Recording Marching Band Prior to Parade

[chilly2336]

My son's high school marching band will be marching prior to the parade in Magic Kingdom in a few months and I was wondering if anyone has any good tips as to where the best places to video from? Any suggestions are appreciated!

 

[11290]

Day or night parade?

 

[subtchr]

Yep, timing is important. If it's before the Festival of Fantasy Parade in the afternoon, the train station is a great spot. The fastpass area isn't a bad place to watch, but it is not good for filming, because people are permitted to walk back and forth in front of you (between you and the kids) up until the band is almost on top of you.

If it's the evening parade, before MSEP, be aware the lighting is tricky. The best spot (since they are coming UP Main Street toward the castle instead of the other way), is at the edge of the Hub, looking toward the train station. If you don't get there before people have saved the spots, I find that if I politely explain that I am only watching the band, they don't have a problem letting me get to the edge to get some great shots. With the understanding that I will leave or move to the back after the band passes, of course!

I am a tour director for high school bands and choirs, so I go 7-8 times a year. Let me know if you have any other questions about a band trip.

 

[cindyfan]

I am interested too!! My DD's band will be marching before the MSEP on spring break. So.... good point about the lighting as it will be getting dark even though Daylight Savings starts 2 weeks before.

 

[mydisneykids]

My son will be marching in April. When my daughters went we were crazy. We had spots on Main St. near Casey's. As soon as the band was past us we cut through past Crystal Palace and through Adventureland, cut through where the bathrooms are and both times came out on the other side to get pictures of them coming through Frontierland.
Both of them were before the nightime parade and lighting is very tricky. Some pictures and video came out great, others not so much. But we did get a few keepers of each.

 

[chilly2336]

Ours is before the afternoon parade.

 

[chilly2336]

Subtchr - have you had a trip with the band under the new Fastpass+ system? Were the kids able to get any since they (or at least our school's band) don't get their info until they get to the park on arrival day?

 

[2PrincessesRmine]

Chilly2336
When we went with our band, we were given scans of the tickets so the kids would have their ticket numbers and could book fast passes.

 

[subtchr]

Subtchr - have you had a trip with the band under the new Fastpass+ system? Were the kids able to get any since they (or at least our school's band) don't get their info until they get to the park on arrival day?

Yep, probably a dozen since the new system started.

The way our company handles it is we email the group their ticket numbers in advance, even though we don't distribute the actual plastic tickets until arrival. That way they can set up their MDE accounts, link the ticket, and book fastpasses in advance.

If your travel company can't or won't do that, they will have to book fastpasses at kiosks in the park after they arrive, by scanning their tickets. I would still recommend creating MDE accounts and linking the tickets, so that they can then book FP for the remaining days.