Disneyland announces its 2025 special events schedule and 70th anniversary celebration

05.12.2024 - 17:25 / thepointsguy.com

Next year ushers in an important anniversary for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Founded in 1955, the resort will observe seven decades as the Happiest Place on Earth.

Disney never misses a chance to celebrate, and the company just announced that it plans to mark this 70-year Disneyland milestone with a major anniversary celebration starting in mid-2025.

But Disneyland also has a number of new and returning offerings in store, and it is making it easy to plan by sharing many dates and events well in advance.

The year's headliner is undoubtedly the 70th anniversary celebration itself. Scheduled to debut May 16, 2025, the anniversary will continue for more than a full year until summer 2026. So, there are lots of opportunities to experience it.

The theme of the 70th anniversary party will be "Celebrate Happy," and it will feature a song of the same name played for the event. The parks will have special anniversary decor, new looks for Mickey and other characters, exclusive food and merchandise, and lots of entertainment.

The entertainment lineup, in particular, is sure to please the Disneyland faithful. For much of the anniversary celebration, the resort is bringing back two extremely popular fan favorites to its nighttime entertainment offerings in Disneyland Park.

The first is the long-awaited and frequently teased return of "Paint the Night." This nighttime parade in Disneyland features floats and performers illuminated by over a million LED lights. "Paint the Night" debuted at Disneyland's 60th anniversary celebration and hasn't run in Anaheim since 2018.

The second nighttime offering making a return for the anniversary is "Wondrous Journeys."

This nighttime spectacular debuted in early 2023 for the Disney100 celebration, and it has had such a limited run ever since that even many regular guests may have missed seeing it. "Wondrous Journeys" includes projections from each and every Walt Disney Animation Studios film set to music on several facades in Disneyland Park. It also includes fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle for select performances.

Over at Disney California Adventure Park, the daytime parade, "Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!" — which debuted during 2024's Pixar Fest — will return.

Disney will also debut a brand-new "World of Color" nighttime show over the park's waters for the anniversary. "World of Color Happiness" is inspired by Walt Disney's 1955 opening-day remarks, which are now memorialized on a plaque by the park's entrance: "To all who come to this happy place ... welcome!"

Speaking of Walt Disney, the 70th anniversary also brings a much-talked-about new show to the Main Street Opera House. "Walt Disney — A Magical Life" will feature an