Though no official announcement has been made by Universal Orlando, all signs point to the Superstar Parade being discontinued at the end of this month. The Superstar Parade has functioned as a staple of entertainment in Universal Studios Florida since May 2012. For a parade in Orlando area theme parks, this one survived a long time with little change. This parade presently features floats based on Despicable Me, SpongeBob SquarePants, Secret Life of Pets, and Dora the Explorer (with Diego of course).

As of time of writing, all my sources indicate that the parade will come to an end this month. Now, the floats themselves will continue to be available through the summer. This plan could change so check showtimes daily. At Universal Orlando, the individual parade floats and performers appear several times a day near Horror Make-Up Show in Universal Studios Florida. Universal Orlando calls this the “Superstar Character Party Zone.” This “zone” allows guests to view performers and characters outside the parade schedule.

The rumor of this change has already led to wild speculation among Universal Orlando fans. For example, does this mean no more daytime parades at Universal Orlando? Best answer leads one to conclude a pause in daytime parade to create something new for this Fall or later. The Superstar Parade lasted over ten years. In terms of entertainment in Orlando that ranks as a long run. This stopping of one parade could simply be a time to regroup and train team members for a new parade.

Will Universal Orlando be getting rid of the Nickelodeon properties like SpongeBob? This also seems very unlikely based on merchandise store based on SpongeBob existing in Kid Zone area. However, with the odd theme park rights status of Nickelodeon properties, I expect more Illuminations and DreamWorks properties in future daytime entertainment offerings.

If you are visiting Universal Orlando soon, you should dedicate time to view this parade before it ends. With numerous excellent viewing spots for this parade, you can find a good spot about 10-15 minutes before parade starts. We should expect this parade to start around 5:00pm everyday this month when Universal Studios Florida remains open past 6pm. As always, check the Universal Orlando mobile app for updated times. May all your vacations be enjoyable.