The Return of the Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade?

Update: August 2016 – The Main Street Electrical Parade will return to Disneyland in early 2017!

For decades, the Main Street Electrical Parade was a staple of a Disneyland visit. The crowd would cheer and clap along as the parade floats, adorned with strands of lights, made their way down the Disneyland parade route. The classic parade remains a favorite memory for millions and nothing has managed to fill its place since it was retired in 1996.

It may seem like the Main Street Electrical Parade will never return to Disneyland, but there is new hope with the theme park’s Limited Time Magic promotion. The marketing campaign promises “52 weeks of magical surprises with an extra sprinkle of pixie dust planned for the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.”

Disney has not revealed all of the surprises, but one in particular caught my eye:

• Golden Horseshoe Revue: The fabled Frontierland show returns to Disneyland park for one month only, bringing back the corny jokes and enduring songs that were often enjoyed by Walt Disney himself.

If Disney has committed to bringing back one of their classic shows, what would stop them from bringing back another show like the Main Street Electrical Parade? The concept is not as far fetched as you might think.

Parade floats and costumes

Although the parade disappeared from Disneyland in 1996, it continues to perform at the Magic Kingdom in Florida. The only thing that has changed is the name – it is now Disney’s Electrical Parade. The parade floats have been refurbished over the years with upgraded wiring, audio equipment, lights, and drive engines. The full wardrobe of costumes are in good repair as well, since they are used nightly for the parade’s performances.

Disney has the full parade ready to go. It isn’t like they need to rebuild things from scratch. The only hurdle is that the parade is physically located on the opposite coast. The physical distance would be the largest obstacle to overcome because it will cost a small fortune to transport the massive parade floats across the country.

I thought it was gone forever

While there will be millions who would be overjoyed to see the parade return to Disneyland for a month, there would be a vocal minority who would complain about its return. In 1996, Disneyland hyped the farewell season of the parade beyond anything I have ever seen from the mouse house. The theme park was packed every day and frequently had to stop selling tickets. Millions of dollars of merchandise was sold, including a $10 commemorative light bulb from the actual parade floats.

Proceeds from the $10 light bulbs were donated to a variety of charities, so it was actually a pretty neat idea all around. If the parade were to return, it would be difficult for the complainers to demand a refund on this souvenir after all the money went to deserving charities. As a gesture of goodwill, Disney could offer a special showing of the parade for anyone who still has one of those bulbs.

But the best answer to the critics is actually the “limited time” nature of the marketing campaign. Disney could dismiss the naysayers by focusing on the limited time aspect of the parade’s return and sidestep the issue by saying it isn’t a “permanent” return of this classic.

Drawing in the crowds

The Main Street Electrical parade farewell season boosted attendance to record levels during what was traditionally one of the park’s slowest times. Disneyland does not have any new attractions planned in 2013. The company plans to keep using Cars Land as the big draw and hopes to see a boost from the Limited Time Magic marketing campaign.

A return of the Main Street Electrical Parade would be an enormous boost to attendance, especially if it takes place during a non-peak time. If Disney really wanted to maximize revenue, they could bring the parade back the week after they announce the annual price hike.

Come on Disney, Let’s see some magic!

I have to admit, I was rather underwhelmed when I first learned of Disney’s Limited Time Magic campaign. I rolled my eyes at the idea of the Dapper Dans singing boy band songs. The Independence Week and True Love ideas seemed like cliche celebrations of the 4th of July and Valentines Day. But the idea of bringing back a classic piece of Disneyland, even for a short period of time, really appeals to me.

Disney already has all of the necessary elements to bring the Main Street Electrical Parade back to Disneyland. Let’s hope that they have enough budget in the marketing campaign to ship those parade floats over from the east coast.