Let's Dance at Disneyland

Just off the Central Plaza, between Sleeping Beauty Castle and Frontierland, is Carnation Plaza Gardens, a real step into Disneyland history. The little area beside the castle originally hosted a small bandstand and park. The area was expanded in 1956 and has been here ever since. Even the Carnation name has lasted, although that particular operating participant is now part of Nestle.

Big bands still play here on weekends, but anytime you step under the canopy you can imagine yourself in a time gone by. Everyone from Count Basie and Benny Goodman to Louis Armstrong and the Osmond Brothers have played this stage.

This was also the spot in the late '50s for the Date Nite at Disneyland events, held on Friday and Saturday nights to encourage locals to come out and enjoy the park. The Elliott Brothers Orchestra took the stand at Carnation Plaza Gardens as the Disneyland Date Niters and kept the joint hopping.

A Quintessential Disneyland Moment

On a recent visit to Disneyland, I found myself in the Central Plaza, pausing as I often do to say "Thank you" to Walt Disney for everything he's given us. I love the "Partners" statues of Walt and Mickey in the Disney Parks. Walt probably would have hated them, though. He was a very humble person.

The statue stands where it does in Disneyland today thanks to sculptor Blaine Gibson, a team of Imagineers and a couple of odd special events held back in the '80s. At that time, celebrations like State Fair and Circus Fantasy involved placing such things as a Ferris Wheel or Globe of Death (that sphere with the motorcycles inside) in Central Plaza... right in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. To keep such things from ever happening again, "Partners" was given the place of honor in the middle of the Hub.

Moving beyond the Central Plaza toward Fantasyland, I was admiring the perfect placement of King Arthur Carrousel as a visual draw, when a pair of Cast Members informed me that the Disneyland Band was about to play. Next thing I knew, they were marching across the drawbridge, joined soon after by a host of Disney characters. With all the music and dancing, it was as if a Disneyland TV special from days gone by had come to life right before my eyes!

The set included a number of favorite Disney tunes, and then finished with Bandleader Ray's sincere remarks that "We're proud to welcome you to Disneyland, the only Disney Park in the world in which Walt Disney actually set foot." With that, the voice of Walt Disney himself was heard, as the 1955 dedication of the Park was replayed for the gathering crowd. It was a perfect moment on a perfect Disneyland day.

HalloweenTime at Disneyland

From mid-September through the end of October, it's HalloweenTime at Disneyland, and Main Street is all decked out for the occasion. Similar in some ways to the Fall Festival in the Magic Kingdom (which I previously covered in this article), Main Street at Disneyland celebrates the season with lots of bright orange and yellow bunting and jack-o-lanterns in the shop windows.

There are also plenty of unique touches, like this enormous Mickey-inspired pumpkin sculpture at the north corner of Town Square. Look closely, you'll notice the fact that Mickey is winking at us, and there's a healthy dose of Pixie Dust carved into the pumpkins at the base.

At the other end of Main Street in the Central Plaza, the familiar "Partners" statue is accompanied by a selection of pumpkins on pedestals. It's as if the residents of Disneyland's seven realms have come together in a pumpkin carving contest. There's a Tarzan pumpkin for Adventureland and Jack Skellington for New Orleans Square, while Woody and Winnie the Pooh represent Frontierland and Critter Country.

Tinker Bell adorns the pumpkin from Fantasyland. Roger Rabbit represents Mickey's Toontown, and Buzz Lightyear's mug can be found on the Tomorrowland entry. What's more, if you peek around to the back side of the pumpkins, you'll discover other small details that enhance each one. The Jack Skellington pumpkin has a flurry of bats carved into the back, and there are little bumblebees on the Critter Country one.

Best of all, these masterpieces of pumpkin art all light up at night, creating a fun and fanciful environment in the Hub for the park's Halloween festivities.