Least Visited Disney Theme Park Resort Launches Huge Anniversary Party! We Were There

The least visited Disney Park in the world is continuing to deliver new offerings like big new entertainment to build upon its amazing lineup of Disney attractions including the popular World of Frozen land.

This year is Hong Kong Disneyland's 20th anniversary and the park just kicked off a major celebration with a huge nighttime spectacular, an amazing lineup of food, and the BIGGEST parade this park has ever seen! We just experienced the new Hong Kong 20th anniversary celebration and are ready to share it all so you can see how the international parks do Disney celebrations.

READ MORE – These 10 Disney Rides Are Far Better Than The Ones They Replaced

Why Does Hong Kong Disneyland Have Low Attendance?

Hong Kong Disneyland has the lowest attendance compared to the other Disney theme park resorts in the world. In 2024, 7.4 million guests visited Hong Kong Disneyland. This isn't the least visited overall Disney Park in the world – that honor belongs to Walt Disney Studios Paris, but this is the least visited overall theme park resort destination from Disney.

So why is Hong Kong Disneyland considered the least popular Disney park in the world? You can read more about this in our article that uncovers all the reasons that contribute to Hong Kong Disneyland's lowest attendance ranking amongst the other Disney Parks.

Hong Kong Disneyland went all out for their 20th anniversary. The celebration is a great reason for US visitors and others who have never been to this resort to visit for the very first time. The anniversary gives the park an opportunity to show off its great lineup of attractions and entertainment.

We just returned from our Hong Kong Disneyland visit and experienced the new castle stage show, parade, nighttime spectacular, and more!

Hong Kong Disneyland Kicks Off 20th Anniversary Celebration

The celebration kicked off with executives in front of the castle. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, joined Jill Estorino, President and Managing Director of Disney Parks International, to welcome guests and introduce the celebration. They were also joined by other Disney and Hong Kong leaders, including Michael Moriarty, the head of Hong Kong Disneyland, seen in the photo above.

Mickey and Minnie Mouse in their 20th anniversary parade outfits joined them for this one-day-only kickoff event.

New Hong Kong Disneyland Stage Show

The celebration includes “Disney Friends Live: Party at the Castle!” which features the 20th anniversary anthem, two brand-new original songs, giant balloons, and colorful banners along with Mickey and Friends and Duffy and Friends all in their new 20th anniversary party outfits.

Disney Princesses Aurora, Tiana, and Belle are all in the show. They appear in new costumes designed just for this.

In the shots above and below, you get a great look at how the original Hong Kong Disneyland castle was a replica of Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, California before a major new tower section was added behind it to make the castle more prominent.

Biggest Parade Hong Kong Disneyland Has Ever Seen

“The Friendtastic! Parade” is the largest-ever in scale parade at Hong Kong Disneyland. This new parade features 11 new floats, over 100 performers, and more than 30 Disney characters.

The parade features floats with Disney characters. These include Duffy and Friends, Toy Story, Monsters Inc., Zootopia, Big Hero 6, and the princesses.

Marching Band Was Great Addition

We loved that the parade had a live marching band right after the first float! This group was fantastic. Would love to see this in the US parks.

Four Original Songs Created for Hong Kong Parade

This parade includes four new original songs created just for the occasion! Above you can also see different shots of the Encanto parade float. This was my favorite float in the parade because of the scale and intricate details on the structure. The house really came to life on the float.

$87 Themed Hong Kong Disneyland Sundae

I love the details on the menus at Hong Kong Disneyland. Here is the visual for the Mickey and Friends Giant Sundae Party! The sundae costs $87 in US dollars. This was quite an expensive treat. Here's a closer look…

That's One Impressive Sundae!

And here's the sundae! The sundae definitely looks better than it tastes. In it are ice cream, cake, jello, fresh fruit, and panna cotta. I searched out the ice cream bites. Each of us in the group that tried this treat walked away with a bit of a twisted tummy. That may have also had to do with all of the other treats that we were enjoying on this day. That includes our next item.

Hong Kong Disneyland Apple Soft Serve Ice Cream

We also tried the new apple-flavored soft serve available on Main Street, U.S.A.! This is a Fuji Apple Flavored soft serve. It also features the mess catcher on the cone. Love this innovation. There are so many creative hacks like this in Hong Kong Disneyland that I'll be sharing in another article soon.

Hong Kong Wins in the Merch Department

Hong Kong Disneyland has also released an abundance of merchandise for the 20th anniversary featuring apparel, plush, new ears, purses, and more!

There was also a Magic Passport that you can stamp around the park.

Disney Cast Members Sidewalk Painting

Rather than just having custodial cast members draw with water on the ground like in the US Disney Parks, there were Disney artists painting the sidewalk. I wish I had captured the final product. You can see how colorful the painting is just by looking at the balloons.

Displays for Hong Kong Disneyland 20th Anniversary

There were a number of the colorful displays with the clear characters. This one in Adventureland featured the pig from Moana.

You could also find these displays on Main Street with Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Minnie, in Tomorrowland with Groot, in Fantasyland with Bambi and Thumper, and in Mystic Point. See next photo.

Mystic Manor Display for Hong Kong Disneyland 20th Anniversary

There was also another display in front of the popular Mystic Manor. This helps to demonstrate how much the Hong Kong Disneyland audience values this unique attraction. Albert, the mischievous monkey from the attraction, is now a top character at the park.

Castle Display for 20th Anniversary

There is also a photo op in front of the castle that lights up at night. Pretty cool to be able to grab this photo at the end of the night. I really liked the sweeping gold and lights style. The decorations feel permanent and impressive.

These were a great example of the showmanship that went into this anniversary celebration. I was really impressed by all the decor.

Hong Kong Disneyland Drone Show Impresses

A new special anniversary edition of the Hong Kong Disneyland nighttime spectacular “Momentus: Party in the Night Sky!” includes castle projections that extend all the way down Main Street, U.S.A. The anniversary edition adds a segment to the beginning of the show that features the drone moments you can see in the video below. The only downside of the drones is that they are the highlight of this nearly 30-minute show, and they happen at the beginning rather than the end.

This is also the first time that the show has featured projections on Main Street. The projections do a great job of enhancing the show and extending it out into the audience.

This drone show was really cool, see in our video below!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Disneyland & Walt Disney World| Mickey Visit 🚂🏰 (@mickeyvisit)

Drone Show Draws Massive Crowds

It was PACKED for the debut night of the new drone show. There was minimal crowd control for the area in Main Street, U.S.A. There were Cast Members moving guests around the edges with light up arrows, but the street itself had no crossing or roped off areas. It was all just a big mass of people. At one point, I ducked out of the section to go check out a different view and just hit a wall of people that felt more jammed than Disneyland on New Year's Eve.

We heard that this park isn't typically like this so they may have been severely impacted by the crowds that came out for the 20th anniversary! I am curious to see if this is how it feels seeing the show going forward or if this was a specific situation due to the popularity of the kickoff event.

The tip here is definitely to find your spot and stick in it for this popular nighttime show.

Hong Kong Disneyland 20th Anniversary Review

I was visiting Hong Kong Disneyland with the memories of the Disneyland 70th anniversary kickoff fresh in my head. We were also quite excited to see what the park had to offer based on its reputation for high-end entertainment. The beloved Paint the Night parade first debuted here before coming to Disneyland in California.

The nighttime show in particular really impressed us. The drones element left us really wanting those drones at Disneyland or at least Walt Disney World. This is the next big innovation in nighttime entertainment. Our understanding is that there's a need for more space underneath the drones in order for them to fly so Disneyland may not be eligible. We already know that these can work at Walt Disney World where they debuted the Disney Springs show last summer. That said, apparently Disneyland did once plan a drone show.

I was also impressed by the parade and the massive Encanto float. That float featured a ton of physical effects and props that brought the house to life. The main song for the parade and anniversary overall was also an earworm.

Finally, I really enjoyed the special foods (minus the sundae monstrosity) and the merchandise released for this event. There was quite a wide range of new offerings that brought excitement in both of these areas.

The Hong Kong Disneyland 20th Anniversary was really impressive and a fantastic way to see the theme park for the very first time. It might be time for you to add this to your own bucket list.

I'll be back soon to share more about my first trip to Hong Kong Disneyland. The park overall was super impressive. I'm ending this article with the photo above of the Walt and Mickey statue that sits in their Fantasyland. This is a very cute recent addition to the park and is one of my favorites of these statues. This special park delivered a lot of value during my visit. There's a lot more for me to share.

I was partially hosted for this experience at Hong Kong Disneyland by Disney. Opinions remain my own.

READ MORE – Hidden Secrets of the Disney World Hotels You Haven’t Heard Of

I love exploring the different hotels at Disney World. Each hotel has so much detail that I always catch something new every time I revisit them. However, each hotel also has its own stories and secrets that, once you learn them, may change your whole perspective on Disney's attention to detail. Let's go over the top hidden secrets of the Disney World hotels.

READ MORE -Don’t Pack These Items For Your Disney Trip. They Can Cause Headaches and Some Are Banned.

When it’s time to pack for your Disney vacation, it’s important to keep in mind that certain items are not allowed on property. Even though Disneyland and Walt Disney World both have their own set of property rules, it can sometimes be unclear what exactly is allowed and what’s not. There are many items that are completely banned, while others only have certain stipulations that need to be followed. These are the Disney items you shouldn't pack for your trip.