Hi Jonna!
One of my favorite things to do when visiting Walt Disney World Resort's
Magic Kingdom Park is to watch the 3:00 parade. Currently, the afternoon parade is the
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, and it's AMAZING. The costumes are so detailed and colorful, and the parade floats are massive. The fire-breathing Maleficent dragon is so cool!
I, too, have always wondered what the secret is to be chosen as the Grand Marshals of the Magic Kingdom parade. While there's no way to sign up for such an honor, I've read several online trip reports from folks who have done it!
From the trip reports I've read, Cast Members randomly approached the guests in the park, struck up a conversation, and asked if they would like to be the Grand Marshals of the parade. (How could anyone ever say no?) The guests are then given instructions on where and when to meet up before the parade. They're asked to provide their names and hometown information (to be announced over the sound system - how exciting!), and then they're free to enjoy their day until parade time.
I'm sure that Cast Members are looking for groups that are truly enjoying their day in the park. Perhaps they choose families that are celebrating an occasion? There's no secret formula to get chosen as the Family of the Day or Grand Marshals of the 3:00 parade, but I've certainly got my fingers crossed that someday it might happen to us!
To find trip reports of families who have had this amazing experience, you can search the internet for "wdw family of the day". It's so much fun to read about families getting chosen for this awesome honor!
Sending you an extra dose of pixie dust for luck! Have a magical day - Diane W.