- On Friday, Disney announced that the Main Street Electrical Parade is coming back to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, for a limited time this summer.
- The parade will be held at Disneyland Park from August 2 through September 30, and will feature a “half-million sparkling lights,” according to Disney.
- The original version of the parade debuted at Disneyland in 1972, and ran until 1996.
- Disney has since reintroduced the show to other theme parks, but officially ended the parade’s run at Disneyland in 2017.
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Disney theme parks are constantly changing, and classic attractions are sometimes replaced with newer rides and shows. But at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, parkgoers can rest assured knowing that at least one fan-favorite spectacle is making a grand return to the park.
On Friday, the Disney Parks Blog announced that the Main Street Electrical Parade will, once again, make its way through Disneyland Park. The parade will run from from August 2 through September 30, and feature a “half-million sparkling lights” and “electro-syntho-magnetic musical sounds,” according to Disney.
The nighttime parade has not been showcased at Disneyland since 2017.
Many Disney fans are ecstatic about the return of the classic parade
On Twitter, many people said they plan to make special trips to Disneyland in time to see the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.
https://twitter.com/Abedell98/status/1145516261637578753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/Knights_Of_Ren_/status/1145540957367963655?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Main Street Electrical Parade is like Disneyland’s version of Harry Potter Weekend on ABC Family. We make a crap ton of jokes about it, we’ve seen it millions of times, but we’re all gonna sit down and watch it again anyway out of sheer nostalgia.
— Lorenz (@LorenzEG1d0) July 1, 2019
Don’t know what times Disneyland are going to show Electrical Parade, but I will be there everyday from the beginning to the end of the run. BET.
— Joseph (@Joephis_N) June 30, 2019
DISNEYLAND’S MAIN STREET ELECTRICAL PARADE IS COMING BACK AUGUST 2ND. I REPEAT. DISNEYLAND’S MAIN STREET ELECTRICAL PARADE IS COMING BACK AUGUST 2ND. 🌟😍🌟
— Arshea Galang™ (@ShayGalang) June 29, 2019
Highly considering flying to Disneyland in August or September so I can see the Main Street Electrical Parade one last time. Soooo if anyone wants to go to California with me 😋😋😋😋
— Kayley Klaus ❤️ (@diagonkayley) June 29, 2019
According to MiceChat, a website about Disney theme parks, locals recently spotted trucks transporting parade floats to Disneyland late during the night.
Many speculated the floats were originally used in the Main Street Electrical Parade, convincing others that the parade was set to return.
Disney first introduced its electric parade to Disneyland parkgoers in 1972
According to Yesterland, a blog about retired Disney attractions, the Main Street Electrical Parade originally featured floats built on "flat frames," which were "decorated with relatively few light bulbs." Yesterland also reported that some of the floats were "borrowed from other parades."
However, the parade was revamped during the years of 1975 and 1976, according to Yesterland, when Disney temporarily replaced the show with one called America on Parade.
A new and improved version of the Main Street Electrical Parade ran from the mid '70s until 1996, though it was temporarily closed for a second time between 1983 and 1984, according to Yesterland.
The parade officially ended at Disneyland on November 25, 1996. According to Yesterland, huge crowds gathered to witness the event, and many people spent $10 to receive a "commemorative display box with an actual light bulb from a Main Street Electrical Parade float."
Today, some of those boxes are available to purchase on marketplace websites like Ebay for prices between $30 and $60.
More than 20 years later, the glowing parade was reintroduced to the California theme park in 2017. According to Yesterland, parkgoers had the option to spend an additional $95 to see the show's first viewing, though public performances followed soon after.
The show was cancelled once again on August 20, 2017, according to Yesterland, though similar parades have been held over the years at California Adventure, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
Representatives for Disneyland did not immediately reply to INSIDER's request for comment.