Disneyland is hosting its first official Pride event this coming Pride month.
On Tuesday, April 18th, Disneyland announced that its festive after-hours special events promotion, Disneyland After Dark, has been set to host the theme park’s first-ever Pride celebration. Below is everything you need to know about the upcoming event.
What is Disneyland Pride Nite?
Disneyland Pride Nite, officially called Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite, is a two-day event that will celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies.
When is Disneyland Pride Nite happening?
Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite will be held on June 13th and 15th at Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California. It is a specially-ticketed event that officially starts at 9 p.m. each night after the park closes to guests with standard admission. Similar to other after-hours events, like Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite last May, Pride Nite guests can enter the park as early as 6 p.m. The Pride event ends at 1 a.m.
???? Celebrating the LGBTQIA+ community and allies, proudly join us for the first-ever Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite at Disneyland Park on June 13 & 15! Delight in a dance party, photo ops and more! Tickets go on sale 4/20/23! Availability is limited. https://t.co/BXSHcBjOLJ pic.twitter.com/XL86GbqHC5
— Disneyland Resort (@Disneyland) April 13, 2023
How much are Disneyland Pride Nite tickets?
Tickets to Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite cost $139 for each guest aged 3 and up. Parking fees are not included in the ticket price.
When do Disneyland Pride Nite tickets go on sale?
A limited number of presale Pride Nite tickets have become available for Magic Key Holders since April 18th. Tickets for the general public, meanwhile, are set to go on sale on April 20th. On both dates of the Pride event, ticket sales will begin at 9 a.m. PT/12 p.m. ET.
Tickets, which are non-refundable, must be purchased on Disneyland’s website in advance.
What’s going to happen on Disneyland Pride Nite?
Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite will kick off with a three-hour pre-party mix-in from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., and will be followed by a private party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. During that period, parkgoers can ride select popular attractions like Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
The Pride event will feature different kinds of dance parties like the Rivers of America Dance Party and the Ohana Dance Party with Stitch at the Tomorrowland Terrace. The former is a DJ-helmed dance party along the water’s edge, while the latter is a family-friendly, joyful dance party with various Disney characters. Visitors can also take part in country line dancing at the Golden Horseshoe.
The activities for the evenings also include the Pride Nite Cavalcade on Main Street, which will feature Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Clarabelle, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, and Goofy in special outfits.
Other exclusive offerings on Disneyland Pride Nite include unique photo opportunities in front of Pride-themed backdrops, inspirational messages, or with Disney Characters, as well as specially crafted snacks like the Chocolate Almond Churro at New Orleans Square, Spiced Beef Potato Loaded Bites at Red Rose Taverne, a Berry Cheesecake Funnel Cake at Stage Door Café, and a Grapefruit Lemonade Soda at Galactic Grill.
Each guest will also receive a commemorative credential and guide map and unlimited downloads of Disney PhotoPass digital photos taken during the party.
Is Disneyland Pride Nite the same as Gay Days Anaheim?
No. Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite is not the same as Gay Days Anaheim. Pride Nite is an official Disneyland event, while Gay Days Anaheim is an event held at Disneyland but run by a third-party organization.
Gay Days Anaheim has been around for more than 25 years. It started as an after-hours event when Disneyland Park could still be rented out for private parties. Although Gay Days Anaheim is now held during regular park hours, the annual event still attracts thousands of LGBTQ attendees every year.
“In the wake of everything that’s happening to the country, that Disney is coming out in support of the community and inviting the community in, in this way, I think is a great thing,” said Eddie Shapiro, organizer of Gay Days Anaheim, when asked for a comment about the Disneyland Pride Nite. “Disney is obviously saying out loud, ‘We as a company are not cowed by [events in Florida],’ nor should they be.’ I’m glad that they’re saying that.”
The events in Florida Shapiro was referring to stemmed from the recently passed “Don’t Say Gay” law, which prohibits instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity from kindergarten through third grade.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been in a dispute with Disney since the company opposed a state law in 2022. Giving in to the pressure of Disney employees, Disney’s then-Chief Executive Bob Chapek said he called DeSantis to express his “disappointment and concern” over the bill, which was ultimately signed into law last spring.
In response to Disney’s opposition to the law, DeSantis and the Florida state dissolved the special tax district where Disney operates Walt Disney World, Epcot, and other resorts, with almost complete autonomy.
Will there still be Gay Days Anaheim now that Disneyland has its own Pride Nite?
Although Eddie Shapiro, organizer of Gay Days Anaheim, expressed some ambivalence about Disney taking over a space Gay Days Anaheim has been filling successfully for over two decades, he said the Gay Days Anaheim and Disneyland Pride Nite can and will coexist.
“I think we will both continue to be able to do things that the other can’t,” Shapiro said, according to the Los Angeles Times.