Tokyo Disneyland sports fantastic attractions, beautiful lands, and interesting restaurants. Of course, other theme parks have those things too. What other theme parks don’t have is the best parade that I’ve ever seen – Dreamlights. Tokyo Disneyland’s electrical parade is full of jaw-dropping floats and incredible music, making the nighttime parade a sight to behold. This post includes our extended thoughts on Dreamlights, a look at our favorite floats and discusses the best spots to view the parade from.

When planning our trip to Tokyo Disney Resort I read a number of posts and articles about the best things to do at Tokyo Disneyland. Dreamlights always topped the list so my expectations were high. Even with lofty expectations the nighttime parade left me speechless, immediately becoming my favorite parade after my very first watch. After multiple return visits, Dreamlights has only grown in my estimation.

This comes at a time when parades in the domestic parks have become less of a staple. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Disneyland’s Magic Happens! Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy is a decent parade too, although it could use a refresh. But those are the only 2 constants offered in the 6 American parks. Nighttime parades used to be commonplace and now they’ve disappeared. That makes the Tokyo Disneyland experience even more unique!

Dreamlights starts simply enough with the classic Disney Electrical Parade introduction followed by the familiar Baroque Hoedown. While the floats differ (in a good way) from Main Street Electrical Parade, the music takes the best parts of that soundtrack and repeats it. From the opening notes, the experience is energetic and memorable. We loved it so much that we bought the CD soundtrack at the store later than night! Oh yeah, Tokyo Disneyland still sells music from the parks in their gift shops and they have a good selection. 

Some of the most astounding floats and brightest lights I’ve ever seen follow the music prelude. The parade begins with a train that Goofy engineers. Don’t worry, I’ve never seen a Runaway Railway situation play out with this parade. The train is pulling a huge drum with Mickey and Minnie on board.

I love this opening float as it’s a nice mix of past meets present. The scale of the floats get larger but this is impressive nonetheless.

A Cheshire Cat float follows, showcasing bright and precise lighting. There are at least four different shades of purple/pink in the cat and each come through clearly.  Alice is perched on top in her teacup, with the quizzical cat seemingly looking up at her.

Melissa’s favorite movie is Tangled so this float is a personal favorite of ours. The lighting is deliberately dimmer on the float, making the lanterns stand out. Rapunzel’s tower is very sharp, as her hair wraps around and illuminates it.

The pirate ship is another feast for the eyes, with the sails displaying different designs as it goes past. Peter Pan characters are a little more mobile on this float relative to other ones, with choreography reminiscent yet not as elaborate of Disneyland’s Fantasmic.

The Beauty and the Beast float is gorgeous with its striking chandelier and trees perched all over it. It doesn’t hurt that we watch the titular characters dancing while it passes by.

Lumiere follows Beauty and the Beast and is a nice transition. All of the floats are worth writing about but I’m going to skip ahead to some of my favorites so it may leave some surprise if you are lucky enough to visit Tokyo Disneyland!

Pete and his dragon are an obvious replica from Main Street Electrical Parade. The difference is that this parade looks updated while the Main Street Electrical Parade, well, doesn’t. A brilliant green contrasted by the purple and yellow is displayed and Pete is illuminated really well. 

Genie is an obvious choice as a favorite as it receives the most “oohs and aahs” from the crowd. The scale of the float rises higher than any other and genie turns into a chameleon, changing his colors often. Genie on his own would be enough to make for a remarkable float but the base is beautiful, adding Arabian architecture for Genie to float over.

The finale floats are my favorite of the parade, invoking it’s a small world.  Adding in the thought of that attraction gives the parade a sense of togetherness and peace.  The music swells and is triumphant, matching the scale of the float. A myriad of characters top these floats, again promoting the united feeling.

It may be strange to describe a parade as hopeful but that’s exactly where the end of the parade leaves park guests. Between the stunning lights and upbeat music, it’s hard to watch Dreamlights and come away without a smile on your face. All parades feel boisterous and joyful but this one is able to add an extra depth on top of that. While parades don’t have coherent plots, this one makes it feel like you have been through a beautiful journey that ends in a hopeful resolution.

Viewing Tips for Dreamlights

Dreamlights shows every night at Tokyo Disneyland, barring a special event of some kind. Check the daily times guide to find what time the parade is showing when you are there. Here is the parade route:

The parade starts in Fantasyland and ends in Toontown. In front of the castle is definitely the preferred option as the view of the floats is breathtaking with the castle as the background. If you don’t want to line up for a spot a long time in advance but want a castle view, then grab a spot behind the Partners Statue. This will be farther from the parade but offers an incredible scene. You can usually get this spot half hour to 45 minutes in advance. Everywhere else in the castle hub is either pre-reserved with Disney Premier Access (not a great value) or you’ll have to line up for an hour in advance of the showtime.

We’ve also experienced the show in Frontierland and Fantasyland. Both views were fine but definitely did not measure up to the castle view. The trade-off is that you won’t have to get a spot quite as early and the parade is a little more intimate from those spots.

At Tokyo Disney Resort sitting for parades and shows is the custom. If you want a front row seat then lining up at least an hour in advance is advisable. The seating usually goes a few rows deep which works for this show because the floats are so grand. You might miss a few dancers if you’re 3 or more rows deep but the view won’t be bad overall.

Deciding when to get a depends how much of a priority Dreamlights is to you and how much time you have in the park.  If you are there during a busy season then finding a spot will obviously be harder. Maybe you’re more of an attractions focused person and don’t want to devote all of the time to getting a front row spot. I’d still recommend seeing the parade if that’s the case but I’d recommend going to watch from the Partners Statue and standing through the show, then you’ll have a quick exit to whatever ride you want to go on next!

As far as saving spots, the rule is to have at least half the amount of people in your group saving a spot. So if you have a group of four, two people should be there to save the spot.

My last tip is simply to not miss this parade. I’m not much of a parade person but this is definitely one of my favorite aspects of Tokyo Disneyland. Words don’t do the parade justice, no matter how many I might spend on this blog post! It’s a parade that has to be seen to be understood.

Do you have any thoughts or questions about Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights, or the resort in general? Let us know in the comments! Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? Check out planning guide! Thank you for reading Wandering in Disney. If you enjoy what you’re reading please subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email and like our social media pages. You can do both of those things on the right side of this page. Have a great day!