Something unusual occurred at the Festival of Fantasy parade

Festival of Fantasy is back! However, I noticed something unusual occurred during a recent viewing.

Festival of Fantasy

Magic Kingdom’s daytime parade, Festival of Fantasy is back! It did not resume with the reopening of Disney Parks in July 2020. While cavalcades replaced the parade, it appears both will now entertain Guests visiting The Most Magical Place on Earth. It currently runs twice a day.

Like many of the experiences that have returned, there are some changes. You may remember the Christmas parade this past year was missing quite a few elements. Staffing and health and safety protocols are likely to blame for the changes. You can see which pieces are missing in this post.

But, that’s not all! A few days I was watching the delayed 3:00 pm viewing and noticed something different.

Costume Switcheroo

The parade was the same for the most part. I watched the princesses, Peter Pan, and Rapunzel floats make their way down Frontierland as usual.

The very last float is the Mickey float. Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Chip & Dale dance and march in front of the actual float. Then, Mickey comes as the grand finale! They are usually in very unique costumes that look like they are in a carnival or circus.

However, for the particular performance I was watching, they were in their regular outfits! Minnie was in her red polka dot dress, and Daisy was in her pink dress. Goofy donned his typical orange shirt and green hat while Donald wore his blue sailor outfit.

Chip & Dale did not have their unique outfits, and the Main Cheese himself was in his regular tuxedo costume. For me (Monica), I have seen this parade many times so it did not bother me too much. However, for those who don’t get to see it often or this is their first time seeing it, it would have been nice for the characters to be in their unique outfits.

Why the change?

While I am not 100% sure why this happened, the parade was delayed due to weather. It was originally supposed to start at 3:00 pm but ran closer to 3:45 due to rain in the Magic Kingdom. Perhaps the cast was told at the last minute that the parade would still run that afternoon.

Just something to keep in mind as you plan your vacations and look forward to the Festival of Fantasy parade!

Have you ever noticed something different at Disney World? Whether it be a parade, character meet, or attraction change, share your stories with us in the comments below and on Facebook!