Where to Watch Festival of Fantasy Parade

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We're exploring the best places to watch the Festival of Fantasy parade at Magic Kingdom, with strategic tips for maximizing your experience beyond just getting a good view.

• Festival of Fantasy typically runs at 3 PM, but always check the My Disney Experience app for schedule changes
• Frontierland starting point between Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Pecos Bill offers high energy and first viewing
• Liberty Square "tight turn" slows the parade down for better photos and character interactions
• Main Street with castle backdrop creates perfect postcard shots but requires 45-60 minutes early arrival
• Town Square Flagpole provides straight-on parade views but people camp out 2+ hours in advance
• "Final Turn" by the Emporium offers slower pace, less crowds, and easy exit strategy
• Bring towels/blankets to sit on and entertainment for kids during the waiting period
• Choose shady spots when possible, especially during summer
• During rain, Disney may swap for the Rainy Day Cavalcade with characters in rain gear

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Episode Transcript

UNKNOWN (00:00):
Bye.

SPEAKER_00 (00:07):
Hey friends, welcome to the PeopleMover Podcast,
episode number 12 of 2025.
And today we are going to talkabout the best spots to watch
the Festival of Fantasy Paradeat Magic Kingdom.
So let's get started.
Welcome

SPEAKER_01 (00:20):
to the PeopleMover Podcast, the length of the
iconic ride and your ultimateguide to Disney World and Disney
cruises.
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Follow and subscribe to ourFacebook, Instagram, TikTok, and
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(00:46):
Buckle up and let's dive intothe world of Disney.

SPEAKER_00 (00:49):
Again, as always, these episodes are brought to
you by MagicVacationFamily.com.
If you're looking to plan aDisney vacation, Universal, or
even a cruise, visit us,MagicVacationFamily.com, click
book a trip, and we'd love tohelp you out planning your next
magical vacation.
So again, today we're talkingabout something that is going to
be super important in your nextupcoming Magic Kingdom trip.

(01:11):
And that is where to watch theFestival of Fantasy Parade.
Whether you're trying to get thebest views, best photos, or
maybe even sneak onto a ridebefore the crowds catch up
during the parade, I'm going totell you where those best spots
are.
And I'm also going to show you amap too.
So if you're listening here onthe podcast, All you have to do
is follow us on social media onTikTok, Instagram, or over on

(01:31):
our YouTube at Magic VacationFamily, and you'll be able to
find this video as well with themaps.
The Festival of Fantasy paradeusually rolls through at 3 p.m.
We also know how Disney is.
It could change based onweather, special events, so it's
always good to double check theMy Disney Experience app before
you head out and make yourparade plans.
Let's dive in to my favoritespots, and that's going to come

(01:54):
to spot number one, which iswhere the parade The stage
starts, which is inFrontierland.
So in Frontierland, it's goingto start right between Tiana's
Bayou Adventure and also thePecos Bill Restaurant.
There's going to be a littleoutlet there.
And this is my go-to spot to seethe parade kick off.
The energy is high.
The characters are excited.
And you get to be one of thefirst people to see it.

(02:15):
Now, pro tip, as soon as thatlast float passes by, you're
already near Tiana's BayouAdventure.
So you can hop in line beforethe crowds from Main Street even
realize that the parade is eventhere or is going to be over
soon.
So jump in there.
It's probably one of thesmartest parade strategies that
you can pull off without havingto stand in line too long.
All right, now let's move overto spot number two, which is

(02:37):
going to be what I call thetight turn over in Liberty
Square.
Now, the parade has to make areally tight turn before the
Hall of Presidents, which meanseverything slows way down.
that's awesome especially ifyou're trying to snap some good
photos or just kind of take itall in without feeling rushed i
know my son and daughter lovekind of just sitting on the
ground there and watch thembecause they get a little bit
more interaction from all of thecharacters as they are part of

(03:00):
the parade also liberty squareusually isn't as crazy packed as
main street so you get a littlebit more breathing room also
another bonus once that paradewraps up You're just a few steps
away from Haunted Mansion if youwant to jump into another
classic ride line or even PeterPan's Flight.
I've been able to jump into bothof those rides right after the

(03:21):
parade without nearly the amountof wait time that I would have
experienced had I done it aftera parade coming from Main Street
USA.
All right, so let's move over onto spot number three, which is
going to be at Main Street USA.
However, it's going to be withthat castle background.
Now, of course, you can't talkabout parade spots without
mentioning Main Street.
And this is a spot where herewhere it's almost like a

(03:42):
courtyard, right?
There's that center area whereyou can get your picture with
Walt and Mickey right in frontof the castle there.
There's a lot of area and theyhave to make a loop around here.
So if we take a look at the maphere, you'll be able to see
right where I'm talking about.
But if you're really after thatperfect postcard shot, right?
With the floats coming down, thecharacters, but then
Cinderella's castle right in thebackground, this is going to be

(04:04):
your spot.
It's almost like a dream forcontent creation.
It feels super magical with themusic echoing off of the
buildings but also it's going tobe really crowded so just a
quick heads up on that.
So if you want to get a reallygood spot I would say make sure
that you are getting there earlybecause that is one of the first
spots that will fill up.

(04:25):
Now if you're really looking fora prime spot you can go by
Casey's Corner or the MainStreet Bakery but you got to get
there like I said 45 minutes toan hour before the parade if you
want to lock that spot downbecause people are going to be
gathering around there.
Now let's move on to spot numberfour which is Town Square Flag
which is going to give you astraight on view.
So if you're serious about thisstraight on parade shot, You

(04:46):
might want to be right by thisflagpole, which is at the
entrance of Main Street, USA.
Now, from here, the paradeliterally comes straight to you
from Cinderella's Castle rightin the background.
Now, it's a great spot forphotographers and also
videographers.
But fair warning, people campout quite early here.
I've seen people sit there forabout two hours to two and a

(05:08):
half hours prior to the parade.
And if you actually wanted tosit there at night for the
fireworks show, they've beenthere even longer.
So I think I've sat there forthree hours ahead of that time
so definitely want to make sureyou plan accordingly if this is
the spot that you want and let'sfinish it off here spot number
five which is outside theemporium better known as the
final turn but this is going tobe right between the emporium

(05:32):
and harmony barbershop theyalways rope it off um you'll
also see the fire station righton the corner over there as well
but here's kind of a secret tothis one the parade makes its
final turn before headingbackstage and it usually slows
down and gives you a longer lookplus it's definitely not as
packed as the middle of mainstreet so you're going to get a
cool breeze from the emporium'sdoors it's super easy to exit if

(05:53):
you're planning to exit rightafterwards or if you're trying
to make your way back throughshops after the parade you can
kind of cut through and goaround the emporium and the
other shops along the way Also,it's a chill underrated spot and
sometimes the chill spots arethe best when it comes to
watching the parade at MagicKingdom.
Before we wrap up, I have acouple tips I want to give you
too as well, especially ifyou're watching with your kids.

(06:15):
I highly recommend bringing atowel or a blanket to sit on.
Also, bring stuff to entertainthem like bubbles, snacks,
little toys.
Keep them busy while you waitbecause they might get bored and
we know what happens when kidsget bored.
Also, try to grab a shady spotif you can.
We know that that sun hitsreally hard, especially if
you're visiting in the middle ofthe summer.
Now, if it does look like rain,Disney will often swap out the

(06:36):
parade for the rainy daycavalcade.
And it's a little bit shorterthan the normal parade, but it's
super cute and the charactersare in their rain gear.
So if rain's a possibility, Ihighly recommend then also
picking a spot to cover likenear the Emporium.
So that's what kind of spotnumber five that I mentioned
really is a good spot to sit.
So in closing, those are my topfive spots.
Whether you're trying to getthat ultimate castle shot,

(06:59):
jumping on a ride right after,or just finding a chill spot to
relax, there's definitely aperfect parade spot for you.
If you grab one of those spots,tag me, all right?
I want to know about it.
Tag Magic Vacation Family.
Take some pictures.
Let us be a part of your magicas well.
Once again, if you need any helpplanning your next upcoming
magical vacation, visit us,magicvacationfamily.com.
We'd love to help you out.

(07:20):
Until next time, we will see youon episode number 13.