The Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade (now officially known as Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration since 2016) is an American television special that airs on Christmas Day on ABC, taped primarily inside Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and in 2009, added parades from Disneyland in Anaheim, California, taped about three weeks prior to Christmas Day. Past shows have included segments featuring other Disney theme parks around the world. The program has aired annually since 1983, with the exception of 2000 when Disney aired a Christmas Eve "Tracking Santa" special instead. In 1999, a nighttime version of the parade was shown on Christmas Day. In the 1980s through 2008, the program was known as The Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade or the Walt Disney World Christmas Day Parade.
The parades down Main Street, U.S.A. features appearances of Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Pluto, Scrooge McDuck, and Chip 'n' Dale, as well as floats featuring celebrities, musical performances, marching bands from various schools and community groups across the USA, and highlights of events and properties at Disney theme parks and other Disney productions. Most of the program is taped in November and early December for broadcast on Christmas Day. However, until the early 1990s, the parade was broadcast live on Christmas Day. For the 2014 edition, the program was rethemed as the Disney Parks Frozen Christmas Celebration, and included performances from Aulani Resort in Hawaii. In 2015, it was renamed as Disney Parks Unforgettable Christmas Celebration, and finally Disney Parks Magical Christmas Celebration since 2016 and in 2017, it returned with the same name. In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was no parade footage; instead, many performances look at the parks' future. The parade returned the following year.
December 25, 1992 - Hosts: Regis Philbin and Joan Lunden; co-hosts: John Davidson and Ed McMahon
December 25, 1993 - Hosts: Regis Philbin and Joan Lunden; on-street interviewer: Robby Benson; reader of The Night Before Christmas: President Bill Clinton; announcer: Dick Tufeld
December 25, 1995 - Hosts: Regis Philbin and Joan Lunden; co-hosts: Brianne Leary, J.D. Roth, Ben Savage, and Rider Strong; performers: Jodi Benson, Richard White, and Brad Kane
December 25, 1996 - Hosts: Jerry Van Dyke and Suzanne Somers; performers: Gary Beach, Brianne Leary, Sandi Patti, J.D. Roth, Ernie Sabella, and Samuel E. Wright
December 25, 1997 - Hosts: Melissa Joan Hart and Ben Savage; performers: Backstreet Boys, Jodi Benson, Paige O'Hara, and Ernie Sabella
December 25. 1999 - Hosts: Mitchell Ryan and Susan Sullivan; performers: SHeDAISY, N'SYNC, 98 Degrees, James Ingram, and Harry Connick Jr.
December 25, 2001 - Hosts: Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa; co-host: Wayne Brady; performers: Aaron Carter, Charlotte Church, Baha Men, Aaron Tippin, City High, and Mandy Moore
December 25, 2005 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa; Disneyland host: Ryan Seacrest; performers: Brian Setzer Orchestra, Lonestar, Vanessa Williams, Star Jones, Julie Andrews, John O'Hurley, Diana Krall, Mercy Me, Paulina Rubio, Fantasia Wayne Brady, Kimberly Luck, Jim Brickman, Aly & AJ, and The Cheetah Girls
December 25, 2008 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa; Disneyland host: Ryan Seacrest; performers: Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, David Archuleta, Sarah Brightman, Jose Feliciano, David Cook, Vanessa Williams, Billy Ray Cyrus, Imagination Movers, and Corbin Bleu
December 25, 2010 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Ryan Seacrest and Maria Menounos; Disneyland host: Nick Cannon; performers: Mariah Carey, Selena Gomez, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Debby Ryan, Amber Riley, Jackie Evancho, Sean Kingston, Darius Rucker, and Lee DeWyze
December 25, 2011 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Mario Lopez and Maria Menounos; Disneyland hosts: Nick Cannon and Marlee Matlin; performers: Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, Scotty McCreery, Cee Lo Green, The Muppets, Christina Aguilera, OneRepublic, Phineas and Ferb, China Anne McClain, Bella Thorne, Zendaya, Katie Leclerc, Sean Berdy, Nathan Pacheco, and Katherine Jenkins
December 25, 2012 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Nick Cannon and Maria Menounos; Disneyland host: Mario Lopez; performers: Backstreet Boys, TobyMac, Ross Lynch, Phillip Phillips, Brad Paisley, Colbie Caillat, Lady Antebellum, and Yolonda Adams
December 25, 2014 - Disneyland host: Rob Mariano; Aulani host: Sarah Hyland; Walt Disney World host: Robin Roberts; performers: Train, Trisha Yearwood, Lucy Hale, Trey Songz; Laura Marano, Gavin DeGraw; Ariana Grande, Prince Royale, and Lexi Walker
December 25, 2016 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Derek Hough and Julianne Hough; Disneyland host: Jesse Palmer; performers: Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Kelly Clarkson, Sofia Carson, Jordan Fisher, Mariah Carey, Gavin DeGraw, OneRepublic, Alessia Cara, and Flo Rida
December 25, 2017 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Julianne Hough and Nick Lachey; Disneyland host: Jesse Palmer; performers: Ciara, Darius Rucker, Fifth Harmony, Fitz and the Tantrums, Jason Derulo, Lea Michele, 98 Degrees, Telly Leung and Arielle Jacobs, Sofia Carson, Kristen Bell, and Idina Menzel
December 25, 2018 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Jordan Fisher and Sarah Hyland; Disneyland host: Jesse Palmer; performers: Gwen Stefani, Brett Eldredge, Andrea Bocelli, Matteo Bocelli, Jordan Fisher, Aloe Blacc, Olivia Holt, Maddie Poppe, DCappella, and Why Don't We
December 25, 2019 - Magic Kingdom hosts: Matthew Morrison and Emma Bunton; Disneyland host: Jesse Palmer; co-hosts: Marsai Martin and JD McCrary; performers: Sting, Shaggy, Pentatonix, Ingrid Michaelson, Grace VanderWaal, Portugal. The Man, Ally Brooke, and the cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
December 25, 2020 - Hosts: Tituss Burgess and Julianne Hough; performers: Becky G, Florida A & M University Gospel Choir, Jon Batiste, Keedron Bryant, Maddie & Tae, Tori Kelly, and Trevor Jackson
December 25, 2021 - Hosts: Derek and Julianne Hough; Disneyland hosts: Trevor Jackson and Sherry Cola; performers: Jimmie Allen, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Meg Donnelly, Brett Eldridge, Norah Jones, Pentatonix, and Gwen Stefani
December 25, 2022 - Hosts: Derek and Julianne Hough; Disneyland hosts: Sherry Cola and Marcus Scribner; performers: Black Eyed Peas, Chloe Flower, David Foster & Katharine McPhee, Maren Morris, Meghan Trainor, Ne-Yo, and Il Volo
December 25, 2023 - Hosts: Derek and Julianne Hough; performers: Ariana DeBose, Chrissy Metz, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iam Tongi, and the cast of Disney's Aladdin
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Kelly Ripa, Regis Philbin, and Ryan Seacrest hosted the parade for many years.
Ryan Seacrest (pictured here with Minnie Mouse) had been a host in one capacity or another from 2005 until 2009.