HomeDisney NewsThrowback Thursday: Main Street Electrical Parade

Throwback Thursday: Main Street Electrical Parade

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Wow! Time flies! I almost forgot it was Thursday.

For this Throwback Thursday I’m going to talk about the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade.

Oh how I always loved this parade!

The Main Street Electrical Parade was a nighttime parade that existed in five Disney parks worldwide.  Created by Robert Jani and Ron Miziker it featured floats and live performers all decked out in over 600,000 lights and was set to a synchronized soundtrack that was triggered by radio control on the parade route.  This allowed for the soundtrack to sync every 70-100 feet so all guests got to experience the entire show musical score.  It was the first automated parade show-control program.

A Tale of Two Parks

The parade started out in Disneyland and ran from 1972-1996 and returned shortly in 2017. Disney’s California Adventure did host the parade from 2001 until 2010.  The Walt Disney World Version was hosted at the Magic Kingdom and ran from 1977-1999 and again from 2010-2016. For a time SpectroMagic came in to replace the Main Street Electrical Parade.

In 2010 it was sent from Disneyland back to Walt Disney World and we were so excited. We happened to visit with our whole family in 2011 and I made sure my father and husband got to see it. My dad has always loved it and I remember watching it as a child.

It still kind of exists today, but in another form, with the Paint the Night parade at Disney’s California Adventure (and also Hong Kong.)

All Good Things Must Come to an End

The final performance at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World happened on The parade ended its run at Magic Kingdom on October 9, 2016.  Then it was shipped back to Disneyland where it ran until August 20, 2017. It has since been retired and there’s no word on it ever returning.

(Photo Credit: Disney)

What I always looked forward to was Elliot and the bugs that spun around and interacted with the guests.

We all loved that parade and I’m still sad it’s gone. I hope someday we get another on like it the Magic Kingdom, maybe a version of Paint the Night?

Source: Wikipedia, Disney


Pirates & Princesses (PNP) is an independent, opinionated fan-powered news blog that covers Disney and Universal Theme Parks, Themed Entertainment and related Pop Culture from a consumer's point of view. Opinions expressed by our contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of PNP, its editors, affiliates, sponsors or advertisers. PNP is an unofficial news source and has no connection to The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal or any other company that we may cover.



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