2 Best Performing Arts in Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World Orlando

A long-running Disney tradition, this floating parade of illuminated sea creatures on the Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake rolls past several Magic Kingdom–area resorts. Backed by an electronic score featuring Handel's Water Music, the low-key but always-pleasing show leads up to a stirring finale. Watch it from a resort bar like Narcoossee's, the campgrounds at Fort Wilderness, or the pier at the Grand Floridian.

The Cinderella Castle forecourt provides the perfect location for several daily performances of this celebration of friendship starring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, and their friends. In their 50th anniversary costumes, Mickey and pals interact with new Disney characters: Tiana and others from the Land of the Bewitching Bayous arrive, moving to a Dixieland beat, with Goofy; Donald brings a troupe of rowdy Vikings while Daisy's friends, Rapunzel and Flynn, encourage them to sing instead of carouse; the final newcomers are the popular Frozen characters Elsa, Anna, and Olaf the snowman. For the finale, everyone takes the stage for the new original song “Where the Magic Feels Like Home.” If you want to sit (and don't mind an obstructed view) try to arrive 30 to 40 minutes before showtime to snag a seat on the bench. For an unobstructed view, you can stand on the pavement near the stage.