Despite the cancellation of the parade, the traditional “I’m going to Disney World” series is scheduled for the big game, according to the report on the Disney Parks Blog on Friday.
“Disney Parks hopes to be able to bring back our other Super Bowl traditions next year, including to see and encourage football and Disney fans their favorite player in the park,” according to the blog post.
The tradition began in 1987 when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms appeared in an ad saying the now famous celebrity – whom he described as ‘I’m going to Disney World’ – after winning Super Bowl XXI .
The ads show clips of players and fans cheering and running around while the song “When You Wish Upon a Star” plays across the screens. At the end, a narrator asks a player in the winning team, “What are you going to do next?” The player responds with “I’m going to Disney World!”
This year’s game features two quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady, who are familiar with the Disney ritual.
Last year, Mahomes sealed the victory of Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV with a fan parade at Magic Kingdom after shouting the iconic phrase he had tweeted about seven years earlier.
“I bet it feels great to be the quarterback who says ‘I’m going to Disney World’ after winning the Super Bowl,” Mahomes tweeted on February 6, 2013.
Brady, of course, played in nine Super Bowls and won six of them, all with his previous team, the New England Patriots. This year, he leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Chiefs.
Most of Disney’s Florida parks are currently open with Covid-19 restrictions, including reduced capacity and mandatory face masks for all guests older than 2 years.
Disney parks in Hong Kong, Paris and Los Angeles have been closed due to the pandemic.