Disney World Parades Archives - Living a Disney LifeLiving a Disney Life

To me, Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy Parade is one of the most fantastic, magical, amazing Disney creations EVER! (Totally not kidding – I’m crazy about it!) Watch it once and tell me I’m wrong. I love everything about it and while I may not be able to squeeze it into my schedule on every Walt Disney World visit, I make a point of seeing it as often as I can. Finding the best spot from where to take in every charming detail can be a challenge, so let me share what tips I’ve learned.

Festival of Fantasy Parade – Favorite Viewing Spots

When deciding on an ideal parade viewing locale, a lot depends on the day’s FastPass line-up and what time we’re planning to leave Magic Kingdom. Planning a little in advance, I try to minimize parade-spot-hunting time while making sure we’re well-situated for whatever’s next on our post-parade schedule.

Option 1 – Near the Start

The parade starts in Frontierland near the edge of Adventureland, so finding a place close to where the parade begins means no waiting for it to arrive further along the parade route. Megan and I did this recently and thought it was great. Once the parade passed, we were able to follow it to Liberty Square and ride Haunted Mansion with little wait.

Option 2 – On the Hub

This one’s a little challenging on a hot, sunny day since there’s no real shade. That being said, there’s nothing like watching Festival of Fantasy with Cinderella Castle as a backdrop. If we can find a place to sit down, folded rain ponchos provide excellent posterior-protection from the burning hot concrete. Tip – Claim your spot early and be ready to fend off encroachers. This is a great spot to watch the parade if you’ll be headed to Fantasyland or Tomorrowland afterwards.

Option 3 – In Front of the Main Street Station

This is an excellent option if you want to make a quick getaway. We stood facing Cinderella Castle and could see the parade as it made its way down Main Street USA before circling around right in front of us. This location is at the very end of the parade route, so it takes a while for the magic to get there. The ability to walk right out of the park after the last float passes by without battling the park crowds is so convenient!

The important takeaway here is that seeing Festival of Fantasy is worth the time and effort to find a place that fits into your family’s Magic Kingdom Plans. There are tons of spots other than the ones I’ve listed from which to take in the action. But do make room in your plans…you won’t be sorry!

Are you a Festival of Fantasy Parade fan? Where’s your favorite parade-viewing location?

Disney’s Animal Kingdom – Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade

Twelve years is a pretty good run for a parade. Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade, which debuted in 2001, took its last trip around Disney’s Animal Kingdom on May 31st – and that made me a little sad. I’m all for change and everything, but it’s still hard to see the parade that had become such a normal part of a day at Animal Kingdom go away – I’m sure for good.

Let’s take a minute to look at the current Walt Disney World Parade situation…

Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy and Main Street Electrical Parades, along with some special occasion parades (and the Electrical Water Pageant) are the only ones left at Walt Disney World! There used to be a daily parade in ALL FOUR PARKS! Tapestry of Nations (became Tapestry of Dreams) ran at Epcot (1999 to 2003), Hollywood Studios had a daily parade almost continuously from 1991 to 2013, which changed themes many times over the years (Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun was the final one). And now we’ve said farewell to the parade at Animal Kingdom. Do people just not love parades anymore? Is this the result of Disney cost-cutting? Is a parade too old fashioned? Too much maintenance and dependence on good weather? WHAT?

Back to Animal Kingdom and Mickey’s Jammin Jungle Parade…

Since we were at Walt Disney World during the last week of May – and since I most certainly do love parades (and always will), I felt I needed to watch Mickey’s Jammin Jungle at Animal Kingdom one last time and bid it a fond farewell. Sources say the parade route is being negatively impacted by new construction for Avatar land. Ever since the daily parade at the Studios ended in 2013, I’ve always felt Animal Kingdom’s parade would be next on the chopping block anyway. I DO want Animal Kingdom to get more rides and attractions. I am also thrilled beyond words about the prospect of getting to enjoy Animal Kingdom at night. I’m still going to be sad about the parade. But that’s okay – changes happen, sacrifices must be made, and, well, Disney is never more exciting than when there’s something new to see or do.