Disneyland This Week – SURPRISING 70th Anniversary Highlights, Magic Key Passes on Sale, Two Kids’ Parties Return, and More

Welcome back to Mickey Visit Disneyland This Week! Each week at Mickey Visit we unearth Disneyland news and tips you could easily miss completely. We have all of the essential dates for your visit. This week we have photos we took of all the 70th Anniversary decorations going up at Disneyland.

These news and date updates provide the most important information for your visit every single week whether you are a frequent visitor or visiting for the first time in years. We cut through the noise to hone in on what dates and news matter for this week. Click here to see our most recent Disneyland This Week update from last week for all the things you missed at Disneyland and our first Disneyland This Week update for all my thoughts on what we are hoping to achieve with these weekly updates.

My name is Gavin Doyle. Each week I and members of my team including Lindsay Brookshier, Emily Midgley, and Bridget Waldman from @CaliforniaDisneyBliss, will work together to bring you the most essential Disneyland information. This is your one-stop resource for everything happening at Disneyland the week of May 19, 2025.

One Big Thing in Disneyland News – 70th Anniversary Celebration Highlights

The Disneyland 70th anniversary celebration has officially kicked off, bringing several special offerings to the parks! It’s clear was a lot of thought was put into this celebration to add substance to it with so many unique offerings, from major entertainment experiences to some smaller magical details across the resort. The tone of the 70th anniversary celebration really leans into the “Celebrate Happy” theme with a tone that is more celebratory and upbeat than reverential, which works quite well in distinguishing it from previous celebrations.

Disneyland brought back a mix of returning entertainment and new additions for this celebration. Of course, the long-awaited return of the Paint the Night parade was a major highlight for us, along with the return of the Wondrous Journeys fireworks show. But some of the smaller-scale offerings and entertainment really stole the show!

We were especially impressed with the “Tapestry of Happiness” projection show at “it’s a small world,” which honors Disneyland history and is inspired by Disney Legend Mary Blair. The show contains several fun Easter eggs and celebrates different moments and attractions! This is a smaller offering compared to some of the returning favorites we mentioned above, but it captures the essence of the 70th anniversary celebration nicely.

Some other smaller offerings really blew us away as well, like the new “Key to Disneyland” scavenger hunt experience that unlocks special effects in each of Disneyland’s nine lands, culminating in the reveal of a special Disney pin. This was an extremely popular offering during the first day of the celebration and sold out. Additionally, the new MagicBand+ experiences were a surprisingly fun highlight of the event, featuring some fun interactions inspired by original attractions and collectible tickets.

These are just a few of the highlights of the celebration! You can check out our full article ranking all of the Disneyland 70th anniversary offerings from worst to best. While most of the offerings work really well, there was one element we’re not a huge fan of that we discuss more in that article.

Important Disneyland Dates This Week

•  Two types of Disneyland Magic Key passes, the Inspire Key and Believe Key, will go on sale on Tuesday, May 20. You can see details and benefits of these pass types in our full Disneyland Magic Key guide.
• A new Stitch and Scrump sipper will be available starting May 22 to celebrate the release of the live-action Lilo and Stitch movie. You can see details in our separate Disneyland popcorn bucket article here!
• Grad Nite parties take place at Disney California Adventure this week on Wednesday, May 21, and Thursday, May 22. The park will close at 9 pm on these dates. Guests can stay for World of Color, but they need to exit after the show. You can see more details about Grad Nite at Disney California Adventure here.
• Starting Friday, May 23, the Pixar Pals Playtime Party and “Stitch’s Interplanetary Beach Party Blast” return to Disneyland Park for a limited time. The Pixar Pals Playtime Party is a returning offering from Pixar Fest at the Fantasyland Theatre featuring interactive games, activities, and photo locations inspired by favorite Pixar films, Pixar character appearances, and Pixar shorts playing on the big screen. “Stitch’s Interplanetary Beach Party Blast” is a dance party at Tomorrowland Terrace that may also feature Goofy, Pluto, Chip ‘n Dale, Clarabelle, and other characters.
• The dining reservation window is now open for Disneyland’s actual anniversary date on July 17, 2025. Be sure to make your dining reservations early for this day, as we expect Disneyland Park in particular to be more crowded with the opening of the new show featuring the first Walt Disney animatronic and new verse added to “it’s a small world.” Currently Magic Key Annual Pass reservations are already sold out for this date.

Key Disneyland News You Missed

• Disneyland has made a positive new change to its DAS Disability Program. Check out the details in our separate coverage here.
• Construction walls are finally down in one area of Disneyland, revealing an unexpected new addition. You can check out the photos and details in our separate article here!
• Dozens of new Disneyland 70th anniversary foods are now available across the resort. You can access a free PDF printable of all the foods, in our Disneyland 70th anniversary food guide. Also check out our Disneyland 70th anniversary foods review for photos and thoughts on these new items!
• There is colorful Disneyland 70th anniversary decor across the parks, and the characters have new outfits! You can see a photo tour of the decorations in our separate article here.
• Paint the Night has returned to Disneyland Park for Disneyland’s 70th anniversary with a few changes! You can read about those changes in our separate article here.
• Disneyland has debuted a new Key to Disneyland scavenger hunt where guests “unlock the magic” in Disneyland’s 9 lands using a special key. See all of the details about this new offering and prizes in our separate article here.
• Disneyland has released a new talking and moving Mickey Mouse popcorn bucket that is impressive but has some…slightly terrifying features. See the details about this new popcorn bucket and what we mean in our separate article here.
• Disneyland has special 70th anniversary MagicBand+ interaction points with some fun freebies across Disneyland Park! You can see all of the details on this cool offering in our separate article here. For Magic Key holders, if your MagicBand+ is associated with your account, you’ll be able to get a special Magic Key card from the machines.
• There is a new daytime 70th anniversary cavalcade at Disneyland Park that features favorite characters and some rare characters! You can see pictures and details in our separate article.
• For the 70th anniversary, there are some new high-value targets added to Toy Story Midway Mania! Check out the changes and how you can score more points here.
• Disney has released some new 70th anniversary merchandise collections! See a look at these and the retro collection we love in our separate merchandise article with photos.
• “it’s a small world” reopened recently with new Pixar characters added to the ride! See the new addition with photos in our separate article here.
• The new character dining “Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet” has debuted at Storytellers Cafe! You can see details about that new offering in our separate article here.
• A new stage show, called “Disney Jr. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Live!,” has debuted at the Disney Theater in Disney California Adventure. You can see all of the details about this new show here!
• A significant number of new menu items have debuted at the Disneyland Resort hotels. You can see details on these new food items in our separate article here.
• There is a new adorable pop-up in Downtown Disney! Nectar Life has arrived in this cute pink van by the D-Lander store. Guests can snag bath and beauty essentials here until their Downtown Disney permanent store opens sometime later this year. You can see details on that new store coming in our separate article here. 
• The private Pixar Place Hotel theme park entrance to Disney California Adventure is closed for construction to install the new entry gates. You can see details about that closure here and how long it’s expected to last.

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Magic Key Benefits Continue in May

Special perks for Magic Key Annual Passholders are available this month. See details below.

• Magic Key holders can purchase a Disneyland 70th Celebration Magic Key Insulated Cooler Bag while supplies last. There is a limit of one Disneyland 70th Celebration Magic Key Insulated Cooler Bag per Magic Key holder, per transaction.
• From May 27 to June 2, 2025, Magic Key holders will have access to a Magic Key 70th Celebration event at the Hyperion Theater Courtyard that includes a free Paint the Night poster. Magic Key holders will need to join a virtual queue to access this experience. You can check out all of the details, including event times, in our separate article here.
• During the 70th anniversary celebration, there is special Magic Key 70th-themed merchandise available! New Magic Key items will be released periodically. Right now, offerings include a 70th Magic Key T-shirt, 70th Magic Key Pin, and 70th Magic Key Lug Bag.
• Magic Key holders can enjoy special food offerings, including the Box O’ Sliders at Galactic Grill and the new Neapolitan Sampler at The Golden Horseshoe, available for purchase on the Disneyland app. The Neapolitan Sampler offering features three sample-size ice cream floats, one of each of the following: Coca-Cola Cherry Float, Sprite Float, and Barq’s Root Beer Float.
• For the Pixar Putt mini golf course, Magic Key holders get a special discounted rate of $25 per Magic Key Holder.

Disneyland Operational Updates

• Disneyland has longer hours of operation this week, with Disneyland Park open until 12 AM every day except Wednesday and Thursday (11 PM) and Disney California Adventure open until 10 PM except Wednesday and Thursday, when Grad Nites close the park at 9 PM.
• Grad Nite will take place at Disney California Adventure on May 21 and 22, closing the park at 9 pm. When Disney California Adventure closes early on these nights, you can see World of Color at 9 pm and stay through the show, but you have to exit right after.
• The Disneyland 70th anniversary show, World of Color: Happiness!, runs every night at Disney California Adventure. Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration runs twice daily.
• At Disneyland Park, Wondrous Journeys shows with fireworks every night of the week, along with Fantasmic!. Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga will have two showtimes each night. Paint the Night runs twice a night, and The Celebrate Happy Calvacade runs twice during the day.

What We’re Thinking About This Week

• Emily is excited about the new energy that all of the 70th anniversary offerings bring to the resort. She has had the “Celebrate Happy” theme song stuck in her head for four days straight now! Definitely very catchy.
• Gavin is looking forward to eating even more of the new Disneyland 70th food items. Particularly, he is excited for the “inspired by the past” items that have some connection to the park’s history.
• Lindsay is counting the days until her next Disneyland visit to see all the new and returning entertainment for the 70th Celebration especially the Wondrous Journeys fireworks.

Where In Disneyland Is This?

Share your guess in the comments below. Hint: This spot has an interesting story behind it – do you know it?

Answer to last week’s “Where In Disneyland Is This?” Click here to see that image so you can guess first.

Adventureland Treehouse!

Disneyland Crowd Calendar This Week

This week, you can expect to see mostly above-normal crowds following the kickoff of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration. You can expect higher crowds on Memorial Day, as many families will take this day off from work and school to visit the parks for the 70th anniversary celebration. This day is only blocked for 1 out of the 4 Magic Key passes, so you will see a lot of locals taking this opportunity to visit. Looking ahead to next week, we expect that crowds may start to calm down a bit more then.

You can see our rating of all upcoming dates in our Mickey Visit Disneyland Crowd Calendar.

New Disneyland Ride Closures This Week

Here are some of the current ride closures that are continuing into this week:

• Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster is closed for refurbishment.
• Matterhorn Bobsleds is closed for refurbishment
• Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room is closed for refurbishment
• The Disney Gallery is closed for refurbishment

You can see reopening dates for some of the above attractions and other upcoming closures in our Disneyland ride refurbishment guide.

Other Disney Content We’re Watching

Each week we’ll share some of our favorite information and fun content from across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube in an effort to spotlight some of the great creators who work so hard to share details from Disneyland.

First, we wanted to highlight this video from Denny (@finding_denny on Instagram) sharing a look at the new Encanto projections in the Animation Building lobby at Disney California Adventure!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Denny 🩵💙💜🩷💛 (@finding_denny)

Next up is this video from Juliet Nuzzo (@julietandbeyond on Instagram) sharing a review of some of the new foods that just debuted at Galaxy’s Edge!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Juliet Nuzzo (@julietandbeyond)

We also wanted to include this video from Ashley (@magicalfamilies on Instagram) highlighting the Disneyland 70th anniversary limited-edition collectible medallions that are now available!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Ashley ✨ Disney Creator & Disney Family (@magicalfamilies)

Heads up! Reservations Open for Disneyland Dining / Park Reservations

For any trips before the below dates, you should be considering booking park reservations and dining reservations.

• Today is the 60-day window for Disneyland dining reservations for July 18, 2025. 
• Today is the 180-day window for making Disneyland theme park reservations for November 15, 2025. This applies to most non-Annual Pass tickets.
• For Magic Key Annual Pass Holders, the 90-day window from today to make theme park reservations is August 17, 2025.

See our top tips for getting Disneyland dining reservations and the best Disneyland restaurants we would recommend.

Disneyland Lightning Lane Cost This Week

• Today, the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service costs $36 if you purchase it when you arrive.
• For the two Lightning Lane Single Pass rides, the cost is $28 for Rise of the Resistance and $17 for Radiator Springs Racers.

You can see our guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland for our expert tips on making the most of the service.

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