The Best Spots to Watch Festival of Fantasy in Magic Kingdom
Festival of Fantasy is an incredibly beloved and popular parade in the Magic Kingdom which means it can draw some huge crowds! Let’s talk about what you need to know to see this parade as well as some of my favorite tips for getting the best spots!
Festival of Fantasy
This is the main parade that happens daily in the Magic Kingdom. It first debuted back in 2014 and has been performing once (or twice) a day since! Coming this summer is a brand new nighttime parade that will be happening in addition to Festival of Fantasy. Although we don’t have a ton of details yet, you can most likely use many of these tips for that one too! (as well as the Holiday parades like Boo to You and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmastime Parade)
Festival of Fantasy will typically run at noon and 3pm each day, however depending on the time of year, they may only do one parade around 2pm. You’ll want to make sure that you check the parade time for your park day by checking the My Disney Experience App and searching showtimes.
The parade route starts in Frontierland next to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and runs through Frontierland & Liberty Square, then makes it’s way in front of the castle and down the right side of the hub (if facing the castle) then finishes down Main Street USA, rounding by Town Square Theatre & the Train Station and then exiting next to the Fire Station.
You can also see the parade route listed in one of the paper maps that you can pick up at the front of the park! The daily Adventure Friends Cavalcade also follows this same route.
Timing
It is important to remember that although the parade may ‘start’ at 3pm, you may not see it go by until awhile after 3pm depending on where you are watching from.
If you are watching from over where the parade starts, then yes! You will be seeing it closer to that 3pm time. However, it is a somewhat slow-moving parade, so if you are watching down on Main Street or even down by the train station, you may not see that first float go by until closer to 3:20-3:30.
Why does this matter? If you are camping out a spot, you are probably going to be waiting longer if you are towards the end of the route as opposed to those at the beginning who are now hopping on rides while you still wait for the parade to go by. If your goal is maximizing your day, this can make a big difference! Don’t worry, I’ve got some tips for you.
More Things to Consider
Before we talk about my favorite places to watch, there are a few things to take into account when navigating the park. First being, if that parade is going by, you cannot cross the path until it has completely passed by. So if you are at Pirates of the Caribbean and need to get to Haunted Mansion - make sure you are checking the time so that you aren’t stuck by the parade when trying to pass through Frontierland.
The sun is another big thing to factor when camping out for your spot! It is HOT in Florida and especially when the parades happen at the hottest part of the day. Most parade viewing is in direct sun, so make sure you have a hat or umbrella with you as well as plenty of water to make sure that you don’t suffer from heat exhaustion. (Trust me, I’ve been there and it isn’t fun)
Don’t feel like you have to wait hours and hours for a parade spot! YES Festival of Fantasy is a must do if it’s your first trip, but the floats are tall and the music is loud, so even if you are right up front, you will still have a pretty good view. Hopefully these next tips will help so that you don’t have to get stuck waiting for a super long time.
My Favorite Spots to Watch
First up, Frontierland! Honestly anywhere along that beginning part of the parade route! I love watching here because it’s the beginning of the route and you can get back to hopping on some rides while a large part of the crowds still wait for the parade to get to the later parts of the parade route.
I particularly recommend standing on the side with the buildings (in front of Pecos Bill is one of my favorites) because you will usually be in more of the shade than on the other side of the path.
PRO TIP - Go grab yourself a Dole Whip from Aloha Isle and then grab yourself a parade spot while you snack on your cold sweet treat!
Ok, now for more specific spots!
For those that want the least crowded view, you can actually go up on the Train Station and stand off to the side! The middle is roped off for VIP Tour guests, but there is usually an open spot on either side. This is super fun because you can see the floats from up above and you’ll even be eye level with some of the characters on the tops of the floats.
BONUS - you can watch all the crazy crowd go by after the parade while you hang out up above. Do be aware that they do sometimes close off the train station, so I recommend having a backup spot in mind, but if it’s open, I can usually walk up to it around 20 minutes before the parade gets to that spot (for example - if the parade starts at 3, I’ll get up here around 3:00-3:10). Again, remember that this is the end of the parade route, so it will take awhile to get up here!
For a last minute spot near the hub, you are going to head towards the castle and to the left. You’ll come across a popcorn stand and just past that a small viewing area under the shade of some trees. You’re goal is to get a view of the bridge that leads to Liberty Square. This is where the floats come from so you’ll get a pretty good view of the floats and since there are only guests on one side of the path, the characters will almost always be looking your way!
For the absolute BEST view, watching from the hub right in front of the castle is amazing! The downside is that this is in direct sun and you do have to camp out for this spot for awhile (I recommend at least 45 minutes before the parade starts - so if the parade is at 3pm, you’ll want to try and grab a spot by 2:15). However, the views with the colorful floats and the castle in the background just can’t be beat for those magical vibes! Just make sure you have an umbrella and a fan so you don’t pass out from the sun!
The next spot isn’t technically normal parade viewing, but it can be fun if you aren’t looking to hang out and watch the whole thing. Hop on the Liberty Square River Boat right at parade time and you can get another fun bird’s-eye view of those floats! This is a good option if you maybe have those in your party with sensory needs but still want to see a bit of the parade.
Are there other spots that you love to watch from? Let me know in the comments!
