Credit: Disney Parks BlogThe Disneyland After Dark events have returned to the Park, to much excitement and anticipation. The Park announced three After Dark events for this year, Sweethearts Nite, Princess Nite, Throwback Nite, and Star Wars Nite.
Disneyland After Dark: Throwback Nite takes place over the weekend of April 18 to 20, and is a separately ticketed event allowing Guests access to the Park after hours. The event is a callback to the 50s and 60s when Disneyland first opened and encourages Guests to dress in their dapper best for a fun evening full of live entertainment and special opportunities.
One of the highlights of these After Dark events are the special character meet and greets and photo ops that Guests are able to enjoy. This year’s Throwback Nite features several brand new character meet and greets in the Tomorrowland area. Guests will be able to grab photos with Mother and Father from the iconic attraction, Carousel of Progress. The ride was first unveiled at the 1964 World’s Fair and resided in Disneyland from 1967 to 1973 before being moved to Walt Disney World two years later. The ride showcases the possibilities of technology throughout the 20th century and has been updated several times in an effort to keep it up-to-date.
Guests will also have the opportunity to take photos with the Tomorrowland Space Couple, who first appeared in the Park in August of 1955 and were a feature of the area for about a decade. The original Space Couple would walk around Tomorrowland, ride various attractions, and became icons for the futuristic land.
The final exciting new character introduced for the event is Mr. Morrow, a character from Rocket to the Moon (later Flight to the Moon), an early Tomorrowland attraction. The ride was a simulation-style attraction that took riders to the moon and back and was hosted by Mr. Tom Morrow, who shared information about space travel and flight control with Guests. Although the ride was short lived, Tom Morrow became referenced throughout various Tomorrowland attractions, including a quote from the PeopleMover.
These rare or never before seen characters will only be available during the Disneyland After Dark: Throwback Nite event and seem to be a great inclusion as a way to celebrate the history of the Park. Hopefully both the event and the characters will be brought back in the future.
Are you excited about these special character meet and greets? Share your thoughts in the comments below!