Galaxy Palace Theater

Image: Disney

Disney’s history with live stage performances in the Magic Kingdom is quite eccentric. When the park first opened, it featured a stage in Tomorrowland that played host to a series of strange shows that, today, might sound almost fake. One, called Disney World is Your World, featured a musical medley of songs inspired by each of the park’s themed lands — including songs like “I’m Walking Right Down the Middle of Main Street USA” that guests might remember but not know where from.

As the park changed, so too did the shows at the theater — renamed the Galaxy Place Theater. One long running show was a parody of Star Search, featuring the best talent in the “galaxy.” Others were, simply, performances by school bands and cheerleading teams. The theater itself was hastily constructed and was nearly always plagued with rumors of its removal due to a weak structure and low-turnout.

In 2009, the inevitable came and the theater closed down. Ever since, the Disney rumor mill has run rampant with speculation on a replacement, from rollercoasters to dark rides to ... another stage. What have we seen thus far?

A parking lot.

The Nighttime Parade

Image: aloha75, Flickr (license)

When Walt Disney World opened in 1971, the company wanted to make sure that it was an event from sunup to sundown. The very last thing many guests saw that fateful opening day was an armada of illuminated floats out in the Seven Seas Lagoon. This became known as the Electrical Water Pageant, and can still be seen today.

It was so beloved, it made guests out in Disneyland envious — prompting the invention of a land-based version of the pageant utilizing Disneyland’s smaller footprint. It was called the Main Street Electrical Parade.

Of course, jealousy goes both ways so, in 1977, the Main Street Electrical Parade made its way to Orlando — illuminating Main Street USA on a nightly basis.

In 1991, the Magic Kingdom got a new parade known as SpectroMagic, featuring new floats, new music, and a whole new concept. It was nearly instantly beloved, both for its whimsical message and iconic visual imagery. It alternated with the Main Street Electrical Parade a couple of times before its official final performance in 2010. With the parade floats decommissioned, the Main Street Electrical Parade took back over — running until October 9, 2016.

Since then, there has been no nighttime parade at the Magic Kingdom, outside of special party events.

More than any other removal, this is the most frustrating. The nighttime parade down Main Street USA is among the most iconic images in American life. The two parades to operate in such a fashion are both beloved by the Disney fan community and single-time guests. After a full day of adventure in one of the most-visited tourist destinations on the planet, a beautiful parade in the dark is the kind of storybook ending the Disney Parks are all about. Disney knows this, which is why Disneyland has had a nighttime parade this entire time.

Moreover, there are no rumors that we might see a parade return in the near future. You would think a remastered version of SpectroMagic might be a good fit for the 50th anniversary of the park in 2021.

Alas, for now, we must keep on waiting for a replacement.