With Anaheim’s Disneyland Resort turning 70 on July 17th, the park, and the city it sits in, are ramping up celebrations. And Australian and New Zealand residents are being offered a very special ticket offer to help encourage a trip over the Pacific.
Firstly, let’s take a look at how Disneyland, and the city of Anaheim, are honouring seven decades of “The Happiest Place on Earth”.
“Celebrate Happy” through the Park
The theme of their 70th Anniversary celebrations is “Celebrate Happy”.
You’ll see decorations across the entire resort, with bold blue, magenta and purple décor, with golden accents – including a massive medallion on Sleeping Beauty Castle. You’ll spot something similar on the train station at the park’s entry. Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and friends will also be dressed in custom outfits a Disneyland’s Town Square.
And of course there wouldn’t be a theme at Disneyland without a new theme song – and for this, they have enlisted the help of The Jonas Brothers. You’ll be able to hear their song “Celebrate Happy” at a number of new entertainment options throughout the park.
New (and returning) Parades and Spectacles
The nighttime spectacular “Wondrous Journeys” will return to Disneyland Park with projection effects and music nodding to Walt Disney Animation Studios films. The show is enhanced with fireworks on select nights. And the loved “Paint The Night” Parade will be also returning to Disneyland, with vibrant floats and more than a million brilliant LED lights.
Across the street at Disney California Adventure Park, the all-new nighttime spectacular “World of Color Happiness!” recently debuted, inspired by Walt Disney’s words from the opening day dedication of Disneyland: “To all who come to this happy place… welcome!” The water show features a rendition of “Rainbow Connection” performed by R&B group Boyz II Men, plus an original song “Makes Me Wanna Move,” performed by FITZ from Fitz and the Tantrums.
Colorful floats and more than two dozen characters from Pixar IP fill the streets of Disney California Adventure Park with the return of the daytime parade “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!”, which debuted last year during Pixar Fest, which I was lucky enough to be on ground for. It’s a good time, and has a very catchy theme song of its own.
Additional entertainment highlights include “The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade” daytime processional and “Tapestry of Happiness” nighttime projection show on the façade of “it’s a small world” at Disneyland Park, plus “Celebrate Happy: A Little Bit of Magic Every Night” projections on the façade of Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure Park. An all-new live show, “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!”, also debuted in the Disney Theater at Disney California Adventure Park on May 16th.
So, So Much New Food
There’s going to be brand new food items found throughout both Disneyland and California Adventure – too many additions to mention in this article. More than 70, in fact! So head over to the official Disney Parks Blog for the full list.
But some of the highlights we spotted were the “70th Celebration Churro”, a Classic churro rolled in ube sugar and topped with marbled blue raspberry icing drizzle and sprinkles. And then at Schmoozies!, in California Aventure, you’ll find the Mickey-shaped Celebration Waffles with strawberry cream filling and topped with sprinkles and powdered sugar, pictured below. There’s even a 70th Anniversary IPA courtesy of the Karl Strauss Brewing Company.
There’s also a Mickey Mouse Club Hat Cookie, which should bring a good deal of nostalgia with it. There are 70th Celebration Cakes and Macaroons- including a macaroon designed to look like the Matterhorn roller coaster. This one is a Coconut macaroon dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles. There’s Mac and cheese topped with pineapple-BBQ pulled pork in a sourdough bread bowl. A “house-filled Celebration Beignet” at Tiana’s Palace – one of the newest locations in the park.
New Additions to Main Street U.S.A.
Once July 17th hits, there’ll be even more to enjoy at the Park, as the park officially turns 70. And a lot of this will be right on Main Street U.S.A. – which is a rarely updated part of the park.
The most notable addition was first announced at D23 2024. And that’s a brand new animatronic presentation in the Main Street Opera House, also known as the Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln theatre; Walt Disney – A Magical Life. For the first time ever, guests will be able to see Walt come to life in animatronic form, as he brings you into his office.
Eventually, this cinematic presentation of Walt Disney’s journey will play in rotation with Lincoln himself – Walt’s first animatronic. But from July 17th, the new show will take over the space. The theatre will also host a brand new gallery experience, with art, artifacts and more documenting Disneyland from its very early stages to the 70 years to now.
Also on July 17, the Main Street Cinema, which has been screening Steamboat Willie and other Disney classics for as long as I can remember, will also finally be getting an update. Here, they’ll be paying tribute to the songwriting duo, the Sherman Brothers, with a new verse playing in the titular, ear-worm song that is it’s a small world.
And speaking of it’s a small world, look out for the characters of Coco, who has been added to the Mexico section of that iconic ride.
70th Anniversary Merch
Of course, there’s no shortage of new 70th anniversary merch to enjoy exclusively at the parks. Popcorn buckets have become all the rage, and if you scroll down on the food blog post from earlier, you’ll see a number of new cups and popcorn buckets to enjoy, including this Mickey Mouse!
And then there’s the Key to Disneyland, which you may have seen pop up in your social media feeds already.
This is a highly interactive item that will see guests travel through the park to find all the key holes, which will gradually light up the key. Once the key is filled, a special collectable pin is revealed. You can learn more about this particular collectable item and experience HERE.
They’re also leaning into nostalgia, with the Vault Collection, celebrating the early eras of Disneyland park with nostalgically designed merchandise. And there’s the very on-the-nose named Disneyland Resort 70th Anniversary Walt Disney Nostalgia Collection, which includes items that you might have found on Walt’s desk 70 years ago.
To take a look at all this merchandise, and more, head HERE.
Elsewhere in Anaheim
In addition to the ticket discounts being extended to Australian and New Zealand residents – a privilege normally reserved for Southern California Residents – local hotels will be celebrating their own anniversaries. JW Marriott Anaheim Resort and The Viv Hotel Anaheim will both mark five years since opening their doors.
The nearby theme park Knott’s Berry Farm will also be celebrating 105 years this year, with “five seasons of fun” throughout 2025, including an interactive Ghost Town Alive! Experience this summer, followed by Knott’s Scary Farm late September and throughout October and Knott’s Merry Farm for the holiday season.
VidCon Anaheim, the world’s largest celebration of digital content creation, will return 19-21 June 2025. And then returning events in 2026 include BlizzCon and WonderCon.
Ticket Offers for Australian and New Zealand Residents
And as for that ticket offer? For a limited time, ANZ residents can visit Disneyland Resort with a special offer on park tickets. These will be valid for visits from now through 9 October 2026. Several of the offers have been included below. For full details or to book, speak to your local travel agent. Conditions apply.
- Flight Centre Australia – Save up to 25%
- Klook – Save up to $127
- Luxury Escapes – AUNZ Residents Offer
- Flight Centre New Zealand – Save up to $1073
- Attraction Tickets – Save up to 25%
- Helloworld Travel – Save up to $686 per person
This list is not exhaustive of everything that Disneyland has to offer. We didn’t even get a chance to mention the two hour A Story of Celebration: 70th Anniversary Guided Tour, which you can learn more about and book HERE.
Find the full guide to the 70th anniversary HERE.
Photos by Disneyland Resort.
