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Disneyland Announces First Ever 'After Dark' Event For Pride
Are things finally changing at Disney?
Disney is amping up its Pride celebrations this year!
The company announced Thursday that Disneyland After Dark, a periodic special event that allows park goers to spend time in the theme park after hours, would host a Pride night this June for the first time ever.
“Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite is a separately ticketed event which celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community and allies, and will be held on June 13 and 15, 2023,” reads the announcement on the official parks blog. “This after-hours event includes themed entertainment, Disney characters, one-of-a-kind photo opportunities, specialty menu items, even merchandise, and more!”
Ticketholders will be able to enter the park at 6pm, and the Pride Nite festivities will run from 9pm to 1am. In addition to the special events, certain attractions like the Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones Adventure, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad will also be open after hours.
For decades, an unofficial “Gay Days” event has taken place at various Disney theme parks, though the parks have started branching out into more official celebrations as well, with Disneyland Paris hosting the first Pride parade among all of the parks back in 2019.
After Disney belatedly waded into the “Don’t Say Gay” agenda in Florida last year, people have wondered if this would mark the start of something new for the brand. Both the parks and the media produced by Disney have been slow to publicly embrace the LGBTQ+ community in any meaningful way, but hosting a full Pride event suggests the tides may finally be shifting after all — at least when it comes to the theme parks.
More details about the event can be found on the official website. Tickets go on sale for Magic Key holders on April 18, and for the general public April 20.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
