Main Street Electrical Parade to return to Disney World
Dewayne Bevil, Featured, Matt Palm, News — By Matt Palm on February 10, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Great news for fans of “thousands of sparkling lights and electro-synthe-magnetic musical sounds”: Walt Disney World will bring back the classic Main Street Electrical Parade to the Magic Kingdom this summer.
Other changes around Walt Disney World: A new Magic Kingdom fireworks show, and new effects at Hollywood Studios’ Tower of Terror, including a change to the drop sequence.
But it’s the return of the Electrical Parade, the most beloved parade in Disney history, that will have Disney fans rejoicing.
As part of a seasonal promotion called “Summer Nightastic!,” the parade is being shipped from the Disneyland resort in California. Although it’s the classic parade, it will have some tweaks: A new Tinker Bell presentation at the head of the parade, and floats dedicated to Snow White and Pinocchio.
On the technology front, the lights will now be LED bulbs and there is new audio technology being employed.
“Even the music is guaranteed to bring back Disney memories,” said Walt Disney World president Meg Crofton Wednesday evening.
The return of ELP, as aficionados abbreviate it, is expected to take place in June; it will run through the summer.
The parade debuted at Walt Disney World in 1977 and ran until 1991, when it was replaced by the SpectroMagic parade. It later returned for a limited engagement from 1999-2001.
It has been showing at peak times at Disney’s California Adventure park in Anaheim during the past few years. The California parks had a Summertime Nightastic! promotion this past summer.
Tags: Magic Kingdom, Main Street Electrical Parade, Matt Palm
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20 Comments
Aficionados actually abbreviate it as ELP
Bob, you’re right. I was looking at my own abbreviated notes and lost my senses for a moment. Must be the excitement! Cheers! Matt Palm
Great news — I love the song!! My “Disney archives” child will be happy to hear this, too.
The Electrical Parade’s real function is to get people to stay until closing and then get them to the main gate where the souvenir shops are.
When it is over it’s time to spend money on your way out. The rides are all closed. The Fireworks show has run it’s course.
Hey Matt!
Are you doing the media event at Disney today? I’m here as a Mom blogger! Looking forward to meeting everyone!
Let’s all hope that it isn’t another “special event” where they close the park early and require the “guests” to buy yet another ticket to see this event.
How sad to go through your life always expecting the worst. Take a step back and enjoy life and what it has to offer. I’m looking forward to seeing the parade again as I’ll be down there in August for my son’s birthday. Can’t wait to go. Disney is an awesome vacation spot.
How presumptuous and judgmental of you! I tried to call repeatedly to assure that my annual pass would get me in. I was assured that there would be no problem by several “cast members” that spoke very little English. After driving for two hours and getting in the park we were pushed out after 15 minutes because we didn’t have the special tickets for the Christmas parade. Sad isn’t the word I would use, outraged, incensed, mad as heck would be a better term to use!
I hope they extend it past the summer blackout dates.. i’m not paying extra to get in the summer witht he crowds..
Great news. Spectromagic is nice, but ELP is breathtaking.
seen spectromagic past 3 years and brill, will miss but haven’t seen the electrical parade so excited bout that. can’t wait till june
As a former MK cast member (Emporium), I would like to say that the herding of the people down Main Street to get them into the shops post fireworks is not really the case. People arent forced thru the stores, they choose to go in. I have worked many a night where we have to try to politely sherpherd people out because they wanted to get their shoppping done while they weren’t missing out on anything else.
I’m excited for ELP’s return to MK! However I am so very sad at the departure of Wishes. I know it will always remain my most favorite fireworks show!
Epcotfanatic, it may very well be that Wishes will be back. Remember, this announcement is just for the summer season, so keep hoping!
i’m not even trying to complain because this is all very exciting news. in fact its the most exciting thing ive heard in years!
but now what they really should do is upgrade the fantasmic dragon to match disneyland’s, because that was a part of their Summer nightastic. our fantasmic could really use the upgrade.
Boy isn’t it a shame that no matter what good news Disney has, some of you want to find fault in it. What a shame to go through life like that. You can solve this problem very easy. Don’t go to the parks. Problem solved. Then you won’t have to worry about buying an extra ticket or getting pushed to buy a souvenir. Just learn to enjoy life people.
Does that mean that California is permanently losing the ELP yet again. I know that World of Color is opening at DCA this year but can’t we have both?
I went all the way out to California last year to see this version of the ELP and it doesn’t disappoint. It’s missing a few of the floats from our old version, like Dumbo and the Blue Fairy but others were added in. The music, assuming they keep it the same as at DCA is updated from the Tokyo Disney version of the parade, but it’s still pretty close to what we used to have and is instantly recognizable. I gotta say I’m stoked that I don’t have to fly all the way back to California this summer to see it. I’m already going in May and November so the ability to not make a 3rd trip is most welcome! It’s well worth the cash to upgrade the seasonal pass to annual to see it.
“Aficionados actually abbreviate it as ELP”
That may be for the DLR parade…however at WDW’s MK I have always seen the abbreviation as MSEP since it is the Main Street Electrical Parade.
Great news that we will be able to see this awesome parade on Main Street Again!
Now if only they would bring the DLR version of the Tiki Room to WDW!!!
When at Disneyland it was abbreviated as MSEP, as well. At California Adventure, it was DEP (Disney’s Electrical Parade).
I would assume ELP comes from the very popular mistake of calling it the “Electric Light Parade”?
Thank you, Punta Gorda Bob and M. Gomez for making me feel less crazy about calling it the MSEP. I knew I had heard/seen that abbreviation. But to be honest, all of my cast-member friends and acquaintances here in Florida call it “ELP,” and yes, it is a shortened form of “Electric Light Parade.”