In 2023 the Walt Disney company celebrates its 100-year anniversary. While the company will be celebrating across all its many departments, one way regular folks can get involved is to visit the home of all things House of Mouse, Disneyland.
The theme park is running its own Disney 100 celebrations throughout 2023. If you’re an Aussie considering taking a trip for the big anniversary, here are the things you should know about.
Disneyland 100 Celebrations
Disneyland Resort, located in Anaheim California, was the first theme park in Walt Disney’s global empire.
To celebrate that land in which it all began, Disney has a number of new things planned for its Californian park, including new attractions, experiences and dining options.
When do the anniversary celebrations begin?
The 100-year celebrations will begin on January 27, 2023, at Disneyland Resort and continue throughout the year.
What is new at Disneyland in 2023?
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Disneyland’s latest and greatest ride stars its two main mascots. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opens on January 27 and is described as a “wild and wacky adventure through Mickey and Minnie’s madcap cartoon world.”
The ride is opening without a stand-by line, requiring guests to use the Disneyland app to join the virtual queue, where there will be twice daily enrolment times at 7:00 am and 1:oo pm.
Like any new ride at Disneyland, expect it to be popular for some time, so go in with a plan.
World of Colour – ONE
Anyone who has visited Disneyland’s neighbour, California Adventure Park, will likely be familiar with the spectacular World of Colour show that is projected onto the water each night.
In 2023, that evolves to become World of Colour – ONE, a new nighttime show celebrating the storytelling legacy started by Walt Disney. The show will feature characters, music and moments from all of Disney’s brands including Walt Disney Animation, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel.
Again you’ll need to use the virtual queue system to gain a spot in the viewing area for World of Color, with distribution beginning at 12:00 pm daily in the Disneyland app.
Wondrous Journeys
Special lighting effects and customised projections will be on display in Main Street, Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Rivers of America and It’s a Small World, this year. The nighttime spectacular will take you on a journey through 100 years of Walt Disney Animation.
Disney Gallery
The Disney Galler on Main Street in Disneyland will house a new exhibit inspired by Walt Disney’s vision for Disneyland. It will feature artwork by original Disney animators and concept work by Imagineers.
Magic Happens Parade
It’s not a trip to Disneyland without the parade and from February 24 a new Magic Happens show will arrive. The daytime spectacular will celebrate moments from Disney Animation and Pixar Studio films with new floats, costumes and musical score.
Mickey’s Toontown
Following the opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Mickey’s Toontown will reopen on March 8.
The beloved land has been reimagined with more play activities and attractions than ever before as well a number of grassy area to relax and unwind – which is certainly new for Disneyland.
Décor, Merchandise and Food
Throughout both Disneyland theme parks and Downtown Disney there will be new dècor and merchandise and meal options to celebrate the 100th anniversary.
Let’s skip straight to the food part. Specialty food and drinks including platinum trifle and a potato and cheddar cheeseburger will be on offer, plus specialty Mickey Mouse ears and cups. A violet pretzel stuffed with salted vanilla cream and lavender sugar also sounds like a stand-out. You can check out the full foodie guide here.
Disneyland prices 2023
Admission tickets have been steadily increasing at Disneyland year after year, particularly following the pandemic.
Here’s how prices currently stand on Disneyland’s website (all in USD):
- 1-day park ticket – from $104
- 2-day park ticket – from $143 per day
- 3-day park ticket – from $120 per day
- 4-day park ticket – from $99 per day
- 5-day park ticket – from $83 per day
Expect to add $65 on top of that if you want to hop between both Disneyland and California Adventure Park.
It’s never a cheap day out going to Disneyland, particularly for Aussie who have to chuck airfares and accommodation on top of that. But if there was any year to go it would have to be Disney’s 100th anniversary, right?
You can make a big week out of it and check out the new Super Nintendo World while you’re state-side as well.
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