Magic Kingdom’s 3 o’clock parade, the Festival of Fantasy, recently experienced a technical issue in front of hundreds of guests.
Magic is real at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Thousands of Disney cast members work to keep the “secrets” behind Walt Disney World Resort… But things don’t always go as planned!
Festival of Fantasy Parade
Festival of Fantasy begins in Frontierland, then makes its way through Liberty Square, in front of Cinderella Castle, and down Main Street, U.S.A. “Celebrate the spirit of Disney as Magic Kingdom park comes alive with music and dance during a tribute to the tales of Fantasyland,” Walt Disney World Resort writes.
“The unbridled enchantment and vivid pageantry of Fantasyland—and its many inhabitants—winds its way through the park in a thrilling parade spectacular. The dazzling mix of floats, motion and original music will keep you humming along for days to come… Be a part of this grand gala, with spectacular, state-of-the-art floats starring some of your favorite Disney Characters from Tangled, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid. It’s a festival of fun for everyone!”
Fairy Godmother Malfunctions
During one of the most iconic sections of the Festival of Fantasy, Sleeping Beauty’s Fairy Godmothers (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather) glide down the street ahead of Prince Philip and Maleficent the dragon.
In a recent video posted on TikTok by @mainstreetmagic1971, Flora experienced a technical issue with her “floating device.” Technical cast members are visibly attempting to fix her costume as horrified guests look on:
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The error occurred early in the Walt Disney World Resort parade route in Frontierland shortly before the transition to Liberty Square.
It’s unknown exactly when this Festival of Fantasy issue took place. However, the Disney parade is operating normally at the time of this article’s publication.
This incident follows a similar technical issue in 2022. In that video, Merryweather experienced the same technical problem. Disney cast members tried and failed to push her down the parade route. @el_2133 posted a video here:
@el_2133 Poor Merryweather got stuck today during FoF. Show stopped for about 3 minutes! #disney #waltdisneyworld #festivaloffantasy #merryweather #parade #magickingdom #sleepingbeauty
This video went viral, with many referencing a fire that destroyed the original Maleficent animatronic in 2018. Many felt the Sleeping Beauty (1959) portion of the Festival of Fantasy was cursed.
“Ever since the maleficent parade fire, this music has stressed me out,” said @lauren.alexandria.
Have you ever seen a technical error in the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Walt Disney World Resort? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments.
Please note that the story outlined in this article is based on a personal Disney Parks Guest experience. No two Guest experiences are alike, and this article does not necessarily align with Inside the Magic’s personal views on Disney Park operations.