Electrical Parade Comes to Disney's California Adventure

Anaheim, CA -- April 26, 2001 -- The dazzling and colorful Disney's Electrical Parade returns to Anaheim, California, on Wednesday July 4, beginning nightly performances at the Disneyland Resort's newest theme park, Disney's California Adventure, officials announced today.

The cherished Disney's Electrical Parade (formerly called the Main Street Electrical Parade) originated at Disneyland park in 1972 and has since been performed at Disney theme parks around the globe. The pageant's illuminating nighttime performances, coupled with its distinctive "Baroque Hoedown" synthesized soundtrack, was last seen at Disneyland in October 1996, capping a year of spectacular farewell celebrations.

"Over the past few years, we have received endless requests to return Disney's Electrical Parade back to California," explains Cynthia Harriss, president of the Disneyland Resort. "In celebration of the first summer of Disney's California Adventure, we are thrilled to announce the return of Disney's Electrical Parade - an all-time favorite of our guests and a California original."

"Disney's Electrical Parade has for years served as a global ambassador for Disney theme park family entertainment. It is time to bring the pageant home," Harriss says.

Throughout its former 24-year engagement at Disneyland, the parade became the most popular ever presented at the park. After its premiere in 1972, the parade grew and evolved over the years, with the 1996 edition showcasing more than 500,000 lights on 30 units and a cast of 100 performers. Bringing a variety of Disney animated features to life through three-dimensional units covered with thousands of colorful lights, the parade showcases scenes and characters from "Peter Pan," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," among others.

Some of the parade's most impressive scenes are the 23-foot-tall Clock Tower over Cinderella's Ball, complete with elegant, light-covered ballroom dancers; the smoke-breathing, tail-wagging Pete's Dragon; and the 108-foot-long red, white and blue flag finale, To Honor America.

In addition to the glittering lights, also distinctive to the parade is its upbeat, electronically synthesized theme music, "Baroque Hoedown," around which favorite Disney tunes are interwoven. All will once again be part of the pageant when this Disney classic returns in all its magical glory to Disney's California Adventure this summer.

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