Disneyland begins the 70th anniversary celebration

This month, Disneyland officially started it 70th anniversary celebration With festive decoration, entertainment, food, goods, and even treasure hunting, all centrally around the theme “Celebrate Happy.” Over the years will take place through the summer of 2026.

“This anniversary is true in 1955 on July 17 with Walt Disney, as they decorate Main Street Red, White, and Blue,” said David Caranci, Walt Disney Imagineering for creative development, during a media preview event. “We did not live in the past, but we respect the past. We respect our history, culture, and tradition as we see the future.”

And that’s what the best festive elements do, as I experienced last week during a preview of a significant event. So much nodding nostalgia attracts me, from its return Night paint Parade after dark at Disneyland Park with a reminder of the main road electric parade to the new The world of color happiness! the night show on Disney California Adventure Parkwhere i catch myself singing together -She with the “Rainbow Connection” doodle muppets Mickey Mouse Club Theme song.

The 70 response felt like a scrap book that lived from all the memories I made in Disneyland in the last few decades, while also made me feel like a curious and cheerful child, rediscovering the magic.

This is your guide to the Disneyland Resort’s 70th Birthday celebration.

Entertainment

For milestones, parades, shows, and night spectacles have been called.

In the original park, short-but sweet Celebrate happy Cavalcade Showcase the All-Star line from Disney characters dressed in festive colors with favorite characters Fan Duffy, Shelliemay, and Max attended a birthday party with Mickey, Minnie, Peter Pan, and Aladdin, among others.

The atmosphere becomes more lively after dark, with The carpet of happinessThe five -minute projection show against it is a small world facade. It was a visit through the history of the resort, ending with a new theme song that joined the Ride Classic song, tying the perfect knot between the past and now Disney.

The Paint the Night Parade Making a very long-awaited return with over one million LED lights highlighting films from classic such as “beauty and animals” and “The Little Mermaid” to a more modern favorite like “Monsters Inc.” and AutomobilePeak in Mickey’s witch jumped on the road.

Of course, the big end here is Admirable Fireworks Spectacular Set Against Sleeping Beauty Castle, running through 100 years of Disney animation. I remember hearing the story of my mother told by Tinkerbell who floated in the air during her first visit, and let’s say there are two floating figures in this exhibition.

In Disneyland California Adventure, the Better together: Pixar Pals Celebration! Day day parade has nearly 30 characters, while the Carthay Circle tower lights up with music and light for two minutes Celebrate happy Show.

The big The world of color After-Dark Show also has the Theme of the 70th Special Happiness, starting with a pre-show Muppets that is technically safe but definitely drives some laughter. Light shows, fountains, and colored projections -themed around Inside Movies, with the songs of Boyz II Men and Fitz from Fitz and The Tantrums, but overall inspired by Walt Disney’s words from the opening day: “To all who come to this happy place, welcome!”

Ride

It is a small world is one of the most historical attractions in Disneyland, so it’s just that it will get a refresh for the 70. Imagine Walt himself for the New York World exhibition in 1964 and 1965, he chose a pair of women to bring 300 characters in Harmony To Life: Mary Blair as Director of Art and Alice Davis as a customer. Now guests will see Miguel and Dante from “Coco” in the Mexico section, and a a new song verse written by Richard ShermanThe one who passed away last year, will be added to July 17, the exact 70th anniversary.

In California Adventure, Toy Story Midway Mania! Celebrating the 70th anniversary with logos across, including the “70” sparkly target to aim during the interactive 3D trip.

Food and drink

From Turkish feet to Waffles Mickey, iconic food items have long been part of the Disneyland Resort Heritage -and more than 70 new menu items will be displayed through the festival.

“We want to take our classic flavors and put contemporary performances on them, and match the color scheme, which gives the response,” Eduardo Rodriquz, Chef for Disneyland Resort, told me Travel + free time. He calls Peach Cobbler Peach fries served with his favorite vanilla ice cream, which can be found in Jamboree Barbecue Bear Disneyland.

Some dishes are also interesting to old school favorite, such as banana breakdowns (available at California Adventure near Sky Goofy School) inspired by the original banana split served at the Cannation Cafe in 1955, and chili cheese burned by Calif. chili.

I was very excited about the Mickey Hat Mickey Cookie with the Mickey Mouse Club (at Disneyland’s Market House), as well as the Ube Sugar-dusted Celebration Churro (available near the Railroad Mount Big Thunder, Haunted, and the City Square, and the California Adventure’s Willie’s Churros).

The 70th anniversary also introduces a pickled popcorn bucket such as a lightweight Mickey balloon bucket and a moving Mickey Mouse bucket and talks.

Goods

It would not be a Disney festival without exclusive items, and there are four different collections to choose from.

The festival collection uses the festive colors along with classic characters and rides in everything from t-shirts and shoulder bags to water bottles and bubble sticks as well as interactive magicbands+ to enhance the garden experience. The Castle collection has all the Disney Royalty things with the retro logo. Meanwhile, the Vault collection was an explosion from the past with specialty items for various chapter of resort history.

Finally, the 70th anniversary of the Disneyland Resort Walt Disney Nostalgia dives into Walt Disney’s heritage and the park itself, including items with a memorial passage that heads to Main Street USA: “Here you leave today and enter the world yesterday, and fantasy.”

Medallion stations across the park now have 70-themed coins, while some of the chargeable pen machines also have a logo as optional.

The hunt for a treasure

As part of the seven decades’ reminders, Disneyland Park also has a pair of special technology features hidden around the park that unlocked the shock, almost like a Geocaching search, which I thought “hunting treasure” with a magic twist.

First, there is Key to DisneylandLarge light locks can be purchased at Park stores. At every nine stations (one in each land), guests put the key into the key, which will reveal the icon, as well as the effects of light and music themed to the soil you enter. When looking for the ninth, heading to the Mickey Tiji final station near the entrance, where your mysterious pin (hidden in the key) will be lowered.

Then there’s my obsession that I really are stumbling while wearing me Magicband +RFID bracelets that can serve as tickets, payment methods, and more. At certain points while walking around the park and during the show, I will feel it buzz or illuminate in line with the environment. As I walked through the Disney city center, the 70 display also opened the songs when I waved my hand, leading a observer to ask “How do you do it?” All I could answer, “Magic.”

But the coolest thing is when I travel through the store by Golden Horseshoe and see some buttons with the logo of the 70 on them. As I knocked on my band on the button, the ticket appeared, each for a nostalgia. One is for the Disneyland Railroad, another for Mark Twain Riverboat, and the third for Revolus Golden Horseshoe free collectors that I don’t know!

I then learned a hidden station in the park, so of course, I had to hit them all. Near the Jungle Cruise, I got a ticket for Mekong Maiden. But not all stations are created the same. Located on the Sleeping Beauty Castle are five different buttons, which unlock the animated movement for the characters behind the window as I knock them. The highlight was from Tilly on Main Street Cinema, which released a retro movie ticket saying it was for our “Birthday guest.”

With the kind of pixie dust hidden in a clear place, I found myself smiling nonstop as I explored the park as Disneyland continued its heritage to celebrate happiness, as Walt expected.