Have crowds really disappeared from Disneyland Park? That’s the question some Disney Parks fans are asking after a recent guest described the Anaheim theme park as surprisingly quiet, just weeks after the kickoff of the Disneyland70 celebration.
The 70th-anniversary festivities officially began on May 16, 2025, nearly two months ahead of Disneyland Resort’s July 17 birthday. Disneyland Park is currently offering multiple limited-time shows and experiences as part of the celebration, including the Celebrate Happy Cavalcade, the Paint the Night parade, the Wondrous Journeys fireworks, and a special projection show called Tapestry of Happiness on the facade of “it’s a small world.” Across the esplanade, Disney California Adventure Park is also participating in the event with the Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration parade, a refreshed Toy Story Midway Mania! attraction, and the World of Color Happiness nighttime spectacular.
With so many entertainment offerings, many guests have reported that Disneyland Resort is drawing even larger crowds than usual. But one photo shared online suggested otherwise, sparking a debate among Disney Parks fans.
On Reddit, user u/One_Conclusion_1575 posted a photo that appeared to show light crowds at Disneyland Park and wrote, “Disneyland is dead today.” In the comments, they added, “Short lines, places to sit. Beautiful weather. It’s summer.”
Disneyland is dead today
byu/One_Conclusion_1575 inDisneyland
While the post quickly gained attention, many disagreed with the suggestion that the park was “dead.”
“This is dead?” u/KO-lipstick asked.
“As someone who hasn’t been in ten years but used to go multiple times per month… that looks anything but dead…,” u/cyclejones replied.
Others offered more measured takes, suggesting that crowd levels vary by time of day or location within the park.
“Beautiful weather, hm? Lol. I think the heat ended up keeping locals away actually,” wrote u/stellalunawitchbaby2. “That said I’m sure as the sun sets people will be coming in droves for the nighttime stuff.”
“Peter Pan is 25m right now,” said u/chiangku. “This is fairly quiet. It’s rare that Peter Pan is below 40-45m these days.”
Whether or not the photo reflected an unusual moment of calm, attendance is expected to spike again as Disneyland Park approaches its actual birthday in July. Multiple new experiences are scheduled to debut on July 17, including “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” which will premiere at the Main Street Opera House.
The presentation will temporarily replace Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln and feature the first-ever Walt Disney audio-animatronic alongside original artifacts from the Walt Disney Archives. It will eventually rotate performances with the original Lincoln show. Guests visiting “it’s a small world” on Disneyland Resort’s birthday can also expect to hear a brand-new final verse written by the legendary Sherman brothers.
If you haven’t had the chance to visit Disneyland Resort yet, there’s still plenty of time. The Disneyland70 celebration continues through the summer of 2026.
When is the best time to visit Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park? Share your opinion with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
Stop with the BS already! Disneyland isn’t empty on any day. Even days when it rains the crowds are still there! The crowds might be lighter on one or two days every week, but it’s still crowded!
Every single night the crowd for the first Paint the Night parade, is ridiculous and overwhelming for cast members who work parade GSO positions.