Main Street Electrical Parade

[RBrooksC]

We haven't watched a nighttime parade since 2001 due to the time of the year when we visited. This year we can actually see this parade. We are also excited about seeing it because we have The Music of Disney soundtrack and the Baroque Hoedown is on it and my children LOVE to hear it.

Anyway, my question is, what time do people usually start to line up for this parade? And, what, IYVOHO, is the best vantage point to watch this parade?

[brownie]

We watched from the outside eating area at Pecos Bill's which worked out well for us. People start lining up an hour or more in advance for the parades. We lined up right as the parade started. It was the Monday following Thanksgiving, so it wasn't packed at the Magic Kingdom that day.

[Darbylew]

We line up at least 1 hour before the parade.
We usually sit right in front of Casey's on
Main Street. I am not a fan of the Electrical
parade. I like spectromagic much better. I hope
they bring it back real soon.

[Disney-4-Me]

Really most places are great to watch the parade. I've found that if we watch from anywhere back in Frontierland we don't have to line up as early. If we are anywhere near Main Street though, we take a seat as soon as we see other people starting to sit on the curbs.

If you are a photographer like I am, you might want to find a vantage point where you will be taking photos of the floats so that the castle will be in the background. This view makes for gorgeous photos! :D

[Fastpasssteve]

I sit on the curb really close to my favorite spot for fireworks: on the circle right in front of the castle at the 9 o'clock position, right as the parade makes the turn into frontierland.

Then I'm all set for fireworks. All I need is a scout to go for drinks or ice cream!

[azcavalier]

Anywhere on the street is a good place to view the parade, however, which section of the parade path totally depends on what your plan is afterwards. If you want to watch fireworks, then someplace up around Cinderella Castle is your best bet. Or, if you're like us and want to pretty much head out to the resort afterwards, we like a spot on the circle by the Main Street Train Depot. When it's over, we just head out, hop the ferry, and are back to our car pretty quick, without having to fight crowds.

[minnie-mouse]

What time does the night time parade actually start? We will have our DD6 and DD9 with us, is it as a late time? We are hoping they will stay up to see it.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

The parades and fireworks times can vary. You should check the disney website for the time that you are going to be there. And sometimes they'll have 2 parades if there are extra magic hours.

[catkrazy]

We always watch in Frontierland, I think it is out front of Pecos Bills. There is a brink 1/2 wall you can sit on. The last time we went was during 4th of July week and it was crowded. People were rude and pushing their kids up in front of people who had been sitting.:mad:

[Mickey91]

Depending on the time of year, people begin to line up anywhere from 10 min before to 1hr before. The least crowded is Frontierland. We usually start finding a spot about 30 min in advance.

[kemps@wdw]

We'e watched from numerous vantage points and all have been perfectly fine for the parade itself. If you prefer a specific background for photos/filming, you may want to scope your spot out early. We try to get a spot early for better viewing, and pick a spot right on a curb or directly under a rope. And, I've observed, that even if someone works their way in front of you, a CM almost always comes along just before the parade starts and moves them out of the way of the parade. Yes, there will always be the predictablly rude parents that will try to either get in front of you or, at the very least, push their kids in front of you. I personally don't mind allowing a younger child to share my space and have even made that offer, unsolicited. But, I will not make that offer to an adult who arrives at the last minute and tries to muscle in on a great spot that I've staked for the last hour! :D

[donnine]

We line up at least 1 hour before the parade.
We usually sit right in front of Casey's on
Main Street. I am not a fan of the Electrical
parade. I like spectromagic much better. I hope
they bring it back real soon.

I'm with you! I think Spectromagic is much better and I had hoped it would be back by now. Anyone know if and when it is returning? We watched last time from City Hall near the entrance and were probably there 1 1/2 hours before-hand.:confused:

[RBrooksC]

I'm with you! I think Spectromagic is much better and I had hoped it would be back by now. Anyone know if and when it is returning? We watched last time from City Hall near the entrance and were probably there 1 1/2 hours before-hand.:confused:

To be honest, I haven't seen this parade since 1989 and the Spectromagic since 2001. So, I have no allegiance to either of them. However, since I have The Music of Disney: A Legacy in Song with the Baroque Hoedown on it, it will be fun to see. My children love me to play that song over and over again when we are driving.

[debbymc4]

We watched in Frontierland last night. It was a great spot for the parade. We lined up about 30 minutes before and got a spot sitting on a half wall. The bad part.....we didn't want to stay for the fireworks and were nearly unable to leave the park. I almost had a full-on panic attack trying to get out of the park.

[ransam]

we have always been lucky and had good seats.

[Victor Kelly]

Frontierland seems to be the best place now. We were at the bypass bridge for Splash Mountain. A very kind CM told me and my wife to wait right where we were (right next to a churro stand)and when he put the rope up to go right to it. We had our newlywed buttons on:thumbsup:

We did and we had a great standing point for the parade as it came by. A family came up behind us and the little ones could not see, the parents asked if we minded the kids getting in front of us. We didn't mind so the kids came up and got to see the parade close up too.

Mainstreet and around the castle are just too hyper congested for us. Plus we got to see unobstructed fireworks from the same bridge in Frontierland after the parade.

All that and it was our first night in MK as a married couple.

[joonyer]

We watched in Frontierland last night. It was a great spot for the parade. We lined up about 30 minutes before and got a spot sitting on a half wall. The bad part.....we didn't want to stay for the fireworks and were nearly unable to leave the park. I almost had a full-on panic attack trying to get out of the park.

An easy way to get out of the MK from Frontierland in this crowded situation is to take the WDW railroad from the Frontierland station, and just ride right around to the Main Street station and there you are at the MK entrance. We've done this several times, when we just feel too tired to walk to the front of the park (Our last ride of the night is usually Splash Mountain).

[dizneydeb22]

An easy way to get out of the MK from Frontierland in this crowded situation is to take the WDW railroad from the Frontierland station, and just ride right around to the Main Street station and there you are at the MK entrance. We've done this several times, when we just feel too tired to walk to the front of the park (Our last ride of the night is usually Splash Mountain).
That is a great idea! We usually disagree on riding the railroad, but after a full day, I'll bet everyone will be on board (pun intended).:mickey:

[RBrooksC]

We ended up getting a space right at the end of the bridge from the hub into Liberty Square. Our backs were to the Crystal Palace and we were facing the castle. In fact, I was able to use the trashcan there to sit my camera.

This was a great spot. First off, you get a great view of the castle for photos before and during the parade. Second, if you film the parade, the castle is in the background of the shot.

We also like that where we were was inside the area that is closed. So, when the parade time approached, we didn't have to worry about squatters trying to get in front of us.

We did have to line up an hour before the parade. But, it was fine because we realized that many people were doing the same thing.

This spot also gave us easy access to Adventureland for a ride on the Jungle Cruise after the parade. (We had already seen Wishes.)