8 Unofficial Fan Days at Disneyland Worth Checking Out
Any day is special at Disneyland, but on certain days — sprinkled throughout the year — things get way more magical. Although these unofficial fan days held at the happiest place on Earth may not be legitimately sanctioned by the house of mouse, they’re happily accepted. From Gay Day (which supports the LBGTQ community) to a day when you show up to the park in your PJs, there really is a group Disneyland day for everyone. We’ve listed some of them for you here, so pull out your planners and get ready to party it up with your peeps.
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1. Dapper Day: Each spring and fall, thousands of retro-stylish fashionistas don their swing skirts, pretty pumps and millinery masterpieces and do the park in all their oh-so-dapper glory. While vintage style reigns supreme, any sophisticated ensemble is welcome. They even have an expo, held at the Disneyland Hotel, for shopping and people watching.
View this post on InstagramHappy Gay Days! Now this is some cake! #disneyland #gaydaysanaheim
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2. Gay Days: Over 30,000 people head to Disneyland every October for Anaheim Gay Days (which is similar to the Gay Days held at Walt Disney World each year). Most attendees wear red shirts in support of the event or ones that have an LGBTQ-friendly message on them. While this is one of those “unofficial” events, Disney supports the crew as much as they can with unique menu offerings (hello, rainbow cake!) to special rainbow pin releases.
3. Tiki Day: Warning: On Tiki Day at Disneyland, the EPIC tiki themed bar Trader Sam’s at the Disneyland Hotel is off the hook. It’s already hard to get into on any day, but Tiki Day makes it even harder. BUT on the upside, if you dig tiki culture, Disneyland will be filled with that Trader Sam’s vibe. Along with oodles of attendees wearing their finest tropical garb, the organizers even release their own limited edition Tiki mug. Sweet.
View this post on InstagramWe made the same pose. 🙈 #batsday #batsday2016 #disneyland #egl #eglcommunity #gothiclolita
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4. Bats Day: In May of 2017, Bats Day in the Fun Park — for those into “the Dark Subculture AKA Goth” lifestyle — will be celebrating their 19th, YES 19TH, year. This two-day event “attracts people from all dark subculture genres and walks of life, from Deathrock to Goth, Industrial to Steampunk, Rockabilly to Psychobilly, Halloween and anywhere in between.” They also have an expo at a nearby hotel to coincide with the event.
5. Disneyland Lolita Day: On Lolita Day, in mid-October, fancy dressers who are all about that Harajuku style curate their cutest, frilliest and most elegant looks to wear to the happiest place on Earth. Along with admiring all the glorious getups, there’s a big meet up at the Mad Tea Party (‘natch).
6. Galliday: In mid-November, Doctor Who fans (AKA Whovians) take over the park in all their cosplay-ish-ness greatness (think long, multi-colored scarves, red fezzes and Tardis this, that and the other). While Doctor Who doesn’t have any direct Disney connection (although Disney XD did air a couple of seasons of the popular series), there’s a big crossover with the fandoms.
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7. Glow/Pajama Day: Disneyland really, like REALLY, shines during the annual Glow event. In mid-November, vast numbers of lit-up Disneyland fans bring glow sticks and wear LED clothing (or anything else that lights up) and bring a new world of color to the parks as the sun sets. This year, the organizers are adding Pajama Day to the fun, so you can come in your cutest and comfiest PJs (bonus points for PJs that light up!).
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8. Mary Poppins in the Park: In celebration of the release day of Disney’s classic Mary Poppins, the new Mary Poppins in the Park event encourages fans to come dressed as their fave characters from chimney sweeps to suffragettes to Mary herself. Along with a photo scavenger hunt (where you reenact scenes from the movie), there’s a meet-up by the King Arthur Carrousel where Jingles reside (the Mary Poppins tribute merry-go-round horse).
Which fan day at Disneyland would you most want to go to? Let us know @BritandCo!
(Featured photo via Disney)
