Walt Disney World’s most frequent guests are facing a roadblock this July: access to Magic Kingdom is now off the table for some Annual Passholders, and it all ties back to one major upcoming event.
The park’s ongoing transformation—particularly the reimagining of Frontierland—has drawn widespread attention. As Disney continues balancing nostalgia with innovation, it’s moving full steam ahead on projects like the re-themed Beyond Big Thunder expansion. Within this new area, Disney is bringing the Cars universe to life via Piston Peak National Park while also preparing a land devoted to Disney Villains.
While no timeline has been given for the new land’s opening, something just as anticipated is rolling into the park much sooner: Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, a new nighttime parade launching Sunday, July 20, 2025.
Disney recently released details about the new nighttime spectacular, including its showtimes—9 p.m. and 11 p.m.—which will wind through Magic Kingdom Park. The return of a night parade is major for Disney Parks fans, especially as this one builds upon the legacy of the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade with an all-new approach to storytelling.
According to Disney, Starlight brings a modern twist to the traditional float experience.
“When we think about what this storytelling looks like at night, we think about creating these landscapes–or dreamscapes, as we think about them–out of light,” Disney Parks Blog wrote in a recent announcement. “How do we use this medium to portray movement, color, and imagery that we would normally see in a more scenically driven float during the daytime? Today’s technology gives us more options than ever to use lighting and video elements as a storytelling tool.”
But while most guests are eager to catch the new nighttime parade, not everyone will be able to witness its debut in person.
“Walt Disney World’s Park Pass reservation calendar is now showing July 20, 2025, the official debut of Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away, as at capacity for Annual Passholders at Magic Kingdom,” WDWMagic stated last month. “No additional Passholder reservations are currently available for Magic Kingdom on that date.”
The reservation system has long been a point of contention among Annual Passholders, and this latest update will likely spark more conversation. Even those hoping to enter after 2 p.m.—a typical workaround—won’t be able to bypass the reservation cap.
“For a Limited Time, Starting July 20, 2025: Passholders will continue to be able to enter EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park after 2 p.m. without a theme park reservation,” the official Theme Park Reservation page reads on the Walt Disney World website. “However, due to anticipated high demand upon the debut of the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade on July 20, 2025, Passholders visiting Magic Kingdom park at any time of day (including after 2 p.m.) must have a theme park reservation.”
Typically, a Passholder might reserve a spot at EPCOT or Hollywood Studios and then hop to Magic Kingdom after 2 p.m. But as the policy notes, all admissions are subject to availability, and on days like July 20, availability is locked down.
This added restriction isn’t entirely new—Magic Kingdom has historically blocked reservation-free entry on weekends. And with Disney Starlight debuting on a Sunday, the parade’s premiere collides with both the day-of-week limitation and a new surge in demand.
That leaves Annual Passholders with one less option to catch Disney’s newest entertainment offering on its first night.
How are you feeling about these Magic Kingdom limitations? Join the conversation in the comments!
