Favorite Entertainment is Bringing Back the Magic to Main Street USA

Walt Disney World has looked quite different since its unexpected closure in March 2020. As Walt Disney World reopened many entertainment options have been cancelled or modified. However, a time-honored entertainment has returned to the delight of Guests.

Modified Main Street USA

In September 2020, the Walt Disney Company announced massive layoffs for their US Disney Parks and Disney Cruise Line. Many of the Cast Members affected by these layoffs were those in the entertainment and performance aspects of the Parks.

The magic of the Disney Parks is not simply in attractions and shows, but in the overall immersive Disney experience. When such fun interactions with the Citizens of Main Street and the Citizens of Hollywood were announced not to return, many questioned if the Disney magic had been lost forever.

Fortunately, 2021 has brought a new wave of magic to the Disney Parks. As Walt Disney World began the 50th Anniversary celebrations, fun entertainers returned at EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and even Main Street USA.

There is one fun entertainment option that you will not find on a guide map, but it is now delighting Guests in Walt Disney World.

Live Entertainment has Returned

As I (Donna) visited the Magic Kingdom on Saturday, November 13, 2021, I was delighted to hear a beautiful sound marching down Main Street, USA. Once I heard the sound I saw a Cast Member who was just as excited as I was for this glorious sound.

He shared that high school marching bands have returned to the Magic Kingdom. As tears filled his eyes, this Cast Member shared that this made him truly feel like Walt Disney World was back to “normal” after the prolonged closure in 2020.

On November 13, 2021, Guests assembled along the streets of Main Street, USA as we took in beautiful sights and sounds of the Brandon High Marching Blackhawks of Ortonville, MI.

Guests assembled along the streets of Main Street, USA as we took in the beautiful sights and sounds of the Brandon High Marching Blackhawks of Ortonville, MI.

Each band member marched brilliantly down Main Street with their Mickey Mouse ears positioned perfectly on their heads. As I took in this sight, I joined this Cast Member with happy tears streaming down my face.

Return of the Magic

This is truly an amazing experience for High School students to be able to learn and grow at the Disney Imagination Campus. This allows these band members to feel like honorary Cast Members for the day. Consequently, this also brings back the feeling of pageantry, magic, and familiarity of a street that Walt Disney imagined to remind us of a simpler time.

I was reminded of my last trip to Walt Disney World in February 2020. Prior to the Festival of Fantasy Parade, a high school marching band performed for Guests lining up along Main Street. At that time, no one knew what the remainder of 2020 would bring.

This recent marching band performance transported me back to that memory, and I felt that Walt Disney World was much more “normal” than ever before.

What do you think of the return of high school marching bands? What do you think of the return of entertainment in the Disney Parks? Do you think more entertainment should have returned by this time? Share your thoughts with us on our Facebook Page.