“Summer Nightastic!” Debuts Early!

WDWNT on May 8, 2010

According to park schedules released by Disney, “The Main Street Electrical Parade” and the “Summer Nightastic! Fireworks Spectacular” should be debuting early. The parade and fireworks are set to begin one night earlier than expected on Saturday, June 5th, with Electrical Parade at 9PM and the Fireworks Spectacular at 10PM. For those who wish to catch Spectromagic and Wishes! one more time before they “glow” away for the Summer, you can see them on June 4th at 9PM and 10PM respectively.

A strange note: the only night of “Summer Nightastic!” that is not scheduled to feature a Main Street Electrical Parade performance is Wednesday, June 9th. Other than that, the parade is set to perform every night through August 14th at 9PM (except 4th of July weekend where it will perform at 10:30PM).

For anyone who were afraid that Spectromagic or Wishes! might not return on time, fear not. Both are scheduled to return right on time August 15th. As usual, all of these dates and times are subject to change, but this is what Disney is saying at the moment.

Exclusive Interview w/Co-Creator of the Main Street Electrical Parade, Ron Miziker!

WDWNT on April 25, 2010

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing one of the co-creators of the Main Street Electrical Parade (and the creator of the the Polynesian Luau, Hoop-De-Doo-Review, and Diamond Horseshoe Saloon Revue, among many other Disney World entertainment offerings), Ron Miziker. You can hear the entire interview on Episode 140 of the WDW News Today Podcast, which is available for download now on our podcast directory page and on Itunes through subscription to the podcast only.

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.

Read More about A History of the Main Street Electrical Parade by Chuck Mirarchi

Summer Nightastic Overview

WDWNT on February 11, 2010

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.

Official Announcement of “Summer Nightastic” from Disney

WDWNT on February 10, 2010

From the Disney Parks Blog:

Big news today…we’re thrilled to announce that one of the most beloved attractions in Disney history, the Main Street Electrical Parade, is returning to Magic Kingdom Park this summer – and it’ll be better than ever. The classic parade will feature new LED lights and new audio technology when it begins its limited engagement at Walt Disney World in early June 2010.

Main Street Electrical Parade
Tinker Bell will lead the parade waving from the basket of a magical balloon aboard a new float. The parade’s return is part of Summer Nightastic! — an amazing lineup of new and enhanced entertainment planned this summer at Walt Disney World theme parks. For example, there will be new lighting effects and a new addition to Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Also, Magic Kingdom will treat guests to a special summer fireworks spectacular.

Main Street Electrical Parade

There’s plenty more planned and we’ll have more details in upcoming weeks but we wanted to tell you what we knew first on The Disney Parks Blog. Check back here for more.

“What’s New, What’s Next for WDW” Live Updates

WDWNT on February 10, 2010

In response to an overwhelming response from our followers, we are providing a number of ways to keep in touch with live updates from tonight’s announcements from the “What’s New, What’s Next for Walt Disney World” press conference from 5:30 PM through 6:45 PM ET. You can either follow the updates on Twitter by following us @wdwnt, by the special live interactive chat on WDWNTunes, or by refreshing this post that will be updated with information as it is provided. The updates will begin below shortly, we hope you enjoy our live coverage.

6:42 PM ET – Fireworks show at Magic Kingdom will be never seen before, not Magic, Music, and Mayhem.

6:29 PM ET – Summer Nightastic will also include extended hours at Disney’s Animal Kingdom seven days a week, Main Street Electrical Parade will be the version of the parade that performed at Disney’s California Adventure in 2009

6:20 PM ET – Presentation ended, more details coming from post conference events, so stay tuned

6:10 PM ET – Tower of Terror additions may be temporary for Summer Nightastic or permanent, not sure

6:07 PM ET – Wide World of Sports talk – http://twitpic.com/12h4e8

6:06 PM ET – Disney Cruise Line stuff, not our bag 😉

6:00 PM ET – Parks Blog has info already on June 2010 MSEP return: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/02/main-street-electrical-parade-returns-to-walt-disney-world-resort-this-summer/

5:59 PM ET – Now on to Fantasyland Forest: http://twitpic.com/12h2tq

5:58 PM ET – Electrical Parade will have new floats that debuted at Disneyland in 2009 for WDW 2010 return

5:57 PM ET – Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios to get new drop sequences and effects, Magic Music and Mayhem fireworks coming to Magic Kingdom

5:56 PM ET – MSEP officially returns for Summer Nightastic: http://twitpic.com/12h25z

5:55 PM ET – Main Street Electrical Parade to return to Magic Kingdom

5:54 PM ET – Talking about recent changes

5:50 PM ET – Talking about Give a Day, Get a Disney Day

5:48 PM ET – Crofton Begins Presentation: http://twitpic.com/12h0kz

5:46 PM ET – Still waiting: http://twitpic.com/12gznv

5:37 PM ET – Another look at the stage: http://twitpic.com/12gy1i

5:35 PM ET -Meg Crofton and Al Weiss have arrived and taken a seat.

5:26 PM ET – Banks Lee has a front row seat: http://twitpic.com/12gvnp, http://twitpic.com/12gvmx

5:04 PM ET – Matt Paul intimidated by Channel 6’s equipment 🙂

4:54 PM ET – Another pic from inside the grill: http://twitpic.com/12goob

4:50 PM ET – Blurry picture of new ESPN Grill at Wide World of Sports: http://twitpic.com/12gocx

4:45 PM ET – WDWNT is checked in: http://twitpic.com/12gndc

4:40 PM ET – The event is being held at the new ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, which will be dedicated as such later this month: http://twitpic.com/12ghsy, http://twitpic.com/12gigp

Some Modern Pixie Dust Brings A Classic Up To Date

WDWNT on June 11, 2009

Disney has released a short video and fact sheet about the return of Disney’s Electrical Parade tomorrow night as part of the already flailing Summer Nightastic promotion. The updates to the parade were much needed and the parade appears sparkling and new thanks to LED light technology and a recreated soundtrack:

Tinker Bell leads the procession on an all-new float and her trail of pixie dust enchants all the parade floats with new beauty along the way. The popular pixie waves from the basket of a balloon floating gracefully above a magical garden shimmering with fairy light.

In addition, enhanced versions of two classic favorites will return to the lineup after a 13-year hiatus – the shimmering diamond mine of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and the Pleasure Island haunts of Pinocchio.

WHAT: The parade twinkles with approximately half a million lights.  Of those, nearly 10,000 are new “pixie dust” lights spread over the 17 floats. The new LED lights use one-quarter of the power of incandescent lights. The “Tinker Bell” float alone has more than 25,000 points of light and 75 percent are powered by an LED source.

WHEN: Nightly at 8:45 p.m., beginning Friday, June 12, and continuing through Sunday, Aug. 23, at Disney’s California Adventure.

LIGHTS ON DEMAND: A new control system makes it possible, for the first time, for each light to be programmed individually. One example is the new Tinker Bell float, which has 160 dimmers, by far the most of any parade float, to control the lighting. Programming for this parade took approximately two months.

AN EVEN BETTER HOEDOWN: The unforgettable musical theme of the “Electrical Parade,” which has inspired several generations of Disneyland Resort guests to clap along, was adapted from a synthesizer piece known as “Baroque Hoedown,” written in 1967 by Gershon Kingsley and Jean-Jaques Perrey. Disney themes are superimposed over the original piece. For Summer Nightastic!, the distinctive “electro-sytho-magnetic” “Baroque Hoedown” has new audio technology that gives it a richer, fuller sound.

FUN FACTS

  • More than 80 performers appear in each presentation of “Disney’s Electrical Parade.”
  • There are 11,000 lights on the dancers’ costumes alone. Thanks to the energy-efficient LED lights, some of the dancers’ costumes now carry only one battery pack instead of two.
  • All the floats are battery-powered. More than 500 batteries supply power for lighting, propulsion, audio and special effects.
  • Approximately five miles of wire is used throughout the floats.
  • The tallest float in the parade is the Cinderella clock tower, at 18.5 feet tall.
  • The “Fireworks Finale” float, the longest in the parade, has seven cars that span 118 feet.

HISTORY

  • Summer Nightastic! 2009 will mark the 30th summer of the “Electrical Parade” performances at Disneyland Resort.
  • The original “Main Street Electrical Parade” premiered at Disneyland on June 17, 1972.
  • The parade has been performed more than 5,000 times at Disneyland Resort.
  • It has been presented nearly every summer, with the following exceptions: a 1975-76 hiatus for the Bicentennial “America on Parade”; the 1983-84 break for “Flights of Fantasy” parade; and the “Electrical Parade” retirement from Disneyland following the summer of 1996. Renamed “Disney’s Electrical Parade,” it premiered at Disney’s California Adventure in July 2001.
  • The original “Main Street Electrical Parade” floats were “flatter” and less three-dimensional than the current floats. New floats have been added through the years and some – “it’s a small world” float, “Briny Deep” float, and special anniversary floats for Disneyland’s 25th Anniversary (1980) and Mickey Mouse’s 60th Birthday (1988) – have been retired.
  • One of the original floats, the “Title Drum Unit” near the beginning of the parade, was created using an actual bass drum, one of the world’s largest in 1972. This drum had been used in Disneyland parades in the 1960s, when Mickey Mouse used to beat it using large drumsticks.
  • Versions of the parade have been presented at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (premiering 1977), Tokyo Disneyland (premiering 1985) and Disneyland Paris (premiering 1992).