Defunct Disneyland parades to be part of ’90s Nite in 2025
Disneyland parades of years past — “The Lion King Celebration” and “Mulan Parade” — will be part of Disneyland After Dark: ’90s Night 2025.
A new (old?) (new-but-old?) procession called “’90s on Parade” will debut at Disneyland After Dark: ’90s Nite on March 4 & 6, 2025 in Anaheim, Calif., and will spotlight Disney parades of the 1990s, as announced Dec. 5, 2024 on the Disney Parks Blog. Disney specifically mentioned the production will have “nods” to “The Lion King Celebration” and “Mulan Parade.”
Disneyland’s website also notes, “Jump into Disneyland nostalgia as we highlight some of our favorite parades of the ’90s along the Disneyland Parade Route.”
“The Lion King Celebration” performed at Disneyland from July 1, 1994 – June 1, 1997. D23 describes the parade this way:
As the celebration strode down the parade route to the tune of “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King,” guests were treated to a performance that took Disneyland’s live entertainment to new levels. Floats used real water for waterfalls and rain effects, while independent bugs and lifelike alligators traveled down the parade route via remote control. For the main characters from “The Lion King,” “Puppetronics” were created, a combination of normal puppetry and Audio-Animatronics figures. At intervals, the parade would stop and a moving performance would take over, set to the song “Circle of Life.”
D23
Floats from “The Lion King Celebration” can be seen to this day in Florida as part of “Festival of the Lion King” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
“Mulan Parade” debuted at Disneyland in summer 1998, as documented by Cartarsauce Theatre on YouTube. The procession featured live appearances by Mulan, Shang, and Mushu. A version of this parade also performed at Disney-MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Florida.
Tickets to Disneyland ’90s Nite
Disneyland After Dark: ’90s Nite will take place March 4 & 6, 2025 from 9 p.m. – 1 a.m. Ticket prices start at $149. Ticket sales launch Dec. 12, 2024 for the general public and 1-2 days prior for Disneyland annual pass holders (depending on pass type).
Other Disneyland After Dark themed events for 2025 are:
- Sweethearts’ Nite: select nights Jan. 21 – Feb. 13, 2025
- Star Wars Nite: select nights April 8 – May 6, 2025
- Pride Nite: June 16 & 18, 2025
Check out our visit to ’90s Nite 2019 and the throwback characters we met, including Max dressed as Powerline:
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