With the departure of the Main Street Electrical Parade on October 9th, 2016 and the end of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, we’re getting ready to enter unprecedented territory. Since the introduction of nighttime parades in 1977, the Magic Kingdom has had a night parade of some sort every month. The longest period of time that I can find on record without a parade was a sixteen day period from September 15th, 1991 until October 1st, 1991 when SpectroMagic debuted. That means that if we don’t get a replacement parade this Sunday, January 8th, we will have set a record for the most days without a nighttime parade since the introduction of the Main Street Electrical Parade so many years ago.

Here’s the last showing of the Main Street Electrical Parade as the performers and floats said their last goodbye in Frontierland. Caution: Lots of cheering!

So what’s next?

In short, we don’t know. Disney has yet to officially announce anything and the rumor mill has dried up a bit since it became apparent Walt Disney World wasn’t getting Paint the Night. Some insiders say there are plans for a year or two down the line, but nothing imminent. With nighttime parades being as much of a lock as they have been at the Magic Kingdom and Wishes entering its 14th year, one has to wonder what Disney is going to do to draw people to the Magic Kingdom at night.

2017 is the year that both Pandora and Rivers of Light will debut at Animal Kingdom. With a new take on nighttime entertainment at Hollywood Studios in the form of projection shows, it’ll be interesting to see if Magic Kingdom can keep the nighttime crowds. I’d imagine it still will due to the overwhelming popularity of the park and the amount of attractions on offer.

As for me, I’ll see you in Pandora – The World of Avatar once the sun goes down.