Get ready to put on your party ears and celebrate with Mickey and all his pals
Disneyland Is Turning 70 This Year—Here’s How You Can Join in on the Fun!
Published on Feb. 14, 2025
It all started with a mouse and a dream. And now, 70 years later, Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, is getting ready to celebrate Walt Disney, Mickey and all of the rides and entertainment that have made Disneyland a theme park must-visit for seven decades.
Whether it’s your first visit or your 10th, the year ahead promises to be filled with enough Disney magic to make it worth adding to your travel calendar.
Here’s everything you need to know about Disneyland’s 70th-anniversary celebration.
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When did Disneyland open?
“To all who come to this happy place: welcome,” said Walt Disney, addressing the public on the park’s first day, July 17, 1955. Back then, a ticket cost $1 (no, really), and there was just one park, not two (California Adventure didn’t open its gates until 2001).
But some things never change: The pun-filled Jungle Cruise and Mad Hatter’s spinning teacups are two of a half dozen rides and attractions that opened on that first day 70 years ago. And Disney’s most beloved characters—Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and Goofy—were all there from the start too.
When is Disneyland’s 70th anniversary?
Disneyland’s 70th anniversary is July 17, 2025. However, Disney never passes up an opportunity to celebrate in a big way (they literally have parades and fireworks every single day of every year!), so it should come as no surprise that this anniversary will be celebrated for way longer than a single day. The party starts May 16, 2025, and will continue all the way into summer 2026.
How is Disneyland celebrating its 70th anniversary?
With parades, fireworks, shows and more! Get ready for a clubhouse’s worth of exciting new entertainment for this yearlong celebration, with “happy” as the theme—as in “Happy Birthday!” and the “Happiest Place on Earth,” Disneyland’s nickname. According to Disney’s official blog, during this time, “Disneyland Resort will feature a festival, limited-time celebration or unique offerings—adding to all the fun guests can enjoy all year long.”
Here are the highlights:
A new verse for It’s a Small World
If you can’t get enough of the earworm song featured in It’s a Small World, we’ve got good news for you: Main Street Cinema will be debuting a short film called The Last Verse, which highlights the Sherman brothers’ iconic song “It’s a Small World” and unveils a new verse—yes, the song is going to be even longer! You’ll also hear this new verse at the It’s a Small World attraction at Disneyland Park, beginning on July 17.
A new nighttime show
World of Color Happiness! is a new nighttime show that will take place at California Adventure in the Paradise Bay section of the park. According to the Disney Parks Blog, “this nighttime spectacular will explore ‘happy’ through a kaleidoscope of emotions, hosted by Joy and the other Emotions from the hit Pixar Animation Studios films Inside Out and Inside Out 2.” In addition to the colorful Emotions gang, there will also be characters from Turning Red, Tangled, The Lion King and more.
Although we don’t have all the details yet, we’re also hearing that there will be fog, lasers, dramatic flame effects and all sorts of spectacular lighting set to music for this evening anniversary celebration.
A new character parade
Disney loves a parade, so it’s no surprise we’ll be seeing a new one—Mickey and Friends Celebrate Happy!—rolled out at Disneyland Park for this big anniversary. As your favorite characters wind their way along the parade route, they’ll get you to dance and clap along in what is described as “an energetic and contemporary celebration of seven decades of happiness.”
And another fan-favorite parade is returning to Disneyland Park in time for the celebrations: Paint the Night, which hasn’t been seen since 2018. Keep an eye out for your favorite characters from Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and more.
Spiffy new outfits and decor
Mickey, Minnie and their pals will all come dressed for the party in Town Square at Disneyland; in the sneak peeks, the characters look dapper in royal blue with brightly colored accents. And Disneyland Resort will also be decked out in special anniversary decor, including a large “70” medallion on Sleeping Beauty Castle. We’re calling it now: This will be the photo op you’ll want to get as soon as you’re in the door!
A new attraction
And let’s not forget the man who made everything at Disneyland possible. Making its grand debut at the Main Street Opera House theater at Disneyland Park on July 17, Walt Disney—A Magical Life will “feature a cinematic presentation of Walt Disney’s journey, culminating in a visit with Walt in his office, brought to life for the first time ever through the magic of Audio-Animatronics storytelling,” according to Disneyland’s media office.
Elsewhere in the theater, you’ll be able to view artifacts, images and art—some never before seen—exploring Disneyland from its earliest stages to today. A special exhibit will also show the inner workings of Audio-Animatronics technology through the years. I got a sneak peek of this at last year’s D23 Disney World event, and I can tell you it’s absolutely fascinating.
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Source:
- Disney Parks Blog: “Guide to the 70th Anniversary at Disneyland Resort”
