Hey there, Hi there, Ho there, Mary! We’re as happy as can be to see your trip is drawing closer!
The Festival of Fantasy Parade is an enormous, fantastic, musical, wondrous spectacle running each day at Magic Kingdom.
The afternoon parade has run at 3pm for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been visiting the Parks for a long time! But starting August 20th, the Festival of Fantasy Parade will run everyday at 2pm. I speculate that this is to make more room for
Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party preparation, and then later Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. But who knows? Maybe the Magic Kingdom residents are finishing up lunch early with Mickey and the Gang and are ready to go! Either way, you can start staking out your viewing spot about 30 minutes before the parade begins, as Cast Members start creating the parade route lines. Be sure to check the Times Guide when you enter the park for the most current schedule.
Personally, for this parade, I like to stand on the Central Hub near the Liberty Square bridge. This lets me see the entire parade as it circles around the Hub from the Train Station and passes by through Liberty Square. While there aren’t one on one greetings, make sure you have your camera out! You’ll be waving to characters (they will wave back!), dance on the curb as dancers pass you, but don’t stand too close! Maleficent’s Dragon has some super hot FIRE breath! It’s amazing to see that creation stalking down the street! Please come back and let me know what you think about the parade - it’s full of fantasy! ~ Lindsey P.