Avoid Waiting For Best Disneyland Fireworks Castle View Using This Paint the Night Parade Hack

This summer Disneyland is celebrating their 70th anniversary and incorporating a busy lineup of entertainment that includes the return of Paint the Night parade and Wondrous Journeys fireworks. This is a great way to see the Disneyland fireworks.

Let’s get into my favorite hack that allows you to get a castle view of the fireworks without needing to wait longer than 20 minutes! This hack only works when there is a nighttime parade ending shortly before the fireworks which aligns perfectly with these two popular shows.

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This Hack Only Works with Night Parades

The schedule for the nighttime entertainment at Disneyland this summer allows for you to take advantage of my favorite hack for getting both the best parade viewing spot and the fireworks spot back to back.

Keep in mind that this hack only works when there is a nightly parade scheduled for 8:45 PM and fireworks scheduled for 9:30 PM. The last time we saw this unique of a schedule was the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade in 2022.

For the Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration, Paint the Night parade will run nightly at 8:45 PM and Wondrous Journeys fireworks will take place at 9:30 PM which means this schedule aligns perfectly to get a spot for both shows at the same time. Since you may already be juggling how to see all the entertainment at Disneyland for the 70th anniversary, this is a helpful trick to keep in mind.

Get This Spot for Disneyland for Great Fireworks View

To be well positioned to get the best fireworks view when the parade ends, get a spot on Main Street directly next to Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe. You want to be on this side of the street so you can move quickly after the parade ends to line up for the fireworks.

You can see in the screenshot above from the Disneyland map where I recommend getting your spot. Line up in this area for Paint the Night to position yourself to dash to my favorite fireworks spot once the parade ends.

If you want a good view for the parade, I recommend lining up at least an hour before it starts but if I wanted a spot right on the curb, I would get there 90 minutes before the parade starts. The close proximity of Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe and the Refreshment Corner is a plus here. Have someone guard the spot and send someone else to grab snacks for your crew. There’s no better way to kill time than eating!

If you don’t mind if you’re not on the curb and are fine standing in the back, you could show up even later but that could be pushing it.

Move Fast to Get a Good Fireworks View

Be ready to move the instant you see the end of the parade coming, be on your feet if you are sitting down and be prepared to walk quickly through the crowds. Once the parade ends, it will be chaotic as the crowds disperse into Main Street. You will want to grab your group and walk with purpose as close to the Partner’s Statue as you can. You’ll end up with the great views like the ones seen in this photo above and the photo at the top of the article.

Also, be aware of any park benches that have been moved into this area. Sometimes these need to be relocated again after the parade which can get in your way as you dash to a spot.

Even if you are on the south end of the hub from the statue, you will still have a direct view of the castle and projections from where you are standing. The parade will be coming from the direction of it’s a small world and ending at Main Street so you will likely see the parade come to an end about 9:15 PM. Which then leaves you with only 15 minutes to wait before the fireworks begin.

For this hack to work, you need to move efficiently into a spot while everyone else is still standing up and getting their bearings from the end of the parade. Be ready to move quickly (and politely!) to your fireworks spot. You want to be looking at the castle head on so get as close to the Partner’s Statue as possible, if people are already lined up there, stand behind them and keep the castle centered in your sightline.

You Want to Be Close to the Castle for Wondrous Journeys

At times I often recommend watching the Disneyland fireworks from it’s a small world due to the ease of viewing there, but for Wondrous Journeys I recommend putting this effort in to see the castle. The Blue Fairy from the Disney classic film Pinocchio will fly in the sky to “grant your wish” during the fireworks show and it’s a spectacular sight to see. You want to have a good view of the castle to see this!

The Blue Fairy isn’t the only figure flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle, you will also see Baymax from Big Hero 6 take flight which is one of the best parts of the show.

If you use this hack, you can effectively cross off both these two popular nighttime entertainment offerings at Disneyland during the 70th anniversary while also getting one of the best fireworks spots for this spectacular fireworks show. Yes, you do still end up waiting a bit for the great parade spot, but you end up seeing both nighttime spectaculars from fantastic viewing spots in the same amount of time that we would often wait for the fireworks.

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