Disneyland's 70th anniversary celebration kicks off May 16, 2025, Disney announced this morning.
The Disneyland resort 70th Celebration will feature the new theme song "Celebrate Happy." It also will welcome the return of several entertainment favorites and the debut of a new nighttime spectacular.
At Disneyland park, Paint the Night will return for the 70th anniversary celebration, which will continue through Summer 2026, the park said. The Wondrous Journeys show also will return to Disneyland, with projections on Main Street USA, Sleeping Beauty Castle, It's a Small World, and the Rivers of America. Fireworks will accompany the show on select evenings, too.
Disneyland also will be getting a character cavalcade for the anniversary celebration - Mickey and Friends Celebrate Happy! In addition, the park will offer a new anniversary-themed projection show on the It's a Small World facade.
Over at Disney California Adventure, Paradise Bay will welcome the latest version of the World of Color nighttime spectacular, World of Color Happiness!. Inside Out's Joy will host the show, which will include scenes of happiness from films including the Inside Out movies, Turning Red, A Goofy Movie, Tangled, The Lion King, and more.
In addition, the Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! parade will return to DCA for the 70th anniversary celebration.
The Carthay Circle Theater will have a "celebrate happy" projection and light show in the evenings, as well.
Beyond the 70th anniversary celebration, Disneyland also announced several other changes coming to resort in 2025.
On the same day that the anniversary kicks off, Disneyland will debuts its long-awaited Audio Animatronic of Walt Disney in the new Walt Disney – A Magical Life show in the Main Street Opera House theater. This is not a limited-time run, but a new attraction at the park. Think of it as Disneyland's 70th birthday present.
The show will include a "cinematic presentation of Walt Disney's journey" to set up a visit with the Walt figure in his office. Initially, the new show will be the exclusive production in the Opera House. At a date to be announced, Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln will return and run in rotation with Walt Disney – A Magical Life.
Construction also will begin next year for the expansion of Avengers Campus. As a result, the final date for the Red Car Trolley ride will be February 8, 2025. One trolley will remain parked at the stop at front of the park as a photo op after that date, however.
Disneyland also announced its 2025 festival line-up:
Hurry Home – A Lunar New Year Celebration and Mulan's Lunar New Year Procession will again be part of the Lunar New Year event. Soarin' Over California returns again for the Food & Wine Festival, and Hyperspace Mountain is back for Season of the Force.
Disneyland is expanding its after-hours events in 2025. The Ooogie Boogie Bash Halloween party will have more nights than ever, as Disneyland After Dark also returns with four events next year. You can get all the details about them, including the ticket sale dates for the first two After Dark events, here: Disneyland expands after-hours events in 2025.
Disneyland is offering a special 70th anniversary hotels offer, which guests can book starting today. With this deal, you can save up to 30% on select stays of four nights or longer at Disneyland's on-site hotels from May 16 through September 26, 2025. For assistance in planning a Disneyland vacation, please contact our travel agent sponsor for a free, no-obligation vacation quote.
If you are thinking about a Disneyland visit before the party starts on May 16, Disneyland has several discount ticket offers now available, as well. You can get those details in our previous article, Disneyland announces its latest SoCal ticket discount, or just go straight to the source and book on our ticket partner's Disneyland ticket discounts page.
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TBF, WDW50 got "nerfed" because of the Pandemic, but I do feel like these every 5 year anniversary celebrations are getting predictable and less original every iteration. I don't necessarily want Disney to dress the castle up like a birthday cake or litter it with hundreds of character statues, but I do wonder if they slowed the frequency of the celebrations to every 10-25 years that they could do something a little more special.
It's gotten to the point where the parks are always celebrating something, and that going on a "normal" day is more rare than a "special event/celebration".
I do like the addition of the Walt animatronic, and actually would not complain if he were to fully replace Lincoln instead of alternating shows.
I think the bigger celebration at Disneyland will be the 75th in five years, when we should have Avengers Campus expansion done and maybe the first wave of Disneyland Forward expansion.
My sister is hoping to get a trip there for next March and go with her so fun.
I completely agree Robert, which makes me wonder why they have to go through the motions with this 70th anniversary. If the 75th is going to be "BIG" don't minimize it by doing this half-hearted 70th anniversary.
No truth to the rumor that Comcast will counter the AA Walt Disney with their own AA Brian Roberts at the USF or IOA parks. Such a production would seem ambitious -- what with UC's teams stressed in the development of the new Pokémon attractions ... or is it Lord of the Rings? Maybe it's that Zelda thing?
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Hopefully this has more similarities to the 60th anniversary, than it does the 50th Anniversary at WDW.
The return of Paint the Night is encouraging, but seeing the word “cavalcade” makes me a little nervous as that is word they used for the 5 minute quasi-parades at WDW during its lackluster 50th celebration.
Regardless, whether or not I get to experience this one will depend on how late it runs into the 2026 Summer.