Popular Parades and Fireworks Returning to Disneyland for Its 70th Anniversary!

Who’s ready to celebrate a big Disney holiday?!

Over the past few years, we’ve celebrated quite a few special occasions, from Disney World’s 50th Anniversary to The Walt Disney Company’s 100th Anniversary, and now we’ve got a new offering coming to the calendar. In 2025, it’ll be time to celebrate Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary!

Disneyland Resort has announced some big celebrations for its 70th, including special entertainment offerings. The Anniversary celebration kicks off on May 16th, 2025, and will run through the summer of 2026. Let’s dive into the list of offerings!

First of all, a new show called “World of Color Happiness!” will debut at California Adventure. It’s inspired by the iconic Walt Disney quote from Disneyland’s opening day — “To all who come to this happy place… welcome!” The show will be hosted by Joy and the other Inside Out emotions, and it will include characters and moments from a number of popular Disney films, including The Lion King, Turning Red, Tangled, A Goofy Movie, and more.

Hopping over to Disneyland Park, the fan-favorite Paint the Night Parade will be returning in 2025! It’ll travel down Main Street, U.S.A., lighting up the park with more than a million lights. The parade features a variety of hit movies and characters, including Monsters, Inc., Cars, Toy Story, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and more.

Paint the Night at California Adventure in 2018

Also at Disneyland, we’ll be getting the return of Wondrous Journeys, the nighttime spectacular from the Disney100 celebration. This show “celebrates the legacy of Walt Disney Animation Studios classics” and features projection effects on Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle, “it’s a small world,” and the Rivers of America. The show will have fireworks on select nights.

Back over at California Adventure, during the daytime you’ll be able to catch the “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” parade. This parade was shown in 2024 as part of Pixar Fest, but it looks like it’ll be returning on its own! It has nearly 30 characters from different Pixar movies, many featured on floats inspired by their films.

Mike and Sully at the Better Together parade!

Wondrous Journeys and Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! parade will temporarily pause in 2025 to make way for Halloween and holiday season offerings, then return to finish out the 70th Anniversary celebration.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a special occasion without some decorations! Sleeping Beauty Castle will be getting a little makeover with a 70th Anniversary medallion and banners out front.

If you want to meet Mickey Mouse and friends in Town Square at Disneyland Park, you’ll find them in some special anniversary outfits! In addition, Disneyland Park will debut a brand-new character cavalcade called “Mickey and Friends Celebrate Happy!” with music and dancing.

At night, Carthay Circle Restaurant at California Adventure will “invite everyone to “celebrate happy” during a special moment filled with music, lights, and projection effects.” Also, the facade of “it’s a small world” in Disneyland Park will get a new projection show.

A new theme song called “Celebrate Happy” will play throughout many of these entertainment offerings.

Finally, it wouldn’t be a celebration without some new merchandise! Disney released a sneak peek at what some of the items will look like, and we’ll make sure to update you as we learn more about where to shop for this collection.