Disneyland: the so-called happiest place on Earth. Disneyland is the ultimate vacation place stuffed with tons of rides, food, and fun. This famous resort was opened on July 17,1955 and located in Anaheim, California. It took 17 million dollars to build and was built on “160 acres of former orange groves”(www.history.com). Soon within its arrival, profits started piling up sky-high. “Today, Disneyland hosts more than 14 million visitors a year, who spend close to $3 billion” (www.history.com)

Successful from the start, Disneyland’s fame continues to spread as the park has just had its 60th anniversary in May 2015. Called the Diamond Celebration, all Disneyland enthusiasts are invited to make new memories “with all-new evening spectaculars, sparkling décor and so much more!” (disneyland.disney.go.com) To kick off the special event, Disneyland introduces nine new and special activities. To name a few, there is a spectacular fireworks show, the biggest and brightest parade ever performed since its beginnings, and a radical music concert (disneyland.disney.go.com).

This Diamond Celebration began Friday, May 22 and lasted for 24 straight hours, from 6 AM Friday morning to 6 AM Saturday morning (www.myfoxla.com). It opened again at 9 AM on Saturday. Amazingly, gargantuan amounts of people were willing to join in and celebrate! According to MyFoxLa, “Thousands of people had packed into the park for the launch of the park’s 60th Anniversary” (www.myfoxla.com).

A ticket to this fun event is 99 dollars (www.latimes.com). However, to access both Disneyland and California Adventure (which is another theme park across from Disneyland), a 155 dollar to 170 dollar ticket is required (www.latimes.com).

A few people at our school attended Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration at its 60th Anniversary. I interviewed Ms. Malissa, who helps at the library, works at Falcon’s Nest, and sometimes works at the front desk. She described her experience as “incredible and amazing.” The resort was packed and people were lining up everywhere. She especially loved the fireworks show and headed over to California Adventure, where she had an pleasureable time riding Ariel’s undersea adventure, Soaring Over California, California Screamin’, and watching the spectacular World of Color show (that had a special Star Wars scene), and she “loved everything about it.” After this amazing experience, she made her way to Disneyland where she rode on the Haunted Mansion as the sun came peeking out. As she enjoyed an ice cream on Main Street, an announcement was made that they had survived the 24 hour 60th Anniversary celebration. She truly had an exciting time and did things that she probably “would never do again.” Nearing the end of her visit, she watched Mickey and Minnie “hold hands and skip in their pajamas through Main Street” until she finally headed home. Thank you Ms. Malissa for sharing your phenomenal experience!

If you’ve got something to celebrate, Disneyland is definitely the place to go! Summer is the perfect time to head on over to Disneyland and have a great day jam-packed with loads of fun.

IMAGE: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/World_of_Color_overview.jpg