This is part two of the Magic Happens parade photo series from the parade at Disneyland Park.
The photos from todays post were taken on June 4, 2023 from a 6:30pm PT parade performance at Disneyland Park. Some of the photos from this parade performance were posted on Instagram last summer so there aren’t as many photos from every segment of the parade in this post.
Mickey & Friends
Sorcerer Mickey is riding high atop his giant sorcerer hat float. Mickey and his float is followed by Chip and Goofy plus an entourage of other Disney characters.
Kakamora
Today’s photos from the Moana segment of the parade features the Kakamora dancers. The dancers are dressed in Polynesian style attire carrying the Kakamora coconuts on their hands. These guys are one of the best parts of the parade.
Coco
Next, is the Coco segment. Marigolds on Miguel’s float portray a marigold bridge between the living world and the Land of the Dead as represented in the Disney-Pixar film.
Miguel plays his guitar while riding on the float in the Santa Cecilia Plaza. If you watch the marigold bridge as the float passes by, you will see Dante galloping across the bridge changing from his living world form to his alebrije form in the Land of the Dead.
Pepita, the main Alebrijes from the Disney-Pixar film follows behind Miguel’s float. The Pepita puppet looks a little different today. Last summer, the puppet was controlled by 3 puppeteers underneath and 2 guardians on the outside. Then, Pepita was missing from the parade for a few weeks. When he returned, he was on wheels with one puppeteer underneath driving and the 2 guardians still on the outside.
Frozen
The Frozen segment is next. This segment ends the first half of the Magic Happens parade. The segment begins with Frozen 2 dancers representing the Enchanted Forest in Frozen 2. Then Elsa, Anna, Olaf and Sven ride on a large float representing both Frozen films while Kristoff follows behind.
Parade Finale
The parade finale begins with an entourage of Disney characters including: Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Pinocchio, Blue Fairy, Aladdin, Genie and Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. This group of characters lead the way for flag bearers, three small parade floats and one huge castle float. The flag bearers lead each of the three small parade floats that carry Cinderella (photos absent from this post), Arthur and Merlin from the Sword in the Stone and Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from The Princess and the Frog.
The Sword in the Stone
Merlin from The Sword in the Stone dances around spreading Disney magic in the air as Arthur attempts to pull the sword from the stone. Will he do it? You will have to watch the parade to find out.
The Princess and the Frog
Then, flag bearers lead the way for Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen who are dancing to the sounds of New Orleans as they ride down the bayou.
Sleeping Beauty
The parade concludes with a massive castle float carrying Princess Aurora, Prince Phillip and the three fairies: Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.
Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip ride high atop the castle float while Flora and Merryweather fight to change Aurora’s dress from pink to blue.
Watch the Magic Happens Parade at Disneyland
Watch a different performance from the Magic Happens parade on my YouTube channel. This unedited video of the parade was recorded on March 5, 2024.
I hope you enjoy this photo series from a different Magic Happens parade performance each week. Check out last weeks photo series post of the Magic Happens parade.
The parade is currently performed twice daily at 3:00pm and 5:30pm PT. Check the Disney app or Disneyland website for up-to-date information.
The 3:00pm parade usually begins at Small World Mall and concludes at Town Square. And, the 5:30pm parade usually travels from Town Square to Small World Mall.
As always, I’ll “see ya real soon” Mouseketeers!
