This is our guide to the rides and attractions of Magic Kingdom—the flagship theme park at Walt Disney World resort. This post briefly lists the best rides and attractions at Magic Kingdom before providing a quick overview of each and every attraction, land-by-land.
If you’re looking for detailed Lightning Lane information, we have a separate post covering our Walt Disney World Lightning Lane Strategy and a post dedicated to Lightning Lanes at Magic Kingdom.
We also have a one-day Magic Kingdom itinerary and trip reports that show how we spend full days at Magic Kingdom. You’ll also want to check out our Magic Kingdom rope drop strategy—which is referenced frequently in this post. If you have access to Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom, be sure to read about those, too.
New At Magic Kingdom - Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
As of June 28, Magic Kingdom has a new ride—Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. With a 40-inch height requirement, this log flume ride is a reimagining of the old Splash Mountain ride, with basically the same ride design (a dark ride in a log, a few small drops, one big drop at the end) and a story themed to Princess and the Frog.
As of its debut, Tiana’s uses a virtual queue (no standby line) and has a Tier 1 Lightning Lane available on Lightning Lane Multi Pass. The virtual queue opens at 7AM and 1PM. Though it was advertised that the virtual queue would only be around for a short time, it has persisted late into the year.
Near the end of 2024, we’ll update this post to discuss how it fits into our rankings and such, but for now while it’s brand new, we want to highlight it at the top.
Best Rides at Magic Kingdom
Let’s start with a necessary point. There’s a pretty good argument that every ride at Magic Kingdom is a must-ride. Call it nostalgia. Call it “Magic.” Every ride has something.
I’m not going to tell you to stay off PeopleMover because it’s boring or to avoid Space Mountain because if you don’t already have back problems it might give you some (kidding, mostly). There’s no denying that Magic Kingdom is a titan of a theme park. If you can find a way to experience everything, do it.
We have a list ranking all the rides at Walt Disney World, and it’s a pretty thoroughly thought out list. If you’re looking for rhyme and reason about how we feel about rides, check that. This post is for people who want to get a sense of the park. So we’ll just lay out the somewhat subjective, somewhat objective list.
The ten best rides at Magic Kingdom that you must do are:
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Haunted Mansion
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
TRON Lightcycle / Run
Space Mountain
Jungle Cruise
Pirates of the Caribbean
Walt Disney World Railroad
Peter Pan’s Flight
The Complete Magic Kingdom Rides Guide
This rides guide is meant to provide you with an overview of all the rides and attractions at Magic Kingdom. Each gets at least a short description and our personal thoughts. Some get longer descriptions.
We include height requirements here, but we also have a longer, more comprehensive post on height requirements at Walt Disney World. We also have a post covering the Best Rides for Toddlers at Magic Kingdom, if that’s what you really need.
We include the Lightning Lane options for each ride (under the new system). Keep in mind that Lightning Lane commentary here is limited, and when we say something is “easy” to get on Multi Pass, that’s going to be relative and, specifically, crowd-dependent.
This guide includes both traditional rides (like roller coasters) and non-ride attractions (like animatronic stage shows). We also have a section on entertainment, and just a few paragraphs below we point you to some resources on character greetings. For most of the rides in this post we give some tips for fitting it into your busy Magic Kingdom schedule.
We’ve also got a Walt Disney World ride construction and event calendar if you’d like to see some of the changes coming to Magic Kingdom and the rest of the resort. But while we’re here…
What’s next at Magic Kingdom?
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will close for a lengthy refurbishment on January 6, 2025. It will reopen in 2026.
Summer 2025 will see the debut of Disney Starlight, a new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom.
Work will begin in 2025 for two new Cars attractions that are set to be added to Frontierland.
Work is ongoing for a new Villains Land will be added to the park (work on this has already begun).
The timeline on these projects remains unclear. It will be several years before anything new opens, but the park will be impacted sooner. Sometime in 2025, Liberty Square Riverboat and Tom Sawyer Island will permanently close to make way for the Cars attractions.
Characters at Magic Kingdom
Because the characters in the park are subject to change so frequently, we have separate posts to help you navigate meeting characters at Disney World:
Magic Kingdom also has multiple restaurants offering character dining.
Main Street U.S.A.
All visits to Magic Kingdom start on Main Street, U.S.A. Besides being the thematic entryway to the rest of the park, the land is mostly a place for shopping and snacking. However, there are two rides on Main Street, U.S.A. as well.
Main Street Vehicles
Height: Any
Type: Slow
Lightning Lane: None
The Main Street Vehicles are almost a “hidden” attraction at Magic Kingdom. They don’t run all day, and on the absolute busiest days, or days with a lot of rain in the morning, they might not run at all. The ride consists of a quick trip down Main Street, U.S.A. in an open-air, old-timey vehicle. You can catch the vehicles at either end of Main Street.
Riding It: The Main Street Vehicles usually stop running in the mid-morning around 10AM or 11AM, when you probably should still be hopping on other rides before lines get long. We love the Main Street Vehicles, but it can be hard for us to remember to fit them in during our busy morning.
Our key tip for these—sometimes they run before the park opens. Guests are always let onto Main Street before the park officially opens, and oftentimes the vehicles will run during this time.
Walt Disney World Railroad
Height: Any
Type: Slow / Outdoor
Lightning Lane: None
Walt Disney World Railroad actually has three stops—Main Street U.S.A., Frontierland, and Fantasyland. The railroad encircles the park, giving you unique views of some of your favorite attractions and lands. There are also some small scenes unique to the attraction itself, but nothing amazing. The loop takes about 20 minutes.
Riding It: Walt Disney World Railroad is a great way to kick back and relax. Unfortunately, it can get decent waits midday and it isn’t always worth a high wait time. The railroad doesn’t have a Lightning Lane.
Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland is located on the east side of the park and is the first land you’ll encounter if you go counterclockwise (right) after walking down Main Street, U.S.A. We typically target the major Tomorrowland rides with Lightning Lanes or midday waits, preferring to start our days in Fantasyland or on the other side of the park.
TRON Lightcycle Power Run
Height: 48 inches / 122cm
Type: Thrill coaster
Lightning Lane: Single Pass
TRON is the newest coaster at Magic Kingdom. The ride is a indoor/outdoor coaster with a unique seat design (similar to Flight of Passage or riding a bike or motorcycle). It’s a thrilling ride and a good addition to Magic Kingdom.
Riding It: As of this update, TRON has switched from a virtual queue to a regular ol’ standby queue. That post discusses how to fit it into your day (a small challenge as, as of this update, it isn’t a part of Early Entry). It also has Single Pass Lightning Lane. The Lightning Lane has typically costs around $20.
Astro Orbiter
Height: Any
Type: Aerial Carousel
Lightning Lane: None
This Dumbo-style ride (i.e. “aerial carousel”) sits on top of The Lunching Pad and PeopleMover. While the elevated position and rotating design provide for some pretty good views, the ride isn’t much better than Dumbo or Magic Carpets, and the wait can get very outsized.
Riding It: Typically we ride Astro Orbiter very early—if we’re doing a Tomorrowland Rope Drop—very late, or not at all. Even early and late, it can take a lot of time and the queue is somewhat deceptive because you need to take an elevator to reach a waiting area, and only after a few minutes up there will you actually be on the ride.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Height: Any
Type: Dark Ride / Shooting Game
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Formerly a staple of Disney castle parks worldwide, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin is a shooter style dark ride where you and a partner ride through a battle between Buzz and the Evil Emperor Zurg, shooting your laser at targets throughout the ride.
We find this to be one of the more fun rides in Magic Kingdom. If you know the right targets to hit, it’s pretty easy to score 999,999 and become a “Galactic Hero.” If you do hit that score, be sure to take a picture and talk to a Cast Member at the gift shop. They’ll usually give you a sticker (one time I got a celebration button).
Riding It: Space Ranger Spin is a pretty quick ride. It won’t have long waits too early or too late, but midday it’s going to be good to have a Lightning Lane.
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor
Height: Any
Type: Interactive Stage Show
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor is an interactive show where audience members become a part of a comedy show put on by the Monsters. While we typically skip it, this can be a good way to pass a few minutes (away from the elements, too), and it definitely can be enjoyed by all ages.
Space Mountain
Height: 44in / 113cm
Type: Roller Coaster (Indoor, Dark)
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 1
The Disneyland version is better, but there’s no denying that Space Mountain is a staple of every Magic Kingdom experience. Disney’s indoor space coaster is a fun, surprising ride through the dark.
Much of what sets the ride apart isn’t actually a direct part of the experience. The building’s unique architecture was conceived to allow for the coaster to have space to operate indoors. The ride is actually quite compact, something that you’ll quickly notice if you’re not distracted by the general thrill of the ride.
Problems? While it’s fun, there’s really no story. The queue is quite boring (formerly interactive components aren’t always functional), although it is inside, which is nice. And the ride is also just an incredibly jerky experience.
Overlays for special events sometimes happen. For example, the ride receives overlays as part of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
We have a list ranking the roller coasters of Walt Disney World, if you’d like to see how Space Mountain stacks up.
Riding It: Space Mountain is an okay option for rope drop if you have Early Entry, Multi Pass, and a Lightning Lane for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Otherwise, we’ve been fitting it into late morning or even early afternoon.
Tomorrowland Speedway
Height: 32in / 81cm
Type: Go Kart
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Tomorrowland Speedway is unequivocally more fun for kids than adults. The ride is a simple go-kart type ride around a course in Tomorrowland.
The course doesn’t provide any really notable views that would make it worth it for adults. While kids will enjoy getting a chance to drive, most adults will be unimpressed and probably more concerned with the nauseating fumes. If your kids have to ride the go karts at every amusement park they visit, Tomorrowland Speedway fits the bill.
Riding It: Tomorrowland Speedway is low-priority for us, primarily because its slow loading often leads to misleadingly low wait times. We’ll squeeze it into the very end of our day, or use a Lightning Lane if we have Multi Pass.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Height: Any
Type: Slow / Outdoor
Lightning Lane: None
PeopleMover is a classic and our personal favorite ride at Magic Kingdom. But not everyone will enjoy it. It’s a slow, elevated ride through Tomorrowland in four-person, open-air carts.
While it has some cool “behind the scenes” moments where you ride through other rides in Tomorrowland, it’s mostly just a chance to relax for a few minutes and enjoy some views you can’t get anywhere else.
Riding It: The PeopleMover queue is a good meter for Magic Kingdom crowds. If the wait is longer than 10 minutes, the park is crowded. Longer than 20 minutes and the park is very crowded. Either way, it’s likely to be one of the shorter waits you encounter midday, so plan on it then.
Alternatively—or additionally—you can ride it at night. We find it to be a better experience at night, and if you’re really just burning time the Cast Members may let you stay on the ride for multiple loops.
Fantasyland
Fantasyland is located on the north side of the park. Most of its rides are open during morning Early Entry, though you’ll likely only have time for one or two major ones. With Multi Pass you’ll have little trouble getting on the bulk of these rides, though Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has an Single Pass Lightning Lane not in Multi Pass. Without Multi Pass, you should still only have trouble fitting a few of these in, the rest usually have waits well below the park average.
The Barnstormer
Height: 35in / 89cm
Type: Kiddie Coaster
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
The Barnstormer is a kiddie coaster located in the Storybook Circus area of Fantasyland. The ride isn’t anything spectacular, but it has a height requirement of 35 inches that makes it a little more accessible than some of the other thrill rides in the park. It typically has a short wait and is easy to get on Multi Pass.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Height: Any
Type: Aerial Carousel
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Dumbo the Flying Elephant is an unmissable classic, even if it is as simple as rides come. Due to its popularity, the Magic Kingdom version of the attraction has two (nearly) identical carousels. On the attraction, guests hop into their Dumbo vehicles, which rotate around a center point while they move the vehicles up and down.
Riding It: Of the three aerial carousel rides, Dumbo is the most classic and, owing to its higher capacity, will typically have the shortest waits. It’s also easy to get on Multi Pass.
Enchanted Tales with Belle
Height: Any
Type: Interactive / Character Meet
Lightning Lane: None
Enchanted Tales With Belle is basically an “experiential” character greeting. Rather than simply saying “hi” to Belle, guests have the opportunity to interact with various characters from the story and to take place in a performance of a scene from Beauty and the Beast. It’s fun but I don’t want to oversell it too much, so I recommend checking out a video here.
“it’s a small world”
Height: Any
Type: Slow / Indoor Boat
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
This indoor boat ride is based on the 1964 World's Fair New York Walt Disney classic. Over 15 minutes, you’ll ride past about 300 animatronic figures from different countries, all singing the “it’s a small world” tune in their native language.
It’s a good, classic ride, though one that certainly could make a person go a little mad. The ride is cute, but nothing about it is really awe-inspiring. For the most part, it’s nice to ride it for the sake of nostalgia .
Riding It: The most important thing about riding “it’s a small world” is just that since the ride can take over 15 minutes, you don’t want to head there too early when you could be taking care of other short waits. It’s typically a fine Multi Pass pick in the afternoon.
Mad Tea Party
Height: Any
Type: Spinning
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Mad Tea Party, a.k.a. “the teacups” is spinning ride. Guests sit in a teacup on a large platform. The platform itself rotates and guests can control (mostly) the rotation of their individual teacups. While those with average stomachs should be able to survive a minimal amount of rotating, it only takes one adventurous spirit in your party to send the teacup on a dizzying course.
Riding It: Mad Tea Party typically has a short wait and is easy to get on Multi Pass.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Height: Any
Type: Dark Ride
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a dark ride in Fantasyland, with a more conventional ride design than Peter Pan's Flight, the other popular dark ride in Fantasyland. The ride takes you through a Winnie the Pooh storyline that occurs during a storm.
The actual story is a bit bizarre, but it leads to some fun scenery. The Imagineering is much better than the plain Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid and arguably better than Peter Pan’s Flight.
Riding It: The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh has seen a decent surge in wait times in the new regime. It’s one of the harder Tier 2 Lightning Lanes to get on Multi Pass. Without Multi Pass you’re mostly likely going to save it for evening.
Mickey’s PhilharMagic
Height: Any
Type: 3D Show
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Mickey’s PhilharMagic is a 3D show with songs from Disney classics set to a story of a magical orchestra gone awry.
Watching It: If the waits are tolerable or you use Multi Pass, use this one to beat the heat in the middle of the day. Otherwise, its waits will drop in late afternoon, and it can be a good place to pass time waiting for other waits to drop.
Peter Pan’s Flight
Height: Any
Type: Dark Ride
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 1
Peter Pan’s Flight is the subject of much love, much confusion, a little ire, and even a conspiracy theory. As the most popular of the Fantasyland dark rides, Peter Pan is a major attraction for families with small children. It’s also a fun one because, unlike most dark rides, you “take flight” in your vehicle on this ride, seeing the scenes of Peter Pan from above.
It’s a good ride, but it’s absolutely bonkers how long the line gets. There’s no doubt that planning for families with young children will often focus first on Peter Pan’s Flight.
Riding It: The Lightning Lane is really the preference here. Though the queue is noted as one of the better ones at Magic Kingdom, though having waited 102 minutes in it once, I can say it is not good for that long.
The midday wait, which can hover around two hours some days, just isn’t worth it. Better to convince the kid that Under the Sea is the dark ride to set their heart on. (Or just try and get in line when it’s under an hour, at least.)
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
Height: Any
Type: Carousel
Lightning Lane: None
This is a carousel. It is not unlike any other carousel. Our toddler loves it. You can ride it pretty much any time of the day with short wait. We often save it for the end of the day when it’s guaranteed to be a walk-on, or we visit during a walk between the two sides of the park.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Height: 38in / 97cm
Type: Roller Coaster
Lightning Lane: Single Pass
It’s not the most intense of the Magic Kingdom roller coasters, but Mine Train is the smoothest and (probably) the most fun. The ride has some dark ride elements using clever Imagineering and modern animatronics. It’s a straightforward ride that kids and adults will love, making it the most popular ride in the park and the cornerstone of most Magic Kingdom planning.
Riding It: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train offers a Lightning Lane Single Pass and is a part of Early Entry. With Early Entry, you can rope drop it. Without Early Entry, you’ll likely either pay for the Lightning Lane or just endure a lengthy wait at some point in your day.
Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid
Height: Any
Type: Slow / Dark / Indoor
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Under the Sea is probably the worst ride in Fantasyland (though we still get a kick out of it). It’s as standard as dark rides come—a ride in a shell through the story of the Little Mermaid.
Riding It: Under the Sea typically has a short wait and is easy to get on Multi Pass.
Liberty Square
Liberty Square is a small land nestled between Frontierland and Fantasyland.
The Hall of Presidents
Height: Any
Type: Animatronic Stage Show
Lightning Lane: None
The Hall of Presidents is a 25-minute film and animatronic stage show about the presidency. The stage houses animatronics of each president, and the show culminates in the current president reciting the oath of office. Like the other animatronic stage shows, this is typically a good option for beating the midday heat.
Haunted Mansion
Height: Any
Type: Dark Ride
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
I consider Haunted Mansion to be one of the best Disney rides in the world. The ride is brilliant, through and through.
Will everyone think that the first time through? Definitely not. Is it always worth at least one visit each trip? Definitely. Fit for all ages, hop into your “Doom Buggy” and check out the haunted house occupied by 999 happy haunts—will you be number 1000?
Riding It: Haunted Mansion is one of the tougher Tier 2 Multi Pass options to book, but with or without Multi Pass we usually visited Haunted Mansion in the morning as part of our rope drop strategy. Midday, we’d hop in it with a 30-minute or even 40-minute wait. For those with small children, we note Haunted Mansion as one of the scarier rides for kids at Disney World.
The Liberty Square Riverboat
Height: Any
Type: Riverboat Ride
Lightning Lane: None
The Liberty Square Riverboat is a large riverboat that goes around the Rivers of America. It’s a nice ride with some indoor seating and a good way to escape the crowds for about 20 minutes.
Riding It: The Liberty Square Riverboat usually has limited hours, opening late and closing early. That aside, it usually departs at the top and bottom of the hour. It very rarely hits capacity on any ride. While I’ll go out of my way to fit it into my day, you might just try to keep it in mind in case you’re getting off a nearby ride around those times.
Frontierland
Frontierland is on the west side of the park, nestled behind/between Liberty Square and Adventureland. We typically start our day in Frontierland and Adventureland because the waits tend to be short and we’re able to cover a few great rides with little effort.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Height: 40in / 102cm
Type: Roller Coaster
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 1
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an outdoor roller-coaster ride themed as a rail trip through a mine in the American Southwest. It’s one of Disney’s better roller coasters, with fun theming and thrills. It's also one of the most popular rides in the park.
Big Thunder fits snugly into the Frontierland theming, reflecting American enterprise in the 19th and early 20th century. While the Disneyland version benefits from a recent rebuild, the Magic Kingdom ride isn't too uncomfortable. We make sure to visit it at least once a trip.
Riding It: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is good to get on early in the day. Crowds usually don’t head straight there because there’s currently no other rides in that direction, but the wait will go up by mid-morning.
Country Bear Musical Jamboree
Height: Any
Type: Indoor Animatronic Stage Show
Lightning Lane: None
Country Bear Musical Jamboree is an indoor animatronic performance, much like Enchanted Tiki Room or The Hall of Presidents. This stage show consists of bears singing a collection of Disney tunes. While many of us miss the old, unique Country Bear Jamboree songs, the updated version that focuses on some of Disney’s more popular tunes no doubt has broader appeal.
Tom Sawyer Island
Height: Any
Type: Exploration
Lightning Lane: None
While neither Disney nor we would ever endorse leaving your child unattended in their park, there’s no doubting that Tom Sawyer Island is a place many families visit in the middle of the day to let the kids be a little more free. The island is only accessible from the rest of the park by raft, and it is designed as a place for kids to explore, with caverns, bridges, and a few hidden gems.
Visiting It: If you’re on any sort of schedule, skip Tom Sawyer Island. Were it accessible by bridge, we’d definitely recommend at least passing through it. The rafts create a real challenge though. You have to account for an additional 10-20 minutes of waiting and raft time some days. If you wind up on the island at peak time, lines to exit can be even longer.
Adventureland
Adventureland is located on the west side of the park, south of and parallel to Frontierland. We typically start our day in Frontierland and Adventureland because the waits tend to be short. Well, except…
Jungle Cruise
Height: Any
Type: Slow / Outdoor Boat
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 1
Jungle Cruise is an outdoor boat ride through jungle scenes from around the world, complete with a skipper with a clever sense of humor. While it’s sort of a “hit or miss”, it is a hit most of the time.
Jungle Cruise is a must-ride. While all Disney rides have their cult followings, Jungle Cruise has a fandom and following that dates back to the opening of Disneyland and which has expanded far beyond the ride itself. Some of the best Disney bars, restaurants, hotels, and rides around the world share a connection to Jungle Cruise.
Riding It: Jungle Cruise has seen a boost in popularity and is now one of the hardest Multi Pass reservations to get. We continue to try and find ways to fit it into our morning, and you can start the day there if it’s a high priority for you.
Bonus: During the holiday season, the ride transforms into the Jingle Cruise. This ride overlay isn’t just during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party—you can experience it all holiday-season long.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Height: Any
Type: Aerial Carousel
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin is a Dumbo-style ride (“aerial carousel”). It’s really only worth a ride if the other two similar rides, Dumbo and Astro Orbiter, have longer waits.
Pirates of the Caribbean
Height: Any
Type: Dark Ride / Indoor Boat
Lightning Lane: Multi Pass Tier 2
Though much shorter than the Disneyland original, Pirates of the Caribbean is still a classic. The ride is fun, exciting, and a bit gimmicky (although at this point most fans will probably be confused about which elements inspired the film and which were inspired by the film).
There are a couple small drops in there (you may get a little wet), but for the most part it’s a typical boat ride through the dark, taking you past different scenes of pirate life in the Caribbean.
Riding It: Usually we visit Pirates as part of our rope drop strategy (near the end of early morning, though), and it’s not too hard to get a good Lightning Lane time, either. For those with small children, we note Pirates as one of the scarier rides for kids at Disney World.
Swiss Family Treehouse
Height: Any
Type: Exploration
Lightning Lane: None
Swiss Family Treehouse is a walkthrough attraction through a treehouse based on the 1960 film, Swiss Family Robinson. It isn’t Imagineering at its most amazing, but there are some cool parts to the house.
Visiting It: It almost never has a wait and you can walk through it in about ten minutes. Just stick it into the middle of your day somewhere. It’s a good way to fill any gaps in your day, particularly if you’re waiting for a Lightning Lane return time in the area.
If you get there and there’s a wait, skip it for now. Not only is it not worth waiting for, but if its so busy as to have a wait the entire experience gets claustrophobic.
Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room
Height: Any
Type: Indoor Animatronic Show
Lightning Lane: None
The Enchanted Tiki Room was the first Disney attraction to feature audio animatronics. The 15-minute show features a series of tiki-themed performances by audio animatronic birds. While the Disneyland and Magic Kingdom versions of the show have both gone through a number of versions and refurbishments, they’re both now largely faithful to the original show.
Watching It: Of the animatronic shows at Magic Kingdom, this is the one we visit most often. Mind its oft-limited hours, but otherwise just plan to walk in to beat the heat or when you need to pass some time.
Entertainment at Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom has a welcome show, daily parade, stage show, several cavalcades throughout the day, and a nighttime spectacular. Let’s talk about these.
Let the Magic Begin
Let the Magic Begin is the daily welcome show on the castle stage. It plays five minutes before scheduled park open, which means if you have Early Entry you’ll probably be finishing up your first ride or two and need to hustle back to the hub if you want to watch it.
It’s not a “must-see”, but we try and watch it on all but the busiest days, when being ahead of rope drop crowds is a little more important.
Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire
Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire is a stage show held in front of the castle several times throughout the day (check the app for times). Mickey and Co. are joined by some of your favorite Disney characters in a “magical, musical extravaganza.”
The show is good enough and occurs frequently enough that it’s worth catching. Typically we aim for a midday viewing, when ride lines are long and we can pair it with a parade viewing. The only downside to this is that it will be peak heat, and in the summer spending an hour in the hub might be a bit much.
Festival of Fantasy Parade
Festival of Fantasy is the daily parade at Magic Kingdom. Depending on the season, it might be held twice a day (check the app). Festival of Fantasy is a great chance to see your favorite characters and some very well designed floats. The parade starts in Frontierland before passing through the hub and down Main Street. The parade is about ten minutes long and takes about 20 minutes to get to the front of the park.
Magic Kingdom Cavalcades
As of this update, Magic Kingdom is down to a single cavalcade, usually the Adventure Friends cavalcade, running a few times a day. Check the app for the ones occurring during your visit, and if you want to preview them you should have no trouble finding videos on Youtube:
In addition, Main Street Philharmonic has performances throughout the park throughout the day.
The Dapper Dans
The Dapper Dans quartet performs several times a day in the morning and early afternoon. As a Disney tradition, it’s safe to call them a must-see, and taking a few minutes to watch can be a nice break from a stressful park day.
Happily Ever After
Happily Ever After has returned! This is a must-see show and a perfect way to end your day at Magic Kingdom. Check the times guide, but the show typically plays once a night around 8PM or 9PM. The show is around 17 minutes long and includes fireworks and projections on both the castle and Main Street USA.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, Epcot Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.