Last month, Disneyland celebrated the official 60th anniversary (July 17th) of the opening of the park.
I wasn't able to go, but I had a couple of correspondents that went and got some pictures for me.
They picked up the special edition park maps that were only available on that day. As they entered the park, they also received a button that says "I was there July 17, 2015" with a picture of an original disneyland ticket. The Orange County Register gave out a limited number of their newspapers which featured vintage Disneyland pictures on the front page.
Most birthday celebrations wouldn't be complete without cake. Disneyland was no exception. They had several areas throughout Disneyland and Disney California Adventure where guests could get a free cupcake. Below is the map where the cupcakes were given out.
With these cool signs, it doesn't look like you could have missed them.
They had thousands and thousands of cupcakes that were given out all day.
There was even a gluten-free option so that everyone could enjoy.
They look sooo good!
My correspondents also picked up this new Diamond Celebration caramel apple for me.
The apple is dipped in caramel, then white chocolate after marshmallow ears are attached, covered in blue decorative sugar, and embellished with a chocolate square that has a diamond design with Mickey and Minnie.
There was also a ceremony in Disneyland where they played Walt Disney's opening day speech (as they do every year on the anniversary). A whole slew of Disney legends were recognized along with some the remaining Original Mousketeers. Richard Sherman spoke and played Walt's favorite song, Feed the Birds, while Broadway star Ashley Brown sang along. In the afternoon, there was a cavalcade featuring the Disney legends and current cast members. There are some videos on YouTube of both that can be found with a quick search. It looks and sounds like it was a fun day of festivities.
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?
