New Nighttime Parade at Magic Kingdom Brings Changes to Walt Disney World Annual Passholder Admission Rules

Get ready to start paying attention to your reservation count again.

It has been nearly a decade since a nighttime parade last wound its way through the streets of Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, so there is a lot of demand to see one again. Now, that demand has affected the Annual Passholder admission rules and policies for Magic Kingdom, which take effect when the new Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away arrives at the park.

What’s Happening:

  • With all of the anticipation of the new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom - Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away - Walt Disney World is making some changes to their Annual Passholder policies.
  • Starting on July 20th, the day the parade debuts, this new change requires that all annual passholders visiting Magic Kingdom must have a theme park reservation, regardless of what day of the week it is.
  • This is a change to the current policy that states that passholders can visit Magic Kingdom without a reservation Monday through Friday after 2:00 PM, with reservations still needed on Saturdays and Sundays.
  • This change in policy only affects Magic Kingdom. The same rules will still apply for Passholders visiting EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom - where a reservation is not needed if visiting after 2:00 PM, seven days a week.
  • Before July 20th, Annual Passholders may visit the theme parks without a theme park reservation on a good-to-go day or after 2:00 PM (except for Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom).
  • More importantly for fans is the use of a key phrase on the official website revealing this update - suggesting that this change in the rules is only for a limited time when the parade first debuts, due to the anticipated high demand for the new entertainment offering. However, there is no date when or if the rules will revert back to their previous form.
  • The new rules Annual Passholder admission rules take effect on July 20th, 2025.
  • Disney Starlight: Dream The Night Away marks the first new nighttime parade at the park since SpectroMagic debuted in 1991, and the first to wind its way through the park since the Main Street Electrical Parade was retired once again in 2016.
  • The glowing floats will bring classic and contemporary stories from Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios to life, including modern favorites like Encanto, Coco, and Wish, with classics like Peter Pan and Pinocchio.
  • It all culminates in a beautiful finale float that pays homage to the original Main Street Electrical Parade, featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and more.

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Tony Betti
Originally from California where he studied a dying artform (hand-drawn animation), Tony has spent most of his adult life in the theme parks of Orlando. When he’s not writing for LP, he’s usually watching and studying something animated or arguing about “the good ole’ days” at the parks.
View all articles by Tony Betti