The Dapper Day outing planned for April 19 that brings thousands to Disneyland in dashing fashions has added an “encore” date to the calendar in mid-June as the Anaheim theme parks remain closed amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Dapper Day Expo planned for April 18 and 19 in the Disneyland Hotel conference center featuring 30,000-square-feet of vendor space has been rescheduled for June 20 and 21.
The planned Dapper Day Spring outing at Disneyland remains on the calendar for April 19, but organizers have added an “encore” summer Dapper Day outing on June 21 to coincide with the new expo dates.
“The Expo was moved to a date that we hope will not be as severely impacted by the current situation impacting health, safety and travel,” said Dapper Day founder Justin J. via email to the Orange County Register. “Likewise, our ‘encore’ June 21 park outing over Father’s Day was added in case Disney’s Anaheim parks are not open over April 19, as well as providing our audience with an alternate date hopefully less likely to be impacted by travel or safety issues.”
Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, along with the three Resort hotels and Downtown Disney District remain closed through the end of March amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The announced 18-day closure of Disneyland and Disney California Adventure could stretch even longer. The Centers for Disease Control is recommending an 8-week ban on all public gatherings and events over 50 people.
All upcoming Dapper Day outings at Disneyland (April 19), Walt Disney World (May 2 and 3) and Disneyland Paris (May 9) remain on the calendar as planned.
“We realize there is a good chance Disney’s parks and hotels may be closed over some of those dates or local governments may ask that people not gather at that time,” the Dapper Day website says.
The unofficial event brings fashionable visitors to Disneyland in the spring and fall along with Dapper Day events at Disney parks in Florida and France throughout the year.
The group’s motto of “dress to impress and step out in style” encourages Disney fans to bring their own personality to their elevated fashions without dictating a specific time period or design aesthetic.
Those who take part tend to dress in vintage-inspired classics and contemporary chic to create colorful ensembles that celebrate the art of dressing up. Men wear suits, hats, bow ties, suspenders, and wingtip shoes. Women dress in bold print skirts and high heels with parasols and clutch purses.
There are even those who ‘Dapper Bound’ as their favorite Disney character. This means they are dressed in clothing similar in style and/or color as the character of their choice.
Dapper Day was inspired by early concept art of Disneyland that showed visitors wearing fur coats or dressed in sharp suits as though they were heading to a gala opening or a night at the opera.
Black-and-white photos of the theme park from the 1950s showed visitors dressed to the nines as if they were headed to work or church in their finest fashions.
The first Dapper Day outing was held at Disneyland in February 2011. Since then, the fashion-focused event has spread to Walt Disney World and Disneyland Paris.
Dapper Day is part of a larger series of unaffiliated and unofficial events held at Disneyland Resort that Disney embraces without sanctioning.
