Tokyo Disneyland is home to some of the best parades a theme park has ever showcased! While it’s nearly impossible to match the incredible nighttime parade, Dreamlights, the daytime parades have also been a staple. The resort switches out those parades roughly every five years and the current iteration is called Harmony in Color. The parade runs in the afternoon (check the Tokyo Disney Resort app for a daily schedule) for about 20 minutes as it passes by while spending about 45 minutes on the route. In this post, we’ll review Harmony in Color, discuss whether the parade lives up to its predecessors and add some tips for viewing at the end of the post.

The relative expectations and standards of entertainment, attractions or new lands can be a hard balance when it comes to reviewing Tokyo Disney Resort. Ttake DisneySea’s new Fantasy Springs, for example. Put that gorgeous, attraction-driven land and put it in Hollywood Studios? It’s the best land there and maybe in all of Walt Disney World. But in DisneySea? I don’t think it would crack my top three ports! So when writing about different aspects of Tokyo Disney Resort, what do I compare them to?

I’ve thought about this quite a bit while editing photos from, and thinking about, Harmony in Color, a beautiful daytime parade that left me slightly underwhelmed. That TDR burden of expectation definitely hurts Harmony in Color, which leads me back to the same question I stated above. The answer is obvious to any Wandering in Disney loyalist, I just compare it to both and get this word count into the thousands!

A little background on Tokyo Disneyland’s daytime parade – Harmony in Color debuted on April 23rd, 2023 in celebration of the park’s 40th anniversary. We would have had this review up much earlier (instead of 18 months later) but it was canceled due to weather on our first visit after the debut. The parade replaced Dreaming Up, a wild and extravagant daytime parade that started during the resort’s 35th anniversary. While this isn’t confirmed, history would say that this parade will run until the 45th anniversary in 2028.

Dreaming Up was a boisterous parade, that was completely over the top. I loved every minute of it. A cohesive theme in a parade is so hard to pull off, especially daytime editions. Instead of shooting for something like that, Dreaming Up just went wild with gigantic floats and massive amounts of character. To my point about expectations, most people who saw both liked the parade (Happiness is Here) that came before it more.

I’ll say flat out that I prefer Dreaming Up to the new Harmony in Color. While the former had several jaw dropping moments, the latter plays it a little safer. I don’t want to overstate though, Harmony in Color has some exceptional floats. My favorite of these is a Tangled float, where Rapunzel swings over guests on her hair. It’s a brilliant concept, the kind that draws every eyeball in sight. That float is flanked by a Pocahontas and Moana float, both of which fit in really well.

Another highlight is the Zootopia float, where characters swing high into the sky in a side-to-side fashion. That kinetic energy, mixed with the vibrant color, are the parade’s highlights. There may be a few too many moments in between but those alone make Harmony in Color worth seeing. Both floats are incredible!

Outside of those showstoppers, the rest of Harmony in Color is very similar to Disneyland’s Magic Happens – a parade I like! The costumes are bright and many of the characters featured are from newer Disney & Pixar films. Both the Big Hero 6 and Coco floats are reminiscent of the Magic Happens parade, although I like the Harmony in Color versions more. The Incredibles and Up float both feel unique and look great, even if they don’t hit the highs of Zootopia and Tangled. They are well designed and detailed.

As usual, several princesses are featured as well as a Tinkerbell float to begin the festivities. The finale is filled with Mickey & friends on a golden float full of colorful glass and ornamentation. That float, again is reminiscent, of the finale to Magic Happens but has a slightly different style. I love the different shapes and color involved in that finale and it probably earns the title of showstopper, as well.

As far as soundtrack goes, the main theme is an absolute earworm. I’m not saying I love it but I am saying that I wander around the house singing, “na na na na na nanairo, living in color” seemingly at random at least three times a week. The song is a solid enough parade tune that seems to fit in both with Japanese kawaii with K-pop influences.

To match the cheerful song, the costuming is a sunny day. Bright blues, yellows, greens, pinks and more all fill the streets. It is a bright parade! I’m far from a costuming expert but I do think Harmony in Color is imaginative in that regard, certainly catching guests eye.

As you can see if you’ve made it this far, I largely have compliments to give Tokyo Disneyland’s latest daytime parade. I think it’s better than any daytime stateside parade. The Magic Happens comparisons are hard to avoid with some of the similar floats and an exuberant soundtrack and costumes. I think Harmony in Color eclipses that parade thanks to those two swinging pieces. Because of that, I consider the parade a must-do. That’s especially true for those that have never been to Tokyo Disney Resort. With the love of characters, seeing any parade is a cultural experience of sorts while there. There are more visible character interactions (thanks sun!) to enjoy during Harmony in Color compared to Dreamlights, even if the latter is far superior.

While Harmony in Color surpasses my expectations for a parade at Disneyland or Walt Disney World, it doesn’t quite live up to the Tokyo Disney Resort parade hype. The extravagance and imagination that I’ve come to expect from the resort isn’t quite as apparent in Harmony in Color. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it being an excellent daytime parade. It’s just really good chicken when you actually wanted wagyu steak. Those are the expectations Tokyo Disney Resort has to deal with. As lofty as they are, they do make the parks better. In this case Harmony in Color just narrowly falls short.

Viewing Tips

Even with that slightly negative ending, Harmony in Color is well worth seeing. How you go about seeing it isn’t overly complicated so I’ll keep this portion of the post short. Here’s a look at the parade route:

As you can see, the parade begins deep in Tokyo Disneyland’s Fantasyland, on the outskirts of Westernland and exits through Toontown. Unsurprisingly, the spots around the castle fill up the fastest and some of those areas require Premier Access viewing that can be purchased through the app. I don’t recommend purchasing that, as there are plenty of free options. For viewing around the castle, I recommend grabbing a seat around an hour in advance. Walking through the area around then will tell you how urgently getting a seat is needed.

Getting a seat 30-45 minutes advance of the parade everywhere else on the route should work, unless it’s an exceptionally busy day. There’s so much to see in Tokyo Disneyland that devoting more time than that could feel like a waste.

The first few rows of parade viewing will all be seated on the ground. Many people bring mats to sit on, including us! I’d link to an Amazon product here but really I just recommend getting one in a Japanese convenience store or spending a little more and getting a cute one at Tokyo Disney Resort. They cost like $5 in a convenience store and are a much better deal than anything I’d link. Get an egg salad sandwich while there.

When it comes to saving seats, custom is to have as many people saving seats as there are leaving. So, if you have a group of four then make sure two people are there to save seats for the other two. This is a good rule of thumb for saving seats in any park, really! I wish it was adopted in the states.

Finally, we’ve had good experiences watching this parade from a few different spots. Getting close to where it begins in Westernland is not hard and will take up the least amount of time, since the parade reaches you first! Sitting by the castle makes for the most festive atmosphere. The area around Toontown feels the most condensed to me, so I recommend opting for somewhere else. If you’re just looking for a last minute spot, walking up by the Partners Statue and standing there for the parade is great! You’ll have the castle in the background from that angle. Unfortunately, that would lead to missing some character interaction but it does give a big picture view of Harmony in Color.

No matter where you end up, there aren’t really any bad angles for Harmony in Color or any Tokyo Disneyland parade! Don’t stress too much about the spot and go with the crowd flow unless you’re really set on watching it from a different angle. Enjoy!

Have you seen Harmony in Color? Let us know in the comments below! If you are planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort, check out our Trip Planning Guide. Want to go to Japan with Wandering in Disney? Fill out this questionnaire! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!