Summer crowds continue to celebrate Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary as the park gets ready to celebrate its big Diamond Anniversary on Friday. Disneyland will mark its 60th anniversary on July 17 with a special ceremony, live entertainment and special photo opportunities in both theme parks. Meanwhile, Disneyland’s All-American College Band is back for the 2015 summer season bringing fresh musical energy to the park.
Don’t miss your weekly Disneyland Resort crowd forecast — provided by our friends at Mouseaddict — in the Weekly News and Information Roundup at the end of today’s update!
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Welcome to Disneyland! |
Disneyland continues through the summer of its Diamond Celebration with big crowds, especially on weekends.
A look at summer wait times Friday afternoon
Disney California Adventure is a great place to take a break from Disneyland’s crowds for a bit.
A look at summer wait times from Friday afternoon at California Adventure
Celebrating 60 |
Disneyland will celebrate its July 17th anniversary on Friday without any major events, but with smaller celebratory moments and some special entertainment instead. The festivities will kick off in the morning with a special rededication ceremony hosted by Disneyland Resort President Michael Colglazier. In addition to the rededication ceremony and the regular Diamond Celebration entertainment offerings, Guests are invited to dress in their finest 1955 clothes and enjoy 1950s-themed photo spots and dance parties in both parks.
If you plan on visiting Disneyland on Friday, don’t expect anything substantial for the big day. There probably won’t be free cupcakes like there were for the 50th and there are no major new attractions or shows opening. What you can expect, however, are big crowds. The popularity of Friday’s anniversary could bring long delays and closures at various points throughout the Resort, including parking facilities, main entrance esplanade, and theme parks. Disneyland will be taking every precaution to avoid a replay of the problematic Diamond Celebration’s 24-hour kick-off party (they’ve already extended California Adventure’s hours until 11 p.m.).
Disneyland has not yet announced if it will allow guests to camp out over night for the July 17th festivities, like it did for the 50th Anniversary in 2005 and as it does for the annual 24-hour parties. We will keep you posted on any further information on the July 17th festivities as it becomes available throughout the week via Twitter and by updating this post. No matter what, if you plan on visiting on Friday, be sure to arrive early and bring plenty of patience.
Below, a listing of July 17’s 60th Anniversary events and entertainment.
Disneyland: 8 a.m. – 12 a.m.
Disney California Adventure: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
on July 17
- Disney is inviting guests to dress in their 1955 best on July 17 in celebration of Disneyland’s 60th. So dust off your (circa 1955) Sunday’s best and head to the parks for Disneyland’s big day. More information.
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure
- Show off your “1955 Disney Side” at special 1955-themed photo spots on July 17. Six special photo spots will be available on July 17 in Critter Country, Tomorrowland, Big Thunder Trail, Mickey’s Toontown, Hollywood Land, and near the Grizzly Peak waterfall. Two additional Diamond Celebration photo spots will debut on July 17 and will be available throughout the remainder of the 60th Anniversary Celebration.
Disneyland | 10 a.m.
- Join Disneyland Resort President Michael Colglazier at a special ceremony honoring Disneyland’s 60th Anniversary. The ceremony will be broadcast live on screens in Town Square, Frontierland, “it’s a small world,” Carthay Circle, the resort hotels, and in front of ESPN Zone in Downtown Disney.
Parade Route, Disneyland | 4:15 p.m.
- A special pre-parade before Mickey’s Soundsational Parade will honor Disneyland’s original 1955 Cast Members as well as the Cast Members of today.
Disneyland | 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
- The iconic Disneyland Band will debut its controversial new show featuring new routines and themed performances with a bigger band and new choreography.
Tomorrowland Terrace, Disneyland | 7:00 – 11:30 p.m.
Carthay Circle, Disney California Adventure | 6:00 – 10:30 p.m.
- Guests can celebrate the 60th into the evening with music from the 1950s at special 60th Anniversary dance parties in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure.
Disneyland Forever Fireworks Spectacular | 9:30 p.m.
Paint the Night Parade | 8:50 p.m. & 11:59 p.m.
World of Color Celebrate! | 9:00 p.m., 10:15 p.m., 11:15 p.m.
- Disneyland’s popular new nighttime entertainment will light up the night on the park’s 60th anniversary, but please note scheduling changes for July 17. At Disney California Adventure, a third performance of “World of Color Celebrate” will run at 11:15 p.m., 15-minutes after the rest of the park has closed for the evening. The second performance of Disneyland’s popular Paint the Night Parade has been rescheduled for midnight and will close out the park. There will still only be one performance of the new “Disneyland Forever” fireworks show at 9:30 p.m.
Emporium and Star Trader | Disneyland
Elias and Co. | Disney California Adventure
World of Disney | Downtown Disney
- On July 16th, Disneyland will debut a special commemorative birthday collection of merchandise to celebrate its 60th Anniversary. The collection will include apparel, glassware, mugs, pins and more. More information.
All-American |
Disneyland’s 2015 All-American College Band begin its annual summer season in mid-June. The band is as fantastic as ever this year and we’re happy to see such a great Disneyland tradition continue.
The band is leading the daily flag retreat ceremony in Town Square throughout the summer.
Below, the 2015 All-American College Band performs a medley of Disneyland attraction music in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle
The flag retreat ceremony is also a great patriotic Disneyland tradition and always worth stopping to watch.
If you’re looking for more live music in the park, Frontierland is now home to a great new mariachi band. It’s great to see small musical acts like this pop up around the park — be sure to check them out next time you’re in the park!
Below, video of the new band performing in Frontierland
Refurbishment Roundup |
Work continues on changes in Disneyland’s Tomorrowland
In Tomorrowland, Innoventions continues its major overhaul…
Meanwhile, the Tomorrowland Theater is now free of all “Tomorrowland” movie signage and is awaiting its next movie preview.
…including the back half, following the removal of the “Tomorrowland” movie exhibit
This & That |
A merchandise cart near Goofy’s Sky School in Disney California Adventure was recently converted into a Sunglass Hut kiosk
In Disneyland, Disneyana has a few new items worth noting
The fantastic Disneyland Hotel books by Dan Ballard, both of which have been out-of-print for some time now, are available again and Disneyland has copies! If you don’t have copies of these books, now’s your chance to get two really great Disneyland history books. The hardcover “The Early Years: 1954-1988” is $47.50.
The soft cover “1954-1959: The Little Motel in the Middle of the Orange Grove” is $35.
A new set of Pirates of the Caribbean concept art prints is available to go along with the similar postcard set we recently showed you.
The artist sketch of the month is America Sings!
A new Diamond Celebration tiara is available
60th Anniversary “decades” art set prints and postcard sets
Enjoy retro fun just steps away from Disneyland at Howard Johnson Hotel & Water Playground A short walk from the park, HoJo Anaheim is conveniently located next to Matterhorn Mountain at Disneyland with nearby dining, freeway access, FREE parking and FREE Wi-Fi. For more information on HoJo Anaheim, room rates, or to book your stay today, visit HoJoAnaheim.com/MiceChat Save with MiceChat & Passholder Discounts Every Day! The HoJo Anaheim is now offering daily discounts for MiceChat members and even DEEPER discounts for Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders! For more information visit the HoJo Anaheim Innsider Boards which features an up-to-date listing of available nights, or call (714) 776-6120 and ask for In-House Reservations to book. If your date isn’t listed, the HoJo Anaheim still offers rooms for 20% off their best available rate if you call (714) 776-6120. |
Weekly News & Information Round-Up | ||
Weekly Theme Park Hours July 13—19, 2015 |
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[B]Disneyland Park[/B] | [B]California Adventure[/B] | |
Daily: 8 am – 12 am | Daily: 8 am – 10 pm | |
[CENTER]For a complete listing of theme park hours, visit the Disneyland.com Theme Park Calendar[/CENTER] |
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[center]Closure and Refurbishment Schedule[/center] | ||
[b][center]Disneyland Park[/center][/b] | ||
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[b][center]Disney California Adventure[/center][/b] | ||
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[b][center]Downtown Disney and Disneyland Resort Hotels[/center][/b] | ||
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July 13 — 19
The free Mouseaddict app for iPhone and iPad features more than five dozen categories of searchable resort information, weather forecasts, park and show schedules, the latest news and articles from MiceChat, and more. Download free on the App Store or at mouseaddict.com. |
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[center]Headline Roundup A quick look at noteworthy Disney theme park headlines from around the web.[/center] |
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OK, that wraps up this week’s edition of Dateline Disneyland. Will you be at the park on Friday to celebrate Disneyland’s big 60th Anniversary? Let us know your plans in the comments section below.
Special thanks to our Dateline Disneylanders!
Benjamin! To help support Dateline Disneyland and get some fun swag in return, visit our Patreon page now! For more Disneyland news, be sure to read MiceChat’s weekly In the Parks blog. And be sure to check out our sister blog, Dateline Disney World – a fantastic weekly photo blog covering Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida! Thanks for reading. See you at Disneyland! |
FTC-Mandated Disclosure: Promotional consideration for this edition of Dateline Disneyland was provided by the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel & Water Playground. |