Locals Love This Hack for Prime Parade Viewing at Magic Kingdom

Watching the parades at Magic Kingdom can be a magical experience, but finding the perfect spot can be challenging due to the large crowds and small viewing areas. However, there's a relatively unknown hack that can make your parade-watching experience more enjoyable with little to no crowds and prime viewing!

Some will tell you that the best hack is to wait for the last parade of the day to avoid bigger crowds. Others may say that the best way to avoid parade crowds is to grab a spot in the Frontierland or Liberty Square areas which usually have smaller crowds compared to Main Street near Cinderella's castle. Although these are both good tips, there is one hack that locals love to have a front row view of the parades at Magic Kingdom.

Read more to learn about the little-known hack locals love to get the best parade views at Magic Kingdom!

Try This Hack for the Best Parade Views at Magic Kingdom

There are several tips on how to get the best parade views, however there is one in particular located somewhere you'd least expect! If you've ever been to Tony's Town Square Restaurant or visited characters at the Town Square Theater, you've probably noticed the large wrap around porch with multiple seating areas. These seating areas are prime parade viewing locations, as they are elevated and far back enough from the crowds to get the perfect view of the parade!

Tony's Town Square Restaurant, located on Main Street, U.S.A near the park's entrance, has dedicated seating areas on this porch which allows guests who are dining at the restaurant to enjoy their delicious Italian meal as the parade goes by. This is a parade-viewing hack that locals love to use to watch the Magic Kingdom parades. If you prefer the indoor seating, there are still other areas on the porch near Tony's that you can either sit or stand to watch the parade go by before or after your meal.

This porch area is especially great to watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade because most of the floats stand tall and guests can still get great views from far away areas. Each float is themed after a Disney film, featuring characters like Rapunzel, Peter Pan, Ariel, and of course, Mickey and Minnie Mouse. My personal favorite part of the Festival of Fantasy Parade is the steampunk-inspired Maleficent dragon float, which breathes fire as it marches through the park! The Festival of Fantasy Parade showcases a wide array of characters from both classic and contemporary Disney films.

Therefore, next time you visit the Magic Kingdom and want to watch the Festival of Fantasy Parade, definitely consider this hack to experience unobstructed views!

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How to Utilize This Parade Viewing Hack Effectively

As for all Disney World sit-down restaurants, reservations are highly recommended for Tony's Town Square Restaurant, especially if you're interested in trying this parade viewing hack. Guests can make dining reservations up to 60 days in advance via either the My Disney Experience website or by calling guest services at (407) WDW-DINE (939-3463). If you want to watch the parade on the patio during your meal, make sure you submit a special request for patio seating, and also make sure you make your reservation during the same time as the parade. You can also ask the hosts when you check in for your reservation to see if any patio seating is available. Keep in mind that all Magic Kingdom parades end near the restaurant, and therefore will probably pass by at least 15 minutes after the parade starts.

Although Tony's Town Square Restaurant is one of the best places to see unobstructed views of the Festival of Fantasy Parade, it might not always work perfectly if there aren't enough patio seats available or if you can't get a reservation during the same time as the parade. If you're from out of town and want to prioritize seeing the parade, you may want to consider other viewing tips which I will get into below. However, for those who may be interested in enjoying a meal at Tony's Town Square Restaurant or are in the area during the parade, it can feel like a “pixie dusted” moment to see the parade in a new and unobstructed way!

Other Magic Kingdom Parade Viewing Tips

If you're not able to grab a Tony's Town Square Restaurant reservation, or prefer to eat at one of the many other Magic Kingdom restaurants, you can still try to grab a prime parade viewing area on the large porch outside of the restaurant. As pictured above, I recently experienced a magical moment with my friend and her daughter who got to spend time watching the parade with Mulan from the porch without the need for any dining reservations. A cast member told us that usually Mulan or another character will spend time with a lucky guest watching the parade while it travels by, and we happened to be in the right place at the right time! There was no one else around us on the porch, and we were able to have an extended encounter with Mulan while also getting an amazing view of the parade.

You may also prefer to stand closer to the action of the parade instead of being further back on the porch. Disney parades are known for the unique interactions the characters have with guests, and it makes sense for many who want to be up close. This is especially true for the Once Upon a Christmastime or Boo-to-You parades that take place during the Christmas and Halloween seasons.

If you want to prioritize and guarantee a prime parade viewing spot, we highly recommend grabbing a spot as early as possible. Depending on how busy the park is, I would say you need to be lined up at least 30 minutes early if you want to have a completely unobstructed view of the parade. If you're watching the Once Upon a Christmastime or Boo-to-You Parade, I would line up even earlier due to their popularity. Grab a snack, get comfortable, and prepare to experience the fun and magic of a Disney parade!

I personally like to watch the parade from Frontierland, which is where the Magic Kingdom parades always start. The main reason why I like Frontierland is because I'll be in the first group of people to see the parade pass by, and can easily jump in line for nearby attractions such as Haunted Mansion or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad once it's over. The parade viewers on Main Street will have to wait at least another 15 minutes before they can move on to their next attraction. Although it's an amazing experience to see the parade come down Main Street, it is definitely a lot more crowded and can be a huge pain trying to navigate the crowds once it's over.

Another reason I prefer to watch most Magic Kingdom parades in Frontierland is because navigating throughout Main Street and the surrounding areas during a parade can be a nightmare. For example, if you're trying to get from Adventureland to Tomorrowland, it's almost impossible because you are trapped inside the parade route. Cast members do not allow guests to travel from one side of the parade route to the other for safety precautions to guests and the parade performers, and therefore guests can get stuck in one place until the parade is over. This is particularly frustrating for guests who want to take advantage of lower wait times for attractions during the parades which draw larger crowds.

As you can see, there are multiple ways to get the most out of your parade viewing experience depending on which parade you want to see and how badly you want to prioritize an ideal viewing location.

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Current and Seasonal Parades at Magic Kingdom

All Magic Kingdom parades begin in Frontierland, travel through Liberty Square, and then down Main Street, U.S.A., near the park's entrance. If you've ever seen the Festival of Fantasy Parade, or any parade at a Disney park, you'll know how interactive the parades can be as well! The Festival of Fantasy Parade is no different, as characters and dancers love waving and pointing out guests who may be Disney bounding as different characters or simply enjoying the parade.

During the Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade and Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, parade performers get even more up close and personal with parade viewers. This past year, Tally the Elf went viral on social media for his unique interactions with guests during Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. Tally would hilariously ask guests their names, check Santa's list, and let them know if they were naughty or nice this year. The Boo-to-You Halloween Parade also has fun performers that like to interact with the crowds, including the gravediggers and various classic Disney characters dressed up in their own costumes for Halloween.

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