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Disneyland starts new hard ticket event – Disneyland after Dark

The lighting design team at Disneyland uses their special art to illuminate extra magic for guests after the sun goes down. A new event series at the park will soon allow guests enjoy this enchanting time, each event with a different theme. The first after-hours event to be held on Jan. 18 will be – Throwback Nite!

Guests will be encouraged to come attired in a vintage-inspired outfit. Step back to when Disneyland was young in the 50s and 60s and dress up in your best to enjoy the Happiest Place on Earth under the lights. There will be a special swinging background music loop as the park stays open until 1am.

Disneyland promises to add decorations to remind you of yesteryear, including the park’s original attraction posters. There will also be live entertainment and special photo locations (with unlimited digital downloads included) and an exclusive showing of the classic “Fantasy in the Sky” fireworks.

Fans of the park will also enjoy a special vintage-inspired park map and a commemorative lanyard that is included with every ticket. Tickets go on sale beginning Nov. 30 for Disneyland annual passholders and Dec. 7 for the general public.

This is an effort by Disney parks division to find new revenue sources within its existing audience. Walt Disney World fans are very familiar with the playbook here. It’s all fine and good when the after hours event doesn’t change the park closing time, but soon guests will find the park closing early more often just to fit in a special event. Sure, there’s a second gate that non-event goers can attend, but that park gets extra-crowded during the event.

I am a fan of the idea of holding after hours events as long as they don’t impact anything a day guest should expect and don’t reduce park hours. I think they let Disney do things they couldn’t otherwise do during park hours without affecting the experience of the regular guest.

If throwback nite reminds you of the popular fan created “Dapper Day” event, that’s probably on purpose. Disney Parks has always paid attention to trends and tried to capitalize on them. It would be better if Disneyland was partnering with the team behind Dapper Day like they did out in Orlando.

1 thought on “Disneyland starts new hard ticket event – Disneyland after Dark”

  1. I look forward to this. Not sure if i have old clothing but i could where a nice dress. Or it depends on my money if i can buy or have something made for this event. And i hope it is on Sat or Sun. I will be calling disney now to find out more infor.

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