Disneyland, the theme park that started it all, has announced it will celebrate its 68th Anniversary on Monday, July 17, 2023, with a special celebratory cavalcade down Main Street U.S.A.
The Details
The event will take place inside Disneyland Park at Disneyland Resort, and will start at 11:45am PT.
If you’d like to be in attendance, a valid ticket and park reservation for the same day is required for park entry.
That means make your reservation now if you want to be there.
The History
It was on July 17, 1955 that Disneyland first opened its gates in Anaheim, California.
It is not only the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company, it’s the only one designed and constructed fully under the direct supervision of Walt Disney.
Reportedly, Disney initially envisioned building a tourist attraction adjacent to his studios in Burbank to entertain fans who wished to visit.
He got the idea from watching his daughters riding a merry-go-round, and seeing how much they enjoyed it. It was then that he came up with the idea of a place where adults and their children could go and have fun together
The initial park concept, called the Mickey Mouse Park, was originally planned for an eight-acre plot to the south of the studios.
Thankfully, he soon realized that the proposed Burbank site was too small for the ideas that he had.
Disney then acquired 160 acres of orange groves and walnut trees in Anaheim, southeast of Los Angeles in neighboring Orange County, where Disneyland now sits.
July 17, 1955, was technically a press day, with various media and invited guests. ABC televised the opening nationwide and the telecast was anchored by three of Walt Disney’s friends from Hollywood: Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings, and Ronald Reagan.
The day had its share of problems, though. Temperatures were over 100 degrees, causing the fresh poured asphalt to be soft enough to trap ladies with their heeled shoes.
Also, due to a plumber’s strike, Disney was given a choice of having working drinking fountains or running toilets. He chose the latter, leaving many drinking fountains dry.
Walt Disney later invited attendees back for a private “second day” to experience Disneyland properly.
In the last 68 years, Disneyland has grown from a park to a whole resort, with a second park, Downtown Disney, and three hotels, but July 17 marks the day that started it all.
Check out this vintage video from CBS 8 in San Diego of Disneyland’s opening day…grab some popcorn and settle in, because it’s over an hour long:
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