Disneyland Resort has announced the return date for the Paint the Night Electrical Parade, after releasing a teaser last month.
Paint the Night Officially Returning
Paint the Night will return to Disneyland Park on May 16, 2025, lighting up Main Street, U.S.A. with over a million LED lights.
Mickey Mouse uses his vivid imagination to harness the power of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust and “Paint the Night” in Disney dreams, bringing to light beloved characters and stories from Pixar and Disney Animation films such as “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “Toy Story”, “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and more.
The “Paint the Night” parade features innovative floats, vibrant costumes, incredible special effects, unforgettable music and energetic performances.
The parade’s return was first teased via a cryptic Reel on Disneyland’s official Instagram account in October 2024. We reported the rumor that the parade would return in 2025 as part of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration. Previous rumors had indicated that the parade would return in 2024, but plans shifted to prioritize the anniversary festivities.
The parade’s floats were spotted on the streets of Anaheim this month as they made their way back to the resort. Visible floats included the lead “Peter Pan” drum, Mack from “Cars,” “The Little Mermaid,” the “Beauty and the Beast” section of the Candlelight Dreams unit, Slinky Dog, and Mickey’s Lightastic Finale.
Paint the Night has performed at both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. The parade originally debuted in 2015 for Disneyland’s 60th anniversary, and ended its initial run in September 2016, before returning for the holiday season. The parade was then replaced by the original Main Street Electrical Parade’s return in January 2017.
In 2018, Paint the Night was brought back, but to Disney California Adventure, where a new “The Incredibles” float was added to replace “Frozen,” in celebration of the opening of Pixar Pier. The parade ran through mid-November of that year and has not returned to Disneyland Resort since. The first version of the iconic parade debuted at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2014 for the park’s 9th anniversary expansion.
Disneyland’s version of the parade brings an electrifying display of lights, music, and beloved characters to the park, featuring a unique lineup that distinguishes it from its Hong Kong counterpart. Unlike the Hong Kong version, the Disneyland parade includes four exclusive floats and flows seamlessly down the parade route without stopping for staged performances.
From 2015 to 2018, fans were treated to a dazzling array of themed units, starting with a Peter Pan-inspired drum float featuring Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, and other iconic Disney characters like Genie and Lumière. The Monsters, Inc. Dance Party brought energy with Sulley and Mike, while the Cars Electric Roadway Jam, The Little Mermaid Electric Watercolors, and Toy Story Electric Rodeo floats celebrated their respective film franchises.
In 2018, the parade concluded with Mickey’s Lightastic Finale, starring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Goofy.
This comes on the heels of a number of other announcements regarding the Disneyland Resort, including the dates of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration, a new version of “World of Color”, and the new Walt Disney Audio-Animatronic show.
Disney also shared a look at the decor for Sleeping Beauty Castle, showed off new looks for Mickey and Minnie, and announced all event dates for 2025.
In addition, Disney California Adventure has announced a closure date for the Red Car Trolley.
Watch our video of Paint the Night at Disneyland Park right here on the WDWNT YouTube channel:
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