During Mickey’s Christmas Party special event in the months of November and December at the Magic Kingdom, a special Christmas parade is held twice a night during the event called Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade that combines a mix of Disney and classic Christmas characters on floats with snow and holiday songs.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is the premier theme park parade out of all of the parks in Orlando. With performances during the Christmas Party special event leading up to Christmas, the parade is performed during the day during the week of Christmas and New Years as part of normal park admission.
Parade Characters and Floats
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade begins with group of Disney characters before the first floats arrive that consists of a group of Pinnocchio with Geppetto, Peter Pan and Wendy, Alice and the Mad Hatter, Mary Poppins and Bert, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck, and Winnie the Pooh with Tigger. Pluto also walks with the group of characters.
A Christmas float with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse arrives with Duffy the Bear and a Christmas music mix of “Home for the Holidays”, “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”, “Let it Snow”, “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas”, “Jingle Bells” and “Sleigh Ride”.
Added in 2014, The Frozen characters of Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and Kristoff are included with Anna and Elsa in a stage coach and Olaf and Kristoff featured on their own floats separately.
Other floats to follow include Chip and Dale leading the way with gingerbread men for floats containing Clarabelle Cow and then Ralph with Vanellope. Goofy then is seen riding his giant Candy Company bicycle with the Seven Dwarfs following. Next up is a float of the famous Disney Princesses led by an initial float of Snow White with her prince. Cinderella and Prince Charming are next within her stage coach being led by white horses.
As the “Toys land” Christmas song begins to play, the Toy Story Float with Woody, Jesse, Bullseye, and one of the Green Army Men passes by with Little Bo Peep and Teddy Bears greeting parade watchers.
The parade ends with the famous Disney marching Toy Soldiers, the classic Christmas Reindeer, and finally Santa Claus.
Parade Times and Route
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is performed twice a night during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on select nights between November 8th, 2015 and December 18th, 2015 at 8:15 pm and 10:30 pm beginning in the Frontierland section of the Magic Kingdom and making it’s way to Main Street USA. The best spot to watch the parade (but also the most crowded) is on Main Street where snow falls during the parade.
From December 19th, 2015 through December 31st, 2015, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is performed during the daytime with normal park admission with the Main Street Electrical Parade headlining the nighttime entertainment.
The parade that is shown on television on Christmas Day is filmed earlier in the month that you can read about here.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Click here to read our guide to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and click here to read our guide on spending the Christmas holiday at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade Video (Mousesteps)
Magic Kingdom Map