Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade is the Best of Magic Kingdom’s Christmas Party

Written by Joshua Posted November 27th, 2024

We attended our first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party last week. The Cast Members were terrific, the hot chocolate was delicious, and the Christmas vibe was strong. I expected all of that. What I didn’t expect was the greatness of the Space Mountain holiday overlay! But we’re here to talk about Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade.

For many, the parade is the highlight of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Guests have two opportunities to watch, at 8:30 and 11 PM. Unless you have young children, we recommend catching the later performance. We saw people queueing up 45 minutes before the first parade. We took advantage of that by walking on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. Waiting for the second parade also puts an exclamation point on the evening. Nothing tops Santa in his sleigh.

We typically watch nighttime parades in front of the Town Square Theater. Yes, we could squeeze onto Main Street, but we’re not into crowds. Plus, the square has the Christmas tree, a cool photo backdrop. If you choose this spot, you’ll have to wait a few minutes for the performers to get to you. But the Kringle Crew pre-show will keep you entertained.

Pre-parade entertainment before Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade is excellent. The floats are stunning, but the street performers are the stars. The way they interact with the crowds, especially the kids, is worth the price of admission. And how those Arendelle skiers avoid the trolley tracks is beyond me.

I do wish the music was more compelling. The arrangements felt thin for a Disney production. The soundtrack was updated this year, but most people I’ve spoken with prefer the previous music. My wife calls me a music snob, so take this criticism with a grain of salt.

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade photos

It isn’t easy photographing nighttime parades. While parade floats are bright, the characters are not. The floats move slowly, but the characters are in constant motion. And from our typical vantage point, everything is backlit. I was underwhelmed with my Mickey’s Boo-To-You Halloween Parade photos last year. So I switched things up for the Christmas party. I left the zoom lens in the bag and used my 35 mm prime, instead. The larger aperture did much better in low light. And I was able to get some close-ups by cropping in Photoshop. Overall, I dig these photos. I hope you do, too.

Kringle Krew

Cast Member

Parade sign

Classic Disney characters

Pluto, Tigger, Pooh, Mary Poppins, Bert, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Alice, Mad Hatter, Peter Pan, Wendy, Gepetto, and Pinocchio. I think that’s it. Photographing them was chaotic!