Disneyland's Diamond Anniversary Celebration

Disneyland is making plans to throw itself a spectacular party, and everyone’s invited. For the last 60 years, millions of people have celebrated anniversaries, birthdays and other special occasions at the theme park, and now the location is sharing its own Diamond Celebration with fans.

“Disneyland marked the beginning of something bigger than even Walt could have imagined,” said Tom Staggs, chief operating officer of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “And this year, we are going to celebrate the place where all of that began.”

Beginning on May 22, Disneyland will kick off its milestone anniversary with a new World of Color show, an immersive fireworks spectacular and a dazzling 60th Anniversary parade.

“The shows for the 60th are all based on Walt’s idea that Disneyland will never be complete without imagination,” said Steve Davison, lead creative executive of parades and spectaculars for Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Entertainment.

To accomplish this, every aspect of the Diamond Celebration will become a storytelling device, celebrating not only the history of park but also all that is yet to come.

Fireworks have always been a big part the Disneyland experience, but the new fireworks spectacular, Disneyland Forever, play out in the sky and throughout the entire park. With vibrant projections on It's a Small World, Main Street, Sleeping Beauty Castle and Matterhorn Bobsleds, Davison says the show will remind guests just how magical Disneyland can be. 

"Through the fireworks show, we want to literally envelop all of our guests in a warm hug," Staggs said.

The iconic Main Street Electrical Parade is the inspiration for the 60th anniversary parade titled Paint the Night.

“We wanted to capture that spirit and bring back the tradition in a creative new way, with all the enhancements and technology available to us,” Davison said.

Fans of the original Electrical Parade will be happy to know that the much-loved music, “Baroque Hoedown,” is back but with a fresh take. In addition, Paint the Night features innovative LED technology that enables floats and costumes to change color and interact with the environments around them, including the guests.

Staggs promises that the celebration will touch every aspect of the resort, including Disney California Adventure. The park's Carthay Circle Theater will be home to a special “Diamond-ized” transformation for the celebration, and the new World of Color show, “Celebrate,” will salute the imagination that Disneyland brings to the world.

“Walt Disney truly was an amazing man who made dream after dream come true,” Davison said. “One of his biggest dreams of all was Disneyland itself, so we’re going to bring Walt’s dreams to life and show guests things that they’ve never seen before.”

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