Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary kicks off in Summer 2025, and this guide to the huge celebration covers everything you need to know about the festivities. From the dates it’ll run to the new World of Color, return of Paint the Night parade, all-new Walt Disney stage show on Main Street, returning fan-favorite fireworks, and much more. (Updated April 8, 2025.)
The Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration will start on May 16, 2025 and run through Summer 2026! The event will honor seven decades of happiness and many moments of joy in the making. You’ll get to “celebrate happy” (Disney’s words, not mine) with limited-time entertainment, colorful décor, themed food and beverages, collectible merchandise, and so much more!
Before we get going, one important thing to note here is that the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration begins immediately after the 2025 Southern California Resident Ticket Deal ends, but two weeks before Memorial Day weekend. We predicted (slash hoped) this would happen, and think it’s a really savvy move on Disney’s part to spread out crowds. Just something to keep in mind if you’re on the fence about that ticket deal but also want to attend the 70th celebration. You cannot do both…unless there are soft openings!
Even more details and magical touches will be coming to the resort for Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration. Much of this, including the Walt Disney stage show on Main Street, will be announced in the coming months–so watch this space for future updates or subscribe to our FREE email newsletter for immediate alerts and other Disney news.
Along with details about the 70th, Disney announced the full slate of what’s coming to the Disneyland Resort in 2025, including events, limited-time festivals and more! The company also shared some new details about what’s to come during this 70th celebration. Let’s dive into some of the excitement!
“Tapestry of Happiness” Show at Disneyland
At Disneyland, the facade of “it’s a small world” will come to life each night through light, music and projection effects in a show called “Tapestry of Happiness.” This projection show will create an animated mosaic of Disneyland attractions, moments and memories brought to life in a unique style inspired by the work of legendary Disney artist Mary Blair. It will feature the original 70th celebration theme song “Celebrate Happy,” along with nods to recognizable Disneyland tunes from across the decades.
“Tapestry of Happiness” will be a visual love letter to Disneyland, bringing all of us together through memories of The Happiest Place on Earth. It will remind us that no matter how old we are or where we call home, we all come together in this magical place through the eyes of our inner child, finding happiness in a unique and personal way.
This sounds fantastic to me, like a spiritual successor to “Remember… Dreams Come True” but without the fireworks. While I’d obviously prefer a fully-fledged nighttime spectacular, there is something to be said for the comparative ease of viewing the projections on the facade of “it’s a small world.”
“The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade” at Disneyland
Disneyland will debut a new character cavalcade called “The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade” for the 70th. As it winds its way along the parade route, favorite characters will encourage you to dance and clap along in an energetic and contemporary celebration of seven decades of happiness. You may spot pals including Goofy and Max in their 70th attire, as well as friends not often seen at Disneyland, like Duffy and ShellieMay!
Sarah is over the moon about this cavalcade, specifically because it features Duffy & Friends. As mentioned elsewhere, Sarah has been lobbying for an article about why Duffy needs to return to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Guess I can scratch out the “Disneyland” part of that.
Like her mother, Megatron is a big fan of bears, and that includes Duffy & Friends. Although her favorite characters of the crew are LinaBell and Gelatoni, but she should nevertheless be a big fan of “The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade.” Another big win for Disneyland’s 70th, especially since Magic Happens is on hiatus for 2025.
Paint the Night Parade is BACK at Disneyland!
This fan-favorite, dazzling nighttime parade will make its grand return to Disneyland for the 70th Anniversary celebration, lighting up Main Street, U.S.A., with stunning color and more than a million brilliant LED lights.
Mickey Mouse uses his vivid imagination to harness the power of Tinker Bell’s pixie dust and “Paint the Night” in Disney dreams, bringing to light beloved characters and stories from Pixar and Disney Animation films such as “Monsters, Inc.,” “Cars,” “Toy Story”, “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and more.
The “Paint the Night” parade features innovative floats, vibrant costumes, incredible special effects, unforgettable music and energetic performances. Plus, Anna and Elsa will rejoin the parade on the fan-favorite float inspired by Disney Animation’s “Frozen” when it makes its return to Main Street, U.S.A., for the first time since its initial run.
When the parade moved over to DCA, this float was too tall to clear the Red Car Trolley cables (not a problem going forward), so it was replaced by a then-new float for The Incredibles 2. No word yet on whether the Incredibles float will return. It was a good float and Paint the Night could stand to be a little longer, so I hope so. We shall see, though. I probably wouldn’t expect both floats.
Speaking of the parade park switch, the big news here is that Paint the Night is returning to Disneyland rather than Disney California Adventure. This isn’t a huge surprise given that Main Street Electrical Parade was last performed at Disneyland. However, there are more concerns about crowds and congestion at Disneyland, especially with this more popular parade. On the plus side, it sounds like there will be an ample amount of counterprogramming in both parks. Speaking of which…
Wondrous Journeys Fireworks Return to Disneyland!
At night, Disneyland will become a magnificent canvas with the return of this beloved nighttime spectacular. “Wondrous Journeys” celebrates the legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios classics that have inspired Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom. Throughout the show, you embark on a journey filled with artistry, music, storytelling and heart as you experience moments from beloved stories like “Hercules,” “The Princess and the Frog,” “Peter Pan,” “Frozen,” “Big Hero 6,” “Moana,” “Encanto” and more.
The show features state-of-the-art projection effects that transform Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle, “it’s a small world” and the Rivers of America. On select nights, the show will be enhanced with fireworks.
Not much to say here that I haven’t already said. Wondrous Journeys is one of Disney’s best-ever fireworks show, on par with–and arguably better than–Happily Ever After. I was disappointed that it didn’t return this year, but it turns out they were saving it for the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration!
NEW World of Color: Happiness! at Disney California Adventure
The all-new World of Color: Happiness! show is inspired by Walt Disney’s words from the opening day park dedication from seven decades ago: “To all who come to this happy place… welcome!”
This nighttime spectacular will explore “happy” through a kaleidoscope of emotions, hosted by Joy and the other Emotions from the hit Pixar Animation Studios films, “Inside Out” and “Inside Out 2.” Along the way, the Emotions manifest music and moments from favorite Walt Disney Animation Studios’ and Pixar Animation Studios’ stories, including “Turning Red,” “A Goofy Movie,” “Tangled,” “The Lion King” and so many more.
“World of Color Happiness!” will transform Paradise Bay with a brilliant array of signature fountains, dynamic lighting, colorful lasers, fog and dramatic flame effects, painting musical memories with all the wonder that only “World of Color” can create.
In addition to featuring classic Disney songs and other iconic favorites, Boyz II Men will lend their legendary R&B vocals in a rendition of “Rainbow Connection,” and FITZ — frontman and namesake of multi-platinum hitmakers Fitz and the Tantrums — will debut a new original song just for “World of Color” titled “Makes Me Wanna Move.”
By journey’s end, you’ll discover that happiness is made up of many different emotional colors, and Disneyland Resort is the magical place at the end of the rainbow where all those colors come together.
But that’s not all … the fun starts even before “World of Color” begins with a special message from some familiar faces. With the guidance of Joe the Legal Weasel, more than a dozen of The Muppets will deliver their message through vivid projections and expressive fountains ahead of the show.
Ahead of the first “World of Color Happiness!” of the evening, guests in Disney California Adventure are invited to vote on the Disneyland app* for one of four different Emotions — Sadness, Anger, Disgust or Envy — to see them featured in special scenes throughout both of that day’s shows. Be sure to enable push notifications and location services on your device, so you know when it’s time to vote.
One of the things on my ‘wish list’ for the Disneyland 70th Anniversary was a World of Color show similar to Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland, but more suited to DCA. This sounds kind of like that. Different enough from Wondrous Journeys, which will be showing next door, but in the same style.
I just hope they don’t lean too heavily on the Walt Disney connection. I know, I know. But Disney already tried that with World of Color during the 60th Anniversary, and it just didn’t work–it felt forced. Let this be its own thing.
Our original wish list called for a return of the TRON pre-show, which was one of the best tags ever for World of Color. It would’ve been cool to have that old TRON Legacy tag return to promote TRON: Ares! (Perhaps we’ll get elecTRONica instead? That would be a huge win.)
A Muppets pre-show is much, much better than a TRON tag. Something with humor and emotional resonance sounds fantastic, and the presence of Joe the Legal Weasel is giving me MuppetVision 3D pre-show vibes. Going to stop there, as I don’t want to get overhyped and then disappointed if it fails to live up to unrealistic expectations. Suffice to say, a Muppets pre-show to World of Color: Happiness sounds fantastic.
“Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” Parade at DCA
“Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” returns to the streets of California Adventure. This delightful daytime parade is filled with incredible music, dynamic and colorful floats and nearly 30 favorite characters from Pixar Animation Studios films, including “Luca,” “Turning Red,” “Up,” and more.
“Wondrous Journeys” nighttime spectacular and “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” parade will temporarily pause to make way for seasonal Halloween and Holidays entertainment offerings, then resume at a later time.
I’m totally on board with Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration returning. If I recall correctly, my initial sentiment on this parade was fairly mixed. Well, we watched it more (and more) over the course of the interminably long Pixar Fest, and it’s the one thing about that event that really grew on me. The soundtrack is an earworm. Getting this back without the rest of Pixar Fest is the best of both worlds–a huge win, in my book.
Toy Story Mania 70th Anniversary Enhancements
On Toy Story Midway Mania! in Disney California Adventure, look for nods to the 70th anniversary as you compete for the highest score on carnival-inspired games.
You’ll notice in the background of the concept art that there are also new 70th anniversary details on the static props in addition to changes on the screens. It’s unclear whether this is an artistic liberty or an actual change within the attraction. It’ll be interesting to see whether Toy Story Midway Mania goes down for a refurbishment to accomplish this overlay, or if it’s done overnight.
My hope is that Toy Story Midway Mania receives a gameplay update. Even if it’s only the 70th targets unlocking more 70th targets or new point target trees, that would be a huge change for locals and Annual Passholders who have played this game hundreds of times and have developed a rhythm. (It would be a meaningless one for first-timers or infrequent tourists.)
“it’s a small world” 70th Anniversary Enhancements
In “it’s a small world” at Disneyland, Miguel and his trusted alebrije, Dante, from the Pixar film “Coco” will join the other children in song. Silhouetted by a stunning marigold bridge, you’ll be able to spot this new addition when the “it’s a small world” reopens April 25, 2025.
Disneyland will also be premiering a third and final verse in the “it’s a small world” attraction at Disneyland, beginning on July 17, 2025. Created for the song’s 60th anniversary, this new verse was written by legendary composer Richard M. Sherman in his final Disney contribution before his passing last May.
We cannot wait to experience “it’s a small world” again, especially if it gets the same kind of love as Haunted Mansion. (Setting aside the new bride and other changes, that ride is looking better than it has in ages. The refurbishment was a huge success purely from a maintenance perspective.)
“Walt Disney – A Magical Life”
Back during the D23 Expo, Imagineering unveiled is the first ever Walt Disney Audio-Animatronics as part of a new stage show, “Walt Disney — A Magical Life.” Disneyland has now revealed that this stage show will also debut on July 17, 2025, which is the date of Disneyland’s actual anniversary. (This was previously scheduled to open at the start of the celebration, but it’s since been pushed back.)
The past, present and future are finally coming together for this brand-new stage show. When “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” debuts on Main Street at Disneyland, visitors will have the chance to imagine what it would be like to stop by Walt’s office. Who knows what he might be dreaming up inside? Only time will tell with Walt.
“Walt Disney – A Magical Life” will debut inside the Main Street Opera House, and after its initial run, the attraction will play in rotation with “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.” A fitting acknowledgement of Walt’s significant advances with Audio-Animatronics about 60 years ago when he first introduced the groundbreaking technology.
New Merchandise
Check out all the celebration has to offer as you shop all-new merchandise collections designed just for the anniversary. From ears, apparel, and accessories to plush, toys, and home décor, there will be something for everyone to take home and commemorate their visit during this special celebration.
Here’s a look at a few of the items from the Celebration Collection coming to Disneyland Resort before the festivities even begin! For more on merch, be sure to check out the Guide to Disneyland 70th Anniversary Merchandise, including the “Key to Disneyland.”
New “Story of Celebration” Tour
A new add-on experience fans of Disneyland history won’t want to miss is A Story of Celebration: 70th Anniversary Guided Tour. This two-hour walking tour will explore the rich heritage of Disneyland park, from opening day attractions to the latest innovations.
As you visit iconic locations around the park, you’ll learn more about Walt Disney’s vision of this happy place and how it’s continued to grow and evolve over the decades. Bookings will be available on Disneyland.com beginning April 24, 2025. Separate fees and other restrictions will apply.
New MagicBand+ Surprises
Wear your MagicBand+ as you wander through Disneyland park to discover five fun surprises in Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Frontierland. At each stop, your MagicBand+ will unlock unique interactions and effects inspired by the opening day attractions, adding a little more nostalgia to your celebration.
Your MagicBand+ will even interact with some of the entertainment experiences arriving for the anniversary, like “Paint the Night,” “Tapestry of Happiness,” “World of Color Happiness!” and “Wondrous Journeys,” through synchronized vibrations and glittering lights. If you don’t have a MagicBand+, you may choose to purchase a special design created just for the celebration.
PhotoPass Magic Shots
Keep an eye out for Disney PhotoPass Cast Members to commemorate your visit with a photo that has some extra pixie dust. Throughout the celebration, a series of all-new Magic Shots, Disney PhotoPass Lenses and other photo enhancements will be available in Disneyland and DCA, including the Mickey and Minnie Magic Shot beginning May 16 near the Disneyland main entrance and Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The purchase of Disney PhotoPass+ One Day includes unlimited downloads of Disney PhotoPass digital photos from the day. With the purchase of Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Lightning Lane Premier Pass, you also get access to Disney PhotoPass Lenses and unlimited Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads.
Disneyland 70th Anniversary Deals
To make the most of the celebration and save money while doing it, there’s a new Disneyland 70th Anniversary Ticket Deal for Summer 2025! This offers limited-time, multi-day theme park ticket for as low as $120 per day with a special 3-Day, 1-Park per day ticket, for a total price of $360. Or guests may save even more — as low as $100 per day — with a special 4-Day, 1-Park per day ticket, for a total price of $400.
This Disneyland Anniversary Ticket Offer is on sale now for visits from May 16 through August 14, 2025. Providing a variety of options and flexibility, guests may choose from 3-Day or 4-Day park tickets with options available to upgrade to Park Hopper tickets and to add on Lightning Lane Multi Pass. These tickets may be used consecutively or separately throughout the summer season to visit again and again!
There are even Summer 2025 Discounts at Disneyland Resort Hotels, where guests can stay and play in the heart of the magic at 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 May 16-Sept. 26, 2025. Bookings must be made by May 15, 2025. Subject to availability and restrictions.
Mickey & Minnie Costumes & More!
Additionally, you’ll be able to find Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their pals dressed for the party in Town Square in Disneyland, in custom looks designed just for the occasion.
Disneyland will debut a new character cavalcade called “Mickey and Friends Celebrate Happy!” As it winds its way along the parade route, favorite characters will encourage you to dance and clap along in an energetic and contemporary celebration of seven decades of happiness.
In the evenings at California Adventure, the exterior of Carthay Circle Restaurant will invite everyone to “celebrate happy” during a special moment filled with music, lights and projection effects. And at Disneyland, the facade of “it’s a small world” will also get a new projection show.
Plus, created in honor of the anniversary, an upbeat new theme song “Celebrate Happy” will be heard throughout various entertainment offerings. This catchy new tune will be performed by none other than the Jonas Brothers! The song “Celebrate Happy” will be available to stream beginning May 13, wherever you listen to music.
Park Decorations
In the esplanade between Disneyland and California Adventure, you won’t be able to miss the contemporary 50-foot sculpture inspired by Sleeping Beauty Castle with colorful glass panels and golden charms representing the five original lands.
This reminds me of the The Tower of the Four Winds from the 1964 New York World’s Fair near the original “it’s a small world” designed by legendary Imagineer Rolly Crump. Also outside the park, 70th décor will also extend into the Downtown Disney District and the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort.
When you step through the gates of Disneyland, floral Mickey will welcome you to the celebration with a display of vibrant flowers, and multi-colored banners and bunting will decorate Main Street, U.S.A. In the heart of Town Square, you’ll spot an installation featuring Mickey and Minnie created just for the anniversary.
Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure will also be decked out in 70th colors. In the evenings, the exterior of the restaurant will invite everyone to “celebrate happy” during a special moment filled with music, lights and projection effects. Set to the tune of “Celebrate Happy,” this interlude further illuminates Carthay Circle and Buena Vista Street with twinkling lights, dynamic projections and bursts of color.
Finally, an elegant medallion will adorn Sleeping Beauty Castle.
I’m of mixed minds about this Sleeping Beauty Castle overlay. There’s less to it than past anniversaries, which also featured bunting, banners, and other swank on Sleeping Beauty Castle. At the same time, this looks very different (in a good way) and there’s something to be said for subtle.
At the end of the day, what most families probably want is a castle photo that offers a timestamp of their visit–this accomplishes this without the sameishness of the Disneyland 60th or Disney100 decor.
Ultimately, this all sounds pretty good to me! That’s probably unsurprising to regular readers, as this checks off most the boxes on my Disneyland 70th Anniversary Wish List from a few months back. The return of fan-favorites like Wondrous Journeys and Paint the Night Parade will be fantastic, the new World of Color: Happiness has a lot of potential, and even Better Together is a solid piece of programming.
Perhaps equally as important, there are no unforced errors. My biggest fear with the Disneyland 70th Anniversary celebration was that it’d be less a celebration of 7 decades of Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom, and more an excuse to do another Pixar Fest, Summer of Heroes, or some other odd celebration having zilch to do with Walt Disney’s creative legacy.
Thankfully, that is not the case. Even as the festivities will be their own thing and not always oriented around Walt, that’s fine. I’m just glad they don’t revolve around Marvel or some other franchise. My only real disappointment with this lineup is that Magic Happens does not appear to be returning for 2025. It’s unfortunate that Disneyland has created a rotation with parades, only doing daytime or nighttime–but it’s hard to complain about this too loudly given the otherwise solid slate of offerings.
All in all, we’re pretty excited for Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary, and will be spending a ton of time at the parks once it begins on May 16, 2025. Regardless of what else is announced, it sounds like it’s going to be a great event. We’ll keep you posted on all of the news in the months to come!
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
Your Thoughts
Are you looking forward to the Disneyland 70th Anniversary celebration? What entertainment are you looking forward to seeing during the event? Is Paint the Night + Wondrous Journeys fireworks + World of Color: Happiness good enough for you? Excited to finally see Walt Disney honored with a show and first-ever Audio Animatronics figure? 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!