We Went to Disneyland at 3:30 AM For Cast Members 70th Anniversary Event

Today is Disneyland's 70th anniversary and to kick off this historic day, Disney held a special cast member party before the park opened.

We were honored to be invited to this party to witness the special moments that cast members were a part of in this moment in Disneyland history! At Mickey Visit, we always try to go the extra mile for our readers, working to deliver you the latest Disney news and planning resources, even if that means getting to Disneyland at 3:30 AM.

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Disneyland Celebrates July 17th With Cast Members

Sleeping beauty castle at night

We were among a very small group of media invited to attend a Disneyland cast member celebration and special festivities before the theme park opened to guests on Disneyland's actual anniversary date.

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Here's a look at how Disney celebrated this special day with their cast members and broadcast the moment to the world. One highlight of the morning was seeing Disney CEO Bob Iger appear at Disneyland for a historic business moment.

Disneyland 70th hot air balloon

One of the coolest things from this special event is that the Disneyland hot air balloon from the national tour was here for photos!

hot air balloon disneyland

There was also a DJ nearby hosting the party, you can see where the hot air balloon was set up right in front of the Tomorrowland entrance.

New disneyland show

We also got a chance to take this beautiful nighttime photo without any crowds of the new sign for “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” the new Walt Disney animatronic show debuting for Disneyland's 70th anniversary.

its a small world

Cast members were also treated to special showings of The Tapestry of Happiness projection show. This was also the first showing that features the new verse of “it's a small world” which is a special moment for cast members to enjoy.

cast member event

It was magical to see such a diverse assortment of cast members at this event. It shows how many people it takes for Disneyland to operate smoothly!

disneyland night time

And it's certainly a new experience to be inside Disneyland at 3:30 am and see the parks so empty.

cast member ears

Cast members were also given exclusive ears that one very nicely let me take a photo of. You can see the ears say cast member on one side and the date of the party on the ear itself. Very cool!

cast member 70th party

The party wrapped up with a quick succession of events. There was a special flag raising ceremony in the park that honored Disney Legend, former Disneyland Cast Member, and veteran Tom Nabbe. Then, Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D'Amaro gave speeches to the cast members.

After the speeches they rang the New York Stock Exchange Bell (more details and photos), took a huge cast member photo, and headed to the front of the park.

Disney CEO Bob Iger Greets Guests at Park Opening

Disneyland 70th ceremony

We were then positioned along with maybe 1,000 or so of the first guests that lined up for the park on this day as well as the family of the 170,000th Disney wish granted by the Make a Wish Foundation, to see Disney CEO Bob Iger give a welcome address.  More details on how he greeted guests at park opening along with the freebies for all the guests coming into the park.

Main Street Cinema

Today was also the day that the new verse for “it's a small world” debuted at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Plus a new Zootopia themed window is now live on Main Street.

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About Lindsay Brookshier

Lindsay has been called on as a Disney expert and has been featured by CNBC, SFGate, NerdWallet, Visit Anaheim, and more. She has been writing about the Disney Parks and Universal since 2017. Lindsay visits Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Hollywood, and Universal Orlando multiple times a year. She has sailed on every Disney Cruise Line class ship and has experience visiting both of Disney's private islands along with specialty themed cruises like Marvel Day at Sea. Lindsay provides expert advice for the Disney Parks, Disney Cruises, Universal Theme Parks, and more. As the content director of Mickey Visit she oversees article content and leads our fantastic team of writers to provide news updates, reviews, and money saving tips for guests to experience more and save more money. Lindsay comes from a dedicated Disney family and has been visiting Disneyland since the 1990s.

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