Disney Starlight is Magic Kingdom’s newest nighttime parade. Disney World’s castle park has an excitement that hasn’t been around for nearly a decade, with an incredible evening entertainment lineup of Starlight-Happily Ever After-Starlight. There are two showings of the parade every non-party night, at 9 and 11. We’ve already reviewed the parade and really like it! In this post, we’ll turn our attention to the best places to view Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away.

Starlight shows twice each night but doesn’t go out and back. Instead the parade uses a reverse route, starting at Main Street and going toward the castle before finishing in Frontierland. Both showings use this route. This was chosen for crowd congestion reasons and, as much as I’d love the photo down Main Street with the parade in the foreground and castle in the back, it was the right move for Magic Kingdom.

This should come as no surprise, but the 11 PM showing of Starlight is way less crowded than 9 PM. We’re talking at least half the time to hold a good spot, if not more. In our Magic Kingdom itinerary, I’ve advised going for some headliner rides around 8:30 or 9 so that you can still grab a great spot for Happily Ever After and the second parade, but can also go against crowd tendencies. If you can manage staying awake through the second showing, then that’s our strongest recommendation for seeing Starlight.

Unlike other resorts (Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort specifically) guests in the front row don’t have to sit for parade viewing in Magic Kingdom. It’s the wild west out here and anything goes. I tried sitting on that hot ground in July and now know what a kettle feels like when it’s set on a burner. If you end up in a second row spot, it might be beneficial to kindly ask the people in front of you if they’re planning to stand for the parade. Then you can make a calculated choice on your viewing angle.

Here is what the parade route looks like. I’ll explain the colors in a minute. Please forgive my pitiful paint skills. I’d like to blame that it’s past 2 AM here and I sweated enough sweat to fill a decent sized jug today but the truth is that I just suck at the paint program. No, the parade does not wobble nor does it almost fall into the water or run over buildings. Let’s get to it…

The black line is the whole parade route. Again, it starts in Town Square, moves down Main Street toward the castle and ends in Frontierland. This probably goes without saying, but the crowd will generally be facing the direction that the parade is coming from. You’ll be able to turn some but, by and large, that’s the general rule.

That beautiful map above is color coded. The few blotches of red are my favorite spots to view Starlight. Blue would be my next choice and then that’s followed by yellow. Why did I pick those specific colors? I’ll tell you when I figure it out!

I haven’t given any color to Liberty Square and that’s because I don’t think it’s worth the trouble. There are some decent viewing areas in there but the space is more jumbled leading to a less exciting and unifying experience. I would opt for one of the other areas although certain spaces in Liberty Square could fit the yellow category.

The map is a quick little outline of what’s best. Red spaces for the first showing will need to be staked out long in advance. If you do the second showing, then you might be able to luck into one of those spots right after the fireworks. Spots in the blue areas are in a similar boat, there’s just more of them so you don’t have to arrive quite as early. The yellow spots in Frontierland can be found in the last half hour before the parade, if not even less time for the second showing. With the colors out of the way, I’ll talk about certain spots individually.

The Castle Hub

Because Starlight is on the reverse route, the best way to view the parade with the castle in the background is in the castle hub. My favorite spot is just to the right of the bridge to Liberty Square. Like most good things, this comes with a cost as guests will be standing here and you can’t officially line up on that portion of the street until Cast Members give you the go ahead. But the view is incredible, as the floats turn the corner toward you and the castle towers in the background.

Moving to the right of that spot, right in front of the castle is another nice backdrop. If you’re looking for a sitting spot then this is a better option than the area by the bridge. Getting a spot here for the second showing, post Happily Ever After, is relatively easy. Even if you aren’t in the front row, the ground is slanted down so this is a decent option for later arrivals.

The other castle view is on the right side of the hub. I don’t like this area as much, even though I’ve given it the coveted red marking in our beautiful map. Starlight’s turn doesn’t work in your favor and there’s a few other view obstructions here. All that said, this is still a beautiful view of the parade and castle.

Town Square

For a totally different view, the parade steps off in Town Square and there’s a few great spots to watch from in there. To the left of the flagpole (if looking toward the castle) provides a spot on the curb and a head on view of Starlight. The parade turns right in front of this spot and you’ll be able to catch it from several different angles.

The same could be said for the left corner of Main Street at the end of Town Square. This spot gets the most prolonged turn of the parade while also enjoying the festive Main Street. You can’t go wrong with either of these spots. The rest of Town Square offers good viewing that’s a little more laid back than Main Street.

Main Street

Speaking of, if you want to have the most exciting viewing experience and aren’t worried about the backdrop view then Main Street is probably the answer. The lighting is great here, where you’re able to see the parade dancers much better than other spots. This is also where the crowd gets most into the show. All that said, staking out a spot here is harder and the backdrop is not nearly as good as the previously mentioned spots.

Frontierland

Finally, there’s Frontierland. I’d only recommend this spot for last minute viewing or if you’re averse to crowds. The lighting for Starlight just isn’t as good here and the area doesn’t feel as festive. But if you want to ride attractions for as long as possible and then still end up with a really good view of the parade then this is the way to go. The Country Bear and Pecos Bill side of Frontierland has more viewing available than the river side.

For those on the fence about seeing the new nighttime parade, we highly recommend. Finding a spot is easy enough for the second showing of Starlight that it’s not going to take a huge time investment. The unity and excitement that is felt by watching the stunning floats pass by is only rivaled by Happily Ever After in Magic Kingdom. We know some people aren’t big fans of parades but give it a shot and try to get swept away by Starlight.

If you have questions or thoughts on the best places to view Starlight, let us know in the comments below! If you are planning a trip to Disney World, then check out our planning guide. This site has discount tickets to Walt Disney World. 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. You can do all of that on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!