Ball is 18 1/2 feet tall. When you’re sitting along the curb on Main Street, U.S.A., watching the parade and you look up at it, it seems even taller than that, too!
The iconic “Elliot” float, which is the smoke-breathing dragon, also wags his tails. He weighs more than 5,600 pounds and stands 16 feet tall, 10 feet wide, and 38 feet long. The float also magically disappears from time to time throughout the parade. It’s just like the movie!
The popularity of the original Main Street Electrical Parade led to the creation of Electrical Parades at Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Walt Disney World Resort.
The finale of Main Street Electrical Parade includes a 118-foot-long unit which is a red, white, and blue, patriotic tribute to America.

Did you know there are Main Street Electrical Parade Dining packages made available to park guests? The packages include a 3-course prix fixe meal (starter, entrée and dessert) at the Blue Bayou Restaurant, which is an epic experience in itself, plus include admission into a reserved viewing area to watch a designated performance of the Main Street Electrical Parade.You get to experience to amazing offerings at Disneyland Park in one day! Reservations for these dining packages can be made online or by phone up to 60 days in advance.. For more information or to reserve yours, go here.

Have you had the opportunity to watch the Main Street Electrical Parade yet? If not, be sure to plan your visit before June 18!

This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.

Disneyland Resort to Welcome “Summer of Heroes” May 27- Sept. 10

February 15, 2017 / Disney, SoCal Fun

The Summer of 2017 is going to be one adventurous, exciting and heroic summer at Disney California Adventure Park! There are some exciting features coming to the Park as part of the “Summer of Heroes”, which will run from May 27 though September 10.First of all, guests will (finally) encounter the thrilling Guardians of the Galaxy–Mission: BREAKOUT!, which I’ve been so excited about since its announcement! This new adventure blasts guests straight into the “Guardians of the Galaxy” story for the first time, alongside characters from the blockbuster films and comics. As guests join Rocket in his attempt to bust his pals out of the Collector’s Fortress, they’ll experience randomized ride experiences complete with all-new visual and audio effects and music inspired by the popular film soundtracks. We cannot wait!

Guests at will also be able to answer the call to join legendary Super Heroes in all-new experiences for Summer of Heroes, which will inaugurate an ever-expanding universe of Super Hero stories at Disney California Adventure.

Over in Hollywood Land inside Disney California Adventure Park, guests will be able to join some of their favorite Super Heroes for all-new, epic, limited time experiences including:

Avengers Training Initiative – Black Widow and Hawkeye assemble young recruits for a series of tests to see if they have what it takes to join the ranks of the Avengers.
Heroic Encounter: Black Widow – Black Widow will arrive on the scene several times throughout the day in an armored Avengers vehicle for her heroic encounter with park guests.
Grab a Piece (or Bite) of the Action – Special themed merchandise and food will be available throughout Hollywood Land.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Dance Off! – Star-Lord will fire up his old-school boom box to get a party started. Everyone is bound to get in the groove and show off their moves during this awesome rock ‘n’ roll bash!
Super Hero Encounters – For the first time, citizens of Earth will come face-to-face with tree-of-few-words Groot, one of the Guardians of the Galaxy! They may also encounter the First Avenger, Captain America, and everyone’s favorite web slinger, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

This summer will also bring more excitement at Disneyland Park with the return of the Disneyland Railroad and Rivers of America attractions, including the return of “Fantasmic!” nighttime spectacular. Keep your eye on the Disney Parks Blog for the return dates of these classic attractions will be announced soon.

If you haven’t had a chance to catch a performance of the Main Street Electrical Parade inside Disneyland, you’ll want to make sure you do before the end of its limited-time run on Sunday, June 18. It’s absolutely wonderful and so very nostalgic. For more information about all of the exciting things going on at Disneyland Resort, please visit their site here.

This is not a sponsored post. Some mages and art renderings are property of Disneyland Resort and WDI. All opinions are 100% my own.

Main Street Electrical Parade Is “Home” Again at Disneyland!

January 21, 2017 / Disney, SoCal Fun

When Southern California Disney fans (like me) heard the news, back in August, about the Main Street Electrical Parade returning “home” to Disneyland Park for its encore performance at the start of 2017, we were all beyond ecstatic!Although the “Paint the Night” parade is also a big fan favorite at Disneyland, there are so many Disney lovers that deeply cherish the Main Street Electrical Parade and have longed for it to return since it “glowed away” from Disneyland on November 25, 1996. The older generations of Disney fans remember this classic nighttime parade because we saw it during its originally run down Main Street, U.S.A. inside Disneyland, in its original “home”. Others have either seen in another Disney Park or have possibly just been told about it from their parents. Whatever the case, the little kid in me comes out as soon as I hear the first synthesized tune of “Baroque Hoedown” start to play the theme song for Main Street Electrical Parade. When I watched the TV spot for its return, my eyes immediately welled up with happy tears. Watch it here:

I was so honored to be invited to attend a very special preview and premiere of the parade, the night before it was scheduled to start the official limited time run of its encore performance on January 20, 2017. (It will only be here through June 18, 2017).It was a magical night and for some reason, the Southern California rain, which had been pouring for a couple of days, suddenly halted for a few hours so that the 9 p.m. parade could take place. I had a case of the giggles as I sat on the curb in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A., with some of my friends, waiting for it to start. Before long, the parade lights lit up nice and brightly, and we could see the front of the Main Street Electrical Parade making its way towards us in Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A.. (It began all the way down by “It’s a Small World“.)The iconic floats illuminated the parade route and were led by the train that Goofy’s driving. Minnie and Mickey Mouse are also aboard this train greeting guests, all along the parade route. The train is pulling the drum which has a lit up text that says “Disneyland Presents Main Street Electrical Parade”. It gave me all the feels to see it say “Disneyland” again, as the last time I had the pleasure of watching this parade, it was at Walt Disney World.The Main Street Electrical Parade includes 22 floats in all, which is 10 more than the original parade which only included 12. You’ll find characters in the parade from 7 different Disney films including “Alice in Wonderland”, “Cinderella”, “Peter Pan”, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, “Pinocchio”, “Dumbo”, and “Pete’s Dragon”.In addition to the floats, there are about 80 parade performers, some of which are adorned in lighted costumes. There are also 27 beloved Disney characters that perform as part of this parade including Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Cinderella, Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and more!

It’s such a great time to plan a visit to the Disneyland Resort now, especially with the limited-time return of the Main Street Electrical Parade. If you haven’t seen the SoCal Resident Discounted Ticket offer, it allows you to purchase park tickets at amazing prices, for a limited time. For more information about these tickets, go here.The Main Street Electrical Parade’s stay at Disneyland is only for a limited time so be sure to get there to see it (at least once) before June 18th! Do you have childhood memories of this special parade? Share with me in the comments. I hope to see you in the Parks!

I was invited to attend a special media preview of Main Street Electrical Parade in order to write this post. Some images and footage are property of Disneyland. All opinions are 100% my own.