Disneyland Hits Major Milestone Just Days Before 71st Birthday

When Disneyland Park opened to the public in 1955, it was overcrowded.

Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland

15,000 people were expected on opening day, which was initially supposed to be an invite-only preview event. However, nearly 28,000 people showed up. Counterfeit tickets and people charging visitors to climb a ladder to get into the park over the back fence made for an absolute fiasco. Opening day may have been a bit of a mess (to the point that it was nicknamed “Black Sunday”) but those guests got to experience something that over one billion people have now done…enjoy the magic that is Disneyland Park!

Yep, that’s right! One billion people have now officially visited Disneyland Park from all around the world. During a recent visit to the park, a young boy named Andres Robles from Arizona was selected as the honorary one billionth guest. He and his family participated in a ceremony on the train station that revealed a new sign to mark the milestone.

©Disney

After the ceremony, Andres and his family snapped some photos with Mickey and Minnie, the Disneyland Ambassadors, and Disneyland President Jill Estorino. They were then gifted with a VIP tour guide for the day so that they could visit historic backstage areas (like Walt Disney’s apartment), as well as do popular attractions.

©Disney

Disneyland Park reaches this milestone just days before its 71st birthday on July 17th. Over the past 71 years, the park has expanded to a full-blown resort with three hotels, the Downtown Disney district, and a second park, Disney California Adventure. Dozens of rides and attractions have been added, new character meets have been introduced, and visitors from all over the world have made memories in this park. What a legacy!

©Disney

There’s more expansion and fun on the horizon as well, and we can’t wait to see what happens before the two billionth guest visits. The park truly lives up to Walt Disney’s idea that “Disneyland will never be complete as long as there is imagination left in the world.”

©Disney

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