Easter week at Disneyland delivered sunshine, egg hunts… and one guest who really took “spring break” to heart. From Star Wars ride updates to 70th anniversary festivities—and yes, a Canadian tourist who stripped naked and scaled Tiana’s Palace—we’ve got all the news, nudes, and nonsense from the Happiest Place on Earth this Easter Week.
News from Batuu
We’ve already shared that starting May 22, 2026, riders on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will control their destination, leading to adventures on Bespin (the wreckage of the second Death Star around Endor) or the city-planet of Coruscant. But now we have more details…
In a new storyline for the attraction, Hondo Ohnaka has learned about a deal going down on Tatooine between ex-Imperial officers and a band of pirates. Naturally, he’s after the bounty being offered for their capture, so you’ll need to team up with Mando and Grogu to track them down.
A second new gameplay addition allows guests in the engineer positions to communicate with Grogu during the mission, which will be great news for anyone who’s ever been relegated to the less-than-challenging “button-pushing” position.
Disney notes that while these updates debut on the same day “The Mandalorian and Grogu” premieres in theaters, the attraction’s storyline will not follow the movie.
There were all sorts of reveals and news from Star Wars Celebration over the weekend:
Inside Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025: A Galaxy of Stars, Surprises & Fandom
Oh, Canada!
A Canadian guest caused quite a commotion last week when he stripped down to his birthday suit and climbed the wrought-iron pergola around the patio of Tiana’s Palace restaurant in New Orleans Square.
Perhaps this Canadian tourist was just trying to be seen—because his fellow countrymen certainly haven’t been. While he made headlines in New Orleans Square, the bigger story is that Canadians (and many other international tourists) are staying away from Anaheim in record numbers.
Canada is top of mind for Anaheim hoteliers and tourism officials these day. And not for their birthday suits. The city has recorded a drastic drop in Canadian visitors, and the fact is that many travelers from Canada and Mexico are choosing not to vacation in the U.S. at all right now.
McKenzie McMillan, a travel advisor at Vancouver-based The Travel Group, told TravelAge West magazine that travel to the U.S. for their Canadian clients has “pretty much dropped to zero.”
Air travel from Canada to the U.S. has dropped by more than 70%. And flights into John Wayne Airport (Orange County) from any destination experienced an 8.5% decrease in February 2025 compared to February 2024 (we suspect that the situation has already worsened as local hotels see further erosion in occupancy rates all the way through summer).
So, how does that impact theme parks?
While Walt Disney World will likely feel the pinch more than Disneyland—since as many as a quarter of their guests are international travelers who stay for at least a week—the California parks, which cater more to locals, will also miss those lucrative visitors. That’s why they’re offering limited-time ticket deals to encourage local visitors and help ease the financial blow. So, if attendance and hotel occupancy drop further, expect Disneyland to continue with ticket and travel offers in the coming months.
Deals include a Disneyland SoCal Resident Ticket Offer (valid through May 15, 2025), and an upcoming special Disneyland Anniversary 4-day Ticket Offer (from $100 per day – valid May 16 through August 14, 2025). You can find all of the current and upcoming ticket and hotel offers on our travel partner page (HERE).
And speaking of the 70th…
Disneyland 70th Anniversary Festivities
In addition to lower ticket prices, Disneyland is sweetening the deal even more by bringing back fan-favorite parades and nighttime spectaculars that all start on May 16th and continue through summer 2026, including Wondrous Journeys and Paint the Night in Disneyland and Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration in California Adventure.
In addition to the returning entertainment, a new anniversary cavalcade in Disneyland Park is bringing Duffy and ShellieMay to Anaheim, and an all-new World of Color show in California Adventure not only features the Inside Out crew, but the Muppets as well. That’s a star-studded line-up that’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
On Disneyland’s actual 70th anniversary (July 17th), the Main Street Opera House will host a new exhibit curated by Imagineering and The Walt Disney Family Museum and the Main Street Cinema will debut a short film highlighting a new last verse for it’s a Small World (the new verse will also be added to the ride’s soundtrack).
That’s also the day the new “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show will debut in the Opera House… along with the first-ever audio-animatronic figure of Walt Disney.
For everything you need to know about Disneyland’s 70th celebration, check out our guide:
DISNEYLAND 70TH ANNIVERSARY: The Muppets & Duffy Join The Party!
Constructionland
There is refurbishment and construction from one end of the Disneyland Resort to the other. Let’s take a look around…
Disneyland Projects
The work on “it’s a small world” has been extended to May 8th. And as the refurbishment is pushed out… so are the construction walls around the attraction. More and more of the area have been consumed by white walls.
Even the famous clock face has been removed and is covered by a printed sign.
The walkway that runs parallel to the parade route into Fantasyland is also closed.
Further into Fantasyland, Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is getting an external refurbishment as the attraction remains open.
We’re finally seeing some progress at the Adventureland bathrooms. Framing is underway for a new partition, which will replace the waterfall that was removed after a major pipe burst almost two years ago.
Disney California Adventure Projects
Time to park-hop to Disney California Adventure… Where the Carthay Circle building is under refurbishment on the exterior (the restaurant remains open).
On Hollywood Blvd. the Disney Jr. building is getting a refurbishment as the show is revamped. The new “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!,” will debut May 16th. In the new show, Mickey and Minnie are throwing a house party. But they find themselves on the road in search of Goofy, Daisy, and Pluto, who are late to the party.
Even the outdoor queue is under wraps for the new show.
At the winery, the courtyard in front of the wine tasting bar is behind refurb walls.
To visit the Magic Key terrace, you’ll need to walk around the side of the building, where they’ll send you up the emergency exit.
Downtown Disney District Projects
Headed out from the Esplanade between the parks toward the Disneyland Hotel, you’ll pass a number of projects, and those that are coming soon.
As for the ones we are waiting on… Portos has yet to break ground in the current Earl of Sandwich space.
Perpetual nomad, Earl of Sandwich, will finally have a permanent two-story home on the west side of the district, including the new table-service Carnaby Tavern. Perhaps Disneyland is waiting for that project to get closer to completion before starting the Porto’s construction. At this point, everything is so delayed for the new bakery that it doesn’t really matter if the project is further delayed.
We’re seeing some exterior work at the former ESPN building, but if history repeats itself, it’s going to be a while before this building is ready for Lululemon to move in.
Progress is moving along faster at the former Tortilla Jo’s, which will be the new home of both Arthur & Sons Steak and Bourbon and Pearl’s Roadside BBQ. Most of the old facade is completely gone, with two of the towers and the former entry remaining.
Check out our guide for all the Downtown Disney news:
Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar (updated 04/17/25)
Dumbo will be grounded on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we’ve got a slew of attractions closing next week for refurbishment.
Currently Under Refurbishment
- The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln adding “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show to theater: April 16, 2024 – July 16, 2025
- Pixie Hollow: September 16, 2024 – TBA
- it’s a small world: January 21 – May 8
- Indiana Jones Adventure: March 17 – April 24
- Tomorrowland Lemonade Stand: April 20 – 26
Upcoming Refurbishments
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant: April 22 – 23
- Matterhorn Bobsleds: April 28 – TBA
- Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room: April 28 – TBA
- Soarin’ Around the World: April 28 – May 1
- Sorcerer’s Workshop: April 28 – May 12
- Anna & Elsa’s Royal Welcome: April 2 – May 12
- Mad Tea Party: May 5 – 6
- King Arthur Carrousel: May 7 – 8
- Chip ‘n’ Dale GADGETcoaster: May 19 – TBA
This & That
Oftentimes, the smaller stories are the most interesting…
Live at 5
Every Thursday, we go live at 5pm from the Disneyland Resort. This week, Dusty, Mike, Natalie & friends journey from Disney California Adventure to witness the end of the Food and Wine Festival, construction on Buena Vista Street, and visit Disneyland to explore spring break crowds, Star Wars Season of the Force, and lots of little tidbits.
Be sure to follow along every Thursday at 5 (Pacific) on our Facebook page or YouTube.
Earth Month
As part of Earth Month 2025, Disneyland Resort is encouraging guests to participate in the Food Scraps program. Guests are prompted to place discarded food in green “Food Only” cans, which will be turned into nutrient-rich feed for farm animals.
Food is energy and not waste. When we share our scraps, the world’s a happier place! Help the Disneyland Resort reach our zero waste to landfill goal by participating in the Food Scraps program. All food scraps will be turned into nutrition-rich feed for farm animals, like dairy cows.
Participating restaurants are Galactic Grill, Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree and Cafe Daisy in Disneyland Park and Pym Test Kitchen, Flo’s V8 Cafe, and Cozy Cone Motel in California Adventure.
A green food scraps container allows guests to place leftover food waste in a scoop that is easy to transfer to a “Scoop trolley” at the end of their meal. We can’t imagine this lasting longer than Earth Month, but it’s a neat idea.
Fire Aftermath
On April 4th, a fire broke out in Disneyland’s Pixar Pals Parking Structure when a Kia Sportage caught fire, damaging a total of 12 vehicles. The blaze sent smoke billowing but caused no reported injuries. A section of the structure remains blocked off pending further repairs.
Construction walls completely surround the area where the incident occurred.
New at Starbucks
There’s a really cute new Disneyland tumbler at Starbucks that comes with a set of two mystery pins.
Have You Seen This Churro?
Just when you thought Toon Town was a safe neighborhood… This sign went up in ToonTown over the week. When we called the number, Donald Duck answered. Cute, but also very strange.
… Have you seen anything?
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MiceShots
Your reward for all that reading… some beautiful springtime photos from around the Disneyland Resort. Enjoy…
Take some time to enjoy the desert blooms in Cars Land. Absolutely stunning!
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🚨 DEAL ALERT: Don’t miss those 70th anniversary ticket and hotel deals. Snag the latest Disney travel offers from our partners at Get Away Today!
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