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After being closed for nearly 24 months, Walt Disney World finally saw the return of the beloved parade, Festival of Fantasy on March 9, 2022! However, with all the excitement, joy, and nostalgia we felt as we stood on Main Street USA to watch the long lost parade once again (which you can watch our experience above) we have to ask the question: should Disney have even brought back Festival of Fantasy at all?

Returning from the extended closure during the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020, Walt Disney World reopened with limited experiences. As time went on we saw the gradual return of many fan favorites such as Festival of the Lion King, Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and Character Meet-and-Greets - just to name a few. However, several offerings have either remained closed for a lengthy refurbishment (ie. Fantasmic) or have been replaced all together with new experiences (ie. Happily Every After for Enchantment and Illuminations for Harmonious). With Disney proving itself to be heading in a new direction when the opportunity presents itself, it’s curious that with the overdue arrival of a daytime parade, we’re seeing the return of a fan favorite instead of an all new spectacular.

In the video posted above, we proposed the question “are you happy that Festival of Fantasy returned, or do you wish that we would have gotten something brand new?” Spoiler alert, but our answers were all unanimously “we’re happy to see the return of Festival of Fantasy”. With that being said though, it put the question in my head, why didn’t they offer up a replacement to the show? They already replaced two of the most popular night time shows, why not also replace one of the most popular daytime shows as well? It could be for several reasons.

The first reason could simply be the ease. The shows infrastructure is already in place: floats are already built, costumes are designed, and the music already exists. Which leads to the second and most probable reason, the cost. With having everything already in place, the cost of recycling an older parade and only making minor tweaks would be a whole lot cheaper than designing a new one to fit the 50th anniversary theme of the park. Besides, with the parks having already spent so much on bringing us Harmonious and Enchantment, it’s likely they’re trying to find ways to not spend any more unnecessary money.

With all of that being said though, would I have liked to see a new daytime parade? Honestly, I’m indifferent. If you’ve followed The Drop Podcast or our YouTube channel for any period of time, you’ll know that I’ve been asking for any sort of substantial daytime parade for a long time. New or nostalgic, I’m just glad we have something! With the addition of the brand new Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade, and the return of an old friend, the Festival of Fantasy parade as well as Mickey's Magical Friendship Faire stage show, Magic Kingdom looks like it has a bright future in terms of it’s daytime street entertainment, which has always been a hallmark of the Magic Kingdom park.

Now the question is for you! Are you happy to see the return of a show that’s nostalgic for so many fans, or do you wish they would’ve created a brand new experience for guests? Let us know in the comments below!