Festival of Fantasy and Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade parade times change during UK school Easter holidays
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Two Magic Kingdom parades, Festival of Fantasy and Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade, will be changing times again at the beginning of April, mid UK Easter school holiday breaks. For UK families looking to wave to their favourite characters as they pass by, and experience the magic of Maleficent the dragon, this is a timing change to note as you plan your Disney World itinerary from 6th April onwards. This is important as Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade is dropping from two performances a day to one 3:00pm showing.
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Magic Kingdom April parade time changes
Parade | Old time | New time |
|---|---|---|
Festival of Fantasy | 12:00pm and 3:00pm | 3:00pm. |
Adventure Friends Cavalcade | 5:10pm and 6:25pm | 10:30am and 11:45am |
Until 5th April 2026, Festival of Fantasy parade times are 12:00pm and 3:00pm, but will change from 6th April 2026, returning to a single daily performance at 3:00pm. At the same time, Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade is leaving it’s current short-lived 5:10pm and 6:25pm slots, moving to 10:30am and 11:45am instead.
Why is the time changing?
For anyone following the parade times at Disney World, you may have noticed that parade times only recently changed during the week of 8th-15th March. This most recent change to times falls during the busy Easter weekend, and during many UK visitor’s Easter holidays. The time is changing due to spring months and raising temperatures which will be expected as April progresses.
How this impacts UK planning
A single 3:00pm Festival of Fantasy performance means there is less flexibility if this parade is a must-do, especially on busy Easter and spring dates when curb space fill earlier.
The move of Adventure Friends into the morning also changes how families may build their day. It becomes easier to catch characters and a mini-procession before lunch, but harder to use the cavalcade as an early-evening extra before fireworks or a final ride push.
What it means for your April trip
If you are visiting Magic Kingdom in April, the key date to remember is 6th April 2026. Before then, you have more choice on Festival of Fantasy timing. From that Sunday onward, you should plan around a single 3:00pm parade and earlier cavalcade times. For UK families trying to balance naps, and dining reservations, that likely makes the middle of the day more crowded on the parade route and the morning more entertainment-heavy than it is now.
Recheck the official Magic Kingdom calendar a few days before your park date and again on the morning itself, because parade times can still change or get cancelled due to weather and other scheduling issues. But as things stand, Sunday 6th April 2026 is the date when Magic Kingdom's April parade pattern changes.
Magic in a minute
Parade times are changing mid Easter holidays, so be sure to tweak your itinerary so you don’t miss Festival of Fantasy and Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade in Magic Kingdom from 6th April 2026.