70 years ago, Walt Disney’s dream of creating a magical theme park for guests of all ages became a reality with the opening of Disneyland. Ever since, people from all walks of life have delighted in and immersed themselves in the worlds of “yesterday, tomorrow, and fantasy.”
For this auspicious occasion, the Disneyland Resort promises an array of entertainment, food, merchandise, experiences, and more for visitors to enjoy. Although its official Anniversary is July 17, the 70th anniversary celebration began on May 16 and runs through the summer of 2026. For Disneyland’s “Celebrate Happy” platinum anniversary, here’s what guests can expect.
The Return of Parades Paint the Night and Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration
One thing that sets Disney parks above the competition will always be their beautiful, elaborate, and entertaining parades. When it first debuted in 2015, Paint the Night quickly became a fan favorite. Like a modern version of the classic Main Street Electrical Parade, Paint the Night features several vibrant floats with dazzling colors and over a million LED lights set to an upbeat version of the Wreck-It Ralph jam “When Can We Do This Again.”
This parade hasn’t been seen since 2018, so its return has fans overjoyed. Guests can expect their beloved floats from Cars, Frozen, Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid and more, plus a few exciting updates including a new finale. Paint the Night runs nightly at 8:45 and 10:45 pm.
Over at Disney California Adventure, we’ll see the return of Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration. This lively parade features floats and characters from Pixar favorites like Toy Story, The Incredibles, Inside Out, Turning Red, Luca, Soul, and Monsters Inc. Better Together runs daily at 2:30 and 5 pm.
70th Anniversary Multi-day Ticket Offer
Disneyland always offers special deals throughout the year. So, it’s no surprise they would offer one for the 70th Anniversary. This deal in particular will benefit those who wish to attend for multiple days, specifically three or four days.
A 3-day, one park per day ticket runs you $360, or $120 per day; The 4-day, one park per day costs $400, which comes to only $100 a day. Typically, these multi-day tickets cost $415 or $474, so guests can save significantly on this 70th Anniversary deal. Tickets are valid May 16 through August 14, 2026.
A New Show Featuring an Animatronic Walt Disney
While only a limited amount of information has been shared about the new show coming to the Main Street Opera House, it promises to be a heartwarming and moving tribute to the man who started it all. To maintain integrity and authenticity, Imagineers worked with the Walt Disney Archives to create a lifelike animatronic of Walt Disney for the first time in company history.
The show entitled “Walt Disney- A Magic Life” will transform the space into Walt’s office and showcase the past, present, and future of Disney’s legacy. According to Senior Creative Executive at Walt Disney Imagineering, Tom Fitzgerald, the hope is to honor the legendary man for those who remember him, and introduce a new generation to his timeless philosophies. The show will open on July 17.
World of Color “Happiness”
World of Color has been amazing audiences since its inception in 2010. With its beautiful blend of water, light, color, and music, incorporating Disney’s array of films, each World of Color show has focused on various themes and stories.
For the new show “Happiness,” the characters from Inside Out take guests on a journey of emotions, incorporating moments from movies like A Goofy Movie, Tangled, Wish, Moana, The Incredibles, Encanto, and Frozen. However, the real highlight includes a hilarious pre-show featuring the Muppets and a lovely use of their anthem, “Rainbow Connection,” newly recorded by Boyz II Men. World of Color showtimes include 8:45, 9, and 10:15, depending on the day.
The Return of Wondrous Journeys Fireworks Spectacular
The popular fireworks show “Wondrous Journeys” returns for the 70th Anniversary, much to the delight of many fans. One of the loveliest and most emotional shows the park has ever done, “Wondrous Journeys” features spectacular fireworks and projections of classic films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, The Little Mermaid, Bambi, Winnie-The-Pooh, Moana, and more.
For a prime view, I recommend waiting at least an hour before showtime. While the best viewing spots for fireworks will vary depending on each individual, guests can never go wrong with the center of Main Street or in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. “Wondrous Journeys” runs on select nights at 9:30 pm.
Merchandise Galore
If there’s one thing park goers can always count on at Disneyland, it’s the vast amount of merchandise to choose from. For the 70th Anniversary, they’ve pulled out all the stops and created several collections that are sure to entice even the most frugal of guests.
For people who enjoy Anniversary-branded merchandise, these items incorporate the bright color schemes they’ve utilized throughout the park. The “Vault” and “Walt Disney Nostalgia” collections offer numerous unique items for anyone looking for retro, timeless, and subtle pieces. The “Castle” collection also has some beautiful items inspired by Sleeping Beauty Castle.
To see all of the merchandise the resort offers, check out this video from Laughing Place and this one from JustinScarred, which highlights much of this merchandise.
Lastly, guests will also be able to purchase some fun popcorn buckets, including Mickey balloons, a motorized and talking Mickey, and a Matterhorn Yeti sipper.
New Additions to It’s A Small World and Toy Story Midway Mania
Motion Pictures.
It’s a Small World has always held a special place in the hearts of many guests with its whimsical feel and heartfelt message of peace and love. For the 70th Anniversary, the iconic song will get a new verse, written by the original songwriter, Richard Sherman.
Before he died in 2024, Sherman shared the additional verse with Disney CEO Bob Iger. Disneyland has now incorporated these new lyrics into the attraction’s soundtrack to honor the legend. In addition to this new music, Imagineers added figures from Pixar’s Coco of Miguel and Dante to the Mexico section.
At Disney California Adventure, guests will discover a fun addition to Toy Story Midway Mania. Targets inspired by the 70th Anniversary will be spread throughout the game, allowing players to score more points than ever before.
70th Anniversary Decor and Photo Spots
Like any holiday or celebration, the Disneyland Resort will have beautiful decor for the 70th Anniversary. Although it’s the platinum anniversary, Disney chose a vibrant color scheme of fuchsia, purple, teal, and orange throughout its banners, bunting, and displays in both parks and the Downtown Disney shopping district.
These displays provide a visually pleasing aesthetic to the resort and offer guests unique photo opportunities. In particular, the large displays with characters provide adorable picture backdrops. Also, don’t forget to snap a photo by the gorgeous mini castle in the esplanade, inspired by the 1964 World’s Fair Wind Tower, designed by Disney Imagineer Rolly Crump.
Specialty Food and Drinks
Disneyland Resort visitors will never go hungry as long as creatives continuously come up with sweet and savory treats for guests. The 70th celebration will offer an array of food sure to impress everyone.
This video from Laughing Place gives us a tour of much of the food and drinks visitors can find throughout the parks. Some of the new offerings include specialty macarons, cookies, cold brews, waffles, and hot dogs with chili inspired by Walt Disney’s favorite recipe. My mouth is watering at the sweet berry lemonade and grilled Tahitian ribs.
Magic Band Scavenger Hunt
For a fun and unique offering at Disneyland, visitors must try the Magic Band scavenger hunt. Any guest that purchases a Magic Band+ can go to various locations throughout the park for one of a kind gifts and interactive elements.
In each of Disneyland’s opening day’s five lands- Main Street U.S.A., Fantasyland, Adventureland, Frontierland, and Tomorrowland, guests can scan their band for a bit of magic, including unique paper tickets for the Main Street Cinema, Jungle Cruise, Disneyland Railroad, Mark Twain Riverboat, and the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. Check out this video from Adventure Isle, which showcases where you can find each station.
New Projection Displays and a Cavalcade
In addition to the parades and nighttime events, the parks will offer two different projection shows and a fun daytime cavalcade. In Disneyland Park, Tapestry of Happiness gives viewers “an animated mosaic” on top of the It’s a Small World facade. Celebrating 70 years of attractions and music, this magical and nostalgic display will entertain and delight die-hard fans. Tapestry of Happiness runs nightly at various times, including 9:50, 10:20, and 11:30 pm.
Also at Disneyland, the Celebrate Happy Cavalcade features some favorite Disney characters in their festive 70th Anniversary Celebration outfits. Excitingly, for the first time in a U.S. Disney park, guests will see Duffy Bear and ShellieMay, two characters that super fans know and love.
Lastly, at DCA, the Carthay Circle restaurant’s facade hosts the Celebrate Happy projection show with colorful, shimmering lights and an upbeat soundtrack.
A Story of Celebration: A 70th Anniversary Guided Tour
Guided Tours offer parkgoers a fun, unique, and informative look at the Happiest Place on Earth. The brand new guided tour, a Story of Celebration, explores Disneyland’s rich history with fun facts and stories over two hours.
For $120 (not including park admission), guests will enjoy the tour, a free Lightning Lane entry to one attraction, a ride aboard the Mark Twain and Disneyland Railroad, reserved viewing for World of Color, free popcorn, and a special souvenir keepsake.
<p>The post 12 Things to Know about Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary first appeared on Travelbinger.</p>