On Wednesday, July 17, 2024, guests and cast members at The Happiest Place on Earth celebrated the 69th birthday of Disneyland. At 12:15 PM, a special cavalcade made its way through Disneyland to celebrate this milestone. That wasn’t the only thing that was happening to celebrate this birthday, however.
Cast members also celebrated the 69th birthday of Disneyland both in the park and also backstage. The celebration began as the park opened and an annual tradition continued on. “WelcomeEARS!’ is that tradition. Cast members helped kick off the special day by welcoming the first guests to enter Disneyland on this special day by welcoming them with smiles and waves along Main Street, USA. There were a few extra visitors at Disneyland for this special morning including a surprise visit from Mickey Mouse and also Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock. Hours later, guests were still buzzing about getting to see the two when they entered the park.
There was also magic happening backstage. There is a thing called a Magic Backstage van that is always a popular sight for cast members when they find it backstage around the Disneyland Resort. It has been known to arrive with special merchandise, unique gifts, activities, and more. In short, fun surprises can be found when it shows up and Disneyland’s birthday was no exception. There was also some special photo opportunities for cast members to share their favorite moments. They can be found by looking up the hashtag #DisneyCastLife.
Seeing as Pixar Fest is still happening, it seemed only appropriate to celebrate the spirit of friendship as well. Cast Members celebrated by making friendship bracelets to mark this special day. There were also representatives from the resort’s Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGS) that were available to share about how cast members could get involved with the BERGs and other cast offerings.
On top of all of the other things listed above, cast members were also treated to some delicious offerings from Porto’s Bakery at several backstage locations across the resort today. After all, there should be a sweet treat for a birthday celebration, right? The sweets came ahead of Porto’s arrival in Downtown Disney District as part of the transformation of the Disneyland’s Resort shopping, dining, and entertainment district.
Disneyland’s birthday is always a special day to be at the Disneyland Resort for both guests and cast members. Along with the photo ops for cast members backstage, there were also photo opportunities for guests on stage. This included a special sign that was made for the day. Below is a look at some of the Daps Magic team with one of these photo placards.
Next year, Disneyland will be turning 70 years old. No announcements have been made at this point for what the celebration for this milestone anniversary will look like. Daps Magic will continue to cover all of the news from around the Disneyland Resort and beyond. Be sure to subscribe to the Daps Magic mailing list, YouTube, and follow on social media to not miss any of it!
What do you think of the celebrations that cast members had for Disneyland’s 69th birthday? What is your favorite part of the day’s celebrations? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
