DISNEYLAND UPDATE: Parades, Parties & Patriotism as Summer Starts!

Summer has officially arrived at the Disneyland Resort, with the “Celebrate Happy” 70th anniversary celebration in full swing and crowd sizes swelling as grads and families flood the parks. From patriotic Memorial Day tributes and the 10th anniversary of Paint the Night, to new Stitch chaos, construction walls multiplying, and surprising PhotoPass perks—it’s a busy week in the parks. And thanks to the keen eye of photographer Trevor Perez, you’ll find some beautiful shots that capture the spirit of the season.

Let’s take a spin around the Happiest Place on Earth—now even happier (and busier) thanks to cheerful decor, celebratory snacks, and a party atmosphere that’s hard to miss…

Happy Birthday, Paint the Night

Paint the Night has returned for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary, but the popular nighttime parade is celebrating a milestone of its own. The illuminated parade first stepped off in Disneyland Park on May 22, 2015, as part of the resort’s 60th anniversary celebration, marking its 10th birthday last Thursday.

Paint the Night Dining Package

Plaza Inn is offering a special Paint the Night Dining Package that includes a three-course meal and reserved viewing for the parade. The dining package is available through Aug. 21, 2025, at 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. (except June 14-16, 18; July 4; August 17, 2025).

The price is $55 per adult and $28 per child (ages 3 to 9). Tax and gratuity not included; plant-based options are available.

Adult Dining Package Menu (includes choice of one fountain beverage):

Baby wedge salad

Mushroom gravy-glazed meatloaf with pea purée over creamy mashed potatoes and herbed crispy carrots

Paint the Night-themed dessert

Child Dining Package Menu (includes choice of one fountain beverage):

Crispy chicken tenders, macaroni & cheese, apple sauce, baby carrots, and a dinner roll with a Paint the Night-themed dessert

Know Before You Go:

• • Every person in the party must purchase a dining package to obtain a voucher.
  • Vouchers are valid only for the designated showtime on the same day as the dining experience.
  • The voucher lists the location of your viewing area, when to arrive at the viewing area, and the show’s performance time. Please arrive no sooner than 10 minutes before your reservation time.
  • The viewing area is mainly standing room or ground seating and is separate from the dining location. It will be available for the first show of the day.
  • Special seating requests or preferences will not be accommodated (except for wheelchair accessibility); early and late arrivals will not be accommodated.
  • You must cancel at least one day before your reservation to avoid a $10 per person cancellation fee.
  • Paint the Night can be cancelled due to technical or weather issues without notice. No refunds or exchanges will be available, even if the show is cancelled.

Disneyland 70th Settles In

After the initial 70th-anniversary fanfare last week, the celebration (which continues through summer 2026) has settled in for the long haul.

One bit of good news—the sleepy/creepy music box-style esplanade soundtrack we lamented last week has already been replaced! The new mix features a blend of classic Disneyland tunes and vocal tracks from the 70th anniversary celebration. But if you were fond of the music box version, don’t worry—it still plays each night at 10 p.m. as a post-fireworks “kiss goodnight.” Win-win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Trevor Perez (@trevor_perez_)

Crowd Control

While wait times may seem a bit lower than you’d expect for this time of year, beware of fluctuating crowds.

When we visited the parks on Thursday, busloads of kids were entering the parks for Grad Nite (plus general end-of-the-school-year trips for the elementary school kids). Yup! That’s right! In many Southern California areas, the school year is ending, and kids are already heading into summer vacation mode.

The park was relatively uncrowded in the morning; however, as the day progressed, many areas became increasingly busy. We observed spots near the parade route were exceptionally crowded as the times for the cavalcade and parade approached. 

Let’s take a look at those pesky pinch points in Disneyland.

Fantasyland Crowds

Fantasyland is always a tight squeeze, with lots of popular kid-friendly attractions that draw extra strollers.

New Orleans Square

The square seemed very busy, despite the Pirates’ wait time listed at only 35 minutes. However, the Lightning Lane was pretty full, and we know how much that slows the standby queue.

Tomorrowland

Even with Star Tours closed for refurbishment, Tomorrowland was jam-packed… and while the shady spot under the sad former People Mover track is a nice place to stand, it also creates a bottleneck in the middle of the land.

And can we all just agree that Disneyland needs to finally announce plans for this long-shuttered attraction?! Is is staying? Going? Evolving? It’s beyond rediculous that such a visible reminder of a dead attraction remain in the middle of such a busy land … unless there are plans for it to return in some form. And if Disneyland is worried that a PeopleMover wouldn’t be popular with today’s tourists, they only need to look to the Magic Kingdom in Florida, where the attraction is ALWAYS busy. 

Adventureland

Known for being a fairly tight area on non-busy days, Adventureland is where you really feel the crowd levels change drastically. 

ToonTown

With only one way in and out, ToonTown can fill up fast. Disneyland had toyed with making a pathway between ToonTown and Galaxy’s Edge when ToonTown 2.0 was under construction. It’s too bad that never happened as it would really help with guest-flow in the area. 

Constructionland

Disneyland is always busy with new projects. While it’s a bit surprising construction walls are up around some of the park’s most iconic attractions as Disneyland celebrates its 70th anniversary, we’re hoping they’ll will be down by July 17th, the park’s actual birthday.

Let’s take our weekly stroll around the parks to see what has changed over the past week.

Disneyland Park

Walls went up at the Matterhorn on May 5th (and there’s no end date announced yet), but from the looks of it, there’s a lot of heavy work happening here. We noticed some sections of track missing from the load area, notably the track that slides when moving bobsleds on and off the main track. 

The waterfalls are also getting a lot of attention. Since a chunk of a waterfall fell onto the track a couple of years ago (it happened after hours), Disney is paying much closer attention to that element of the mountain. 

Both the Enchanted Tiki Room and Tiki Juice Bar are closed for refurbishment. This time, there seems to be a lot of attention on Tangaroa, the animated tree to the right of the doors, as scaffolding and scrims have surrounded it for weeks. The figure is likely being updated to address issues during the “From my limbs, let new life fall” segment of the show, in which flowers fall into easy reach of guests. 

California Adventure Park

Mendocino Terrace remains behind walls as work continues on the wine bar. For now, the perimeter of that wall serves as scooter and stroller parking.

The walkway between Avengers Campus and Cars Land remains blocked as Avengers Campus expansion continues.

We’re looking forward to two new rides being added here. Interesting that the tiny Avengers Campus will have 4 attractions when complete and the massive Galaxy’s Edge will still only have 2. 

Downtown Disney District

The new two-story Earl of Sandwich on Downtown Disney’s far west side is really starting to take shape.

In addition to the expected sandwich shop planned for the ground level, the second floor will be home to an all-new table service concept, The Carnaby Tavern. The Carnaby Tavern is being designed as an homage to the swinging ‘60s “British Invasion” pop and rock bands from the U.K. The restaurant will feature a patio with an indoor/outdoor full-service bar.

And the old ESPN Zone building is starting to look more colorful.

Old Tortilla Jo’s is all but gone. We watched as the last of the steel beams and elevator shafts were removed. We just happened to catch this view from the Monorail as we were gliding towards the Tomorrowland Station.

Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar (updated 05/21/25)

New this week is Star Tours closing for refurbishment at the end of June, and while Pixie Hollow has listed an end date, we wouldn’t bet on it. The return date has been changed or removed several times since its closing last September. We hope the area is getting a lot of new Pixie dust.

 

Currently Under Refurbishment

• The Disneyland Story, presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, adding “Walt Disney — A Magical Life” show to the theater: April 16, 2024 – July 16th, 2025
• Pixie Hollow: September 16, 2024 – June 28, 2025
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room: April 28 – TBA
• Matterhorn Bobsleds: May 5 – TBA
• Chip ‘n’ Dale GADGETcoaster: May 19 – June 12

Upcoming Refurbishments

• Star Tours- The Adventures Continue: June 30 – TBA

Ain’t No Party Like A Disneyland Party

The interactive Pixar Party that debuted for Pixar Fest is back at the Fantasyland Theatre. On Friday (it’s opening day), the show had performances at 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m.

Also, Stitch’s Interplanetary Beach Party Blast has returned to Tomorrowland, which posted showtimes on opening day of 5:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

Always check the Disneyland app for the most up-to-date entertainment schedule as times frequently change from day to day.

Go Bananas!

If you don’t know who the Savannah Bananas are, you’re about to find out, because they’re coming to Disneyland on May 28th. 

The wild and wacky yellow-clad independent baseball team from Georgia has been dubbed “The Greatest Show in Sports” for their antics (think the Harlem Globetrotters, but baseball). The one-day-only Banana Day at Disneyland will feature themed food and beverages and special entertainment moments, including a Savannah Bananas Cavalcade and a special dance number of “Hey Baby” in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.  

This and That

In case you missed it, last Thursday’s Live at 5 had a slightly different rhythm since Dusty was in Orlando doing something… epic. While we roamed the parks here on the West Coast, Dusty was representing MiceChat at the grand opening of Universal’s Epic Universe! You can find all our coverage of Universal’s outrageous new park HERE.

With Dusty out, Mike and Trevor took you on our Thursday afternoon stroll through the park, and we managed to find some magic along the way—including a surprise chat with Rey and Chewbacca in Galaxy’s Edge!

Dusty returns this Thursday, but until then, catch up on last week’s adventure in the video below—and get ready for stories from both coasts!

Memorial Day

Today is Memorial Day (May 26th)—a time to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. At Disneyland, the spirit of remembrance is alive with a solemn flag retreat ceremony in Town Square and special tributes throughout the resort.

Tables were set for fallen soldiers throughout the resort. A lovely tribute that had us misty-eyed. 

On Thursday evening, we caught a performance by a Navy brass band at the Hollywood Backlot Stage, adding a nice patriotic touch to Disney California Adventure.

Stitch and Scrump Sipper

A new sipper is available this week. Seen at the Galactic Grill, the Stitch and Scrump sipper is available for $25.99 and comes with a fountain drink of choice. There is a limit of 2 per transaction and like other favorite food and beverage collections in the parks, there are no discounts applied.

After a massive opening weekend for the live-action Lilo & Stitch film (which set a record for the Memorial Day weekend), we expect to see a lot more of these characters in the parks in the months to come. It might even be time for Disneyland to start working on that “Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride” attraction!

New Magic Keys on Sale

Magic Key sales have resumed, but not all keys are available for new purchases. For now, new sales are limited to the Believe Key and the Inspire Key. The others are only available for renewal at this time. We’ll keep a close eye on Magic Key sales.

Meet Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb are meeting guests in the Hollywood Backlot (with Agent P on Saturdays only).

PhotoPass Excursions

PhotoPass excursions have returned to Adventureland, Frontierland, Main Street, and Fantasyland. Disneyland PhotoPass Excursions offer guests a short, private photo session with a professional Disney photographer—typically lasting 8 to 15 minutes. 

The PhotoPass excursion is available to:

• • Magic Key holders who have free PhotoPass
  • Park guests who have purchased Lightning Lane
  • Park guests who have purchased a daily PhotoPass ($24.99)

More PhotoPass Magic

Stitch Mural

We spotted artist Pei Jun Tang creating a colorful Stitch mural near the stage in Downtown Disney… that adorable alien is everywhere!

MiceShots

This week, we set Trevor loose in the parks like a kid with a FastPass and no adult supervision. With an eye for the magical and a knack for catching the unexpected, Trevor’s lens tells stories the rest of us might stroll right past. We think you’ll be as delighted by what he captured as we were. Be sure to let him know what you think. 

So grab a churro and tag along — let’s see what delightful details he discovered around the resort this week!

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