5 Tips for Viewing the SpectroMagic Parade
Walt Disney World’s SpectroMagic Parade at the Magic Kingdom is extremely popular. It’s a fantastic parade held at night featuring Disney characters and floats covered in beautiful multi-colored lights. Disney music and dancers add to the magical feeling created by the lights.
As you would expect, SpectroMagic draws a large audience, but by following these tips, you’ll set your family up for the most enjoyable experience possible.
1. Don’t watch the parade on Main Street U.S.A or near Cinderella’s Castle. These areas get very crowded. For a front row view, you’ll need to save your family’s spot at least one hour in advance (earlier during Disney’s busiest seasons). During the parade, you’ll probably feel claustrophobic from the crowds. You’ll have a much more pleasant experience if you watch the parade from Frontierland. My family just watched SpectroMagic on Friday night (that was March 23rd), and we found our viewing spot in Frontierland about 15 minutes before the parade started. There were still front row viewing spots available 5 minutes before the parade passed us. You’re on vacation. Don’t waste your time saving a spot to watch a parade. Enjoy the rides and shows then head over to Frontierland about 15 minutes before the parade, and you’ll most certainly find a perfect front row seat to view the parade.
2. If there are two parades scheduled for the night you plan to watch SpectroMagic, wait for the second parade. The first showing of SpectroMagic is always the most crowded. Use that time to take advantage of shorter lines on your favorite rides then watch SpectroMagic later. Most of the time, you can walk right up to the front row in Frontierland just minutes before the parade passes for the second show.
3. SpectroMagic starts near the entrance to the Magic Kingdom and ends near Splash Mountain (the opposite direction of the daytime parade) and lasts about 20 minutes. That means if the parade starts at 8:00 p.m., it won’t make it to Frontierland until about 8:15 p.m. Keep this in mind when you find your viewing location. Also, if you’re hungry or thirsty, get a snack on your way to your viewing location. The lines on the parade route for drinks and snacks get extremely long.
4. Before you find your seats for SpectroMagic, grab FastPasses for your family’s favorite ride, so you can go there when the parade is over and lines typically grow longer.
5. If you’re waiting to watch SpectroMagic until the second show, plan your time during the first parade in advance. The parade spans the entire length of the Magic Kingdom virtually cutting the park in half. Crossing from one side of the park to the other during the parade is challenging. Decide which rides your family wants to ride prior to the first SpectroMagic parade. Make sure those rides are all on the same side of the Magic Kingdom. For example, either plan to spend your time during the parade in Adventureland visiting the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Carribean and Alladin’s Magic Carpets or in Tomorrowland visiting Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and the Tommorowland Transit Authority. If you’re traveling with small children, you might want to spend that time in Fantasyland visiting Cinderella’s Golden Carousel, It’s a Small World and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. It’s also a good idea to get some FastPasses in advance for those rides you’ll be near during the parade. This tip is relevant anytime a parade is going on that your family has decided not to view. If you’re not watching the parade, have a plan for how your family will spend your time during that parade when you’ll be trapped on one side of the Magic Kingdom.
Tags: disney-parade, spectromagicRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Disney Lists & Rankings, Magic Kingdom
1 opinion for 5 Tips for Viewing the SpectroMagic Parade
Drew McLellan
Jun 2, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Susan,
I cannot find an e-mail for you anywhere on any of your blogs. Would you please shoot me an e-mail?
Thanks,
Drew
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