Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade to Become a Drone Show!

In 1972, Disney introduced a brand-new parade to guests visiting Disneyland Park — the Main Street Electrical Parade. The Main Street Electrical Parade was inspired by Walt Disney World’s Electrical Water Pageant, which is still showing today! The Main Street Electrical Parade featured classic Disney characters who were brought to life in a dazzling array of lights.

Related: Disney’s Best Parade is Gathering Dust, That Needs to Change

The parade was an instant hit and opened at Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom Park five years later, in 1977. In the years since, a number of parades have replaced the Main Street Electrical Parade, including SpectroMagic at Walt Disney World and Paint the Night at Disney California Adventure Park at Disneyland Resort.

Related: Disney Reveals New Nighttime Show Inspired By Main Street Electrical Parade

However, Disney has repeatedly brought the parade back at both Resorts. The last time it was brought back to Disneyland Resort, there were new floats honoring more recent Disney movies, including Brave (2012), Coco (2017), Aladdin (1991), Raya and the Last Dragon (2021), Encanto (2021), and The Princess and the Frog (2009). There was also a new section paying homage to the classic Disney attraction, “it’s a small world”.

Disney’s Main Street Electrical Parade is so full of nostalgia that Disney is honoring the parade in a whole new way — by turning it into a drone show!

Disney has announced that the Disney Electrical Sky Parade will be making its debut at the Disneyland Paris Resort on January 8, 2024. The new drone show will be a part of the nighttime show, Symphony of Colours.

⚠️ Breaking: the new drone show inspired by the Main Street Electrical Parade will be called “Disney Electrical Sky Parade”
It premieres January 8 as part of the “Symphony of Colours” offering. New concept art:

⚠️ Breaking: the new drone show inspired by the Main Street Electrical Parade will be called “Disney Electrical Sky Parade”
It premieres January 8 as part of the “Symphony of Colours” offering. New concept art: pic.twitter.com/of9z1PnWx9

— DLP Report (@DLPReport) November 18, 2023

But this will not just be any old drone show — Disney said that this one will have pyrotechnics! We do not yet know what those pyrotechnics will be, but we are excited to see what Disney Imagineers have come up with!

🖌️ New concept art for the “Disney Electrical Sky Parade” debuting Jan 8 at Disneyland Paris.
Not to be outdone, the show will be taking things to the next level with technical innovations like pyrotechnics released directly from the drones (first concept):

🖌️ New concept art for the “Disney Electrical Sky Parade” debuting Jan 8 at Disneyland Paris.
Not to be outdone, the show will be taking things to the next level with technical innovations like pyrotechnics released directly from the drones (first concept): pic.twitter.com/OCpLVDH6RL

— DLP Report (@DLPReport) November 18, 2023

This is not the first time that guests visiting Disneyland Paris have been able to enjoy a nighttime drone show above Sleeping Beauty Castle. In the past, Disneyland Paris has shown the Disney D-Light Drone Show and the Avengers Power the Night Drone Show.

The use of drones for nighttime Disney shows has become quite a topic of conversation among Disney fans, especially since the massive fire that broke out during Fantasmic! at Disneyland Park. Immediately after the fire destroyed Maleficent’s dragon, Disney suspended the use of pyrotechnics at its other theme parks. Those pyrotechnic elements have since been reinstated.

Disney recently announced that Fantasmic! will return to Disneyland Park on May 24, 2024. When the show does return, the fire battle between Maleficent and Mickey Mouse will not take place. A similar scene will happen, with different special effects being used instead of fire.

Many are wondering if drones are the future of nighttime entertainment and fireworks will soon be a thing of the past. However, with the use of pyrotechnic drones, it’s possible that the future of nighttime Disney shows could be a combination of both!

Would you like to see more drone shows at Disney Parks? Let us know in the comments!