Disneyland band with characters

[mom2rtk]

I saw a post online that showed the characters (Mickey and friends) doing a quick little show at the castle then the march down Main Street with the band. The post said the characters only do this at one of the band performances each day. Does anyone know what time this typically is or how to find out?

 

[LKing]

The March Down Main Street happens at the 12:15 band performance. They will start blocking the castle entrance around noon. Happiest_Place_55 on Instagram has several posts/videos from different vantage points of the March Down Main Street.

If you stand in front of the castle, you will see the band perform and the characters come out for one song. They will then march along Main Street with the band and perform to Celebrate Happy in front of the train station.

My favorite place to watch the March down Main Street is from behind the castle. You'll need to stand near the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique entrance. That's where the band marches out from and where the characters gather before they join the band. You can either follow the characters and march with them or exit around the side of the castle (Royal Hall side) and walk quickly to the end of Main Street to catch the performance in front of the train station. Stand on the curb of the island with the flag pole. You'll see other people waiting but it usually isn't crowded. Another cute character interaction is when they finish the march and exit the park near the Mad Hatter.

 

[disneychrista]

They do a show at the castle and then travel down Main Street and do another show in front of the Train Station at 12:15.

 

[mom2rtk]

The March Down Main Street happens at the 12:15 band performance. They will start blocking the castle entrance around noon. Happiest_Place_55 on Instagram has several posts/videos from different vantage points of the March Down Main Street.

If you stand in front of the castle, you will see the band perform and the characters come out for one song. They will then march along Main Street with the band and perform to Celebrate Happy in front of the train station.

My favorite place to watch the March down Main Street is from behind the castle. You'll need to stand near the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique entrance. That's where the band marches out from and where the characters gather before they join the band. You can either follow the characters and march with them or exit around the side of the castle (Royal Hall side) and walk quickly to the end of Main Street to catch the performance in front of the train station. Stand on the island near the flag pole. You'll see other people waiting but it usually isn't crowded. Another cute character interaction is when they finish the march and exit the park near the Mad Hatter.

Thank you for the detailed answer! And also for the recommendations on where to stand. Very helpful!

Can I assume that goes on pretty much every day in whatever costumes they wear around Town Square? So on the 6th and 7th it would be in their Christmas costumes, then on the 8th back to their 70th costumes?

 

[mom2rtk]

They do a show at the castle and then travel down Main Street and do another show in front of the Train Station at 12:15.

Thank you! I will try to catch both.

 

[LKing]

Yes, it happens every day when it is not raining. They wear their seasonal costumes (70th, Halloween, Christmas, etc). Scroll through that Instagram page. You'll see the characters in all of their costumes.

Another good view is standing by the Christmas tree, facing the castle. You can get a good shot of M&M and the band marching down Main Street with the castle in the background. The only thing is that it is difficult to view from there and then run around to get a good spot for the performance in front of the train station.

Below is a picture of the characters at the end of Main Street as the gates close. This is a super fast photo op and you need to be prepared for it. It would be difficult to do all of the views/vantage points on the same day. Just giving you a variety of options in case you watch it over multiple days.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes, it happens every day when it is not raining. They wear their seasonal costumes (70th, Halloween, Christmas, etc). Scroll through that Instagram page. You'll see the characters in all of their costumes.

Another good view is standing by the Christmas tree, facing the castle. You can get a good shot of M&M and the band marching down Main Street with the castle in the background. The only thing is that it is difficult to view from there and then run around to get a good spot for the performance in front of the train station.

Below is a picture of the characters at the end of Main Street as the gates close. This is a super fast photo op and you need to be prepared for it. It would be difficult to do all of the views/vantage points on the same day. Just giving you a variety of options in case you watch it over multiple days.

View attachment 1035339

That's exactly the type of info I was looking for. Thanks again!

I was just looking at the entertainment schedule and see the Disneyland Band does have one listed at 12:15. But they also list something called the "Disneyland Band at Castle Promenade" at other times. What is that?

Also, just an aside, I just saw that they are now listing the Celebrate Happy Cavalcade on the 8th rather than the 9th, so I'll be able to catch that as well.

 

[VGCgroupie]

We tried last month at 12:15 and they were not with the band. This one was very confusing for us and the app was no help. We also asked a group of 6 CM that were on Main St by the castle, none of them had any idea what we were talking about. We were there candlelight processional weekend maybe thats why.

Hope you get to see them!

 

[LKing]

I was just looking at the entertainment schedule and see the Disneyland Band does have one listed at 12:15. But they also list something called the "Disneyland Band at Castle Promenade" at other times. What is that?

Those are performances in front of the castle. Are you looking for the characters or entertainment in general?

When the Disneyland band performs in front of the Golden Horseshoe, Tiana often joins them for a song or two. When the Pearly Band performs in front of the castle, Mary Poppins and Bert often join them.

 

[disneychrista]

Thank you! I will try to catch both.

A lot of people will follow the band down Main Street from the Castle to the Train Station.

 

[LKing]

We tried last month at 12:15 and they were not with the band. This one was very confusing for us and the app was no help. We also asked a group of 6 CM that were on Main St by the castle, none of them had any idea what we were talking about. We were there candlelight processional weekend maybe thats why.

When the CP stage is set up, they don't do the Town Square loop or perform in front of the train station. They take a left turn before the tree and exit by the Mad Hatter.

 

[VGCgroupie]

When the CP stage is set up, they don't do the Town Square loop or perform in front of the train station. They take a left turn before the tree and exit by the Mad Hatter.

Thanks. This will be helpful for next year. Will be there again on the same weekend.

 

[LKing]

A lot of people will follow the band down Main Street from the Castle to the Train Station.

Yes, and those that follow watch the train station performance from the side. If you leave the castle as soon as they start teaching everyone to march, you can hustle to the end of Main Street and get a centered view of the train station performance from the curb on Town Square.

 

[mom2rtk]

Those are performances in front of the castle. Are you looking for the characters or entertainment in general?

When the Disneyland band performs in front of the Golden Horseshoe, Tiana often joins them for a song or two. When the Pearly Band performs in front of the castle, Mary Poppins and Bert often join them.

I'm mostly interested in the characters. So it sounds like 12:15 is my time. Thanks!

 

[disneychrista]

Yes, and those that follow watch the train station performance from the side. If you leave the castle as soon as they start teaching everyone to march, you can hustle to the end of Main Street and get a centered view of the train station performance from the curb on Town Square.

I almost edited my post to say the same thing.

As soon as they begin to leave the castle, walk briskly to Town Square and stand across from and facing the train station.

 

[mom2rtk]

I almost edited my post to say the same thing.

As soon as they begin to leave the castle, walk briskly to Town Square and stand across from and facing the train station.

Perfect. Thanks!

 

[mom2rtk]

We are back and I'm reporting in! I had a ton of fun with this on our trip, so thanks to everyone who chimed in with advice, especially @LKing.

We happened to be walking back into the park after our princess brunch on Tuesday last week. It was noon and I recalled the characters would be performing near the train station soon so we hung out and waited. This was a great day to photograph there, as it was overcast.






Since I knew they would give a wave on their way out, I hustled over to the doors in time to catch this:

 

[mom2rtk]

The following day I was in the park so hung out behind the castle. Here's where I found out some days go better than others. I was there early and standing on the side of the pillar closer to the castle. I stood there for 15 minutes or so while a number of other people also gathered. Then at the last minute the CM at the BBB check in stand told me I had to be on the other side of the pillar, a space already occupied. Figures. Regardless I did get some shots.

 

[mom2rtk]

The next day the characters were back in their 70th costumes, so I decided to try it again. I waited by the train station, but was frustrated by the harsh mid-day backlighting. Anyone who wants to try this should try to find an overcast day since it makes this a much easier task. My flash helped, but it was challenging for sure. I actually like the strong shadows in some of the shots though.

 

[mom2rtk]

The next day, our departure day, I decided to give it one last try before heading out to the airport. This time only one other person was waiting back behind the castle. She was a passholder named Debbie and was really helpful. She had done this many times before. She showed me the route she takes down the side of the parade to get down to the hub for the photos there. If Debbie is a poster here, I'd love to know so I can thank her.