Expert Tips for Seeing Universal Orlando’s New Mega Movie Parade With Kids: Viewing Locations and More
It’s been a great year for Central Florida theme parks. From the recent opening of the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction – and the new Country Bear Musical Jamboree at Walt Disney World to DreamWorks Land’s official opening at Universal Orlando we’ve got lots of new things for families to see and do in 2024.
Among Universal Orlando’s new summer lineup additions is a blockbuster parade called the Universal Mega Movie Parade, now performing at Universal Studios Florida. The parade is one of many summer happenings at Universal and comes as part of the wave of excitement leading up to the opening of Universal’s brand new theme park, Epic Universe, in 2025.
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Ramon Paradoa, show director of creative development at Universal Orlando Resort, says the parade is designed to “celebrate the iconic film brands and intellectual properties Universal gets to work with—both old and new.”
“For folks that might love `80s classics like ‘E.T.’ and ‘Jaws,’ that’s represented in the parade,” Paradoa told Orlando Parenting. “But also there’s stuff like ‘Trolls’ and ‘Minions’ and we love that we’re able to create this collection of all these amazing intellectual properties and showcase them in one parade.”
Ramon Paradoa, show director of creative development at Universal Orlando Resort
If you’re hoping to catch the Universal Mega Movie Parade with your kids, here’s what parents need to know about this new parade at Universal Orlando.
What to know about the Universal Mega Movie Parade
- The Universal Mega Movie Parade started on July 3 at Universal Studios Florida. The parade runs on select days and times for each day’s parade can be found in the Universal Orlando app.
- The Mega Movie Parade starts at 6pm on most days.
- Currently, November 14, 2024 is the final performance, as the holidays and then Mardi Gras take over.
- The films “E.T.,” “Back to the Future,” “Jaws,” “Ghostbusters,” “Jurassic World,” “Minions,” “Sing,” “Kung Fu Panda,” and “Trolls” are featured in this Universal Orlando parade.
- The parade is Universal Orlando’s biggest parade yet, with a whopping 13 floats moving through the streets of the theme park.
- More than 100 performers, including dancers, stilt-walkers, skaters, and poi (tethered weights) performers are featured.
Important note – the Universal Mega Movie Parade can be canceled due to weather. This has happened three times to our editor. If this happens to your family head to DreamWorks Land for the 6pm performance of DreamWorks Imagination Celebration.
The new show, DreamWorks Imagination Celebration, is indoors and kid friendly. The 6pm performance is a great substitution if the parade is cancelled especially because the characters from Trolls as well as Kung Fu Panda make appearances – just like they do in the parade!
Is Mega Movie Parade okay for young kids?
The Mega Movie Parade is already a hit with Universal Orlando fans. This parade is heavy on nostalgia, which is fun for us adults, but there are some details that might be a bit too much for the youngest parkgoers.
Some of the highlights of the parade are a 16-foot Stay Puft Marshmallow Man atop the “Ghostbusters” float, a marching drum line performing the “Jaws” movie score, and a gyrosphere and dinosaurs atop the “Jurassic World” float. The “Jaws” float especially is very detailed and a tad gruesome, harkening back to the days of the thrilling ride.
Thankfully, all the floats based on the more thrilling movies are at the last half of the parade. So things kick off with much more family-friendly themes like The Minions.
The Caterbus and giant rainbows on the “Trolls” float mark the end of the animated movies, and thus the remaining floats are all live action hits starting with “The Ghostbusters” (which does have Slimer on one side and the Library Ghost on the other).
The kid-friendly floats are the opening float, followed by “Back to The Future”, “Sing”, ” The Minions”, “Kung Fu Panda” and lastly “Trolls” – which is then followed by the “Ghostbusters” float.
So if the sight of a scary shark or scary ghost has the potential to spook your kiddo, you can at least watch the first half of the parade before moving on to something else.
Side note – The E.T. float comes after “The Ghostbusters” float, it would be awesome if they switched places so all the potentially scary floats are all in a row at the end. Oh well.
If you do stick around for the full parade, look for lots of Easter egg-style nods to iconic Universal films on most of the floats.
Paradoa calls the parade “the highest caliber” of parade Universal has done, saying “it’ll blow people’s minds.”
Tips for viewing the Universal Mega Movie Parade
- The parade route for the Universal Mega Movie Parade is the same as other Universal parades like the Mardi Gras Parade and Universal’s Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s.
- The parade starts in the Hollywood section of the park and makes its way through the sidewalks of areas like New York and Minion Land.
- Check the Universal Orlando app in advance for parade times, and be sure to grab a seat on the sidewalk or on a bench along the parade route about 20-30 minutes before.
- Pack a towel or something else to sit on to make things more comfortable.
Park admission is required to see the Universal Mega Movie Parade, as you’ll need to enter Universal Studios Florida to see the parade.
Having a spot for kids to rest their feet while they watch the parade can be a great way to recharge after a day in the parks. Grab a snack and something to drink before settling in, then enjoy the show!
