Photo Tribute: ‘Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade’ 10th anniversary

“Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade” debuted 10 years ago — March 9, 2014 — at Magic Kingdom, so in honor of the milestone, let’s take a photo journey through this “wondrous and wonderful” procession.

Maleficent dragon breathing fire in Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom
Photos by Blake Taylor

Festival of Fantasy Pre-Show Announcement

“Hear ye, hear ye, royal guests from near and far: Welcome to the Magic Kingdom! You are warmly invited to join Mickey Mouse and his Fantasyland friends for a magical celebration in the streets. Dreams will come true, hearts will soar, and you will become a part of the magic, for the time has come to take your places and prepare to welcome the wondrous and wonderful “Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade”!

Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom

Princess Garden

Belle and Beast in Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom
Belle and Beast lead the parade upon a three-part Princess Garden float featuring royal Disney friends.

The Snuggly Duckling from “Tangled”

Under the Sea from “The Little Mermaid”

Never Land from “Peter Pan”

Peter Pan and Wendy in Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom
“Think of Christmas, think of snow. Think of sleigh bells, off you go!”
Peter Pan's Lost Boys in Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom
The Lost Boys’ choreography was inspired by the 1992 Disney film “Newsies” and its Broadway counterpart.

The Bear(s) and the Bow from “Brave”

Merida in Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom
Disney removed the “Brave” unit from “Festival of Fantasy” when the parade returned following its pandemic hiatus.

Fire-Breathing Maleficent Dragon from “Sleeping Beauty”

Festival of Fantasy Finale

“Festival of Fantasy” Through the Years

“Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade” replaced the long-recycled, often-renamed “Share A Dream Come True Parade,” which debuted in 2001 and featured giant snow globes as its floats. Over time, the parade changed its name and music twice, but retained its floats, becoming “Disney Dreams Come True Parade” in 2006 and “Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade” in 2009. Disney retired the parade in early 2014.

Final Celebrate A Dream Come True Parade at the Magic Kingdom

To promote the then-upcoming arrival of “Festival of Fantasy,” Disney debuted the parade’s costumes at a backstage event during Fashion Week 2014.

Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade costume fashion show - Plus 3 floats for Magic Kingdom

Though you’d never know it by watching the parade, “Festival of Fantasy” has an intricate backstory — and it stars Sarah Hyland from “Modern Family.” Disney created a video sharing this backstory and included it as a bonus feature on the “Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition” Blu-ray. Two minutes of it are still live on Disney.com.

We leave you with this, a video of the debut performance of “Festival of Fantasy,” recorded March 9, 2014, and featured on our Attractions Magazine YouTube channel:

Full Festival of Fantasy Parade at Disney's Magic Kingdom - Debut
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