A fan-favorite nighttime parade with 1.5 million LED lights that returned for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration billowed smoke and forced the evacuation of the parade route in front Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The Little Mermaid float had a power issue on Wednesday, Sept. 10 during the Paint the Night parade, according to Disneyland officials.
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A complication with the brakes led to visible smoke coming from the Little Mermaid float while it was being towed, according to Disneyland officials.
Disneyland cast members removed guests and performers from the parade route out of abundance of caution while the Disneyland Fire Department addressed the issue, according to Disneyland officials.
The Princess Ariel performer sitting on a clamshell with her fish-like tail was evacuated from the float when it malfunctioned near the Matterhorn Bobsleds, according to the Disney Dining fan site.
Eyewitnesses said they saw flames on the float that were quickly extinguished, according to WDW News Today.
The Little Mermaid float in Paint the Night at Disneyland started smoking tonight and the parade had to be stopped and guests were removed from the area pic.twitter.com/Snges3YSUH
— Matt (@DisneyScoopGuy) September 11, 2025
A Disneyland cast member was treated and released by Disneyland First Aid, according to Disneyland officials. No Disneyland guests were injured.
The float was towed backstage through the parade gate on Disneyland’s Town Square.
The Paint the Night parade is scheduled to return on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., according to Disneyland officials.
Disneyland teams are assessing the Little Mermaid float and will determine if it can be included in the parade, according to Disneyland officials.
The Paint The Night parade returned in May for the Anaheim theme park’s 70th Anniversary Celebration that is expected to run through summer 2026.
The parade features floats dedicated to Mickey Mouse, Peter Pan, Monsters Inc., Disney Princesses, Cars, Little Mermaid, Toy Story and Frozen.
The popular parade has appeared in several iterations over the past decade.
The Paint the Night parade debuted at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2014, played at Disneyland in 2015 for the park’s Diamond Celebration and moved to Disney California Adventure in 2018.