This past weekend, thousands took part in Disneyland Resort’s 24-hour day which kicked off the Diamond Celebration. With 60 years to look at back, that meant it was time to celebrate in the parks with an event filled day. In this case, event filled days!
The resort hosted a variety of events for all to enjoy. Special food, merchandise, characters, shows and so much more made 24-hours a blast. Personally, I began camping out at 10 p.m. on Thursday night, got into Disneyland Park at 4 a.m. and officially began the 24-hour event at 6 a.m.
Today I would like to share with you the top five things from this past 24-hour event. Even though some might say I am crazy for going 24 plus hours, I would like to say that it was all worth it. Let the countdown begin.
5.) Special Food Offerings
Food! Yes, the most important thing to make sure your body keeps running for 24-hours is food. This time around, the park released a variety of special and limited time food offerings. In this case, the items that really caught my attention where the treats. Cupcakes, cookies, candy apples, cake pops, special drinks and ice cream sandwiches were a huge hit at the park. Themed to a tee with the Diamond Celebration I might add. Though most of these items can still be found at the resort through the entire Diamond Celebration, I had to try a few things that were limited.
In this case, my sweet tooth took over and I tried the summer kick-off cupcake in chocolate from Pooh’s Corner in Critter Country. Also in the early a.m., I tried the mocha chip funnel cake from the Stage Door Cafe in Frontierland. Each had its own flavor and provided that energy boost needed to get through the rest of the day. And yes, don’t worry I shared these items. Too much sugar is not good.
To see a full list of the special food offerings that were available for the 24-hour event, you can check out the list here.
4.) Photo Opportunities and Character Meet & Greets
Placed around the park were a variety of photo locations. These locations included clocks, a scaling of the Matterhorn and more. With the little areas set up here and there, it created a moment that will be looked back upon one day. These spots were fun and totally worth the wait. Though we didn’t get a chance to hit all the spots, it was still fun watching people pose in line.
In addition to the photo theme, many characters were out in their very best attire. Over in Town Square on Main Street U.S.A., Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and more were out in their best Diamond Celebration costumes. They were just too adorable. If you were not able to make it to the event, these guys will still be in their diamond attire during the entire Diamond Celebration.
Other characters that were out in special attire was that of those during the ToonTown Pajama Party. From Midnight till 5 a.m., ToonTown was filled in fun. The fab five were out in their pajamas!! A rare site to see for sure. Goofy in a onesie, so cute!
3.) World of Color – Celebrate
To remember the man who started it all, Mr. Walt Disney was celebrated in the all new World of Color. World of Color – Celebrate debuted for the first time to park guest during the 24-hour event. As soon as Disney California Adventure Park opened, guests briskly walked over to the FastPass distributions area for a ticket. Show times were for 9:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m.
This re-imagined show features a variety of characters, songs and so much more. The night was all a buzz by those that were able to see the show. As the show debuted, guests left in awe. Check out the full version of the show below. Be sure to keep a few tissues next to you, it is pretty emotional.
2.) Paint the Night & Disneyland Forever
The highly anticipated new parade and firework show were at the top of many guest’s agenda for the day. As early as park opening, guests were already camping our for the fireworks. Paint the Night was scheduled for two showings; one at 8:50 p.m. and 1 a.m. With that in mind, guests began camping out as early as 1 p.m. all along the parade route.
As soon as the parade stepped off on the ‘it’s a small world’ side and made its way to us near City Hall, all you could feel was a surge of energy. The entire parade was a hit. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. The parade featured many characters in specially themed floats. Mack from Cars making his way down Main Street was surely a sight to see. To make things even more emotional, as soon as I saw Sorcerer Mickey make his debut on his float, you could say happy tears were streaming down my face.
When the parade ended, Main Street became even more flooded as guests awaited Disneyland Forever. This brand new firework show was truly amazing. Being with thousands of people and sharing this experience was a great moment. The projections, music and everything was amazing.
If you would like to see the full shows, check out the clips below.
1.) Surviving 24-Hours
The top thing that made this event was the fact that we all survived 24-hours at the Disneyland Resort. 24-hours! How many people can really say that?
Through the massive crowds, being sleepy, long wait times for attractions and more, it was all worth it. As a guest, I feel that it was a privilege to have taken part in an event like this. Even though good and bad times occurred during the event, I feel that Walt Disney’s goal of making Disneyland a place for people to enjoy has come true and even more so.
Not only did I get a chance to see some great and marvelous things but it was also a time to socialize with family and friends at the Happiest Place on Earth.
I would like to give a special thanks to all those that worked hard on making this event happen as well as all the Cast Members that worked during the event. All your hard work truly made this experience one for the books.
If you took part in the 24-hour day at the Disneyland Resort or Walt Disney World Resort, what are your top five things?
