It’s Disneyland’s response to the Electrical Water Pageant that takes place on the waters surrounding Magic Kingdom. The Main Street Electrical Parade embodies the excellence of Disney at night. So, no matter how old you are, you’ve had a chance to experience the show at some point. Its most recent run lasted from 2010 to 2016. The Main Street Electrical Parade debuted in Orlando in 1977, disappeared for a while in 1991, returned in 1999, and went away in 2001. The most famous of all theme park parades has come and gone from Magic Kingdom several times over the years. Sometimes, everything in life works out the way that it should, as Greenaway’s work here has proven equal parts flawless and timeless. Legendary composer Hans Zimmer actually passed on the project, pawning it off to a friend, Gavin Greenaway. I’d be remiss if I failed to acknowledge the score. They missed the fireworks while watching the Earth Globe’s LED screens. The spherical digital display was the first of its kind and so visually impressive that park guests sometimes forgot to look up at the sky. No one will ever forget the dazzling moment when the Earth Globe lit up for the first time, signifying the start of the show. The harshest critics in the world felt only awe when they watched this show. At that point, the Golden Tickets simply gave up and retired the award.

IllumiNations not only won the title of Best Outdoor Night Attraction in 2004 but held it through 2015. The loss still seems fresh for this, the most successful nighttime presentation in theme park history.Īs I’ve mentioned previously, the Golden Ticket Awards honor the best theme park attractions in the world. IllumiNations: Reflections of EarthĪt the time of publication, IllumiNations has been gone less than 48 hours, which makes it challenging to eulogize. For a time, it was all people knew about nighttime fireworks in Orlando. It featured a musical accompaniment of classic Disney music of the era, including the impossibly catchy Mickey Mouse Club theme.įantasy in the Sky certainly doesn’t match up to the other presentations mentioned here, but anyone who visited Magic Kingdom up until 2003 remembers it fondly.

The presentation was no different than one you’d see at a major July 4 th celebration today save for one attribute. And while it’s evolved a great deal over the years, the reality is that Fireworks in the Sky’s main claim to fame is just that. Yes, ignoring a few fireworks haphazardly shot off from the parking lot in 19, this presentation was the first real fireworks show in theme park history. By the time it reached Orlando, it had already run for 18 years at Disneyland. At Walt Disney World, Fantasy in the Sky lit up the night from opening day in 1976 until 2003.

Disney world illuminations