As the Main Street Electrical Parade is about to return to Disneyland, thoughts turn to its departure at the end of its original run. The summer season of 1996 stretched into fall and nearly into winter as crowds refused to say goodbye. The very last time the iconic spectacle rolled down Main Street USA was November 25th, 1996.
It was not planned that way. Disneyland’s summer season traditionally ended on Labor Day weekend, which fell on September 2nd in 1996. In those days, fireworks ended, nighttime parades went away, and everyone waited for them to return in the spring. Disneyland had announced that the beloved Main Street Electrical Parade would “glow away forever,” to be replaced with a new nighttime spectacular, Light Magic. A modest send-off was launched, with a few commemorative souvenirs.
The reaction was both heartening and a bit concerning. Guests began turning out in larger and larger numbers, and demand for souvenirs grew. Disneyland Paul Pressler saw that the merchandise was available, but could do nothing about the reality that the parade had to come to an end. October 15th was announced as the final date. Crowds swamped the park as emotional fans came to bid their farewell. Because so many had to be turned away, an “encore” performance was announced, and then more dates were added. October turned to November, and still the crowds came out. Finally, November 25th, just three days before Thanksgiving, was announced as the final, final night for the Blue Fairy, Pete’s Dragon, and “the bacon” to make their way through Disneyland.
To mark the occasion, a special promotion had been created. At the end of the parade, the floats were to be dismantled, and the light bulbs collected and sold to collectors, with proceeds going to various children’s charities. Originally this was to happen following the October 15th date, but the promotion had to be delayed until the actual final parade in late November.
Bob Magnuson, Disneyland Vice President of Public Affairs Bill Ross, and the presentation bulb
Because of the unprecedented interest in the shuttering of the Main Street Electrical Parade, the evening was carried live on local cable television. OCN, the Orange County Newschannel operated from 1990 until 2001. The live, three-hour broadcast from Disneyland was one of their more ambitious projects. They covered both showings of the parade that night, along with in-studio interviews and commentary from reporter Roger Cooper and Disneyland Ambassador Chris Allen, perched atop the front entrance of the Emporium.
The Main Street Electrical Parade passes into history
The evening kicked off with a ceremony on Main Street. Disneyland President Paul Pressler greeted the crowd and dedicated the final parade to its millions of fans. L.A. Times Orange County President Bob Magnuson was also on hand to receive the first commemorative light bulb from Disneyland Vice President of Public Affairs Bill Ross, and to reveal the first check for $720,000, to be distributed among 18 children’s charities. Kids were called up to help pull a symbolic switch to turn off the lights along Main Street, as the familiar strains of Baroque Hoedown filled the air.
The video we are sharing was taped live that night. We are not presenting all three hours, but a few highlights, and the actual final parade that began on Town Square at 8:30. The ceremony took place at 6:00 as the first parade of the night arrived from small world. We have included an interview with Marty Sklar of Walt Disney Imagineering (which originally aired between the parades), as well as some crowd reaction at the end of the final parade. And yes, you will see a familiar face (and a much younger one, at that) among those interviewed. We also have a selection of photos that were taken that night, as well as images from the live broadcast.
