On Christmas morning, people across America tune in to watch the Christmas parade at Disney Parks and Resorts. It was never a tradition for me because our Christmas morning was about family time but I know many people enjoy it. This year I got to experience the taping mid-December at Walt Disney World with a friend. Our main goal upon attending wasn’t to get on t.v. or any of that jazz. We were more curious to attend, watch it happen and get all Christmassy. The Frozen takeover of this parade was in full swing the day we went. I got to see the Frozen leg of the parade and Elsa freeze Main Street! I was actually in The Hub when she froze it and loved telling my mom I was right there and saw her do that when we caught that part Christmas morning.
Because taping happens throughout the day, we got to see a few more sections of the parade. In Frontierland we saw the Princesses swiftly go by on an assortment of transportation devices to get to their filming location. It was neat to see Merida and her mom on horse back.
The castle stage and other areas were all decorated for the parade. It’s different and interesting to see Magic Kingdom being utilized as a filming backdrop. Like I said, the taping doesn’t happen on Christmas day so don’t expect to see it then. Usually early or mid-December, though, you can just walk in and catch parts of it. The filming is done over multiple days, usually with parade filming on Main Street and celebrity performances on the castle stage happening on different days. A few years ago I saw Justin Bieber film and it’s one of my favorite memories at Magic Kingdom.
What you might be wondering:
Do I need special tickets to attend the Disney Christmas parade filming?
Tickets are sometimes provided to Disney Cast Members to watch the filming. However, you don’t need tickets to watch filming that takes place during regular hours if you’re already in the park. Both times I’ve gone, regular guests could walk up and grab a spot to watch people sing at the castle or parade down Main Street. Don’t wear big logos or trademarked images though. Christmassy outfits are encouraged!
When is the next parade taping?
Besides knowing it’s often in December, it’s kind of an elusive event. It’s not advertised and usually not even made known to the public until soon before. Talent is usually kept secret even when the filming dates are known.