fbpx
Skip to content

Main Street Electrical Parade Backstage Sneak Peek as part of Summer Nightastic in Walt Disney World

Join Lou Mongello on a backstage look at the legendary Main Street Electrical Parade as it prepares for its return to Walt Disney World as part of Summer Nightastic! You’ll get a rare look at the parade in its backstage, behind the scenes splendor, and hear from some of the Disney Cast Members who brought the magic to life.  Lou will even test his driving skills on one of the float ride vehicles, and who knows… you might even see Tinker Bell!



When the “Main Street Electrical Parade” returns to Magic Kingdom for a limited engagement this summer, the cherished Disney nighttime spectacle will have a new glow.  Tinker Bell will sprinkle her pixie dust to illuminate the classic parade.  The parade’s highly recognizable musical theme will be brightened by new technology.

The parade, which normally is featured at Disneyland Resort in California, was last at Walt Disney World Resort from 1999 into 2001.  But as it returns to Magic Kingdom to headline “Summer Nightastic!” June 6 through Aug. 14, 2010, “Main Street Electrical Parade” will be showcasing lots of features never before seen – or heard – in Florida.

Tinker Bell leads the procession on an all-new float, and her trail of pixie dust enchants all the parade floats with new beauty along the way.  The popular pixie waves from the basket of a balloon floating gracefully above a magical garden shimmering with fairy light.

In addition, enhanced versions of two classic favorites will return to the lineup after a 13-year hiatus – the  shimmering diamond mine of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the Pleasure Island haunts of  Pinocchio.

WHAT: The parade twinkles with approximately half a million lights.  Of those, nearly 10,000 are new “pixie dust” lights spread over the 23 parade floats.  The new LED lights use one-quarter of the power of incandescent lights.  The Tinker Bell float alone has more than 25,000 points of light and 75 percent are powered by an LED source.

WHEN: Nightly beginning Sunday, June 6, and continuing through Saturday, Aug. 14, in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.

LIGHTS ON DEMAND: A new control system makes it possible, for the first time, for each light to be programmed individually.  One example is the new Tinker Bell float, which has 160 dimmers, by far the most of any parade float, to control the lighting.  Programming for this parade took approximately two months.

AN EVEN BETTER HOEDOWN: The unforgettable musical theme of the “Main Street Electrical Parade,” which has inspired several generations of Disneyland Resort guests to clap along, was adapted from a synthesizer piece known as “Baroque Hoedown,” written in 1967 by Gershon Kingsley and Jean-Jaques Perrey.  Disney themes are superimposed over the original piece.  For “Summer Nightastic!,” the distinctive “electro-sytho-magnetic” “Baroque Hoedown” has new audio technology that gives it a richer, fuller sound.

MAIN STREET ELECTRICAL PARADE FUN FACTS

  • More than 80 performers appear in each presentation of Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade.”
  • There are 11,000 lights on the dancers’ costumes alone.  Thanks to the energy-efficient LED lights, some of the dancers’ costumes now carry only one battery pack instead of two.
  • All the floats are battery-powered.  More than 500 batteries supply power for lighting, propulsion, audio and special effects.
  • Approximately five miles of wire is used throughout the floats.
  • The tallest float in the parade is the Cinderella clock tower, at 18.5 feet tall.
  • The Fireworks Finale float, the longest in the parade, has seven cars that span 118 feet.

MORE ABOUT ‘SUMMER NIGHTASTIC!’
From June 6 through Aug. 14, 2010, Walt Disney World guests will be able to see Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade,” experience new special effects at The Twilight Zoneâ„¢ Tower of Terror, thrill to the new “Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular,” and groove to a dance party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and to the “Sounds Like Summer” concert series at Epcot.

Guests can Learn more about “Summer Nightastic!” and check out deals for summer travel by visiting www.disneyworld.com/night or by calling 407/W-DISNEY (934-7639) or a local travel agent.  All special summer events are included in regular theme-park admission.

Comments

About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

Related Posts