Love was in the air this month at Disneyland, and guests celebrating Valentine’s Day found hearts and pink accents scattered throughout the park. Most noticeably, Main Street USA, Buena Vista Street, and Downtown Disney offered specialty Valentine desserts, heart window displays, and romantic medleys from the Dapper Dans.
My friend and I hanging out on a Main Street USA heart bench!
LUNAR NEW YEAR
California Adventure hosted a three-day Lunar New Year celebration (Feb 19th-22nd) in the bayside gardens, where Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta and Paradise Garden Grill sit. In addition to special menu items and drinks, guests could enjoy all kinds of entertainment, including:
- Live performances
- Face painting
- Photo ops with Disney characters in special costumes
- Limited edition souvenirs
For more information about this year’s Lunar New Year festivities, you can check out the Disney Parks event page here.
REFURBISHMENTS CONTINUE
As the park enters its third month of major refurbishments in anticipation of the 60th anniversary this summer, refurbishments are full steam ahead all over Disneyland and California Adventure. Most noticeably, the castle has been completely covered, as it receives a new diamond overlay for the Diamond Jubilee festivities.
Since the castle is completely closed off, the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough has also been closed, although the attraction itself is unlikely to see any significant changes. The image displayed over the castle is original concept art sketched in the 1950’s, which is on display full-time in Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World. On the plus side, the castle moat is now full once again, so the castle scenery is slowly getting back to normal.
Critter Country and Condor Flats are still completely closed, and some high profile attractions are in the midst of long closures to be in top shape for the summer. The list includes Peter Pan’s Flight, Grizzly River Run, and the Matterhorn, just to name a few. Many guests have expressed frustration at so many attractions being closed, especially with the recent ticket price increases, but the refurbishment list is roughly the same as it typically is this time of year.
OTHER UPDATES
While the details of the new World of Color show are still heavily under wraps, Disney has released one major component of the show: host Neil Patrick Harris! Neil and Mickey will guide guests through the story of the Disney parks, complete with a musical tour of the park’s most iconic and beloved attractions. You can read Disney’s full announcement here.
After some back and forth in the last few months, Luigi’s Flying Tires finally closed its doors for good on February 16th. Though the park has yet to announce its replacement, Disney has confirmed that it will still be a Luigi-themed attraction, which will debut in 2016.
On February 28th, a spark from the fireworks landed in a tree nearby It’s A Small World, and it looked as if the attraction caught on fire. Respondents quickly extinguished the fire, and there were no reported injuries. Disneyland reported that a backstage area caught fire, but the flames did not reach It’s A Small World, and the attraction sustained no damage.