The New Year is almost here and with it will come a myriad of changes for Disneyland. But before Star Wars Land moves in, the Resort will bid farewell to 2015 and ring in 2016. From Main Street to Paradise Pier, the Disneyland Resort is always a great choice to ring in the new year – and with this year’s on-going Diamond Celebration, this year will be an even more popular choice. But don’t worry — there’s still plenty to enjoy despite the combination of big New Year’s Eve and Diamond Celebration crowds. We’ve made a handy guide with everything you need to know to make the most of your special celebration!
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!
Take a look back on 2015 before ringing in 2016! Don’t miss our 2015 Year-In-Review and relive Disneyland’s highs and lows of 2015. CLICK HERE
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Ring in a Dazzling 2016
As 2015 comes to a close, Disneyland will ring in 2016 with live music, dance parties, fireworks and more throughout both theme parks. We have a full entertainment schedule, tips and survival guide for New Year’s Eve below! Happy New Year!
New Year’s Eve Park Hours
and Entertainment Schedule
Disneyland Park Park Hours: 8 am – 2 am Extra Magic Hour: 7 am – 8 am Magic Morning: 7 am – 8 am
Disney California Adventure Park Hours: 8 am – 1 am Extra Magic Hour: 7 am – 8 am
New Year’s Eve Countdown Central at Sleeping Beauty Castle 8:50 p.m. – 1 am
Countdown to 2015 at the heart of Disneyland with a DJ, favorite Disney characters and the Disneyland Resort Ambassadors. Countdown location.
New Year’s Eve
“Fantasy in the Sky” Fireworks in the Skies above Disneyland 9 p.m. and 12 midnight
Celebrate the New Year with fireworks above Disneyland.
Paint the New Year Parade Route 6:15 p.m.
Celebrate the New Year with Disney’s Paint the Night Parade.
A Fantasmic! New Year on the Rivers of America 8:30 pm, 10:15 pm, and 12 midnight.
Ring in the new year with Fantasmic!
Swingin’ New Year’s Eve Party at Fantasy Faire 7:15 pm — 12:30 am
Swing Party with live music from Stompy Jones
“it’s a small world”
Promenade Dance Party at “it’s a small world” Promenade 7:15 pm – 2 am
Join Disney Characters in counting down to midnight with a DJ spinning popular music at this Fantasyland Dance Party. Countdown location.
Galactic Grill Dance Party at Galactic Grill 8 pm – 2 am
Dance party and midnight countdown featuring live music from Suburban Legends throughout the evening as well as a live DJ until park closing. Countdown location.
New Year’s Eve
Fountain & Fireworks Countdown on Paradise Bay 11:59 p.m. midnight
Watch Paradise Bay come to life with a spectacular countdown to 2016 featuring fountains and fireworks followed by a special showing of World of Color Celebrate! Countdown location.
Celebrate with World of Color on Paradise Bay Winter Dreams: 8:30 pm Celebrate!: 10:15 pm and 12 midnight
Catch a New Year’s Eve performance of World of Color on Paradise Bay.
Have a Mad New Year in Hollywood Land 7 pm – 1 am
Dance into the New Year with your friends in Wonderland at the Diamond Mad T Party.Countdown location.
New Year’s Eve in Carthay Circle at Buena Vista Street 8:30 pm – 12:45 am
Swing into 2015 with live music from the Tim Gill All-Stars at this swing party in the street.
A Route 66 New Year’s Eve in Cars Land 8:30 pm – 12:45 am
Hit the open road with The Kelly Rae Band’s unique, high-octane brand of country music.
Wine Country Celebration at Sonoma Terrace 8:30 pm – 1:05 am
Ring in the new year with live music from the Ellis Island Boys.
Celebrate 2015 in Paradise at Paradise Gardens 8:00 pm – 1:05 am
Enjoy the live music of Adelaide with special Viva Navidad food and fun.
New Year’s Eve Weather at Disneyland
from Weather.com
Day High69° F
Mostly sunny skies.
Winds NE 10-15 MPH.
Chance of rain 0%
Humidity 27%
Night Low42° F
Clear skies.
Winds NE 5-10 MPH.
Chance of rain 0%
Humidity 30%
New Year’s Eve Party Favors
Complimentary New Year’s Eve party hats and horns will be available at designated distribution areas in each theme park:
Disneyland Park: Starting at 6:00 p.m. at Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland. Disney California Adventure: Starting at 7 p.m. near the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in Hollywood Land and near Silly Symphony Swings in Paradise Pier.
Special New Year’s Eve Dining
Disneyland Resort restaurants will be serving up a variety of special New Year’s Eve menu items to make your celebration complete. Sparkling apple cider and champagne will be available at select dining locations throughout the Resort. Disneyland has not yet released information on which restaurants will be participating or what menu items will be available. We will update this guide when information becomes available.
Call Disney Dining at 714-781-3463 or go online for restaurant availability and reservations.
New Year’s Eve Survival Tips
Arrive early! Disneyland Resort theme parks are typically extremely busy on New Year’s Eve and it is expected to be even busier this year with Disneyland’s ongoing Diamond Celebration. Disneyland often closes for periods of time during the day to newly-arriving Guests so be sure to arrive early, pick your park and stay put, otherwise you may be locked out!
Avoid traffic: When arriving to the Resort, avoid Harbor Blvd. and Ball Rd. if at all possible. Katella Ave. can be a better option. When arriving or leaving the Resort, drive safely and defensively.
Smart Parking: For an easier parking experience, avoid the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure and utilize the Toy Story and Pumbaa Parking Lots instead. Downtown Disney will begin charging a flat $30 fee at 5:00 p.m.
Have a Plan: Arriving early will give you the opportunity to rent a locker and obtain FASTPASS tickets before they run out. Utilize services and smart phone apps like Mouseaddict, which can help you track attraction wait times and get the most out of the day.
Pack a Game: Hyperspace Mountain and Radiator Springs Racers will be there next year (and with shorter wait times). Packing a small board game, a deck of cards or a book to read will give you something to do (instead of waiting in long lines) while you wait for the midnight countdown.
Keep in Touch: Don’t forget to pack a charger or back-up battery for your cell phone (or other devices). You’ll want to keep in touch with your party should you get separated. With so many people in the park, smart phone battery life is often reduced as phones try to remain connected to overwhelmed voice and data networks.
Don’t forget to eat and hydrate: Long lines will be present at theme park restaurants throughout the day, but especially during peak meal times. To avoid even longer lines, plan your meals at off-hours. Also consider bringing lightweight but satisfying snacks like granola bars and fruit to help get you through the day.
Fireworks: Remember that fireworks viewing is available throughout Disneyland park, so avoiding Main Street may be a good option. If you do want to be on Main Street, arrive early and prepare to camp out. Disneyland is offering the New Year’s Eve Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks twice this year — once at 9 p.m. and again at midnight. You may have better luck watching the early performance and then heading to Disney California Adventure to countdown to midnight in that park, which is typically less crowded. If you don’t want to brave the parks, you can always view Disneyland’s midnight fireworks from the main entrance esplanade and in parts of Downtown Disney District — but expect big crowds in those areas as well!
Have fun!: Bringing a lot of patience will help make your New Year’s Eve celebration one to remember. Plan for big crowds and don’t expect to go on many rides. Instead, be kind and courteous to other Guests and Cast Members and focus on enjoying a day in the park with those you’re celebrating with.
The parks are notoriously busy on New Year’s Eve but can still be a lot of fun, despite the crowds, if you plan accordingly!
Ring in 2016 with MiceChat!
MiceChat will ring in 2016 at Disneyland this year with meet-ups throughout the day in both parks. For more information on the MiceChat New Year’s Eve meet-ups, click here.
With so many of our members telling us that they are opting to give up the last two weeks of the year on their Annual Passes next year, we thought we should give a final New Year’s Eve celebration to all of you. Our plans will take us to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. We hope you can join us!
Morning — Stop by Disney California Adventure in the morning on your way to the noon meet-up to pick up a Fastpass for World of Color’s midnight show.
12 Noon — MiceChat Meet-Up in Disneyland. Partners Statue in the Central Plaza.
12:30 p.m. — Lunch at Rancho del Zocalo in Frontierland.
Afternoon — Migrate over to Disney California Adventure once Disneyland becomes too busy.
4 p.m. — Golden Vine Winery Meet-Up, near the Blue Sky Cellar.
7 p.m. — Dinner in Paradise Garden Grill patio followed by drinks at one of Disney California Adventure’s bars.
11 p.m. — Migrate to Paradise Bay viewing area for World of Color New Year’s Eve Countdown.
After Midnight — Dance the remainder of the night away at the Diamond Mad T Party
We look forward to celebrating in both parks with you this year! Be sure to share this event and RSVP on Facebook!
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 December 28, 2015-January 3, 2016
[B]Disneyland Park[/B]
[B]California Adventure[/B]
Mon.-Wed.: 8 am – 12 am Thursday/NYE: 8 am – 2 am Fri.-Sun.: 8 am – 12 am
Mon.-Wed.: 8 am – 11 pm Thursday/NYE: 8 am – 1 am Fri.-Sun.: 8 am – 11 pm
[center]Closure and Refurbishment Schedule[/center]
[b][center]Disneyland Park[/center][/b]
Disneyland Railroad: Closed for over a year starting January 11 while the Railroad path is rerouted for Star Wars Land.
Rivers of America: All River traffic and attractions are closed for over a year starting on January 11 while Star Wars Land construction reduces and reroutes the northern portion of the River. The extended closure includes:
Mark Twain Riverboat
Sailing Ship Columbia
Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island
Pirate’s Lair on Tom Sawyer Island
Davy Crockett’s Explorer Canoes
Fantasmic!
Haunted Mansion Holiday: Closed January 11-21 to remove holiday overlay.
Jungle Cruise: Closed January 11-May 5 to remove holiday overlay and for extended refurbishment.
Autopia: Closed January 11-April 28 for refurbishment.
“it’s a small world”: Closed January 25-February 4 to remove holiday overlay.
[b][center]Disney California Adventure[/center][/b]
Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters: New attraction opens early 2016.
Soarin’ Over California: Closed January 4-22, January 25-28, February 1-4 to install new Soarin’ Over the World attraction.
Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular: Closed permanently starting January 11. A “Frozen”-inspired musical stage show will take its place.
Grizzly River Run: Closed January 11-14 for refurbishment.
It’s Tough to be a Bug!: Closed January 13-21 for refurbishment.
World of Color: Closed January 19-February 1 for refurbishment.
[B]Blue Sky Cellar:[/B] Closed indefinitely.
[b][center]Downtown Disney and Disneyland Resort Hotels[/center][/b]
None.
December 28 – January 3
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
It’s one of the busiest weeks of the year – if you can, we recommend visiting next week, when holiday attractions are still available but crowds are a bit smaller.
There’s more holiday to come – don’t miss the Three Kings’ Day Celebration, starting Saturday and continuing into next week.
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.
[center]Headline Roundup A quick look at noteworthy Disney theme park headlines from around the web.[/center]
Disneyland Resort welcomes Rose Bowl Game-Bound No. 5 Iowa and No. 6 Stanford Football Teams. (Disney Parks Blog)
Disneyland Resort Cast Members VoluntEar for 60 days in a row for 60th anniversary, raising $389,000. (Disney Parks Blog)
Will you be celebrating the New Year at Disneyland? Let us know your New Year’s Eve plans in the comments below!
Don’t miss our huge 2015 Year-in-Review where we take a look back at (almost) everything that happened at Disneyland over the last year as we look ahead to 2016!
Special thanks to our Dateline Disneylanders!
A very special thank you to all of our Patreon supporters for their monthly support keeping Dateline Disneyland alive, especially our special top-tier supporters:
Kendra H., Brian A., Dusty Sage, Benjamin, Mark D., Bruno, and Casey!
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!
[B]- Andy[/B]
