Disneyland - Live Entertainment

Live Entertainment

In addition to the attractions, Disneyland provides live entertainment throughout the park. Most of the mentioned entertainment is not offered daily, but only on selected days of the week, or selected periods of the year.

Many Disney characters can be found throughout the park, greeting visitors, interacting with children, and posing for photos. Some characters have specific areas where they are scheduled to appear, but can be found wandering as well. Some of the rarest are characters like Rabbit(from Winnie-the-Pooh), Max, Mushu, and Agent P. Periodically through recent decades (and most recently during the summers of 2005 and 2006), Mickey Mouse would climb the Matterhorn attraction several times a day with the support of Minnie, Goofy, and other performers. Other mountain climbers could also be seen on the Matterhorn from time to time. As of March 2007, Mickey and his "toon" friends no longer climb the Matterhorn but the climbing program continues. Every evening at dusk, there is a military-style flag retreat to lower the Flag of the United States for the day, performed by a detail of the Disneyland Security Personnel. The ceremony usually is held between 4 and 5 pm, depending on the entertainment being offered on Main Street, USA, to prevent conflicts with crowds and music. Disney does report the time the Flag Retreat is scheduled on its Times Guide, offered at the entrance turnstiles and other locations. The Disneyland Band, which has been part of the park since its opening, plays the role of the Town Band on Main Street, U.S.A. It also breaks out into smaller groups like the Main Street Strawhatters, the Hook and Ladder Co., and the Pearly Band in Fantasyland.

Fantasmic!, which debuted in 1992, is a popular multimedia nighttime show on the Rivers of America. The star Mickey Mouse summons the characters and spirit of beloved Disney cartoons and uses the power of imagination to defeat the evil villains that try to turn his dream into a nightmare. The presentation is made at the Laffite's Tavern end of Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island and uses the Rivers of America as part of the stage. It uses Frontierland and New Orleans Square as the spectator arena. It consists of synchronized lighting and special effects, with floating barges, the Mark Twain Riverboat, the Sailing Ship Columbia, fountains, lasers, fireworks, thirty-foot-tall "mist screens" upon which animated scenes are projected, and an automated 45-foot fire-breathing dragon.

Elaborate fireworks shows synchronized with Disney songs and often have appearances from Tinker Bell or Dumbo, flying in the sky above Sleeping Beauty Castle. Since 2000, presentations have become more elaborate, featuring new pyrotechnics, launch techniques and story lines. In 2004, Disneyland introduced a new air launch pyrotechnics system, reducing ground level smoke and noise and decreasing negative environmental impacts. At the time the technology debuted, Disney announced it would donate the patents to a non-profit organization for use throughout the industry.

• Regular fireworks shows:
  • 1958–1999: Fantasy in the Sky
  • 2000–2004: Believe... There's Magic in the Stars
  • 2004–2005: Imagine... A Fantasy in the Sky
  • 2005 – present: Remember... Dreams Come True

• Special fireworks shows:
  • June 12, 2009 – September 20, 2009: Magical: An Exploding Celebration In The Sky
  • September 25, 2009 – November 1, 2009: Halloween Screams
  • November 12, 2010 – January 2, 2011: Believe... In Holiday Magic

Since 2009, Disneyland has moved to a rotating repertoire of firework spectaculars.

• Yearly fireworks repertoire
  • Late winter/spring: Remember... Dreams Come True
  • Summer: Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations
  • Independence Day Week: Disney's Celebrate America: A 4th of July Concert in the Sky
  • Mickey's Halloween Party Exclusive: Halloween Screams
  • Holiday: Believe... In Holiday Magic

During the holiday season, there is a special fireworks presentation called Believe... In Holiday Magic, which has been running since 2000, except for a hiatus in 2005 during the park's 50th anniversary celebration.

Scheduling of fireworks shows depends on the time of year. During the slower off-season periods, the fireworks are only offered on weekends. During the busier times, Disney offers additional nights. The park offers fireworks nightly during its busy periods, which include Easter/Spring Break, Summer and Christmas time. Disneyland spends about $41,000 per night on the fireworks show. The show is normally offered at 8:45 pm if the park is scheduled to close at 10 pm or later, but shows have started as early as 5:45 pm. A major consideration is weather/winds, especially at higher elevations, which can force the cancellation of the show. The park will usually wait an additional 15 minutes or so to see if the winds die down. Shows, with a few minor exceptions, such as July 4 and New Year's Eve, must finish by 10 pm due to the conditions of the permit issued by the City of Anaheim.

The Golden Horseshoe Saloon offers a live stage show with an Old West feel. The Golden Horseshoe Revue was an American frontier-themed vaudeville show starring Sluefoot Sue and Pecos Bill. It ran until the mid-1980s, when it was replaced by a similar show starring Lily Langtree (or Miss Lily) and Sam the Bartender. Most recently, Billy Hill and the Hillbillies have played their guitars and banjos in a bluegrass-and-comedy show. Additionally, in front of the Golden Horsehose Saloon, The Laughing Stock Co. enacts small humorous skits with an Old West theme.

Disneyland has featured a number of different parades traveling down the park's central Main Street – Fantasyland corridor. There have been daytime and nighttime parades that celebrated Disney films or seasonal holidays with characters, music, and large floats. One of the most popular parades was the Main Street Electrical Parade, which now resides at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. From May 5, 2005 through November 7, 2008, as part of the Disneyland's 50th Anniversary, Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams was presented, celebrating several of the classic Disney stories including The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Alice in Wonderland, and Pinocchio. In 2009, Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams was replaced by Celebrate! A Street Party, which premiered on March 27, 2009. Disney does not call Celebrate! A Street Party a parade, but rather a "street event." During the Christmas season, Disneyland presents "A Christmas Fantasy" Parade. Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams was replaced by Mickey’s Soundsational Parade which debuted on May 27, 2011.

The Tomorrowland Terrace is a stage in Tomorrowland. It is a two-story stage where the lower stage rises from below floor level. It was popular in the 1960s with music performers of the day. Over the years, it was eventually replaced with Club Buzz, a Buzz Lightyear-themed stage and show featuring the space character from the Toy Story films. In 2006, it was restored to the Tomorrowland Terrace with the same style and design as the original. It is now home to the Jedi Training Academy interactive stage show where children are chosen as Jedi padawan and taught how to use a lightsaber. Each child then has the opportunity to face Star Wars antagonists Darth Vader or Darth Maul. Also, local bands have returned to play in the evenings, just as Tomorrowland Terrace hosted in the 1960s.

Various other street performers appear throughout the park, some seasonally. They include:

• The All-American College Band, composed of student musicians from colleges and universities around the U.S., which performs during the summer season.
• The Ragtime Pianist at Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner (also known as "Coke Corner") on Main Street.
• Characters from Alice in Wonderland who stage a wacky game of "Disneyland Musical Chairs" at Coca-Cola Corner each afternoon.
• The Bootstrappers, a rowdy band of pirates inspired by the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction and movies, that sings sea shanties and does buckaneer-style comedy.
• The Dapper Dans barbershop quartet, which performs on Main Street.
• The Firehouse Five Plus Two (originally a band composed of Imagineers) found at the Firehouse on Main Street.
• The Trash Can Trio, a Stomp-like group that performs using trash cans in Tomorrowland.
• Various jazz and jazz-influenced bands including the Jambalaya Jazz Band, the Side Street Strutters, and the Royal Street Bachelors, who play in New Orleans Square.
• Many highschool and middle school ensembles perform annually in the Disney Jazz Celebration.

Special holiday-themed groups are also added each year, such as the Main Street Carolers during the Christmas season.