Disneyland's Diamond Celebration

2015 marks 60 magical years for the Disneyland Resort in California. To celebrate this milestone Disneyland has gone all out in honor of their 60 years! As soon as you enter the park you will see the Main Street Train Station decorated all in blue and a giant 60 year celebration banner. I just absolutely love all the blue everywhere (it's my favorite color). There are some features that are being released throughout the year so for now I will share what I know and see and then as more things are finished I will update my Hub. For now, this is what the park has done so far.

The castle is extra special for the Diamond Celebration and extra sparkly. Not only is the roof bedazzled in lots of shiny materials but there are also domes created for the castle that are in the shape of diamonds (and are clear like them too). There are lots of banners and drapes of fabric that decorate the bottom portion of the castle as well. At night the castle is lit up with thousands of twinkling lights to make it extra special. There is also a large 60th Anniversary banner hanging from the front of the castle.

The Paint the Night Parade is all new for the 60th Anniversary. It will include lots of floats and new characters not yet seen in parades. Everything will be lit (a little reminiscent of the Electrical Light Parade). This is actually the first parade to use all LED lights-over 1.5 million lights were used. There is also brand new music created for the parade that is sure to put you in the celebrating mood.

I absolutely loved seeing classic characters as well as some new ones! The Cars section of the parade was one of my favorites. The music is really great too! It is a combination of the Electrical Light Parade music, music from the movies, and When Can I See You Again by Owl City which was featured in Wreck It Ralph. It was the perfect choice for this parade and is so perfect for summer!

World of Color will be all new as well and will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris. Along with all the usual effects during a World of Color show, there are also going to be some new effects added and some new animations. Many of the rides in Disneyland are featured during the show as well as a special tribute to Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. The show is called Celebrate the Wonderful World of Disney and is supposed to be an inspirational journey through Walt's legacy.

There is also a new firework show this year. During the show Main Street and It's A Small World are used as screens and effects to enhance your experience. There are lots of colors used, many familiar characters, and some fun surprises as well.

In honor of 60 years Disneyland has added and changed some classic things in the park. A few rides are getting some major updates, the Haunted Mansion has a special guest, Main Street is getting new displays, and a few new penny machines are being added.

Peter Pan's Flight:

This ride has been closed for a while now but will reopen in May with some exciting changes. The ride will feature a new nursery scene and new animations will be added throughout the ride. Peter Pan is still currently closed for refurbishing.

Matterhorn Bobsleds:

The Matterhorn is also getting a few new updates. The yeti inside is getting an update and lots of new effects are being added. It is suppose to have a similar effect of the Everest ride in Walt Disney World. In the video below you can get a good look at the new Harold and the effects that were added.

Special Coin Machines:

There are going to be new coin press machines added to the parks in honor of the Diamond Celebration. Some will be there for a while and others only for a limited time. You can also purchase a special diamond edition pressed coin holder to keep all of your special pressed coins in. I also discovered that above many of the normal penny machines Disney has provided a "map" of where to locate all the special edition machines.

The Haunted Mansion:

There is going to be a new ghostly presence inside the mansion for the 60th celebration. The Hatbox ghost made his first appearance in 1969 when the ride opened and has not returned since, until now. Now he will materialize for you to celebrate this milestone for the park. He has some hauntingly cool features!

Main Street Window Displays:

The window displays on Main Street are getting a makeover for the Diamond Celebration. There are going to be some newer movies featured (such as Toy Story and Princess and the Frog). The really exciting thing is that instead of using dolls in the display they are going to be all animated. This means that the scenes will change giving the viewer a more interactive experience. This currently is not yet completed on Main Street but the windows have a curtain and a sign that they will be opening soon.

It wouldn't be a celebration without specialty food, beverages, and snacks! Mostly everything is diamond themed (naturally) including the paper cups you receive your beverages in.

Disneyland has some adorable limited edition popcorn buckets this year that are a replica of the famous Mickey balloon (the one with the clear outer shell and the colored Mickey inside). I am not normally a popcorn person but when I saw these buckets I just had to get one! They come in the colors blue, purple, and red. You will most likely have to hunt down the color you want (if you want a specific color). I was lucky and the first stand I went to had the blue one. I really wanted blue because it is the Diamond celebration and as previously stated blue is my favorite color. Now the "premium bucket" is more expensive than the other options but honestly you can reuse theses for so many things and it is probably one of the more cheaper of souvenir options. The other great thing that Disneyland will do (and what I did) is you can get the popcorn in the cardboard box it normally comes in and keep the container clean.

Not only will there be special merchandise for the Diamond Celebration but Dooney and Burke will also have a new line available in park that celebrates 60 years of Disneyland as well. There is also going to be some Pandora jewelry and new editions to the Alex and Ani line. There are special ears, apparel, technology accessories, toys, and much more. Be prepared to spend some money on some of these items because they are pricey-even for Disneyland. There were lots of things on my wish-list that I wanted to get but ended up getting other things due to some steep prices. There are special anniversary Minnie ears for sale but I personally do not like the bow on them; plus I already bought silver ears during Christmas which work just as well.

This is what I ended up buying. I got the popcorn bucket, a Diamond Celebration tumbler, a keychain, and an anniversary pin. Like I mentioned above a lot of items were more than I expected. I felt that these items were the best value but if you have no qualms with spending on this special merchandise more power to you! I really liked that the tumbler was heavy (porcelain) and it could be used for both cold and hot drinks. This was probably the one item that I saw online I ended up buying. I saw the keychain and I had to buy it; so cute and sparkly.

Even though I have not been around 60 years, I have been going to Disneyland since the 90's. I have many fond (and not so fond) memories in the park. Anniversaries are always special no matter what it is for. It is really cool for me to walk around and see all different types of people so excited about the Diamond Celebration. It really makes me appreciate all the memories I have made with various people over the years. Do you have any memories from the past 60 years? I would love to hear about them in the comments below!