2025 IAAPA Brass Ring Awards Finalists Announced - Disney Starlight Among Nominees

28 days ago in "Disney Starlight"

Posted: Wednesday January 14, 2026 11:21am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

IAAPA announced the finalists for the 2025 IAAPA Brass Ring Excellence Awards today, recognizing top performers across the global attractions industry. Disney, Universal, and Europa-Park are among the companies nominated across multiple categories.

The 2025 IAAPA Brass Ring Awards finalists represent attractions from around the world competing in categories spanning human resources, food and beverage, live entertainment, marketing, merchandise, and sustainability.

Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away at Magic Kingdom is nominated for Most Creative Spectacle

Live Entertainment Finalists Feature Disney and Universal

Disney parks received multiple nominations in the live entertainment category. Walt Disney World's "Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away" at Magic Kingdom competes for Most Creative Spectacle alongside Disneyland Resort's "World of Color Happiness" and Disneyland Paris's "Disney Tales of Magic."

Universal properties earned nominations across several entertainment categories:

Universal Studios Japan's "Melting Pot" (Most Creative Atmosphere Production)
Universal Studios Singapore's "Once Upon A Time... To Die" (Most Creative Halloween Production)
Universal Beijing Resort's "Universal Winter Holiday: This Time of Year Is" (Most Creative Holiday Production)

Disney Cruise Line's Disney Treasure show "Disney The Tale of Moana" received a nomination for Most Creative Theatrical Production - Year-Round Operation.

Marketing and Food & Beverage Categories

SeaWorld Orlando earned two marketing nominations for "Howl-O-Scream 5 Years of Fear" (Most Creative Integrated Marketing Campaign) and "Big City Penguins" (Most Creative Outdoor Advertisement).

Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas received nominations in food and beverage for "The Boiler" restaurant and "Death By Chocolate" menu item.

Merchandise and Sustainability Recognition

Disneyland's "Key to Disneyland" competes for Best Custom Retail Souvenir. Disney Consumer Products received a sustainability nomination for its Figurine Set Sustainable Packaging Program.

Grupo Xcaret earned recognition for its "Xustainability" program, while Efteling competes with "A Sustainable World of Wonders."

Human Resources and Operations

Europa-Park Resort, Beach Park, and multiple regional operators received nominations across human resources categories including talent acquisition, training programs, and employee wellness initiatives.

The awards recognize operations of all sizes, from major theme parks to family entertainment centers and location-based entertainment venues.

Winners Announcement

IAAPA will announce the 2025 Brass Ring Excellence Awards winners on February 5, 2026. The association will celebrate winners at IAAPA Honors, taking place May 12-14 in Xcaret, Mexico.

What Are the IAAPA Brass Ring Awards?

IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions) is the global trade association for the attractions industry. Founded in 1918, the organization represents over 9,000 companies from more than 100 countries, including theme parks, water parks, zoos, aquariums, family entertainment centers, and industry suppliers.

The IAAPA Brass Ring Excellence Awards are the industry's most prestigious honors. The awards recognize attractions and companies that demonstrate exceptional creativity, innovation, and operational excellence across their businesses.

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peter114351 day ago

Nope. Unless they were doing media production spectromagic began on Main Street. It’s never been standard operation to alternate directions.

Disgruntled Walt1 day ago

I feel like I saw it happen with Spectro multiple times in the mid to late 2000s. Definitely at least once. I only went once per year in the summer.

brb10063 days ago

I actually found a few rare videos of Spectromagic going the opposite route. I believe one of them was taken sometime in the early to mid 1990s and another from the early to mid 2000s.

peter114353 days ago

Daytime and nighttime do usually run opposite directions. With daytime starting in Frontierland and nighttime starting on Main Street. Disneyland does run opposite directions when they run two of the same parade due to operational requirements.

Biff2153 days ago

I guess I imagined that, for some reason I felt like Spectro or MSEP did that. Maybe it’s that the daytime and nighttime parades typically went opposite directions.

Pizza Moon3 days ago

I’m biased because Stitch has always been my favorite Disney character and one of my favorite movies of all time. But man, is it totally true. It absolutely could anchor a headlining E-ticket. It can fit in so many existing lands too from Tomorrowland to Adventureland, though it seems like they like to push Moana, they both could justify rides. Aladdin too. Shame we’ll likely never get rides in the States for them all.

peter114353 days ago

It really hasn’t though. WDW has never alternated the direction of first and second night parades as part of standard operation.

jrhwdw4 days ago

Starlight hasn't changed Direction yet, why would the 12th be any different? I Don't think the Flying Effect would change direction, whenever we see That TDO........

Brian4 days ago

Not at all. If the parade starts in Frontierland, there is a slow moving barrier preventing people from Frontierland and Liberty Square, and later Main Street, from exiting the park timely, almost always at park close. Backstage, it's a bit challenging and time consuming to "turn around" the parade to start in the opposite direction.

Biff2154 days ago

Agree completely on Stitch, huge missed opportunity for WDW. I teach in an elementary school. For most, Stitch is Disney for them. The others you mentioned at least have some representation in the parks. Of course the scale or execution can be questioned but at least they are there. Back to Starlight, would running the early and late parade in opposite directions help at all? I know it’s been done in the past but I don’t know the logistics backstage.

HauntedPirate4 days ago

Pizza Moon4 days ago

Ironic too because Lilo and Stitch is a mega IP. It, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Lion King not having rides is mind blowing.

AxolotlTales4 days ago

There's been two performance nights since it opened and they've all started in Town Square.

HuntrixOwlMouse984 days ago

Starlight missed out on an award win, because they haven’t phased out the Wish float with a potential Owl House unit followed by the additions of units based on Inside Out and Zootopia, like how the old Stars and Motor Cars replaced the Atlantis car with a Lilo & Stitch car in 2002, due to the former’s underwhelming box office performance and the latter being released that same Summer