My 24 Hour Day At The Kickoff Of Disneyland Diamond Celebration

Just over a week ago, I attended my fourth 24 hour day at Disneyland! It has become a bit of a tradition now, but this time it was a little more special because Disneyland is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The Diamond Celebration brings new decorations along Main St. and Buena Vista St., the new Paint The Night parade, the new Disneyland Forever fireworks, and a new World of Color. People were waiting for this day to see the official debut of the night-time spectaculars. 

We lined up around 2am and then went through the turnstiles of Disneyland at about 5am. We joined thousands of people on Main St. to count down the start of the 24 hours.

 We inched our way down Main St. 

Take a look at my video below to get a feel for what it was like.

It was nice to see the sun rise from Tomorrowland.

 I headed to the Little Green Men Store to buy some pins along with hundreds of other people.

 This is what breakfast looked like. I had to grab 24 hour day cupcake. I got the chocolate one with buttercream frosting and the white chocolate Dopey decoration. There was also a vanilla one.

 Here's a better look at the decoration. It's the same design as the t-shirt and trading pin released for that day.

 Around 11am, we thought about heading to the car to drop off bags or park hopping. Knowing how crowded the park was already and seeing all the people still entering, we decided not to so that we wouldn't be stuck outside when the park reached capacity. Sure enough 2 or 3 hours later, we heard that they had closed the gates for a while. 

 I took some time to admire the shiny, sparkly castle.

 I was skeptical of the decor a couple months ago when they started going up, but I really love the finished product. It's amazing in person.

 I even like the banners in the back.

 For lunch, we made reservations for Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. It was my first time eating there. I was glad that we had this reservation because the lines for everything else were really long. Some were longer than rides. 

 For lunch, the menu consists of barbecue chicken, barbecue ribs, cole slaw, ranch beans, and corn bread. For dinner, they add smoked sausage and corn on the cobb.

They seat you at picnic tables with shade canopies.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was relaxing compared to hustle and bustle of the rest of the park. 

The chicken, ribs, and beans come served in buckets and drinks are served in mason jars. It just adds to the theme and charm of the outdoor restaurant. 

Here is my plate with all of the fixings. Make sure you come hungry because this meal is all you care to eat. They will keep the food coming until you can't possibly eat anymore.

There is also entertainment to go along with your meal. 

 If you do leave room, they offer some delicious desserts. We were too full, but we'll have to come back just for dessert next time.

At 1am we watched the new Paint The Night parade on Main St. (after a failed attempt at the 8:50pm parade). It was incredible! For me, it lived up to expectations. The floats and the music are great. The nod to the old electrical parade is a really nice touch. You can click down below to watch the whole parade for yourself.

After watching the parade, we were starving. We went to Plaza Inn to get the fried chicken and waffles made especially for the 24 hour day.

 It's not Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, but it was delicious nonetheless. Who could resist Mickey waffles? There was a huge line well in to the early morning showing that many people can't.

 We took some time to admire and take pictures of the castle at night. My camera doesn't do it justice.

After 5am, the sky started to become light again. We took advantage of the opportunity to take pictures at sunrise.

The beautiful sight was a nice way to end our 24 hours at Disneyland. 

Did you attend the 24 hour day? What was your favorite part?