Main Street Electrical Parade and "Nightastic" Fireworks coming this summer

[crazy4wdw]

Official Press Release

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2010) – The “Main Street Electrical Parade” lights up the streets of Magic Kingdom and headlines a season of after-dark excitement coming to Walt Disney World Resort.

“After the sun goes down, our Walt Disney World parks will light up the night with ‘Summer Nightastic!’, ” announced Meg Crofton, president of Walt Disney World Resort, at a media event Wednesday.

Disney magic will shine and shimmer in a whole new light. Here’s a look around:

With floats and characters appearing for the first time at Walt Disney World Resort, Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” returns with its joyous sights and sounds. Direct from Disneyland and marking its first engagement in Florida since 2001, the cherished parade will be led by Tinker Bell waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new float. Pinocchio and Snow White join the parade this summer, aboard bright new floats. Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” is set for its summer-long nighttime premiere in early June at Magic Kingdom.

The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror welcomes “drop-ins” this summer with even more pulse-racing surprises. New lighting effects and the addition of a new drop sequence, created especially for “Summer Nightastic!”, will bring unexpected frights to guests who step into that infamous service elevator. If they dare.

What could be more summery than fireworks on a star-studded night? Magic Kingdom will treat guests to a special summer fireworks spectacular. The night sky will explode in vivid colors and brilliant visual effects as whimsical music fills the air.

Other fun! The return of the Sounds Like Summer concert series to Epcot and extended evening hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom several times a week add up to summer fun as only Disney can do – at all four Walt Disney World theme parks.

The nightastic fireworks will be the same show from the Pirates and Princess Parties "Magic, Music, and Mayhem" and will include the perimeter fireworks all around the Magic Kingdom. These fireworks will replace "Wishes" through the summer season.

More Info Here: http://thedailydisney.com/blog/2010/02/main-street-electrical-parade-to-return-to-disney-world/

 

[CanadianGuy]

Wonder what the exact start date is?

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I'm very interested in the new fireworks show. Wishes, and especially Hallowishes seem to get skimpier every time I see them.

Illuminations has deteriorated to the point that they would be better off having a few CM's holding sparklers on the barge.

MG

 

[Bethpremier]

Here ya go!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETmtX6fpjCA

 

[Golf4food]

I'm very interested in the new fireworks show. Wishes, and especially Hallowishes seem to get skimpier every time I see them.

Illuminations has deteriorated to the point that they would be better off having a few CM's holding sparklers on the barge.

MG

Now I might stay to watch a bunch of CMs on a barge with sprinklers...

Illuminations always makes us laugh because we can't help but think about the Stonehenge scene from "This Is Spinal Tap". They just need some midgets to run around the "giant" globe thingy...

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Sounds really cool, but you won't catch me at WDW in the Summer!

 

[gymnastgirlflips]

So is this just for the summer?

 

[zulemara]

While I'm happy they are doing this, it seems like they are just trying to promote ppl staying late in the parks since there isn't much else to do at night. People are only gonna stay so long. It's 84 degrees and humid at 4am during the summer. Ppl can only take that for so long.

 

[LoodlesNoodles]

Anyone know if MSEP will replace Spectro from then on, or if they'll just revert back once autumn time comes?
I'm not so fussed about fireworks...

Same with ToT, will the 'special sequence' just be for summer? They seem to be pretty vague about these things! :S

 

[crazy4wdw]

While I'm happy they are doing this, it seems like they are just trying to promote ppl staying late in the parks since there isn't much else to do at night. People are only gonna stay so long. It's 84 degrees and humid at 4am during the summer. Ppl can only take that for so long.

I wonder how much the opening of the Harry Potter attractions at Universal influenced Disney's decision to add these nighttime events?

More information was scheduled to be released today at another press conference which would include the details on when the new events would start but I haven't seen any updates yet.

There are some rumors that the Electrial Parade will stay at WDW for at least a year, giving them extra time to fine tune World of Color at California Adventure.

 

[11290]

Actually, for the parade, there are a couple of things in play that might have influenced this change.

1. The floats for Spectro were really getting "tired" and in need of some serious rehab, so they needed some "downtime" to get this done.

2. MSEP was, and has been very popular, so now is a good time to bring it back for awhile and for a change of scenery.

3. It can also be looked at, if one desires, to be a cost cutting measure for the park. Spectro requires a lot of CM's in entertainment, costuming, makeup, etc., for each parade. MSEP requires far less of these CM's to put on the show. A cynical look at it to be sure, but a look that is a bit of reality. Don't know if that was part of the decision but could have been.

 

[mrsR123]

I am very, very excited that MSEP will be back. The theme is already playing in my head. The new fireworks ought to be terrific from BLT!!

 

[jade1]

It's 84 degrees and humid at 4am during the summer. Ppl can only take that for so long.

Yea baby-sounds heavenly and no sun bearing down either. We only venture out after the late afternoon rain storm, stay out as late as possible-then sleep in. Perfect.

 

[ChrisFL]

Actually, for the parade, there are a couple of things in play that might have influenced this change.

1. The floats for Spectro were really getting "tired" and in need of some serious rehab, so they needed some "downtime" to get this done.

2. MSEP was, and has been very popular, so now is a good time to bring it back for awhile and for a change of scenery.

3. It can also be looked at, if one desires, to be a cost cutting measure for the park. Spectro requires a lot of CM's in entertainment, costuming, makeup, etc., for each parade. MSEP requires far less of these CM's to put on the show. A cynical look at it to be sure, but a look that is a bit of reality. Don't know if that was part of the decision but could have been.

While it may be cynical, I think unlike other decisions with a very negative outcome, if this is just a summer replacement, it's a very good move by Disney.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Of course there are tiered sizes to parade performances. Just because you saw the parade with few CM's doesn't mean it is always that way.

Depending on how busy the parks are and how many performances of the parade there are in a given evening... the CM's assigned to a given performance is NOT a fixed number usually.

I've seen Spectro performed with at least two different numbers of CMs.. and same for the old Aladdin Parade .. and others.

The Aladdin Parade was very noticeable. One day it seemed like just a HUGE number of performers and a couple of days later when the park was not nearly so busy... the parade CM count was significantly reduced.

I love to know how that works.

 

[daber]

While it sounds nice that they are doing something special for the summer, when I heard "Summer Nightastic!", my mind immediately went to Murphy. If they were to introduce him, THEN I would be excited. I guess they don't want the same headaches he gave the folks out there on the West Coast.

 

[r-town]

how many parades are there?

 

[daber]

how many parades are there?

If you are talking night time parades, I'm not sure. There is besides the ones already mentioned Fantillusion (which I believe was in Tokyo and Paris) and the never to be seen in public ever again Light Magic (never saw that one, but loved the soundtrack)

 

[CanadianGuy]

If you are talking night time parades, I'm not sure. There is besides the ones already mentioned Fantillusion (which I believe was in Tokyo and Paris) and the never to be seen in public ever again Light Magic (never saw that one, but loved the soundtrack)

I DID see Lightmagic several times as I lived in SoCal at the time and was a DL AP holder.

Ugh. I still shiver at the thought. Those darn characters LITERALLY scared children to the point of tears on more than one occasion.

Step dancing, Riverdance-wanna-be elfin-leprechaun-pixies... With "Fembot" FIXED faces.. Ugh Ugh Ugh.

And there were tons of tech problems several of the times I saw it.

Trust me when I tell you that if you enjoy the music .. seeing the parade didn't enhance that any.

 

[ipodluvr287]

Do you think the fireworks and MSEP will last past the summer? We are going in late September and my family and I have never seen Wishes and I think I may have seen SpectroMagic, but I have a very vague memory of it. We haven't been since 2000 and we don't get a chance to go very often because of the price, so I would hate for Wishes to not be there when we go.