Walk through Frontierland on a weekday and there is a good chance you will see a fiddle playing cowboy entertaining folks. The fiddler is Farley the Fiddler who has been performing at the Disneyland Resort for 40 years! His real name is Gary Francisco and after Monday, he will be retiring from his career at the Disneyland Resort.
Farley the Fiddler has been a part of Gary Francisco’s life for nearly 50 years. At Disneyland, he has been doing it near the entrance to Frontierland for the last 25 years full-time. He performs seven times a day, five days a week. This means that over the course of the career he has performed over 40,000 shows as Farley the Fiddler!
His career at Disneyland began as a fiddle player at the Big Thunder Ranch when it originally opened. His stage name, Farley the Fiddler, came from when he joined Montezuma’s Revenge in 1972. This name continued on at Disneyland as his career and persona grew. He became the fiddle playing cowboy with the silly jokes. Through the years he also had stints as one of the Billys in Billy HIll and the Hillbillies.
Now at 67, Farley the Fiddler will be hanging up his hat but not his fiddle. He may be entering retirement but he will still be working with educational programs and making a difference with the gifts he has. DAPS MAGIC wishes Gary Francisco all the best in his retirement. He has made magic for decades at the Disneyland Resort and with that, countless memories. For that, there are thousands upon thousands of guests who are thankful for him. Best wishes Farley/Gary!
