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Chaos and panic unfolded at Disney’s Magic Kingdom Park recently, as massive crowds gathered for the Happily Ever After fireworks show and the Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade. As the crowds packed into the park, a Walt Disney World Resort guest reported witnessing people fainting and families being separated amid the overwhelming congestion.
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The Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away parade, which debuted this summer, has become an increasingly popular attraction at Magic Kingdom Park. The brand-new entertainment offering features glittering floats that travel the daytime parade route in reverse, from Main Street, U.S.A. to Frontierland, and it has drawn significant crowds each evening, even though it is performed twice nightly on most days.
The parade has grown even more popular this month, with fewer opportunities to experience it due to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party nights, when both the parade and the fireworks are not available. As a result, many guests are cramming into Magic Kingdom Park on select nights to see both nighttime shows, creating the perfect storm for overcrowding.
The chaos hit a peak last weekend, as crowds waiting for the fireworks collided with those gathering for the parade. One guest (u/Happy-Mongoose4095), who shared their experience on Reddit, described the scene as “firework chaos with crowds squashing and pushing.” According to the user, the area near Cinderella Castle was a madhouse, with the crowds getting so packed that people were unable to move.
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“About an hour before [the 8:00 p.m. parade] it was so crowded people could not move,” the Disney Park guest wrote. “I saw a person faint and also people unable to get out to go to the bathroom.”
The situation only worsened as the Happily Ever After fireworks began.
“By the time the fireworks started children and adults crying due to the chaos of the crowds being packed in and unable to move or have space,” the social media user continued. “People were separated from families. The whole experience for approx 3-4 hours was mayhem.”
Credit: Disney
The guest accused Walt Disney World Resort of not prioritizing safety or guest experience.
“[They] obviously… don’t care about people’s safety or experience,” they said. “They should not let that many people into the park or cancel the night float parade before the fireworks also as it was panic from people throughout the park unable to move.”
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“So disappointed,” the guest concluded. “What a shit show!!!”
Walt Disney World Resort did not publicly respond to this complaint.
Have crowds impacted your visit to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your story with Disney Tips in the comments!
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks guest experience. No two guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Disney Tips’ personal views on Disney Park operations.
