Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom Spectacles

The Magic, the Memories, and You!. Before the popular Wishes fireworks show each evening, Cinderella Castle lights up like a Facebook page on steroids when 16 projectors display photos of about 500 park guests whose images have been captured by Disney photographers throughout the day. For 10 minutes, the castle also becomes an animated canvas where rockets blast into space, vines grow, and pirates battle. Up to 5,000 images flash across the castle's walls, spires, and turrets while the Disney song "Let the Memories Begin" accompanies the visual show. For people with disabilities: Ask any cast member along Main Street for the best wheelchair viewing location; several areas are set aside. Since it may be hard to spot a photo of you (or someone in your group) if it flashes onto the castle canvas, videotape the 10-minute show to watch later and keep as a record. Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL. Duration: 10 mins. Crowds: Heavy. Audience: All Ages.

Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade. This 3 pm park mainstay traverses Town Square, Main Street, the castle hub, and Frontierland. Floats feature Mickey, Goofy, and most of the Disney storybook gang. The "Celebrate" theme rings out, though classic Disney tunes are woven into the score to accompany the story told by each float, including "You Can Fly" with Peter Pan and "Chim Chim Cher-ee" with Mary Poppins. Mickey Mouse and main squeeze Minnie lead off on a festive float that spells "party time" with decorations of oversize fireworks and noisemakers. Dozens of performers in bright costumes wave flags and streamers and kick up their heels along the route; the parade stops at three locations for high-energy dance numbers. Six other floats are crowd pleasers, with Disney stars like Pinocchio, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Beast, Ariel, Prince Ali, Mary Poppins, Alice (of Wonderland), and others. The villains float scares up laughs with Cruella de Vil, Maleficent, The Wicked Queen, and Jafar. The warm and fuzzy finale features Pluto, Goofy, and Chip 'n' Dale. For people with disabilities: There's a viewing area for guests in wheelchairs in front of Cinderella Castle. A sign-language schedule is available at Guest Relations. Ask where the parade begins—Frontierland or Town Square (it varies)—to determine where to camp. Older kids might want to skip this; rides have shorter lines until the parade ends. Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL. Duration: 25 mins. Crowds: Heavy. Audience: All Ages.

Dream Along with Mickey. The Cinderella Castle forecourt provides the perfect location for several daily performances of this Disney character spectacle starring Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and others. As the show begins, Donald is a "dreams-come-true" skeptic, but he has joined his optimistic pals anyway at a party where Disney princes and princesses dance in a romantic, dreamy number. There's adventure, too, when Peter Pan, pirates, and wenches take the stage. When pesky Disney villains crash the party, Donald decides to challenge evil and fight for the dreams of all his character friends and family. If you want to sit (and don't mind an obstructed view), arrive 30 to 40 minutes before showtime to get a seat on a bench. If you have children, plan to stand or sit on the pavement near the stage for an unobstructed view. Older kids may want to skip this in favor of rides. Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL. Duration: 20 mins. Crowds: Heavy. Audience: All Ages.

Main Street Electrical Parade. The Main Street parade, with 23 illuminated floats, 80 performers, and a half-million lights in all, first debuted at Disneyland in California in 1972. It was such a hit that a version was created five years later for the Magic Kingdom. In 1991 Disney shook things up by premiering SpectroMagic and sending a refurbished Main Street parade off to dazzle audiences at Disneyland Paris. Even Tokyo Disney Resort has presented a version of this luminous spectacle. The Main Street Electrical Parade has returned to light up Magic Kingdom nights with plenty of power and its distinctive synthesizer-infused "Baroque Hoedown" musical theme. It was billed as a limited-engagement, then extended by popular demand. The lead float features Tinker Bell showering guests with 25,000 pixie-dusted points of light, and a Fireworks Finale float is the longest in the parade at 118 feet. At this writing time, Disney offered no insight into how long the parade would remain at the Magic Kingdom. Check Times Guide; the parade sometimes runs twice in one night and occasionally not at all. Take your place on the curb at least 40 minutes before the parade begins. Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL. Duration: 16 mins. Crowds: Heavy. Audience: All Ages.

Wishes. When the lights dim on Main Street and orchestral music fills the air, you know this fireworks extravaganza is about to begin. In Wishes, Jiminy Cricket's voice comes to life and tries to convince you that your wishes really can come true. He gets plenty of support from the Disney stars of classic films such as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Cinderella, and The Little Mermaid. Portions of famous film songs play over loudspeakers, and you hear the voices of film characters like Peter Pan and Aladdin as more than 680 individual fireworks paint the night sky. Oh, and don't worry that Tinker Bell may have been sealed in her jar for the night—she comes back to fly above the crowd in grand pixie-dust style. Check the Times Guide for performance time, which varies seasonally. Find a place near the front of the park for a quick post-show exit. Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World, FL. Duration: 12 mins. Crowds: Heavy. Audience: All Ages.