Happy July! The heat is here, the crowds are here, and Disneyland is fully into its 70th anniversary celebration. Let’s take a look back at this month across the Disneyland Resort.
AUTOPIA BRIEFLY DERAILS
The month kicked off with a bizarre incident over in Tomorrowland. One June 4, one of the Autopia cars managed to derail and drive into the adjacent landscaping next to the track.
Source: Laughing Place
No one was injured during the accident, but the ride was fully evacuated to get the car back on the track and keep other guests safe.
EASTERN GATEWAY PROJECT RESURFACES
You might remember a while back there were rumblings about an eastern gateway project at the Disneyland Resort that would add new parking, a new pedestrian bridge, and a reorganization of the transportation hub near the park gates. This month, Disneyland announced some expansion plans that bring that project back to life.
This expansion will include a new parking structure, a pedestrian bridge over Harbor Boulevard (and the Monorail), a new transportation hub, and a completely reconfigured resort entry from the east side. We don’t have a ton of specifics (including an opening date) other than the fact that “plans are underway”.
As part of this announcement, Disneyland also confirmed the location of the announced Coco attraction, which will be in Paradise Gardens Park. And then, sadly, the new Avatar land will take up much of Hollywood Land and some of the current transportation hub, which means that Monsters, Inc. will be leaving the resort for good. Your last chance to ride will be in early 2026, and construction is projected to start around the same timeframe.
For more information on the announcements, check out the Disney Parks Blog post here.
DISNEYLAND GLOWS RAINBOW FOR PRIDE NITE
To celebrate Pride Month, Disneyland celebrated in style with the most recent Disneyland After Dark events: Pride Nite.
Source: TRVLtruth
The two-night celebration included all kinds of special exclusive food and drink items, merchandise, a parade, character meet and greets, and of course – plenty of rainbows!
Source: CharactersPhotosBlog
For a peek at what you missed (and maybe some motivation to attend next year), you can still check out the Pride Night Foodie Guide here.
OTHER UPDATES
The project to replace all Disneyland entry gates with the new high-tech gates appears to be complete. No more old school turnstile – and welcome to a new age of easy digital scans and clear doors to welcome you into the park.
And finally, the marquee for the new Walt animatronic show is officially up at the Opera House. Walt Disney – A Magical Live debuts July 17, the resort’s official 70th anniversary.
Source: Disney Parks Blog
So excited for the return of the iconic Disneyland sign!