Disneyland’s Bittersweet Birthday: Here’s to 65 More!
Today is Disneyland’s 65th Anniversary, a bittersweet occasion unceremoniously marked by a merchandise line at Downtown Disney, but with both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure closed. In this post, we’ll celebrate Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom with a look back and brief look forward.
It’s depressing to think that this is the first time in Disneyland’s storied history that the park won’t be open on its anniversary, but a lot is depressing about this year. All things considered, this wouldn’t even crack the top 1000. On a personal note, we’ve had to cancel a California trip already, and might have to scrap a couple more. However, we wouldn’t be there today either way. Suffice to say, I don’t really have an opinion on Disneyland being closed today.
It’s impossible for me to sit here, thousands of miles across the country and say that Disneyland should or should not be open. We’ve lived in California’s Orange County and understand its unique social, political, and economic climate. However, that’s no substitute for actually being there, experiencing, seeing and feeling how this is all playing out firsthand…
Which is to say, it’s entirely possible that it’s the right decision for Southern California to keep Disneyland Resort closed–and also the right decision for Central Florida to reopen the economic behemoth that is Walt Disney World. Or maybe only one of those decisions is right for the circumstances. Or maybe somehow both are wrong.
That’s a question that has preoccupied my mind over the last couple of weeks, but not even remotely the point of this post. Let’s move on with a look back…
One of the other things about which I’ve been fixated lately is that the Diamond Celebration was 5 years ago! Depending upon how I think about things, the Diamond Celebration simultaneously feels like it was an eternity ago or only yesterday. (You ever have those types of conflicting memories?) As a whole, the event feels like the distant past–almost a lifetime ago. However, I can remember specific moments and nights in the park with complete clarity–like they just happened.
Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration is especially memorable and meaningful because it happened during our first summer living in California. I remember sitting online one night that January, waiting for the news, seeing the concept art unveiled, and watching the announcements & reactions roll in on social media. Learning about all of the new entertainment was so exciting, and had us anxiously awaiting the May debut.
Equally memorable were the intervening off-season months, when Disneyland undertook colossal refurbishment and improvement projects, and crowds were the lowest we’ve ever experienced. We spent many days that spring watching the park prepare, eager to see the new nighttime parade, fireworks, Sleeping Beauty Castle overlay, and everything else.
We really got to know Disneyland during that time, exploring and poring over every detail of the parks, learning fairly trivial hacks, and just generally loitering around.
While most people probably would’ve taken advantage of the low crowds by doing attractions repeatedly, we went another direction. We befriended goats, discovered some of our favorite under the radar spots to eat, and engaged in various shenanigans with (human) friends.
In typical Disneyland locals’ fashion, we established our own quirky routines. I took a lot of photos. (The temporary fireworks were tremendously underwhelming to the point where Disneyland might’ve been better with no fireworks at all, but they were incredibly photogenic.)
The Diamond Celebration itself was also tremendously memorable, both because it was a ton of fun and for the indelible mark it left on Disneyland. We watched Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever many times that summer–and also caught a few (too many) performances of World of Color: Celebrate.
It’s wild that none of the new entertainment that debuted during the anniversary is still around only a few years later–all traces of the Diamond Celebration itself are gone from the parks save for Fantasyland ride plussings.
Despite the short shelf life of the parade, fireworks, and everything else, the Diamond Celebration had a transformative effect on Disneyland. It’s not at all an exaggeration to say that the Diamond Celebration altered the park’s trajectory for years to come.
While my experience with the California parks is relatively brief in the grand scheme of their six and a half decade history, I can’t think of anything that has ever impacted Disneyland as much as the Diamond Celebration.
That summer marked an explosion in attendance at Disneyland, accelerating the trend set in motion by Cars Land three years earlier. Even after the Diamond Celebration had officially ended, the buzz that the festivities had generated continued the forward momentum.
I still remember sitting in our local Starbucks a couple of mornings after the Diamond Celebration had kicked off. Literally everyone was talking about it, either raving about Paint the Night or making plans to attend. Disneyland had obviously been a Southern California institution long before this, but if our “overhead coffee shop conversations” (as tired of a trope as that might be, it’s true) were any indication, that summer it became the hip and trendy thing to do.
The hype and enthusiasm for all things Disneyland never let up after that. A few months after the massively successful launch of the Diamond Celebration, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was announced.
After Diamond Celebration ended, Disneyland managed to parlay its momentum with the nostalgic homecoming of Main Street Electrical Parade.
Then came the success of Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission Breakout. Then construction of a fully-fledged Marvel Land via Avengers Campus. Then plans for redevelopment of Downtown Disney plus new hotels that were (thankfully) abandoned due to conflict between Disney and Anaheim. Then Project Stardust. Then the second plans for a new parking structure.
Then the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. That’s just what Disney itself did during that time–don’t forget an expansion to the Anaheim Convention Center and explosion in hotel development around the Anaheim Resort District, neither of which would’ve happened without Disneyland’s growth. Suffice to say, it has been a big five years.
That brings us today. Looking back five years later, we see the Diamond Celebration as truly transformative in retrospect and the impetus for so many subsequent changes. As we celebrate Disneyland’s 65th Anniversary (or lack thereof), it’s hard to think that we aren’t likewise at another standing at another pivotal moment in Disneyland’s history.
Like everyone else, I don’t know what the future holds and am certainly nervous for it. Nevertheless, I hope to be writing an article on Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary fondly looking back at the last 5 years. Hopefully one that boasts of the fruitful changes that have come during that time, despite the 65th Anniversary itself having left no lasting substantive mark on the parks.
If you’re preparing for a Disneyland trip, check out our other planning posts, including how to save money on Disneyland tickets, our Disney packing tips, tips for booking a hotel (off-site or on-site), where to dine, and a number of other things, check out our comprehensive Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide!
Your Thoughts
Did you attend the Diamond Celebration? What do you think of how radically Disneyland has changed since? Would you agree or disagree that the last 5 years have been among the most transformative in Disneyland’s history? Think the next 5 will likewise see sweeping changes? Thoughts or your own fond memories to share on the this momentous yet anticlimactic occasion? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We currently live in Los Angeles and was wondering the reasons to why you and Sarah moved away from here to Central Florida? We are planning on doing the same as soon as possible and curious if it is for the same reasons.
My memory is a bit vague but I think I first went to Disneyland within the first year of their opening, i.e, June or at least early July of 1956. I’m hoping to return around the 65th anniversary of MY first visit there, but I’ll have to see what the C-19 situation is by then. Still have some decent memories of childhood DL visits, but in recent years have gone to WDW more often.
Completely by coincidence we were able to be at Disneyland during their 60th celebration for our first and only visit there.
My daughter lives in California and we met her there for a long weekend and then drove back up the coast on I believe highway one over several days seeing the sights back up to Sacramento where she lives.
It was a very magical trip. We are DVC members and were somehow able to get a two bedroom villa in July facing the Mickey Wheel and got to enjoy the paint the night parade, the fireworks and California adventure. Of which cars land and in particular radiator racers are my all-time favorite ride (we haven’t been able to ride Rise yet though), after having been able to visit there. We got to ride both at night and during the day to experience the difference it was awesome!
My wife and I were supposed to be there this week for our 10th anniversary, also July 17th, but obviously that couldn’t happen.
We first visited Disneyland (together, anyway) on our honeymoon and have been coming back very regularly since. I definitely feel that things were on an upward trajectory ever since the reimagining of DCA starting with Buena Vista Street and Cars Land, and not really letting up till now. It took a global pandemic to bring the momentum to a stop, and it’s going to take quite a while to build it all up again.
We’ll definitely remember this era fondly and we hope this year and its effects are remembered as a (significant) bump in the road.
In my perfect world ‘Spectromagic” would come back and light up the Magic Kingdom every night. Chernabog alone rising up from Bald Mountain made it the most unique Disney parade I’ve ever seen. A girl can always dream…right?
same. that will never not be my favorite parade. and the BEST score. MSEP doesn’t hold a candle.
Spectromagic is my favorite parade of all time. With the exception of Boo to You, Mickeys Once Upon Christmastime, and Christmas Fantasy parades, Walt Disney World and Disneyland has not had a day or night parade that has filled that void left by Spectromagic.
We go to Disneyland about every other year. We were there for the 50th and 60th anniversary. We were suppose to take a family trip this year in October, but decided to cancel our plans and reschedule for next spring.
I was born a Disneyland local to two people that met at one of the sketchier old motels from those days. The first trip I clearly remember was in 1983 when I was just shy of 4. “New Fantasyland” had just opened. I saw years of excitement as new attractions opened and cried as ones closed. (I have still never forgiven the destruction of Tomorrowland
My last trip was for the 50th anniversary. It was fantastic, but felt more like an extension of the park I already knew.
The 60th seems to have kicked off an entirely new era and energy for the park. I still hope to see it, hopefully in late 2021.
Hopefully things are back to normal by then. There’s definitely a different energy and feel to parts of Disneyland, but still plenty vestiges of the past. Plus other things that haven’t changed since your last visit–like Tomorrowland–that definitely should’ve!
We made it to the 60th anniversary to see the Main Street Electrical Parade for its farewell performance. Those were much better days. I’m hoping Disneyland reopens someday. It’s difficult to imagine that happening with the direction California is heading. We are very wary of returning to that area the more that law enforcement is defunded and the emerging Marxist mob violence that is flourishing in some states. Cancel culture will surely be coming for Disney again. Anything that stands for America’s past must be destroyed it seems. So, we’ll be happy if they reopen at all. We’d like to go see it at least one more time when the time seems right.
I was hoping that ‘Paint the Night’ would be moved to the Magic Kingdom for the 50th anniversary celebration especially since it has just been sitting in storage for quite some time. tMagic Kingdom without a nighttime parade was so disappointing and I though this might be the year that they gifted us with one, new or old it didn’t matter. Parades will probably be on hold for quite some time now, but I sure hope that they bring the magic back sometime in the near future.
Walt Disney World was offered Paint the Night ~3 years ago and passed on it due to its high operational and maintenance costs. (Also the big reasons Disneyland stopped using it.) Sadly, I don’t see it coming to Florida anytime soon.
ugh, hearing that makes my blood boil. thanks chapek…
we thankfully made a trip during the 60th and i’m so glad we did. i almost tried to sneak a trip in this winter, but logistics were difficult, then of course, the rona appeared. i will forever rank disneyland above magic kingdom. it’s incredibly charming.
on another note, it’s a crime paint the night is sitting unused. find a flipping way to make it work in florida…
Disney outdid itself for the 60th anniversary celebration and I too am grateful we got to visit then. The diamonds on the castle, the fireworks with glorious projections on the castle, Main Street and the Matterhorn, World of Color: Celebrate, and of course one of the most beautiful parades Disney has ever created. They were having two parades every night and I saw both every night I was in the park. Pixie dust was in the air and magic put a spell on us every time we entered either park. Memories we will thankfully never forget!
“i will forever rank disneyland above magic kingdom. it’s incredibly charming.”
I far prefer simply “being there” at Disneyland, but attractions like Country Bear Jamboree, Carousel of Progress, and the TTA make Magic Kingdom a nostalgic winner in my book.
i will grant you those, tom. but DL has mr. toad.
I agree with Tom on this. Although I love DL, Mr. Toad, and the dark rides in DL’s Fantasyland, I would chose MK because of the attractions Tom named. It is shame because DL had all those attraction but made poor replacements ( Peoplemover > Rocket Rods, CoP/America Sings > Launch Bay, CBJ > Pooh).