Beatrice Lang
The Main Street Electrical Parade is a nighttime parade that first premiered at Disneyland in 1972 and has since become the longest-running parade in Disney history, performing at Disney Parks worldwide. The parade features floats and live performers adorned with electronically controlled LED lights, totalling over 600,000. The parade has had several runs at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, with the most recent one ending in 2016. While there is currently no night parade at Walt Disney World, there are rumours of a potential return of the Main Street Electrical Parade, with an electric parade scheduled to debut at Disneyland Paris in 2024.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Main Street Electrical Parade |
| Debut | 1972 |
| Creators | Robert Jani and Ron Miziker |
| Features | Floats and live performers covered in electronically controlled LED lights |
| Music | Synchronized soundtrack featuring Baroque Hoedown and other themes |
| Locations | Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Disney California Adventure Park, Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, Disneyland Paris |
| Recent Developments | Rumors of a return in 2024, with a focus on drones |
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What You'll Learn
The Main Street Electrical Parade's history
The Main Street Electrical Parade is a nighttime parade that first premiered at Disneyland in 1972 and has since become the longest-running parade in Disney history, performing at Disney Parks worldwide. Created by Robert Jani and project director Ron Miziker, the parade features floats and live performers covered in over 600,000 electronically controlled LED lights.
The parade uses a synchronized soundtrack featuring a signature theme, Baroque Hoedown, which is arranged to complement each float. The original parade at Disneyland in California ran from 1972 to 1996 and returned for limited engagements in 2017, 2019, and 2022. The parade was originally intended to run for just the summer of 1972, but due to its popularity, it was extended through the busy summer and holiday months in 1974.
The neighboring Disney California Adventure park hosted the parade between 2001 and 2010. Another version, at Magic Kingdom in Florida's Walt Disney World Resort ran from 1977 to 1991, 1999 to 2001, and 2010 to 2016. The parade has also spawned several other versions that ran or continue to run at Disney parks around the world.
The predecessor to the 1972 Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade was the Electrical Water Pageant, a show consisting of fourteen 25-foot-tall screens decorated with electrical lights and presented on Walt Disney World's Seven Seas Lagoon from 1971 to the present. Not long after the Electrical Water Pageant debuted, Card Walker commissioned the development of what became the Main Street Electrical Parade to provide Disneyland with a similar nighttime visual spectacle. The parade's design used nickel–cadmium batteries, which the Disney movie studio had recently started using, and Italian-made miniature bulbs that Disneyland staff had seen in light displays along Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois.
The parade's impact will always be felt, as nighttime parades will likely always be a staple of the parks for as long as they exist.
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The parade's soundtrack and music
The Main Street Electrical Parade, a nighttime parade, first premiered at Disneyland in 1972 and has since become the longest-running parade in Disney history, performing at Disney Parks worldwide. The parade features floats and live performers adorned with over 600,000 electronically controlled LED lights.
The parade's soundtrack, titled "Baroque Hoedown", was arranged to complement each float. The original soundtrack was recorded by synthesizer programmer Paul Beaver and music director Jim Christensen. Music from Disney movies was added to the soundtrack to synchronise with "Baroque Hoedown" and accompany each float. Sensors installed along the parade route ensured that spectators heard the appropriate music at the right time.
In 1977, Don Dorsey updated the soundtrack by adding opening and closing fanfares, rearranging some of the music, and incorporating the opening "electro-synthe-magnetic" announcement. Dorsey used 11 synthesizers to create the soundtrack: Moog Model III, Minimoog, Steiner-Parker Synthacon, Oberheim Eight Voice, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, Fender Rhodes Piano, New England Digital Synclavier II, Bode 7702 Vocoder, Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter, Yamaha DX7, and Yamaha TX7.
The 2009 version of the parade at Disney's California Adventure, its 2010 run at Magic Kingdom, and its 2017, 2019, and 2022 runs at Disneyland utilised much of the soundtrack created for DreamLights, with new loops created for the Cinderella, Pinocchio, To Honor America (2009–2019), and "it's a small world" units. The new soundtrack retained a more electronic sound, with many of the orchestral parts of the DreamLights soundtrack replaced by synthesizers.
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The parade's floats and performers
The Main Street Electrical Parade is a nighttime parade that first premiered at Disneyland in 1972 and has since become the longest-running parade in Disney history, performing at Disney Parks worldwide. Created by Robert Jani and project director Ron Miziker, the parade features floats and live performers adorned with thousands of electronically controlled LED lights.
The parade's design used nickel-cadmium batteries, which the Disney movie studio had recently started using, and Italian-made miniature bulbs that Disneyland staff had seen in light displays along Michigan Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. Disney contracted Silvestri, the Chicago-based company behind the city's holiday displays, to construct the parade's original floats. The parade has also inspired several variations and spin-offs, some of which are still in operation today.
The parade features a synchronized soundtrack, including a signature theme, Baroque Hoedown, which is arranged to complement each float. Starting in 1979, Wagner provided the synthesized vocoder voice for the intro and outro to the parade. The soundtrack has been updated over the years, with new loops created for the Cinderella, Pinocchio, To Honor America (2009-2019), and "it's a small world" units. The new soundtrack retains a more electronic sound than that of Tokyo's, with many of the orchestral parts of the DreamLights soundtrack replaced by synthesizers.
The parade has undergone several iterations, with the Magic Kingdom floats being wider than those in California. The Main Street Electrical Parade performed for the first time in Florida on June 11, 1977. It was replaced at Walt Disney World in 1991 with SpectroMagic, and the floats were sent to Euro Disney (now known as Disneyland Paris). The parade then returned to Walt Disney World in 1999 and ran until 2001. The parade has since had several additional runs at Walt Disney World, with the most recent one ending in 2016.
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The Electrical Water Pageant
The pageant's maintenance and upkeep are also notable, with crew members working tirelessly to replace light bulbs and ensure the floats are in good condition. The dedication of the crew contributes to the overall quality and enjoyment of the show, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the fantasy world that Disney has created.
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The future of the parade
The parade features floats and live performers adorned with electronically controlled LED lights, creating a dazzling spectacle. With a synchronized soundtrack, including the signature theme "Baroque Hoedown", the parade has left an enduring impression on Disney fans.
While the parade has not been a permanent fixture at Walt Disney World in recent years, there is speculation about its return as early as 2024 or 2025. Sources suggest that the parade could first make its way to Disneyland Resort for a seasonal run before moving to Walt Disney World. This timeline, however, is uncertain, and some believe that a 2025 debut is more probable.
Additionally, there are rumours of Disney incorporating drones into their shows, with successful testing already underway. This could mean that instead of a traditional parade, we might see an "electric parade in the sky", as hinted at by Disneyland Paris' upcoming Disney Symphony of Colours, which will feature a segment dedicated to the Main Street Electrical Parade.
The future of entertainment at Disney Parks promises to be innovative and exciting, with the potential combination of traditional parades and new technology, such as drones, creating unique experiences for guests.
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Frequently asked questions
The Main Street Electrical Parade was a nighttime parade that first premiered at Disneyland in 1972 and later at Disney World in 1977. The parade has since been replaced, but there are rumours that it will return to Disney World.
The parade featured floats and live performers covered in electronically-controlled LED lights. The parade used a synchronised soundtrack with a signature theme, Baroque Hoedown.
The parade has been performed at Disney Parks worldwide, including Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris.
The predecessor was the Electrical Water Pageant, a show consisting of fourteen 25-foot-tall screens decorated with electrical lights, presented on Walt Disney World's Seven Seas Lagoon from 1971 onwards.
