Disneyland's Main Street Electrical Parade Blinks Back On

Flipping a switch? Pulling on a string? Turning on the bulb that sits in the socket above your desk?

You likely do it daily, never pausing to consider how thousands and thousands of bulbs look as they blink in synchronicity with the Catchiest Song Ever Invented.

We know, that's the theme to "it's a small world," but a real contender is the theme to the Main Street Electrical Parade, another Disneyland classic.

Unlike the permanent attraction, though, the parade is an every-so-often treat at The Happiest Place on Earth, which means that fans of this bright-light lark better switch off the nearest bulb and head straight to Anaheim.

At least get to Disneyland park before Sept. 30, which is the final night of the Main Street Electrical Parade's current run. It's switching on alllll of those amazing bulbs, which cover a host of figures, from ladybugs to a clock tower to that perennial favorite, Pete's Dragon, on Friday night, Aug. 2.

As for what goes into this dazzler, which first began its bulb-beautiful roll on June 17, 1972?

Hold onto your curb, for these numbers do astound. Some "600,000 lights sparkle," is the word from Disneyland, as the Main Street Electrical Parade travels between Small World Mall to Town Square, located on Main Street, U.S.A.

There are seven film references seen in the parade, including "Alice in Wonderland" and "Pinocchio" and, yes, "Pete's Dragon."

The light bulbs run a glow-y gamut, covering six hues in all. Those colors? Say them with us now: pink, chartreuse, red, blue, amber, and green. (Yep, if you said "amber" is the most common color used, you'd be correct.)

Eighty performers appear in the parade, with an amazing 35 light-up costumes adding oomph.

And 22 floats fill the parade, which means that, if you swivel your head to see what's next, you're going to do so almost two dozen times, which is mighty impressive.

The parade has visited Walt Disney World, as well as Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, plus Disney California Adventure, too, across the way from Disneyland park. 

But popping up at Disneyland? It's a true homecoming, one a lot of fans, both new and the saw-it-in-'72ers, will want to take in during this late-summer, early-fall engagement.

And if you did see it way back in the day, consider this: During its initial run, the Main Street Electrical Parade covered so many miles, it could have traveled from Anaheim to Seattle.

Oh, a bulb just went on in our head: What if that could really actually happen? Who wouldn't want to see a dragon, blinking up the 5 Freeway?

We'll dream on, while the Main Street Electrical Parade brings its brain-sticky theme, and light-up ladybugs, back to where it all began.