Disneyland Celebrates 60 Years
Today is Disneyland’s 60th birthday. Disneyland park opened 60 years ago today on July 17, 1955 with only 18 attractions at the time of it’s opening. According to Fortune, it took 20 years to build the Disneyland theme park and cost roughly $17 million to build. Today Disneyland brings in about 14 million visitors who spend around $3 billion, that’s a huge change from when it originally opened.
Of course Disneyland is celebrating its birthday in style. Months ago, Disney announced a new World of Color, Parade, and firework show to go along with their birthday plans, as well as re-painting the castle, decorating the park, and having special memorabilia throughout the celebration. If you attend Disneyland today, you can get a special pin that says “I was here, July 17, 2015” to prove you were actually around to help Disneyland celebrate.
CNN once interview Walt Disney himself about Disneyland and how it all came to be.
“It started with taking my two kids to the zoos and parks. I’d be sitting there trying to figure out what you could do that would be more imaginative. Then when I built the new studio in Burbank, I got the idea for a three-dimensional thing that people could actually come and visit. I felt that there should be something built where the parents and the children could have fun together.”
Disney released a statement saying.
“Ever since Disneyland Park opened on July 17, 1955, the Disneyland Resort has been unforgettable destination for families to return to, again and again- a source of joy for the entire world and a place where innovation has continued to inspire an exciting future.”
Disneyland is not only in Southern California though, they have branched their enterprise worldwide including: Florida, Paris, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and just recently announced that plans to develop a new Disneyland in Shanghai, according to The Wall Street Journal. Even though 60 years ago the opening of Disneyland did not go as expected, with roughly 14,000 people being sold counterfeit tickets, vendors running out of food, and the attractions not working, Disneyland solved their problems and opened today to hundreds of people waiting in line to help celebrate.
Disneyland fans took to their Twitter to express their love and support.
https://twitter.com/ocdisney/status/622093659719098369
Enjoying Disneyland's Diamond celebration birthday! #Disneyland60 #HappyBirthdayDisneyland pic.twitter.com/nvVeHG20DJ
— DAPS Christy (@DapsChristy) July 17, 2015
https://twitter.com/michael_brose31/status/622099861949669376
Mu first trip to @Disneyland was in june 1981. I had just turned eleven. Been there many times afterwards. Happy bday. #Disneyland60
— Eduardo Molina (@edmolina70) July 17, 2015
@DisneylandToday @Disneyland happy birthday! So happy to be here celebrating your 60th! #Disneyland60 pic.twitter.com/OAW5U1GD14
— breanne d (@DBreanne) July 17, 2015
Visitors at Disneyland are saying that the lines are long but what do you expect when you go to one of the happiest places on earth on it’s birthday. Disneyland will stay open until midnight to continue to celebrate its birthday all day long.
[Photo by Handout/ Getty Images]
