The 70th Anniversary celebrations have officially begun at Disneyland Resort in California with the brand-new “Celebrate Happy Cavalcade.”
As part of the festivities, two parades and the Celebrate Happy Cavalcade are on the schedule. These include the return of Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration at Disney California Adventure Park, and the electrical parade Paint the Night at Disneyland Park—making its comeback for the first time since the pandemic.
Unfortunately, there won’t be a major daytime parade at Disneyland Park during the celebration. However, Mickey and his friends will surprise guests with a brand-new mini parade, performed twice daily. The Celebrate Happy Cavalcade features the theme song Celebrate Happy, written by the Jonas Brothers in collaboration with Disney.
In addition to the upbeat anniversary anthem, the Celebrate Happy Cavalcade features dancers in vibrant new costumes inspired by the celebration’s color scheme, along with a wide variety of classic Disney characters and Disney Princesses. The biggest surprise is the appearance of Duffy and ShellieMay, characters best known from the Asian Disney Parks, where they’ve become hugely popular along with the rest of the Duffy & Friends lineup. These characters will appear on tricycles during the cavalcade.
For this special occasion, Duffy and ShellieMay will wear exclusive 70th anniversary outfits, which can only be seen during the cavalcade. Unfortunately, they won’t be available for meet & greets. The same applies to Max (Goofy’s son), who will also appear in a special outfit during the parade but will not participate in character greetings.
The celebrations will run from May 16, 2025, through summer 2026 (exact end date to be announced). Throughout the anniversary, guests can look forward to festive decorations, exclusive merchandise, themed food and beverage offerings, live entertainment across both Disney parks and more.
