It’s been a decade since we were inside one of the Disney Parks in the middle of the night, since the last “One More Disney Day” party–remember those events for Leap Day and the start of the summer season at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland?! So when we were invited to cover the Cast Member 70th Celebration in honor of Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom, we couldn’t pass it up.
This shares how I started the morning, arriving to Disneyland at 3:30 am, and the fun-filled event in honor of the people who make the dream a reality. At that hour, we were quite literally the very first guests to arrive at the Esplanade, alongside a handful of other media present to document the big day.
The fun for Disney Cast Members kicked off several hours before the first guests could step onto Main Street for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary. It was a truly special event was held as Anaheim-based Cast Members, employees, and Imagineers were invited to be among the first to experience this milestone date with special offerings and the chance to be part of a historical moment.
My morning actually began an hour before arriving to the Esplanade. At 2:30 am, I got up and ready for the day, made coffee and checked the overnight comments on the site to make sure everything was on the up and up. Once my morning routine was squared away, I left the hotel and headed for the park. We were staying at the Element Anaheim for the second time in as many weeks–since Sarah and Megatron would be meeting up with me later in the morning, it just made sense to do a staycation.
Once I arrived at Disneyland, bag check was a breeze–stay tuned for our post offering ‘one simple hack’ to beat security lines, which is arriving at 3:30 am. I was among the first people inside the park, entering before the Cast Member party kicked off and catching the tail end of overnight maintenance and cleaning. Always neat to see how the parks ‘go to bed’ and ‘wake up’ for the day ahead!
The first of many highlights of the Cast Member party was the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration hot air balloon.
First launching from ESPN’s Bristol Headquarters in May before heading to other locations across the country like Seattle and San Francisco’s Presidio, a special Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration hot air balloon landed on Main Street, U.S.A., just in time for the official anniversary of the park’s 1955 opening date.
Adorned with bright, pastel colors and Mickey Mouse’s face on the side, Cast Members were able to snap pictures next to the balloon on display near Astro Orbiter. Too bad hot air balloon rides weren’t offered over Sleeping Beauty Castle, but something tells me Disney’s liability insurance may not offer coverage for that.
On a personal note, seeing the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration hot air balloon was awesome.
Longtime readers may recall various incarnations of my Disney Parks bucket list is photographing Ear Force One, Zip-A-Dee-Doo Duck, or Spaceship Earth Balloon in flight. Ideally, as one of these balloons flies over one of the castles or park icons.
While I’ve seen random balloons as part of runDisney events, this is now the closest I’ve ever gotten to that bucket list entry. With the Albuquerque New Mexico International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta nearby, maybe the Disneyland 70th balloon will make an appearance there. That festival is on my regular travel bucket list, regardless.
Many Cast Members are clearly as balloon-obsessed as me, as there was always a crowd congregated around this hot air balloon.
After marveling at the majestic balloon, I headed over to the “it’s a small world” mall, where Cast Members got the first to see the updated version of “Tapestry of Happiness.” This show is one of the highlights of the 70th Anniversary, bringing the exterior of the iconic 1966 attraction to life with a spectacular array of light, music, and projection effects.
Inspired by the style and work of legendary artist Mary Blair, the show creates an animated mosaic of Disneyland attractions, moments, and memories with nods to recognizable Disneyland music from across the decades. These shows during the Cast Member party were the first time that “Tapestry of Happiness” had the added ‘Last Verse’ from “it’s a small world” (which also debuted on July 17 inside the attraction).
This show normally takes place at night, but it was still plenty dark out at ~4:15 am. In talking to a few Cast Members, this was the first time that several of them had seen Tapestry of Happiness, period. If they don’t work in this area of the park, they’re obviously not seeing it during shifts; it’s also not easy to catch in the evenings between the parade and fireworks–and it’s often overlooked as a result.
The unanimous sentiment among the Cast Members was that “Tapestry of Happiness” is a sleeper hit from the 70th, with most finding it very moving. (Tears were even shed by some.) So if you haven’t seen “Tapestry of Happiness” yet, you should really make a point of doing so!
One of the cooler portions of the morning was seeing Imagineering install the new Zootopia window in the Emporium on Main Street.
The new window features the scene in the film of Judy chasing Duke Weaselton in Little Rodentia, the city for small mammals in Zootopia. The figures of Judy and Duke Weaselton are on a rotating turntable for the chase through the city, and then appear on a monorail overhead to continue the hot pursuit.
This project drew a large crowd of Cast Members, interested in catching a sneak peek at the new vignette and wanting to catch the Imagineers bring the scene to life and put the finishing touches on the installation. And for good reason, as it was neat to see Imagineers program the display and then make adjustments based on what working and wasn’t. At one point, an Imagineer appeared inside the window, towering over Little Rodentia, Godzilla-style.
Most Cast Members spent their mornings in Fantasyland or around Main Street. There was a DJ in the hub and a special photo op near Sleeping Beauty Castle. Three additional photo spot in Town Square on Main Street, including in front of the Disneyland Railroad Station, Town Square Fire Station, and the colorful 70th Medallion.
The first two hours of the Cast Member party were largely filled with fun, photo ops, and having an opportunity to share special time together with colleagues and friends before the sun rose on the actual anniversary of Disneyland’s opening date. (The above photo shows a sea of Cast Members waving their phone lights around, concert-style, to one of the songs played by the DJ.)
This was all great to see. One of the points we emphasize regularly here is that the Cast Members are the Disney magic. As cliche as that might sound, it’s true. It’s great to see them enjoy the park where they work, and being the first to celebrate the opening day of Disneyland.
This type of thing is immensely important in helping to keep the magic alive, giving them an opportunity to have fun, and be rejuvenated–especially at a time where guest behavior and entitlement are issues that can wear down even those with the cheeriest demeanor and commitment to keeping Walt’s dream alive.
As dawn gave way to sunrise, some Cast Members began congregating on Main Street for the special celebratory photo. Others headed towards Town Square to catch the Flag Raising ceremony, featuring appearances from the Disneyland Band and the Dapper Dans.
This ceremony — a tradition from the opening day of Disneyland 70 years ago — was an amazing reminder of how the spirit of service lives on at the Disneyland Resort, honoring those who have served in every branch of the U.S. military.
This ceremony also featured incredible performances of “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Also present at the Flag Raising ceremony were Disney CEO Bob Iger, Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro, and Disneyland President Thomas Mazloum (far left in the above photo). This trio would be present throughout the morning, and you’re likely to see much more of them together over the next several months.
They were joined by special guest and Disney Legend Tom Nabbe (right of the execs), who became the “Luckiest Boy in the World” way back in the day when Walt Disney chose him to portray Tom Sawyer at Disneyland way back in 1955.
Nabbe had a long and storied career with the company, and is one of the last people who worked with Walt who still makes appearances at D23 and other events. Nabbe was present throughout the day (he was also in the cavalcade). It was great to see him honored–he’s a really interesting man with a great story. (I haven’t read it yet, but his memoir,
After the sun had risen and the flag was up, thousands of cast members across Disneyland Resort gathered on Main Street, U.S.A., for a massive cast photo.
This was kicked off by remarks from Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro, as well as ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange. At first, I thought this was a curious choice for Disneyland’s actual anniversary and an event focused on Cast Members. And frankly, I still kind of feel that way.
On the other hand, the NYSE opening bell was the ‘angle’ that many major media outlets needed in order to cover this momentous occasion. And in the background of every one of those shots, were the smiles of thousands of Cast Members, all excited for the big day. Most notably, there didn’t seem to be a single Cast Member who was anything but excited to be a part of that photo and international media coverage–they were all thrilled.
Here’s my behind-the-scenes video of the massive Cast Member photo, followed by more photos of this and the special guest moment to open Disneyland on July 17, 2025, the special cavalcade, and more:
Disneyland 70th Anniversary Cast Photo…in rare video form. pic.twitter.com/H6JExB9NjW
— Tom Bricker (@Tom_Bricker) July 17, 2025
This 4am Cast Member party was a special way to start the actual anniversary of Disneyland’s opening day, and I hope special events like this to celebrate Cast Members become more frequent occurrences.
Not to belabor the point, but they are the ones who make the magic–and the company should be doing everything possible to keep morale high, finding unique ways for them to experience the parks, keeping their community strong, etc. We all benefit when Cast Members love their jobs and feel valued by Disney!
Once all of this ended, my ‘second day’ began with regular rope drop, meeting up with Sarah and Megatron for “it’s a small world”, snagging a spot in the virtual queue for “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” (which I enjoyed even more with an energetic audience of actual guests–Sarah thought it was great and that my review was too nitpicky), and spending time with friends and fellow fans.
All in all, it was a great day at Disneyland. Much busier than what we’ve experienced in the last few weeks, but I’ll take excited and enthusiastic crowds over low ones any day. I live for days like this, as they’re also what reinvigorates my passion for the parks, and are a good reminder of what makes this community so special in the first place.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Disney doing more to celebrate Cast Members, giving them a chance to strengthen their community and feel a greater sense of appreciation? Were you at the actual anniversary of Disneyland’s opening on July 17, 2025? What was your day like? Did you enjoy “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” or the ‘Last Verse’ in “it’s a small world”? 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!