Whilst Disneyland Resort California has long been known as the happiest place on earth, this year there’s a a very special extra reason to visit – it’s the official 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company!

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Disneyland is simply bursting at the seams with special Disney 100 decorations, events, merchandise and so much more – and it’s all there to see and enjoy right now. But don’t delay your Disneyland holiday too long, because the Disney 100 celebrations are only on for a limited time. You don’t want to miss out on helping to celebrate 100 Years Of Wonder!

What is Disney 100?

Disney 100, also known as D100, is the name of the official celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the Walt Disney Company.

Disneyland Park in California is the world-famous theme park created, opened and run by Walt Disney himself. Disneyland Park officially opened on July 17, 1955.

This wonderful theme park has brought togetherness and joy to countless people visiting from all around the world.  Being the one-and-only original Disneyland, it’s only fitting that the Disneyland Resort California is the home of Disney 100 celebrations and is going all-out to celebrate!

What’s happening at Disneyland for Disney 100?

So many special D100 events are happening at Disneyland to celebrate the Disney 100 anniversary!

Disneyland is decorated to the hilt in gorgeous platinum and purple.

The Sleeping Beauty Castle is festooned in silver and purple drapes with a massive platinum shield above the entrance.

New Mickey and Minnie Mouse statues

A brand-new platinum Mickey Mouse statue, complete with Walt’s famous Mickey quote, “It all started with a mouse” is located at the top of Main Street USA.

There’s a new Minnie Mouse platinum statue with the classic Disney quote “A dream is a wish your heart makes” located next to the Disneyland castle. Everyone wants to take their photo with the new statues!

Oswald The Lucky Rabbit

You’ll also find platinum character statues in several of the Disneyland Resort gift shops. Oswald the Lucky Rabbit can be found in the main Disney California Adventure gift shop. The massive World Of Disney store in Downtown Disney has the largest Disney 100 merchandise display with both Mickey and Minnie platinum statues inside!

The special Disney 100 marching band parade

Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Chip and Dale, and Pluto all have special formal platinum and purple outfits for the D100 celebrations. They look very smart indeed, marching down the street from the castle in their special Disney 100 big-band parade! Look out for it around the middle of the day – you’ll find an event schedule in your Disneyland App.

Disney 100 platinum monorail

There’s a special platinum Disney 100 monorail decorated with all the main Disney characters dressed in their special celebration outfits – it looks amazing! We rode it from the end of Downtown Disney all the way to Tomorrowland – it’s not every day you get to take a ride in a D100 platinum monorail!

From the huge platinum medallions scattered around the parks to the purple and silver banners lining the streets, there’s no mistaking that Disneyland Resort California is in full celebration mode. Disney100 is huge, and amazing to experience in person – Disneyland never looked so special!

Can you get discounted Disneyland tickets during D100?

Yes, you can! Even during the special Disney 100 celebrations it’s easy to buy your Disneyland Resort tickets online for a discount price using Klook-  and we even have a Disneyland promo code for you too to save even more money!

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The Magic Happens Parade is back!

The Magic Happens Parade is back and more gorgeous than ever! Pull up a spot on Mains Street USA for the best view of this fantastic parade. With Mickey at the helm, all the other popular Disney characters we know and love feature in this joyful parade of amazingly colourful floats. Each float celebrates memorable moments from the Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studio. The Magic Happens Parade is definitely a don’t-miss!

Brand new Disneyland D100 night time shows

A really exciting part of the celebrations is the new Disney 100 nighttime shows happening at both California Disneyland Resort parks.

What is the Disneyland Park Disney100 new show?

At Disneyland Park there’s a new nighttime spectacular, “Wondrous Journeys”, and amazing display of Disney characters and movies spanning the entire 100 years of Disney! Everyone’s favourites are featured in this full colour projection extravaganza which lights up across the original Sleeping Beauty Disneyland Castle.

The Wondrous Journeys show is accompanied by the spectacular Disneyland fireworks display, especially designed to complement the projections. To check if the fireworks will be happening the day you visit, you can see the day’s entertainment schedule on the official Disney website here.

Where is the best place to watch the Disneyland Fireworks?

For the best view of the Disneyland fireworks, be sure to arrive around an hour to at least a half-hour early to stake out a good spot right in front of the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty castle. This is a great central vantage point to witness the amazing D100 fireworks and projections show. This area is roped off soon before the fireworks and is a perfectly positioned view of the show.

If you don’t make it in time to be at the very front, don’t worry – you can still see the fireworks from all the way up the Disneyland Main Street and surrounding the Disnelyland Castle.

In front of It’s A Small World ride is a great vantage point to watch the fireworks too, and it’s less crowded.

You can even spot the Disneyland fireworks from some nearby hotel windows!

The roped off VIP Disneyland Fireworks viewing area

There is also a small, roped off private viewing area for the Disneyland fireworks, however entry is only available either by invitation, or as part of a very expensive Disneyland VIP package – it’s best just turn up a little early for the same view in front of the castle!

The Wondrous Journey’s Disneyland show is gorgeous to watch and is a very special experience to enjoy together with your friends and family. Don’t be tempted to miss it to hit the rides whilst everyone is watching the show – it’s a quintessential part of the Disneyland California experience.

What is the Disneyland California Adventure Park Disney100 new show?

Disneyland California Adventure Park are celebrating Disney 100 with their own brand-new nighttime water show, World of Colour – ONE.

The appearance of historical footage of Walt Disney talking about his Disney stories vision certainly brings a nostalgic tear to the eye of all Disney lovers.

This beautiful water fountain and projection show challenges guests to “Dare to make a difference”. In true Disney story-telling style, a sweeping tale unfolds. World of Color – ONE highlights the important moments of favourite Disney stories and characters where they accepted the challenge to make a difference for the greater good.

As well as touching moments, there are also some very exciting features during World of Color, such as Star Wars and the Avengers! When the theme songs ring out along with the light show fountain spires, the crowd erupts!

Where is the best place to watch the Disney California Adventure World of Color show?

Be sure to reserve your spot for the first showing of World of Color ONE on the Disneyland App as soon as you hit the Disney California Adventure park, but should you forget to or the bookings are full, don’t despair. You can still watch the show from the sides of the roped off viewing area, including from the Pixar Pier bridge entrance.

How to watch World of Color even when bookings are closed on the Disneyland app

Turn up about ten minutes early for the second showing which commences right on the park close time, and you should still be able to snag yourself a good viewing spot right at the waterfront viewing area. Because there usually isn’t as many bookings or attendances for the second show, they let in the waiting public in once the people with bookings have entered.

But don’t get too close to the front unless you’re prepared to get quite wet! It’s all part of the fun.

Are there any new rides at Disneyland in 2023?

There was much excitement at the re-opening or Mickey’s Toontown right in time for Disney 100, as well as the unveiling of a fantastic new ride – Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway!

It’ may surprise you to learn that Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is the first ride-through attraction that features both Minnie and Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. After all – “it all started with a mouse!” as Walt famously said.

What is Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway ride like?

“Oh no – I think I hit the track switch!” Mickey Mouse cries. Goofy your engine driver watches in dismay as his engine suddenly loses all its carriages – which you just happen to be sitting in – and chaos reigns supreme!

The awesome new Disneyland ride Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is located in the centre of Mickey’s Toontown. Half the fun is winding your way through the highly-themed queue with it’s Mickey memorabilia and scenes. There’s lots of fun surprises – watch out for the ghost in the mirror( I still haven’t seen it!)! But when you step aboard Goofy’s train on the actual ride – ah, that’s when the real fun begins!

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway is a high-tech fun experience. A “Dark” ride (this term doesn’t mean it’s actually dark inside, just that it’s contained within a building), don’t be fooled into thinking because this new Disneyland ride is located within Mickey’s Toontown that this is a ride just for little kids. This ride is so much fun for all ages (and it happens to be one of my new personal favourite rides too!).

The Runaway Railway ride theme uses a clever mix of solid “real” character models with projections that animate and bring them to life, and also actual big-screen animations. It’s fabulously immersive – Disney don’t do things by halves. With more than a sprinkle of Disney magic included, it all comes together perfectly for a truly realistic, hilarious – but not too wild for the little ones – experience that the whole family can enjoy.

What’s new at Mickey’s Toontown?

Mickey’s Toontown was first opened at Disneyland in 1993 and was closed for renovations in March 2022. The newly refurbished Toontown was reopened as part of the D100 celebrations in March 2023.

The new Toontown renovations include new playground areas for the very youngest of Disneyland guests. With no curbs to impede wheelchairs and wide, easy to use slides, the Toontown playground areas are now truly accessible ones.

New features such as Goofy’s House and Donald’s Boat offer lots of interactive fun, and the general area now has real trees for shade and more benches for parents, grandparents and carers to relax (or recover!) on.

There are more interactive activities than ever for all at Mickeys Toontown, including the gorgeous central fountain which encourages water play.

What are the new Disney 100 snacks?

From fairy floss to silver and purple popcorn, there are enough new Disney100 snacks to sink a ship! Caramel apples coated in silver and purple, Rice Krispy treats, Mickey D100 ice creams and so much more, you’ll be struggling to try them all during your Disneyland vacation – but you can give it a good try!

My favourite was the new Disney 100 Lemon Chiffon Pie, available in several locations. I got mine at Flo’s V8 Cafe in Cars Land.

There’s a pretty special Mickey D100 sipper and straw clip to look out for around the parks too! These make fantastic and unique souvenirs.

What is the new Disney 100 merchandise available?

Disney100 merch is all over the park – and it’s all absolutely gorgeous! Clothing, homewares, plushies, pins and other collectibles…there’s something for everyone.

Our tradition is that the second we walk in the park we need to get some new Mickey or Minnie ears to remember our Disneyland trip, and there are several new Disney 100 Mickey ear designs in both the traditional cap style or headband style to collect.

The D100 clothing range is stunning. Oversized white sweatshirts with silver detail, a new purple Minnie Mouse design, tracksuits, hoodies, t-shirts…and of course lots of adorable children’s outfits.

The Disney 100 merch list goes on and on. The platinum and purple together looks good on anything and everything and you just want to get your hands on some of that special gear before it’s no longer available. After all, 100 years of Disney is incredibly special. Say goodbye to your holiday budget and throw your wallet in the Disney gift shop’s general direction!

How long will Disney 100 be celebrated at Disneyland?

Disney 100 celebrations kicked off on the 27th of January 2023 and are still in full swing right now, mid way through 2023.

Celebrations and events are expected to continue throughout the year, with the actual date of the Disney 100 anniversary being October 17. What a big day that will be!

There will be special events happening at all of the Disney parks around the world to help celebrate this momentous occasion, but no Disneyland can ever be the same as the original and the best – California Disneyland! The very place where you can even still see the lamp on in the window of Walt Disney’s own apartment on Main Street if you go looking. This is the Disneyland that was all started by a mouse…and oh, how we love him!

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The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Klook and Disney for this visit to Disneyland Resort California. As always, all opinions remain firmly our own.

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