The coronavirus pandemic is raining on a huge parade Friday.
Disneyland, also known as The Happiest Place on Earth, is disappointingly closed on its 65th anniversary as the number of new virus cases surge across the country.
Walt Disney’s original theme park in Anaheim ― first opened on July 17, 1955 ― closed in March and will remain shuttered along with Disney California Adventure Park until state and local officials approve the company’s emerging plan to reopen, according to news reports.
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Last month, company executives said they were aiming for a full reopening when the anniversary rolled around, but so far only the nearby Downtown Disney outdoor shopping mall is hopping with enhanced health and safety measures. The Disneyland Resort hotels on the campus also remain closed.
“When we reopen following health and government official guidance, it will be done in a deliberate and thoughtful way, with enhanced safety measures in place including significantly limited capacity,” Disneyland officials said in a statement.
Florida parks open
Amid a sharp rise in new cases in Florida, Disney’s Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios began a phased reopening last Saturday with dozens of new safety measures, including reduced crowd sizes, required reservations, hand-sanitizing stations, Plexiglass partitions, face masks and temperature checks. Along with physical distancing, parades, fireworks and most indoor shows have been removed from the itinerary, and hugs with Mickey Mouse or other characters are no longer allowed.
Limited attendance
Disneyland executives in California are putting in place similar measures and could potentially limit daily combined attendance at both California parks to fewer than 15,000 visitors, the Orange County Register reported, citing an analysis by a theme park tracking company called Touring Plans.
Disneyland is only expected to admit 10% of its daily maximum capacity of 85,000 visitors, meaning no more than 8,500 visitors will be in the park at one time when it finally reopens, according to the Register. Disney California Adventure expects to limit admissions to 5,000 visitors when it reopens, the Register reported.
Park officials said they are continuing to monitor evolving health guidelines and working with cast member unions to ensure the best protective measures.
Elsewhere, Disneyland Hong Kong shut down again Wednesday only weeks after reopening due to a new spike in cases in the region, while Disneyland Paris reopened the same day with new health safety measures after being closed for four months.
For now, Disneyland 65th anniversary merchandise is available online and at the Downtown Disney District, the dining and shopping area between the two California theme parks that reopened July 9.
History of Disneyland
Walter Elias Disney, a pioneer in cartoon animation who created the iconic character Mickey Mouse, got the idea to build a mega theme park from smaller attractions he visited with his children throughout the 1930s and 1940s. His initial ambition was to build a small attraction for visitors at his movie studio in Burbank, but he quickly realized the site wasn’t big enough for what he really wanted to do.
Disney went on to purchase 160 acres near Anaheim in 1953, and construction began on Disneyland the following year, which he oversaw. ABC televised the park’s opening on July 17, 1955.
Disney California Adventure opened in 2001.
A longtime smoker, Walt Disney died from lung cancer on Dec. 15, 1966, at age 65.
He never lived to see his biggest dreamwork, Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, which opened in Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 1, 1971.
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