Parades
Disneyland has featured a number of different parades traveling down the park’s central Main Street – Fantasyland corridor. There have been daytime and nighttime parades that celebrated Disney films or seasonal holidays with characters, music, and large floats. One of the most popular parades was the Main Street Electrical Parade, which recently ended a limited-time return engagement after an extended run at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. From May 5, 2005, through November 7, 2008, as part of Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, „Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams” was presented, celebrating several Disney films including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, and Pinocchio.
In 2009, „Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams” was replaced by „Celebrate! A Street Party”, which premiered on March 27, 2009. During the Christmas season, Disneyland presents „A Christmas Fantasy” Parade. „Walt Disney’s Parade of Dreams” was replaced by „Mickey’s Soundsational Parade”, which debuted on May 27, 2011. Disneyland debuted a new nighttime parade called „Paint the Night„, on May 22, 2015, as part of the park’s 60th anniversary. For two weeks in 2020 before the closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the parade „Magic Happens” debuted. There was also a virtual parade available for a limited time.
Fireworks shows
Elaborate fireworks shows synchronized with Disney songs and often have appearances from Tinker Bell (and other characters) flying in the sky above Sleeping Beauty Castle. Since 2000, presentations have become more elaborate, featuring new pyrotechnics, launch techniques, and story lines. Projection mapping technology debuted on It’s a Small World with the creation of The Magic, the Memories and You in 2011, and expanded to Main Street and Sleeping Beauty Castle in 2015 with the premiere of Disneyland Forever.
Since 2009, Disneyland has moved to a rotating repertoire of firework spectaculars.
Scheduling of fireworks shows depends on the time of year. During the slower off-season periods, the fireworks are only offered on weekends. During the busier times, Disney offers additional nights. The park offers fireworks nightly during its busy periods, which include Easter/Spring Break, Summer and Christmas time. Disneyland spends about $41,000 per night on the fireworks show. With a few minor exceptions, such as July 4 and New Year’s Eve, shows must finish by 10:00 pm due to the conditions of the permit issued by the City of Anaheim.
Live entertainment
In addition to the attractions, Disneyland provides live entertainment throughout the park. Most of the mentioned entertainment is not offered daily, but only on selected days of the week, or selected periods of the year.
Many Disney characters can be found throughout the park, greeting visitors, interacting with children, and posing for photos. Some characters have specific areas where they are scheduled to appear, but can be found wandering as well. Periodically through recent decades (and most recently during the summers of 2005 and 2006), Mickey Mouse would climb the Matterhorn attraction several times a day with the support of Minnie, Goofy, and other performers. Other mountain climbers could also be seen on the Matterhorn from time to time. As of March 2007, Mickey and his „toon” friends no longer climb the Matterhorn but the climbing program continues.
The Disneyland Band, which has been part of the park since its opening, plays the role of the Town Band on Main Street, U.S.A. It also breaks out into smaller groups like the Main Street Strawhatters, the Hook and Ladder Co., and the Pearly Band in Fantasyland. However, on March 31, 2015, the Disneyland Resort notified the band members of an „end of run”. The reason for doing so is that they would start a new higher energy band. The veteran band members were invited to audition for the new Disneyland band and were told that even if they did not make the new band or audition, they would still play in small groups around the park. This sparked some controversy with supporters of the traditional band. Each year since 1960 during the holiday season, Disney’s Candlelight Processional is performed in Town Square.
