Walt Disney World’s Festival of Fantasy parade is now at Magic Kingdom daily at 3 p.m. This celebration of Fantasyland features whimsical and bold new costumes and floats in delicious color palettes. Many favorite characters have returned to be in the new afternoon display. If you want to be completely surprised when you see it–quickly click on another article! Spoilers ahead.
How Festival of Fantasy Surprised Me
This parade surprised me a few different ways. Many a parade are simply moving celebrations of movies, characters and music. There was some excellent storytelling in the middle of this like I’ve never seen it displayed in this form. Festival of Fantasy also surprised me because it left some Disney Princesses and the Fairy Godmother out. I really thought that a Fantasyland celebration would encompass all the royalty. I guess you can’t fit everyone. Still, this parade is a gem and absolute fun. The floats are super tall. There’s even some talk of them being too tall for the Christmas decorations on Main Street. (The hanging wreaths and garland.) Though pictures of them were shared, seeing the costumes in action was even better.
Join me below for a photo walk-through of some of my favorite parts of the parade..
If you want to see a lot of Festival of Fantasy squeezed into a minute, watch this video I made. Select 1080p HD on the gear icon for best quality.
The Festival of Fantasy parade is opened with these beautiful gowns and couples who appear to be court dancers. The costumes look lovely when the girls twirl.
The first parade float in Festival of Fantasy features Belle and Beast on the front. When it was coming out of the gate I thought they were standing on a Christmas float but as it got closer I saw it was full of huge, flower garland. Belle’s gown looks so full and fancy.
Cinderella and Prince Charming are on the first Festival of Fantasy parade float as well, on a turning pedestal that has a huge structure of Cinderella’s pink gown on one side.
Anna and Elsa of Disney’s Frozen are also on a turning pedestal but on the back of the first Festival of Fantasy float. Olaf is spinning with them as well. Anna is in her Coronation dress. When she is meeting in the Norway Pavilion at EPCOT, she appears in a different outfit, her cape, boots & skirt ensemble.
Making his Disney Parks debut is the mime character from the Snuggly Ducking in Tangled. Rapunzel’s thug friends were such a fun part of that movie but I never imagined I’d see this guy daily at Magic Kingdom.
Rapunzel has her own Festival of Fantasy Snuggly Ducking float complete with Flynn Rider and Tangled thugs on pendulum swings. Notice Rapunzel’s hair draped all around the float! Excellent detail, possibly the best of the parade.
Flynn Rider, Maximus and some Tangled thugs swinging in the Festival of Fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Resort.
Here is the entire Tangled float in Festival of Fantasy with Flynn Rider and Maximus swinging away. It’s a Viking ship which I don’t remember from the movie.. but look at Rapunzel’s hair on the back! There are a lot of details on this including Flynn’s wanted sign.
Of all the Festival of Fantasy costumes, I was most excited to see this one. I noted in an earlier article about the parade that this head piece was made in a 3D printer. This pastel color palette is absolutely beautiful. She’s like a little under-the-sea cotton candy.
Ariel sits high on a clam shell in the Festival of Fantasy parade. The tropical colors and details are so fun and fitting. Ariel was flipping her fins down the parade route led by Sebastian with Flounder swimming overhead. Fun fact: Sebastian was kept from the Spectromagic parade and added to this one.
Details of Ariel’s clam float in the Festival of Fantasy parade. I especially love her crown up top and Flounder circling around.
My favorite! The Festival of Fantasy Peter Pan float is so creative. A rainbow stretches from Skull Rock to a patch of Neverland with Tinker Bell on it. The Jolly Roger sits on top and fires away with Peter and Wendy at the helm. The Peter Pan music in Festival of Fantasy is perfect.
Captain Hook swings away on the Festival of Fantasy Peter Pan float. This sparkly rainbow is so pretty.
Tinker Bell taunts the crocodile and Mr. Smee following her in the Festival of Fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom.
Merida chases the wind and touches the sky on a ginormous bag pipe in the Festival of Fantasy parade.
Behind Merida on the bagpipe are her super cute bear brothers.
The Sleeping Beauty fairies are fighting the good fight, literally, in the Festival of Fantasy parade. This is that fantastic display of storytelling I was talking about. Flora, Fauna and Merryweather aren’t just there smile at your camera, they are actively waving their wands at the battle happening just behind them.
Flora Fauna and Merryweather, Sleeping Beauty’s three good fairies, in the Festival of Fantasy at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
Prince Phillip battles thorny stilt walkers, ravenous birds and a steampunk-style Maleficent dragon in the Festival of Fantasy parade. We’ve seen battles in parades before but this one has quite the procession of characters and covers a long distance with the familiar menacing music from Sleeping Beauty. Quite the sight.
And here she is. The Maleficent dragon in Festival of Fantasy. You can’t tell from this picture but she breathes fire and moves fiercely. She is also fabulously detailed with a spinning wheel inside.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs do a walk by in Festival of Fantasy. You’ll notice Dopey gets a shoulder ride in this parade. Also behind them are the Alice in Wonderland gang including Alice, Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit and Jiminy Cricket who is introducing the next float.
The Pinocchio float has the real boy and scenes from Pleasure Island nestled onto a multi-color Mostro with pink elephants on parade on the highest part of the float.
Dumbo is also hanging out on Monstro. You could put Dumbo almost anywhere in this parade and I’d be happy. So glad to see the little guy with the big ears in Festival of Fantasy.
Closely behind Monstro follow Daisy and Donald with a vibrantly-colored lot of Fantasia characters. Ballerina hippos anyone? It’s nice to see the Fab Five in the finale.
I LOVE these big top dress girls. When they spin the ribbons look phenom! It’s like a rainbow in motion. You can see them in action in my quick video. Photo Credit: @TylerPretty
Last but certainly not least Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse float on by in a hot air balloon closing out Festival of Fantasy.
Anna and Elsa Took Aurora’s Place? Yes, they did.
I heard Aurora was originally supposed to be on the back of the first float with Belle and Cinderella. I usually take rumors and such lightly but this was blatantly confirmed by seeing the parade. You first see Belle and Beast and hear Tale as Old as Time. Then A Dream is a Wish plays when Cinderella and Prince Charming pass by. When I saw this parade on opening day, Once Upon a Dream was the music that accompanied Anna and Elsa, confirming that Aurora originally was in their place on this float. You can hear the beginning of the “I know you..” lyrics behind Anna and Elsa in my quick Festival of Fantasy parade video. (It’s the same video featured at the top of this article.) I look forward to seeing the parade when it has some sort of Frozen song, hopefully Let It Go, intertwined into the Disney Princess medley.
Compared to Soundsational?
So many people have asked how I like this parade compared to Soundsational. I think there are some similar themes. It sounds like the same Mickey Mouse March plays in the music but of course it’s not as thrilling in Festival of Fantasy because there isn’t a drum line like Soundsational. A lot of the color palettes are similar, they are both upbeat and the music, overall, plucks the same heart string. If I had to choose between the two I’d pick Soundsational and here’s why: Soundsational has a really even tempo when it comes to characters and theming and the costumes compliment the movement perfectly. It’s very organized and each theme follows the same pattern. Movers and dancers that are themed accordingly in front or back of a themed float with characters that support the unit as a whole. I like this parade pattern better, personally. I also prefer the style of costumes used in Soundsational. The costumes and movements are a perfect match to the characters they are supporting and aid in story telling. Festival of Fantasy is a bit more abstract with more daring choices; perfect in its own way.
Festival of Fantasy Costumes
This parade has some unbelievable costumes. Un. Believable. As you saw in the pictures above, many of them aren’t supportive of dancing in unison but instead are a showcase of art by themselves. Many of the costumes feel like a mix of high fashion meets theme park architecture. I really appreciate the bold choices made with the visuals, colors and textures. The attire alone has created new Disney characters unique to this parade.
So, what do you think? Have you seen this parade yet? What do you like the most?
I totally agree with what you say about this versus soundsational, that literally has to be the best parade i have ever seen.
I dont think the soundtrack of Festival of fantasy is quite…there yet. I much prefer the celebrate a dream come true one, also with there being the same dance throughout which I’ve often found myself dancing and singing along too. FoF seems like, I would have to see it in person to appreciate and fall in love with it.
Jane x
Awesome ! I can’t wait to see that parade in October!! Wonderful!! Thanks for sharing! I’m glad you were able to see it !