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You are here: Home / Disneyland / Entertainment at Disneyland

Entertainment at Disneyland

January 13, 2016 by Becky 26 Comments

Entertainment at Disneyland - Disney in your Day

I love thrill rides.  But one of the things that makes Disney theme parks unique is the fact that they aren’t just about those rides.  Even if you don’t like riding roller coasters, you’ll still find plenty to do in Disneyland.  The entertainment at Disneyland options are extremely  impressive – honestly, some of the shows we saw when we were there in September blew me away.  I wanted to talk about some of the amazing highlights from our trip.

Aladdin the Musical

Entertainment at Disneyland - Disney in your Day

Sadly, this show is closing this month. It’s set to be replaced by a Frozen musical, which I only hope will be just as good.  I’ve heard that Disneyland gets better talent than many other theme parks because of its location so close to Hollywood, and at least from the performance we saw this seems to be true.  The music and singing was all fantastic, and the dancing was great.  But the genie in particular blew us away.  He was a great singer, hilarious, and was obviously doing a lot of improv.  The fact that this caliber of show is included in your admission is just fantastic.

Paint the Night parade

Entertainment at Disneyland - Disney in your Day

I enjoy parades, but I don’t usually love them.  Paint the Night had to be the best Disney parade I’ve seen.  I think the nighttime parades are really cool with all of the lights, but this one just took it to the next level.  Some of the technology involved was so impressive, and it even got my (sometimes hard to impress) husband interested in it.  Plus we loved all of the characters in this parade.

 

Fireworks

Entertainment at Disneyland - Disney in your Day

It would be hard for anything to beat Wishes in my book.  But these special anniversary fireworks at Disneyland were pretty darn close.  The fireworks themselves were amazing in a way that only Disney fireworks can be.  But the emotional aspect of this show really hit me.  It started with a voice over, talking about how the very place where we were standing was once just orange groves, but one man had a vision for it to be something so much more.  And yeah, I might have started crying then.

 

World of Color

Entertainment at Disneyland - Disney in your Day

I like the fact that this is something unique and different – not a fireworks show, but a sort of neat water fountain/projection show.  I wasn’t totally blown away by it though.  Maybe because you have to stand around so long for it to start, and I was chilly that night.  I’ve heard some people say that the version before the 60th was actually better.  It’s still a great show, but perhaps not one of the absolute standouts for me.

 

Character Meet and Greets

Entertainment at Disneyland - Disney in your Day

Meeting Disney characters is a big part of the trip for many.  And it was just a different experience than in Disney World!  The actors seemed to be more into their characters, and there were just more of them around with shorter lines.  We had a fantastic time at the Plaza breakfast, where we got a ton of character interaction.  We even watched Chip (from Chip and Dale) and Captain Hook have a duel!  And then one morning we just found the Evil Queen wandering around and grabbed a picture with her.  Great character experiences.

Sadly, we didn’t get the chance to see Fantasmic since it was only playing on select nights.  Just means more things we’ll have to look forward to when we go back someday!

Have you been to Disneyland?  What’s your favorite entertainment at Disneyland?

Filed Under: Disneyland Tagged With: Aladdin, characters, Disneyland, entertainment, fireworks, musicals, Paint the Night, World of Color

Comments

  1. cara says

    January 13, 2016 at 9:48 am

    Wow, this makes me really excited to visit Disneyland! We’re planning a trip for next year, and I’m definitely keeping your site bookmarked! Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 13, 2016 at 3:31 pm

      That’s so exciting that you have a trip planned! If you have any questions or want to know anything, feel free to contact me!

      Reply
  2. Marlynn @ UrbanBlissLife says

    January 13, 2016 at 12:06 pm

    Great photos! I haven’t been to Disneyland since I was a kid, and my children have honestly had NO interest in ever going so in all of our travels, we’ve never taken them, but the fireworks and the World of Color look great!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 13, 2016 at 3:31 pm

      Wow, how surprising that you’re kids don’t show an interest in it! There is so much to see at Disneyland aside from the rides – the fireworks truly blew me away.

      Reply
  3. Nichole aka CuppaGeek says

    January 13, 2016 at 1:31 pm

    Love that huge Slinky Dog! So awesome!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 13, 2016 at 3:32 pm

      All of that parade was incredible, it was so fun to watch!

      Reply
  4. Libby says

    January 13, 2016 at 4:34 pm

    I was definitely surprised the first time I went to Disney at the fact that so much of what makes Disney special are the things besides the rides or the overall experience of each ride. I especially love the nighttime parades and fireworks! We didn’t make it to world of color last time we were there cause we didn’t feel like standing around, but caught Fantasmic and it was awesome!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 15, 2016 at 12:13 am

      Yes, exactly Libby! I agree that the standing around waiting for World of Color was a bit rough. Glad to got to see Fantasmic though, I hope to get to it when we go back!

      Reply
  5. Robin G. says

    January 13, 2016 at 8:11 pm

    I LOVE the fireworks show at Disneyland! They’ve definitely stepped up their game these past few years. I went on July 4th and they did an extra firework show, so good!

    Penn&Quill || Robin

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 14, 2016 at 2:17 pm

      I saw the July 4th fireworks at Disney World one time and they were incredible! Non-Disney fireworks can’t even begin to compare.

      Reply
  6. Shann Eva says

    January 13, 2016 at 11:32 pm

    I’m afraid of Roller Coasters, so I always look for other entertainment . I love watching the shows, and kiddie rides are good enough for me 🙂

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 13, 2016 at 3:32 pm

      Yes, that’s why Disney is such a great theme park! They truly have something for everyone (and not just something but lots of things!). You could easily spend a day in Disney without doing a single actual ride and still have a great time.

      Reply
  7. Rae says

    January 13, 2016 at 11:45 pm

    Have not been to Disneyland in so very long—we are quite overdue! Kind of want to stay away though, until the Star Wars construction is all done.

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 15, 2016 at 12:17 am

      I understand that! I hope the Star Wars stuff doesn’t take too long 🙂

      Reply
  8. Heidi says

    January 14, 2016 at 12:25 am

    How fun… I LOVE Disneyland! The firework shows are my favorite!!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 14, 2016 at 1:34 am

      I agree, the fireworks are incredible!

      Reply
  9. Claire Cervino says

    January 14, 2016 at 8:08 am

    How fun! Would love to go to Disney Land soon!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 15, 2016 at 12:19 am

      There are so many great things to do! I hope you get the chance to soon Claire!

      Reply
  10. Lisa Sharp says

    January 14, 2016 at 10:10 am

    This increases my wish to go to Disney again soon. Being in Oklahoma we are about right in the middle between Disneyland and World. My husband hasn’t every been to Disneyland though and I grew up going there often since my family is from California. I can’t wait for him to go!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 15, 2016 at 12:25 am

      Oh yes, you should definitely get him to Disneyland! I was surprised but my husband enjoyed it even more than Disney World!

      Reply
  11. Ariel @ Keys to My Life says

    January 14, 2016 at 10:22 am

    PAINT THE NIIIIIGHT

    But yes, I’m obsessed with that parade. OBSESSED.

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 14, 2016 at 2:17 pm

      It was amazing! I wish we would have had the time to see it again! I hope it sticks around for awhile.

      Reply
  12. Latonya says

    January 14, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    I’ve never been to a Disney Park, but it is definitely on my to-do list. Thanks for sharing some of the highlights from your visit.

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 14, 2016 at 2:19 pm

      You’re welcome Latonya! If you ever decide to visit a Disney Park let me know and I’d be happy to help you!

      Reply
  13. Adriana Renee says

    January 14, 2016 at 11:10 pm

    Aladdin being over breaks my heart so much. I didn’t even get fastpasses for the last day because the line was so long. But Paint the Night and Disneyland Forever are what I will forever love!

    Reply
    • [email protected] says

      January 15, 2016 at 12:45 am

      I know, I’m so thankful we got the chance to see Aladdin before it ended. It was amazing and it would be something I would have totally gone to over and over again if I had the chance.

      Reply

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About Me

Hi, I'm Becky!

I'm a huge Disney fan in my early 30's and always trying to find a way to put a little bit of Disney into everyday life. I live in Pennsylvania but travel to the theme parks several times a year - I'm an annual passholder at Disney World! In addition to Disney I love traveling, running, and theater.

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