A Look Back at the Exposition Hall

WDWNT on April 15, 2010

WDWNT Reporter Matt Paul recorded and edited a video of the now-extinct theater and exhibits of the Town Square Exposition Hall on Main Street U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom:

Summer Nightastic Heating Up

WDWNT on March 29, 2010

Disney has updated the press release for Summer Nightastic to include the “Rock N’ Glow Dance Party” and the rather generic name for the new fireworks show that will run at the Magic Kingdom:

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” will light up the streets of Magic Kingdom, headlining a season of after-dark excitement coming to Walt Disney World Resort in summer 2010.

Beginning June 6 and continuing through Aug. 14, “Summer Nightastic!” will light up the night with shimmering, shining Disney magic in Walt Disney World theme parks. Here’s a look at what’s in store:

  • Showcasing floats and characters appearing at Walt Disney World Resort for the first time, Disney’s “Main Street Electrical Parade” returns with its joyous sights and sounds. Direct from Disneyland Resort 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 June 6 at Magic Kingdom.
  • The Twilight Zone™ Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios welcomes “drop-ins” this summer with even more pulse-racing surprises. New lighting effects created especially for “Summer Nightastic!” will bring unexpected frights to guests who step into that infamous service elevator … if they dare.
  • “Summer Nightastic!” also means music! In the courtyard of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, “Rock N’ Glow Dance Party” will have guests wanting to “trip the light fantastic” to sizzling summer sounds being spun by DJs. And at Epcot, the Sounds Like Summer Concert Series returns (June 12-July 31) with bands playing musical tributes to artists who filled summers gone by with musical magic.
  • What could be more summery than fireworks on a star-studded night? Magic Kingdom will treat guests to “Summer Nightastic Fireworks Spectacular,” filling the night sky with vivid colors and brilliant visual effects while whimsical music fills the air.

A History of the Main Street Electrical Parade by Chuck Mirarchi

WDWNT on March 17, 2010

From hotels to restaurants, parks and attractions, parades and special events; everyone has their favorite.  Every time they eat at a particular restaurant, stay in the same hotel, ride the same ride or see the same parade – it’s like it’s for the first time.  One of those is the Main Street Electrical Parade.

At a press conference on February 10th, Walt Disney World Resort President Meg Crofton announced a number of changes and updates for the Florida resort including the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.  The parade is part of Walt Disney World’s summer promotion, Summer Nightastic!  and will be replacing SpectroMagic.  As of press time, there has been no word on what is happening to SpectroMagic.  Some say it’s being refurbished and enhanced for Walt Disney World’s 40th Anniversary in 2011 and others say it’s being transferred to Disneyland, but until there is official word from the Walt Disney Company everything is just speculation at this point.

The Main Street Electrical Parade is a nighttime parade that features floats and live performers covered in thousands of electronically controlled lights and a synchronized soundtrack triggered by radio controls along key areas of the parade route.

The parade is known by two different names: at Disneyland it is known as The Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP), and at Walt Disney World it is simply known as Main Street Electrical Parade.  However, the officially registered name is The Main Street Electrical Parade.  The last time the parade was seen at Walt Disney World was on April 1, 2001 before heading cross-country to Disneyland.  The parade has undergone a number of incarnations since its debut and the Disneyland version is expected to arrive at Walt Disney World pretty much intact.

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