Theme Park Times

25/08/2024

LIVE VIDEO: Watch ’s “Halloween Screams” Fireworks Spectacular at the direct link https://www.youtube.com/live/ZNgXG-MxJCo?si=gC41tkutMwfT-hmo beginning 9:30 p.m. Pacific Time; Saturday, Aug. 24 at the Theme Park Times YouTube channel: http://www.YouTube.com/ThemeParkTimes and then click on the “Live” tab, as TPT live-streams the return of this extremely popular, fan-favorite fireworks show at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. This video will also be archived on Theme Park Times YouTube channel under the “Live” section for anyone who misses the live-stream, or watch the full video at the direct link https://www.youtube.com/live/ZNgXG-MxJCo?si=gC41tkutMwfT-hmo
— It’s opening weekend of Disneyland Resort’s 2024 Halloween Time season, which culminates each night with “Halloween Screams.” This nighttime spectacular conjures visions of Disney villains, spooky projections and special effects in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. On select nights (especially weekends), “Halloween Screams” is performed as a full-fledged fireworks show as it was originally created, but in recent years, corporate Di$ney and corporate Di$neyland also runs “Halloween Screams” as a projections-only show usually on weekdays to save money.
— “Halloween Screams” is a frightfully fun show with a spirited twist. It kicks off with greetings from the “Master of Scare-omonies” Jack Skellington and his ghostly dog Zero from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” This display of Halloween-inspired sights and sounds includes ghostly projections and classic Disney villains, like Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty” and Ursula the Sea Witch from “The Little Mermaid” — all set to a medley of Halloween-inspired songs. If wind conditions are tame during select nights when the show includes fireworks, the ghost dog Zero also flies above Sleeping Beauty Castle.
— Disneyland’s seasonal Halloween Time runs Aug. 23-Oct. 31, 2024.

12/02/2024

LIVE VIDEO from Disneyland: Watch the 2024 Super Bowl LVIII champions parade featuring The Kansas City Chiefs MVP Patrick Mahomes with Theme Park Times’ live-streaming video from 2 p.m. Pacific Time, Monday, Feb. 12, 2024 at http://www.YouTube.com/ThemeParkTimes and then click on the “Live” tab, or the DIRECT LINK is https://www.youtube.com/live/HJyttQVz4M8?si=_ejRcv905YZuLtrp
— Patrick Mahomes (PICTURED at the top-right with his family) hits the Super Bowl jackpot with NFL championship and celebratory trip to Disneyland: Patrick Mahomes is named Super Bowl MVP again and is featured in Disney’s popular “I’m Going to Disneyland!’’ TV commercial for the third time, which started airing immediately following the NFL Super Bowl championship game held Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024. Mahomes is making the magical trip to Disneyland Resort on Monday, Feb. 12 to celebrate the big win.
— As the euphoria of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl win continued to swirl around Allegiant Stadium near Las Vegas on Sunday night, Feb. 11, Patrick Mahomes once again made that jubilant declaration that has become so iconic after Super Bowl victories: “I’m Going to Disneyland!’’ This is the third time Mahomes has been named Super Bowl MVP and the third time he has been featured in the famous commercial. Mahomes’s post-game proclamation is the centerpiece of Disney’s annual Super Bowl commercial airing on TV and social media.
— But that on-field moment is just the beginning of the celebration. The Super Bowl festivities are moving to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California on Monday, Feb. 12, when Mahomes will be the guest of honor in a cavalcade through Disneyland. The celebratory cavalcade/mini-parade will start near Disneyland’s “it’s a small world” attraction and then make its way toward Sleeping Beauty Castle and down Main Street, U.S.A., starting around 2 p.m. PT.
— Afterward, Mahomes will spend the afternoon with family and friends experiencing some of Disneyland’s popular attractions and interacting with Disney characters. It’s a magical way for Mahomes to celebrate his team’s Super Bowl title. He led the Chiefs to a 25-22 overtime win over San Francisco 49ers in the biggest game of the year. Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP for the third time after throwing the game winning touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in overtime. His 333 passing yards and two passing touchdowns catapulted his team to the win and launched him into the annals of Disney’s Super Bowl history with his inclusion in the national TV spot and Disneyland Resort trip.
— Mahomes is once again joining a long list of other NFL heavyweights who have been a part of Disney’s long-standing Super Bowl tradition that began in 1987 when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms first appeared in the commercial following his team’s Super Bowl win.

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11/09/2023

The trashy conditions at the entrance-and-exit to Disneyland Resort continue to get worse! — On a daily basis, from morning to night, there are homeless people and homeless pets laying on the ground of the main walkway entering and exiting Disneyland Resort on Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim, California. Also, on a daily basis, there are several unauthorized, tacky and questionable vendors with fruit carts; another frequent vendor hawks various $1 bottled beverages; another regular is a man with a parrot offering to let guests have the bird perched on them for souvenir photos in exchange for cash tips; another frequent vendor sets up small tables selling attachable and decorative Disney-themed trinkets and accessories for sandals; and another regular is a man shoving promotional music CDs into the faces of guests passing by the congested public sidewalk space at the main walking entrance into Disneyland Resort. Disney security cast members are often seen stationed and standing a few feet away from the Disneyland Resort archway sign on Harbor Boulevard, but since the sidewalk is considered public property, Disney’s security personnel cannot ask these vendors, solicitors and homeless to leave. Guests entering and exiting Disneyland Resort should use caution when using the main walkway into Disneyland Resort on Harbor Boulevard in Anaheim, California. (
— NOTE: These photos do not even depict the worst of the crowded conditions when all of the "regulars" described above are ALL at that congested spot and obstructing the already limited sidewalk space all at the same time during prime foot-traffic times (such as right after fireworks and near park closing times) when thousands of guests must navigate through and around these unsanctioned vendors, solicitors and homeless while entering/exiting Disneyland Resort on Harbor Boulevard and while trying to cross the street.
— REPORTING AND PHOTOS BY DANIEL K. LEW / THEME PARK TIMES. Photos taken at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, 2023)

31/07/2023

LIVE VIDEO: Watch Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights - Hollywood’s special presentation now, live-streaming from the Midsummer Scream 2023 Halloween and horror convention at https://www.youtube.com/live/R5SkvpLUxdQ?feature=share to get an exclusive look behind the screams of Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights as Creative Director/Executive Producer John Murdy makes some surprise announcements and shares about the creative process to bring this popular Halloween haunt special event to life.

30/07/2023

LIVE VIDEO: Watch Knott's Scary Farm’s 50th Anniversary special presentation at Midsummer Scream 2023 convention now about Knott's Berry Farm’s Halloween event at https://www.youtube.com/live/jmI6VBi5gXk?feature=share to learn about the history of Knott’s Berry Farm theme park’s beloved, trail-blazing and annual scary Halloween haunt event; in addition to announcements about some of the new offerings, tributes, characters and merchandise for Knott’s Scary Farm’s 50th anniversary season in 2023.

17/07/2023

VIDEO: Happy 68th Birthday to , which originally opened July 17, 1955. Watch our live-streamed video of the 2023 anniversary mini-parade/cavalcade from Monday, July 17, 2023 at

Disneyland celebrates its 68th birthday on Monday, July 17, 2023 by holding an anniversary mini-parade/cavalcade featuring the main Disney characters (Mickey...

26/03/2023

Happy 1st Year Anniversary to Sesame Place San Diego! — This combined amusement park and water park opened 1-year ago on March 26, 2022. Themed to and inspired by the beloved “Sesame Street” TV series, Sesame Place San Diego is geared toward families, kids and the young-at-heart. Watch this video for a complete walk-through of the entire park — the video was recorded and live-streamed on its grand opening day, Saturday, March 26, 2022. This video also points out some of the cool, hidden and interactive details in the Sesame Street Neighborhood area of the park that recreates some of the iconic “Sesame Street” locations and storefronts. Plus, by watching this video, you can virtually walk around Sesame Place San Diego to see all of its rides, attractions, water slides, lazy river, giant wave pool, restaurants and shops. VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/live/2JJ056-XejA

— Sesame Place San Diego is located in the city of Chula Vista in southern San Diego County, California; about 25 minutes south of downtown San Diego. This is the second currently operating Sesame Place theme park; the original Sesame Place opened in 1980 in Pennsylvania and remains open. Sesame Place parks are operated by SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment. For more information, visit SesamePlace.com

— Video recorded by Theme Park Times editor Daniel K. Lew

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— VIDEO LINK to “LIVE! The NEW Sesame Street theme park - Sesame Place San Diego - Grand Opening Day - Full Walk-Thru” at https://www.youtube.com/live/2JJ056-XejA

Themed to and inspired by the “Sesame Street” TV series, Sesame Place San Diego is California’s newest theme park. Watch this video for a complete walk-throu...

28/01/2023

Watch our LIVE-streaming video of ’s NEW fireworks spectacular for the Celebration beginning 9:35 p.m. Pacific Time, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023 with a direct link at https://youtu.be/OdTx4uStGtI and see Theme Park Times’ other videos at http://www.YouTube.com/ThemeParkTimes — The Walt Disney Company marks its 100th anniversary in 2023, and Disneyland Resort will celebrate the milestone with new experiences and entertainment throughout the year, beginning Friday, Jan. 27, 2023 when Disneyland debuts its newest fireworks show called “Wondrous Journeys.” This nighttime spectacular features nods to every Walt Disney Animation Studios film over the last century and a new song, “It’s Wondrous.” Filled with artistry, music and storytelling, the nighttime spectacular builds upon the park’s state-of-the-art projection effects to turn Main Street, U.S.A., Sleeping Beauty Castle, the facade of “it’s a small world” and the Rivers of America into an artist’s canvas. On select nights, “Wondrous Journeys” goes even bigger with the addition of sparkling fireworks.
— LIVE VIDEO: Watch Theme Park Times’ live-streaming video of the opening night, first public performance of the “Wondrous Journeys” fireworks starting at 9:35 p.m. Pacific Time, Friday, Jan. 27, 2023 with a front-and-center view at http://www.YouTube.com/ThemeParkTimes
— If you missed the live-stream, the video will also be available to watch afterward on the YouTube channel for Theme Park Times.

11/11/2022

BEYOND THE THEME PARKS: For a special THEMED experience, here is the rare chance for “BACK TO THE FUTURE” fans to step into the film’s iconic ENCHANTMENT UNDER THE SEA DANCE at the ACTUAL filming location for a real-life dance experience which includes several “Back to the Future” celebrity guests plus special photo/autograph opportunities on Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 from 6-10 p.m. (5 p.m. Early entry plus extra perks for VIP ticket holders.) The event location at the Hollywood United Methodist Church gymnasium in Hollywood/Los Angeles, California will be faithfully recreated with attention-to-details to look just like the dance in the film, which also includes having BTTF actor Harry Waters, Jr. singing live and reprising his role as bandleader of Marvin Berry and The Starlighters. (Theme Park Times staff will be attending, and we will post photos/videos after the event.) For more details and tickets: SAVE 10 PERCENT OFF either general admission or VIP admission at this special link: https://bit.ly/bttfdance

02/10/2022

Happy 51st anniversary to both Walt Disney World Resort and Magic Kingdom, and Happy 40th anniversary to EPCOT! — The dreams of Walt Disney and his brother, Roy Disney, to create a Disney vacation destination on the East Coast came true when Walt Disney World opened its first Florida theme park, Magic Kingdom, 51 years ago on Oct. 1, 1971. The second Walt Disney World theme park, EPCOT — originally short for Walt Disney’s vision of an “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” — opened 40 years ago on Oct. 1, 1982.

— PICTURED: Artist renderings of Magic Kingdom’s Cinderella Castle and EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth. Cinderella Castle continues to be decked out with shimmering decor and iridescent colors for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration, which kicked off Oct. 1, 2021 and runs until March 31, 2023. At EPCOT, the iconic geodesic sphere of Spaceship Earth is covered with enhanced lighting effects for nightly “Beacons of Light” presentations with changing light patterns accompanied by inspirational musical scores.

— Reporting by Theme Park Times staff.

01/10/2022

WALT DISNEY WORLD REOPENS POST-HURRICANE IAN: Walt Disney World theme parks in Florida have begun a phased reopening starting Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 after being closed the two days prior (Tuesday-Wednesday, Sept. 28-29) due to Hurricane Ian. Walt Disney World Resort, located in Central Florida near Orlando, was spared the brunt of Hurricane Ian's force when it initially hit land on the western side of Florida. But there are certain areas in Walt Disney World and Central Florida with varying degrees of flooding or water damage, a few road closures, spotty cellular reception, and visible damage to some landscaping and trees. Attendance and crowds at Walt Disney World's theme parks on Friday, Sept. 30 were only moderate and not too busy, especially considering only guests with reservations could enter the parks and many guests cancelling vacation plans due to Hurricane Ian.

— All four Walt Disney World theme parks (Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disney's Animal Kingdom) have reopened with limited hours and open only to guests with park reservations (and valid admission tickets or Annual Passes). Some rides/attractions, shops and restaurants are also temporarily closed or operating with limited hours.

— LIMITED PARK HOURS for reopening day, Friday, Sept. 30, 2022 with longer Early Entry perk for WDW hotel guests:
• MAGIC KINGDOM: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests 8-10 a.m.; Park hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Special ticketed event: Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 7 p.m.-midnight
• EPCOT: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests 9 a.m.-11 a.m.; Park hours 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
• DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests 10 a.m.-noon; Park hours noon-9 p.m.
• DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests: 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; Park hours 1 p.m.-7 p.m.

— PARK HOURS for Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, Walt Disney World's 51st anniversary day:
• MAGIC KINGDOM's 51st anniversary: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests 8:30 a.m.-9 a.m.; Park hours 9 a.m.-11 p.m.; Special ticketed event: Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 7 p.m.-midnight
• EPCOT's 40th anniversary: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests 8 a.m.-8:30 a.m.; Park hours 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
• DISNEY'S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests 8 a.m.-8:30 a.m.; Park hours 8:30 a.m.-9 p.m.
• DISNEY'S ANIMAL KINGDOM: Early Entry for WDW hotel guests: 7:30 a.m.-8 a.m.; Park hours 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

— Disney Springs shopping/entertainment district reopened Friday, Sept. 30, 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. but hours vary per store/restaurant.
— Disney Springs hours for Saturday, Oct. 1: 10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. but hours vary per store/restaurant.

— Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf reopened Friday, Sept. 30, 3 p.m.-10 p.m.

— ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex reopened Friday, Sept. 30, 5 p.m.-8 p.m. for scheduled events.

— OTHER CLOSURES:
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park is temporarily closed with a planned reopening on Sunday, Oct. 2.
• Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park is closed for the season.
• Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fairways Miniature Golf will remain temporarily closed.

— Partially used multi-day theme park tickets with a validity window impacted by closure due to Hurricane Ian will be automatically extended to allow use of the remaining unused ticket days through Sept. 30, 2023. In order to enter a park, both a park reservation and valid ticket for the same park on the same date are required.

— "DRAWN TO LIFE" CIRQUE SHOW AT DISNEY SPRINGS: The 5:30 p.m. show of "Drawn to Life" presented by Cirque du Soleil and Disney for Friday, Sept. 30 was rescheduled to begin at 8 p.m.

— Animal Kingdom tour experiences scheduled for Friday, Sept. 30 were cancelled.

— WAIVED NO-SHOW FEES: Walt Disney World will not enforce cancellation policies until further notice for dining and other experiences like Savi’s Workshop (lightsaber-building in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios) and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique (youth makeup and dress-up sessions at Magic Kingdom); for a limited time. Typically, Walt Disney World restaurants offering advance reservations charge a $1O per-person cancellation fee for reservations cancelled after the designated cancellation period, or for no shows; but the charge can be higher for signature restaurants and premium experiences.

— Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical R***e performances been cancelled in light of the temporary closure of Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground. Guests with pre-paid reservations will be automatically cancelled and refunded.

— Anyone who purchased Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party tickets for Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022 directly from Disney will automatically receive a refund processed back to the original form of payment within 7 business days.

— Walt Disney World Resort Hotels:
• Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will resume operations with Star Wars-themed "voyages" departing Saturday, Oct. 1.
• Copper Creek Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge and the Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort are temporarily closed through Friday, Sept. 30 due to the weather.
• Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will be closed until Monday, Oct. 3.
• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will remain temporarily closed.

— FOR MORE UPDATES about Walt Disney World's post-Hurricane Ian operations, visit disneyworld.com/weather

— PICTURED: Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom theme park continues to be decked out with shimmering decor and iridescent colors for Walt Disney World's 50th anniversary celebration, which kicked off Oct. 1, 2021 and runs until March 31, 2023. PHOTO BY Daniel K. Lew / Theme Park Times.

— REPORTING BY THEME PARK TIMES STAFF