Chapter 1
Sparking the dark
Chapter 2
Engineering the glow
Chapter 3
A global festival of lights
Chapter 4
Farewell and glowing legacy
Ch 2 · Engineering the glow
dorothy Two men design the parade's promotional announcement at a wooden drafting table.
BETA
dorothy Tinker with the glowing circuits to learn how the Main Street Electrical Parade was built.
dorothy Main Street Electrical Parade
Dip the bulbs in the dye! (Dip 'em in the dye!) Watch the street light up so bright! (Light up so bright!)
dorothy Designers used black light theater techniques to make float chassis completely invisible.
Fun Fact
Light count: At its peak, the modern version of the parade uses over five hundred thousand individual LED lights, all powered by clean-burning generators.
dorothy Early floats relied on massive, heavy aircraft batteries that required constant maintenance.
Glossary
lightbulb (noun)
A glass bulb containing a filament that emits light when heated by an electric current. In 1972, Disney technicians colored and installed 500,000 Italian miniature lightbulbs onto the floats.
A glass bulb containing a filament that emits light when heated by an electric current. In 1972, Disney technicians colored and installed 500,000 Italian miniature lightbulbs onto the floats.
Quiz
What modern lighting technology eventually replaced the hot, fragile incandescent bulbs on the floats?
Quiz
In what European country did Disney source the specialized miniature light bulbs for the original parade?
Quiz
Why did early engineers have to build specialized ventilation bunkers behind the scenes at Disneyland?
Quiz
What legendary Disney Imagineer and vehicle designer oversaw the engineering of the parade's floats?
Quiz
How did the parade synchronize its music to different sections of the street starting in 1977?
Quiz
What type of heavy batteries did the original 1972 floats use to power their lights?
Quiz
What is the name of the visual phenomenon where bright lights seem to expand and blur slightly in the dark?