Happy birthday to the one that started it all.
It’s safe to say that Disneyland gave us the idea of what a modern theme park should be. Without Mickey Mouse setting up home in California in 1955, we wouldn’t have Disney World, SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, and other theme parks we love, or at least we wouldn’t have them as they are now.
Disneyland is turning 70 on July 17, 2025, and, of course, there will be plenty of surprises in store for those attending both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure from May 16 all the way through Summer 2026. New shows? Yep. More parades? You bet. New meet and greet opportunities? Of course.
This guide will focus on things like:
- What can you expect from the Disneyland 70th Celebration?
- Disneyland 70th Celebration Tickets and Deals
- What’s New: Disneyland Park
- What’s New: Disney California Adventure
Ready? Put on your party hat and let’s go!
What can you expect from the Disneyland 70th Celebration?
Good question, friend. As usually happens with Disney during special occasions, you can expect plenty of new experiences to celebrate Disneyland’s anniversary. Here, we’ll give you a quick overview of what you can expect during the big party before diving into a more in-depth look:
- The Disneyland 70th Celebration takes place from May 16, 2025, to Summer 2026.
- The party will be celebrated on both Disneyland Park & Disney California Adventure
- No extra ticket needed!
- New décor all across Disneyland and a brand new theme song
- New parades & light shows
- New guided tour
- MagicBand+ interactions in basically every new show and parade
- New Meet and Greets
- New PhotoPass Opportunities
- New Food Items & Merch
Yes, that’s a lot of stuff, and the best part is, you don’t need any kind of extra ticket to experience it all. Just buy your standard Disneyland theme park ticket and come join the party at the Happiest Place on Earth. Of course, we here at Famvia can help you with that! Just click the Request a Quote button, send us a message, and let’s celebrate together!
New Food Items
If Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure share one special thing during the 70th celebration, it’s that you can find new food items and merchandise in both parks.
There will be over 70 different new snacks and beverages for you to try, including the 70th Celebration Churro and the Mickey Hat Cookie. There will even be bookable experiences, including the World of Color – Happiness! Dessert Party and the Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! Parade Dessert Party, where you can enjoy delicious desserts and popcorn while watching parades and light shows.
New Merch Items
Of course, you can also expect new merchandise to celebrate 70 years of Disneyland. Disney is dividing the merch into different styles, such as:
- Celebration Collection: Classic items to celebrate 70 years of Disneyland. Includes t-shirts, mugs, backpacks, and more with new designs and colors.
- Castle Collection: Fit for royalty and sure to be a hit with Disney Princess fans. Expect to see new hoodies, Loungefly backpacks, and even jewelry.
- Vault Collection: Time to go retro. This one is perfect for those who want items inspired by the early days of Disneyland and breathe nostalgia.
- Disneyland Resort 70th Anniversary Walt Disney Nostalgia Collection: Long name, sure, but this one’s a favorite. It celebrates Walt Disney, his quotes, and the long history of Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland 70th Celebration Tickets and Deals
What’s better than celebrating a big party at Disneyland? How about celebrating a big party at Disneyland while saving money? Disneyland is offering ticket deals during the 70th anniversary celebration, including:
- A standard 3-day ticket starting at $360 per guest
- A standard 4-day ticket starting at $400 per guest
Huh, $100 per day to enjoy Disneyland? That’s right. This huge deal is available from May 16 through August 14, 2025. Of course, we can lend you a hand with that - but wait… let me give you my best Phil Swift impression and tell you: that’s not all! You can save even more!
Disneyland Resort Deals
Yes, you can also save money on Disneyland Resorts if you book by May 15, 2025.
Deals are available for the Disneyland Hotel, The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, Pixar Place Hotel, and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. By planning ahead, you can make reservations now and save up to 30% on select stays of four or more nights from May 16 through September 26, 2025. Guess who can help you with that, too? That’s right, your friends here at Famvia.
What’s New: Disneyland Park
The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade
- What it is: special daily parade.
- Time: usually at 1:30pm and 2:45pm.
This is one of the main events everyone should look out for during the 70th party. The Happy Cavalcade is a special parade celebrating decades of Disney magic, featuring characters like Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and more. Characters will also be sporting new outfits designed just for the 70th birthday, a stylish mix of blue and red. I’m not a fashion expert, but they do look good.
Paint the Night Parade
- What it is: exclusive night parade.
- Time: usually at 8:45pm and 10:45pm.
Paint the Night parade returns to Disneyland to fill the night with color. Yes, it really does paint the night, since this parade is all about floats and characters lit up with LED lights. We’re talking, in fact, about more than a million LED lights. I’m not great at math, but I bet that’s a lot. Characters include Sorcerer Mickey, Tinker Bell, Elsa, Anna, Belle, Ariel, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and more. I won’t lie, that’s a pretty good lineup.
Wondrous Journeys
- What it is: light show with fireworks projected on Sleeping Beauty Castle, Main Street & It’s a Small World.
- Time: usually at 9:30pm.
Wondrous Journey celebrates Disney’s 70 years of history with a special light show on Sleeping Beauty Castle. During the 13-minute show, the castle comes to life with a mix of music, fireworks, and projections from movies like Pinocchio, Hercules, The Princess and the Frog, Peter Pan, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Moana, Encanto, and more.
It’s not just the castle that lights up - all of Main Street and the façade of it’s a small world will also be illuminated with beautiful projections. One thing to keep in mind: the fireworks portion apparently only takes place on select nights, mostly on weekends and busier days.
Tapestry of Happiness
- What it is: projection light show on It’s a Small World façade
- Time: usually at 9:50pm, 10:20pm, 11:30pm
It’s a Small World is on a roll during the 70th Celebration. The Tapestry of Happiness is a simpler show (but no less fun) with projections showcasing classic Disney moments on the façade of one of the most iconic theme park attractions in the world. Tapestry of Happiness also features “Celebrate Happy,” an original theme song written for the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration, along with new recordings of recognizable Disneyland tunes from across the decades.
New Mickey and Minnie Meet & Greet
- What it is: Mickey & Minnie in new commemorative outfits
Are you a fan of meet & greets? Of course you are! For a limited time, you can find Mickey and Minnie at Town Square in Disneyland wearing their new outfits. They look awesome and stylish in brand-new blue attire, and this is your chance to snap some photos and create memories that last forever.
It’s a Small World update
- What it is: character addition to the ride.
After two new light shows, It’s a Small World will also be getting something new inside the ride itself. Starting May 9, 2025, It’s a Small World will welcome Miguel and Dante from the Pixar classic Coco. Look out for them in the Mexico section, and keep your camera ready! A new song verse is also being introduced to It’s a Small World starting July 17, 2025.
Pixar Pals Playtime Party
- What it is: dance party.
The Pixar Pals Playtime Party returns to Fantasyland Theatre on May 23, 2025. It’s a big dance party featuring Pixar characters and geared toward kids, where families can enjoy activities, games, and photo ops while Pixar shorts and movies play on the big screen.
New Stage Shows & Experiences
- What it is: new short stage shows and gallery experience.
Disneyland Park will also debut new short stage shows and experiences for the 70th anniversary. The main one is called Walt Disney – A Magical Life, premiering on July 17, 2025. Yes, that’s the exact day Disneyland turns 70 years old! It will take place inside the Main Street Opera House and feature the first-ever Walt Disney audio-animatronic. What can we expect to see there? That’s still a surprise, but it’s fitting that the man who championed animatronics now has one of the most advanced ones in the world.
The Main Street Opera House will also feature a new gallery experience, inviting guests to view curated relics and memorabilia from Disneyland’s early years. It’s a journey through Walt Disney’s past and legacy, with items on display including the 1955 Emmy Award for the Walt Disney’s Disneyland TV show and the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Johnson in 1964.
Also starting July 17, 2025, the Main Street Cinema will debut a tribute to the Sherman Brothers. Don’t know who they are? They’re the creative minds behind the classic It’s a Small World song! Stop by to watch a special 3.5-minute film, featuring a brand-new verse for one of the most beloved theme park songs of all time.
Key to Disneyland
- What it is: a paid collectible item that uncovers Disneyland secrets.
Starting May 16, Disney will sell a special key that you can use to unlock the secrets of Disneyland. You can buy it at select shops inside the parks or at World of Disney, and then it’s time to start exploring. Use the key in special locks across all nine lands of Disneyland, and once your adventure is complete, you’ll earn one of nine special commemorative pins not available anywhere else. The cool thing is that this activity can be completed at your leisure throughout the 70th Celebration.
A Story of Celebration: 70th Anniversary Guided Tour at Disneyland Resort
- What it is: special paid and guided tour
- Price: $120 per guest
This special 2-hour guided tour is all about celebrating 70 years of the Happiest Place on Earth. Learn fascinating facts, ride some of the original attractions with no wait, enjoy access to a reserved viewing area for the Paint the Night parade, and take home a free, limited-edition memento to remember the occasion. Make sure to book in advance, and have fun!
What’s New: Disney California Adventure
Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!
- What it is: special daytime parade.
- Time: usually at 2:30pm and 5:00pm.
If Disneyland has a new parade focused on Disney’s classic characters, Disney California Adventure brings a 25-minute parade that highlights Pixar and friends. Expect to see floats and characters from movies like Inside Out, Up, Luca, and more. In fact, Disney promises more than 20 Pixar characters celebrating throughout Disney California Adventure right alongside you, so make sure not to miss this one!
World of Color Happiness!
- What it is: light show.
- Time: usually at 9:00pm and 10:15pm.
The new World of Color show celebrates Pixar and 70 years of Disneyland, hosted by Joy from Inside Out. This show is all about light effects, lasers, flames, music, and dancing, and it features characters from The Incredibles, Tangled, Encanto, and,of course, Inside Out. What’s cool is that there’s a short pre-show before the main event, featuring special messages from the Muppets.
“Celebrate Happy” at Carthay Circle Restaurant
- What it is: new façade
If It’s a Small World is getting a visual upgrade for the 70th anniversary, the same goes for Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure. Each evening, the exterior of the restaurant comes alive with a special moment that invites everyone to “celebrate happy,” featuring music, lights, and new projection effects.
Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!
- What it is: dance party
A dance party with Mickey and friends!? Sign me up. This is your chance to join the classic Disney characters in a dance party inside the Disney Theater. Enjoy good movies, get the chance to see Donald doing the moonwalk (maybe) and get ready for new photo opportunities.
Toy Story Midway Mania Update
- What it is: small ride changes
Toy Story Mania is getting a few updates to remind you that, yes, Disneyland is turning 70! I don’t think there will be any new minigames, but some targets and props during the ride will change in honor of the theme park’s seven decades of existence. You even get extra points if you hit the 70th anniversary stickers!
Closing Thoughts
As you can see, there’s a lot to enjoy during Disneyland’s 70th anniversary party - and best of all, you can experience it all with a standard ticket. The nighttime entertainment is absolutely amazing, with Paint the Night Parade, Wondrous Journeys and Fantasmic playing almost back to back, with no wait time in between. So, what are you waiting for? Send us a message, let’s talk, and plan your perfect trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.
