Disneyland and Walt Disney World plan to add a Mardi Gras-style musical cavalcade called Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee for the 2009 holiday season, according to theme park officials.

The jazz-infused “riverboat extravaganza” will debut at Disney World on Oct. 26 and Disneyland on Nov. 6. Both shows will run through Jan. 3.

Tied to the upcoming “The Princess and the Frog” hand-drawn animated movie, Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee will feature a procession of jazzy musicians and performers parading through New Orleans Square at Disneyland and Frontierland at Disney World.

As the “second-line” procession reaches the Rivers of America dock, a group of pre-selected theme park visitors will board the waiting riverboat (the Mark Twain at Disneyland and the Liberty Belle at Disney World) where Princess Tiana and other “The Princess and the Frog” characters will greet them.

After departing, the riverboat will stop along the riverfront for a performance including songs from the film. The show will be repeated several times a day, with viewing areas along the waterfront.

Mice Age reports that the pre-selected riverboat riders will be able to pose for photos and get autographs from Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen and Louis the singing alligator after the performance.

“The Princess and the Frog,” a Jazz Age story featuring Disney’s first African American princess and set in New Orleans’ French Quarter, opens in theaters Dec. 11.

Source: Los Angeles Times