7 best places to watch the Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy Parade

The big parade at Walt Disney World—the Festival of Fantasy Parade—returns this Wednesday, March 9, to the Magic Kingdom, and you can bet the streets along the parade route will be packed. But where are the very best places to see the parade? We have a look at some of our favorite spots, as well as some tips.

First off, you will get two chances a day to see the parade, at least for a while. Normally, the parade ran once a day at 3 p.m. (thus getting the moniker, “the 3 o’clock parade”), but from March 9 to 12, the parade will kick off at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.; from March 13 to April 2 it will start at noon and 3 p.m.

The parade has been on hiatus for almost 2 years thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. While Disney introduced short cavalcades, consisting of one or two floats, this will be the first time the entire parade will be performed. And, it comes back eight years to the day after it was originally introduced on March 9, 2014.

The parade, which has numerous characters, including those from “The Princess and the Frog,” “Tangled” and “Peter Pan” has dynamic floats that swing and spin. The highlight is the 26-foot-tall, 35-foot-long fire-breathing Maleficent Dragon.

PARADE ROUTE AND TIMING

The parade is about 12 minutes long and starts on time unless canceled due to weather concerns. But while it starts as scheduled, it could take a while before it gets to your location. The parade kicks off in Frontierland by Splash Mountain and moves toward Liberty Square, where it hangs a right toward The Hub. It goes over the bridge connecting Liberty Square with The Hub and circles in front of Cinderella Castle before heading to Main Street, U.S.A., toward the front of the park and Village Square. It ends at the Main Street Firehouse. It can take 10 to 15 minutes from the starting location to get to the front of the Cinderella Castle and another 10 minutes from Cinderella Castle to get to the front of the park.

WHEN SHOULD I GET A SPOT ON THE ROUTE?

Some people stake out their ideal spot an hour or more before start time. If you just want to see the parade and not be in the front row for photos, you can get there 15 minutes before the parade.

WHERE TO SEE THE PARADE

We chose seven spots for specific reasons, mostly having to do with taking video and photos, but also for other reasons.

1. PARADE START: See it at the beginning. Stand across from Splash Mountain at the start of the route. You can see everyone as they step “on stage.” After the parade passes, you can then dash to Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean to get in line while everyone else watches the parade. In addition, if you want to see the parade on Main Street, this gives you plenty of time to walk quickly through Adventureland back to the Main Street to catch the parade again.

2. PRAIRIE OUTPOST: Get the Prairie Outpost in Frontierland early and snag the location behind the trash can. This is a good spot for photos and videos, and no one can stand in front of the trash can and block your view. If you are going to watch in Frontierland and want to take photos, stand on the side where the stores are located so the sun isn’t in your eyes.

3. LIBERTY SQUARE MARKET: Standing in front of the market provides a head-on view of the parade as it comes to Liberty Square and makes the turn toward Cinderella Castle. Be aware, the sun may be in your eyes, but this is a fun location to see the characters up close. And because it isn’t one of the most coveted places to watch, you can usually get a good view by arriving 15 minutes before the parade kicks off.

4. HUB ENTRY: This has become my favorite location. Standing on the Hub opposite the bridge from Liberty Square, you can see the parade head-on as it enters The Hub area. This is great for photos and videos.

5. CASTLE VIEW: So, you want photos with Cinderella Castle behind the parade. This is the place for you—and everyone else. It can get quite crowded and a little pushy, so get your spot facing the castle early. I would NOT suggest standing with your back to the castle. While you might get some nice close-ups of characters, the sun will be in your face.

6. TOP OF MAIN STREET: As you’re facing the castle, stand or sit at the top left side of Main Street at The Hub. The parade will come around the circle and, as it makes the turn, you will get a straight-on view, nice and close.

7. BEHIND ROY AND MINNIE STATUE: The area at the base of Main Street in front of the train station is known as Village Square. Standing on the circle facing Cinderella Castle gives you the chance to get the classic photos of the parade with the castle in the background if you use a telephoto lens. You will also get a nice, close-up view of the characters as they make the turn.

While these are my favorite locations to see the parade, you can enjoy it from anywhere if all you are looking to do is get a glimpse of the parade and wave at the characters. But if you want great photos and video the above seven locations offer the most potential.

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