Disney has announced that Disneyland Forever and the Main Street Electrical Parade will end their current runs on September first. This is about a week before the start of D23 Expo 2022, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center. At the 2017 Expo, the updated Fantasmic! premier was used as an exclusive event for Expo attendees. This may be an indication that new night time entertainment for Disneyland will be announced at this years Expo, with an exclusive premier for attendees. Disney had not previously indicated that these would be limited runs.
Disneyland Forever
Disneyland Forever is the fireworks show that debuted at Disneyland as part of its 60th Anniversary Celebration. It was the first show to utilize project mapping all the way down Main Street USA. Previous shows had only projected key show elements on Sleeping Beauty Castle and “it’s a small world.” When its first run ended, it was replaced by Mickey’s Mix Magic, which was deliberately designed as a projection show with optional fireworks. That configuration allowed the show to run without fireworks on less crowded days, which was less expensive for the park operations. While a new show may be announced at D23, it may also be followed by Halloween Screams, the Halloween fireworks show, or another return of Mickey’s Mix Magic.
Main Street Electrical Parade
The Electrical parade is Disney’s way to get temporary attendance boosts. It’s the parade that keeps coming back, but the fans love it. So, seeing the parade glow away isn’t normally a surprise. However, the addition of the new “it’s a small world” inspired float gave me confidence that it would be around for a bit longer than just for the summer. That may be an indication that it was brought back to fill in the gap while World of Color and Fantasmic! worked toward their reopennings. Regardless of what the plan was, it’s unlikely that the parade will glow away forever. We’re likely to see the fan favorite return (again) within the next five years at either Disneyland or another of Disney’s American theme parks.