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Credit: DisneyDisneyland’s first-ever Pride Nite was yesterday, offered to Guests as one of their Disneyland After Dark events. The event featured several rare character meet and greet interactions, photo ops, parades, fireworks, and several dance areas around the Park.
The first night of the event was yesterday, June 13, with a second event night June 15, and both nights of the event quickly sold out. Reactions and reviews of the first night are full of praise, pride, and celebration. The announcement of Disneyland’s first official Pride event came as Walt Disney World fights a battle against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis amid his targeted attacks on the Florida LGBTQ+ community.
The Disneyland event welcomed members of the queer community and allies with a parade and fireworks show, including California Governor Gavin Newsom. Videos of the night, including parts of the fireworks show have gone viral on TikTok. The welcome fireworks were only about five minutes long, but featured a medley of beloved Disney songs, including “I Can Go The Distance,” “Show Yourself,” “Reflection,” and “Two Worlds.” The finale of the show is set to “This Is Me,” from The Greatest Showman (2017).
The film is a dramatized telling of the rise of P.T. Barnum’s famous circus. Although it was criticized for romanticizing Barnum and the circus industry, it resonated with the queer community for its messages of found family, acceptance and strength in the face of adversity, and the possibility that you can succeed despite your circumstances. Many also found it an allegory for the queer community as a whole.
“This Is Me,” sung by Keala Settle, is a powerful anthem of self-acceptance and being unapologetically you. “I am brave, I am bruised, I am who I’m meant to be,” Settle cries. In a TikTok shared by @pride, the finale of the fireworks is captured as the crowd erupts into cheers and applause with the song’s start. Fireworks explode in tandem with the song, lighting up the sky and the castle.
@pride THIS IS ME 🏳️🌈 #pridenight #disneyland #disneylandpridenite
It’s a powerful message to be shared with the Guests in attendance at Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite, a show of support and encouragement to be who you’re meant to be. This year has been hard for those in the LGBTQ+ community as anti-trans and anti-queer laws are on the rise around the country and online outcry rose heading into Pride Month. The Disney Parks have often been considered a safe space for many in the LGBTQ+ community, and the reaction of the Guests in attendance and online show that Disneyland’s show of support isn’t unappreciated.
Were you able to go to Pride Nite? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments below!