What is the latest Disneyland stayed open at night in the early-mid eighties?

[ryborg]

I seem to recall Disneyland staying open past midnight on summer weekends in the eighties. Is my memory wrong?

[Mr Wiggins]

I seem to recall Disneyland staying open past midnight on summer weekends in the eighties. Is my memory wrong?

Good memory! Vintage Disneyland Tickets has a Summer 1987 Operating Calendar showing it was open 8-1 seven days a week -- same summer hours as in 1979. I remember Disneyland being open some summers in the 80s from 8am to 1am weekdays and Sundays, 8am to 2am Saturdays, but I don't remember which years.

[sbk1234]

I also remember the summer hours open until 1. They also had a couple of events celebrating the opening of a couple of attractions like Star Tours where they stayed open for the whole weekend, without closing at all.

[jcruise86]

During Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration in 2005 (& 2006), Disney sold an excellent 6-CD collection of music & attraction recordings in a square, red box with a thin but impressive hardcover book. Sorry I don't have time to find the song or even the name of the song & the band ... but the song had the line "...open till clock strikes 1am...")

This video shows the CD collection I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5hlwsWMc3M

Remember Disneyland used to be closed two weekdays a week in the fall (& winter & spring?) so things weren't perfect in the good ol' days, though maybe having a few Wednesdays off in one of the parks in the fall & the spring might be nice for cast members. (Didn't Magic Mountain used to be closed in the winter?)

[MRaymond]

I remember staying until 1AM back in the late 70's, not counting Grad Night of course.

[Mr Wiggins]

During Disneyland's 50th Anniversary celebration in 2005 (& 2006), Disney sold an excellent 6-CD collection of music & attraction recordings in a square, red box with a thin but impressive hardcover book. Sorry I don't have time to find the song or even the name of the song & the band (The Date Nighters maybe?), but the song had the line "...open till clock strikes 1am...")

This video shows the CD collection I mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5hlwsWMc3M

Remember Disneyland used to be closed two weekdays a week in the fall (& winter & spring?) so things weren't perfect in the good ol' days, though maybe having a few Wednesdays off in one of the parks in the fall & the spring might be nice for cast members. (Didn't Magic Mountain used to be closed in the winter?)

Bingo! The song is "Let's Dance at Disneyland" by the Elliott Brothers and the Disneyland Date Niters, from their 1958 album, "Date Nite at Disneyland." Although the album cover shows the band at their usual venue of the Carnation Plaza Gardens, it was recorded live in the Golden Horseshoe.



Photo from DisneylandRecords.com.

[jcruise86]

Thanks, Mr. W! That album cover made me wish I could time travel & visit Disneyland often from 1955 through the mid 1980s.
I'd like to see Walt in the park on the opening days,
see my family (9 kids, I was 2) in the park in 1966,
see Steve Martin working at the Magic Shop,
see Wally Boag in the Golden Horseshoe Review,
hear Louis Armstrong & Julie Andrews perform in the park for the 10th Anniversary,
see Tomorrowland in 1968,
experience Pirates & the Haunted Mansion on their opening days,
see Kevin Costner & myself working on the Jungle Cruise. (I imagine he was cooler.)
I'd be accompanied by my daughter, we'd have lots of cash & clothing that fit the times, & could be invisible when we preferred.

Here are the lyrics--catchy tune!

Greetings Ladies and Gentlemen
It's Date Night at Disneyland with the
Elliott Brothers and the Disneyland Date Nighters
Let's dance!

Let's dance at Disneyland
Date nights or late nights at Disneyland
We're rolling 'till the clock rocks 1:00 a.m
Friday and Saturday nights

Let's dance at Disneyland
With the Elliott Brothers on the stand
Under a million twinkling lights
Friday and Saturday nights
Dance slow and dream
Or cha cha cha
Rock 'n roll
They'll play whatever you say!
Take your date to Disneyland
Fireworks are great at Disneyland
Thе sky lights up at nine each night
Romantic rides in thе cool moon light
We're open 'till the clock strikes 1:00 a.m
Friday and Saturday night!

[Instrumental]

Take your date to Disneyland
Fireworks are great at Disneyland
The sky lights up at nine each night
Romantic rides in the cool moon light
We're open 'till the clock strikes 1:00 AM
Friday and Saturday night!

[pattimarie]

I'm a late night person and I totally loved it when they stayed open until 1 am--which meant by the way that Main Street was open until 2 am, one hour after closing as they do now. This was summers and I think also Christmas--maybe some other holidays. I remember this being 70s, 80s and maybe even a little 90s--not always 7 days a week, but at last the weekends. I recall it being as busy the last hour then as the last hour has been the last few years. It was maybe a little easier to ride a few last rides--they didn't seem to close them as soon as they do now. I think if they did it now, they could get the business, but it's just not how businesses run anymore. They don't want the labor costs even if the people are there. After all, we pay the same --or more--price for a shortened day as we do for a longer day. I perk up at night so I really miss those days. Disney is especially magical at night.

[Mom kissed Walt]

Staying up through the night into the small hours and the dawn at grad night is something I’ll never forget. It never occurred to me that being open past midnight was a regular thing in any era though. Thanks for the history lesson!

[bayouguy]

yes, Disneyland stayed opened til 1:00AM on Saturdays, late 70s and during the 80s...the Blue Bayou would close at midnight but there were so many guest waiting their turn...often the last guests left about 1:30AM...clean up was a slow go since we were all tired out...not unusual to leave the park at 2:30AM or a few times at 3:00AM...

[DisneyIPresume]

Bingo! The song is "Let's Dance at Disneyland" by the Elliott Brothers and the Disneyland Date Niters, from their 1958 album, "Date Nite at Disneyland." Although the album cover shows the band at their usual venue of the Carnation Plaza Gardens, it was recorded live in the Golden Horseshoe.



Photo from DisneylandRecords.com.

Walt was lucky there was no Micechat in1958. “OMG - what is a modern swing band doing in the American Frontier of the 1800’s? Bad show!”

[JayRomy]

I'm a late night person and I totally loved it when they stayed open until 1 am--which meant by the way that Main Street was open until 2 am, one hour after closing as they do now. This was summers and I think also Christmas--maybe some other holidays. I remember this being 70s, 80s and maybe even a little 90s.

Ok, this would explain why I thought it was maybe later than 1am. I didn't take this into account. By the time we rolled out of the lot, it was close to 3am!!

Knotts also stayed open late to match Disneyland.

These were incredible nights. The crowds would lessen up and the heat dissipated. Some things would close down. I remember CBJ was one, TSI, one side of the Matterhorn, the skyway, some vending and QSR... There are others, and if anyone remembers, plz speak up. I'm sure all full service restaurants were all closed by 10pm or 11pm. But it was that rare moment for an 80s kid who got to go once or twice a year to Disneyland.

[ryborg]

Love that you all were able to confirm this. I, too thought I had been there until 2am as a kid. I remember my dad and I closing the park down for the last two or so hours after my mom and sisters would go back to the hotel.

[ryborg]

BTW, that ticket book shows Disneyland being open until 2:00AM on July 3rd and 4th of 1987. So that does not appear to be limited to just Main Street

[bigcatrik]

Those were also the years that theme parks had major dance floors and leaned into being nightspots for the young -- Videopolis, Studio K (Knott's), Club Decibels (Magic Mountain).

[Mr Wiggins]

Love that you all were able to confirm this. I, too thought I had been there until 2am as a kid. I remember my dad and I closing the park down for the last two or so hours after my mom and sisters would go back to the hotel.

I remember 80s summers when my wife and I would stagger into our room at the DLH at 3 a.m., then wake up at 6 a.m. to take the Hotel Tram back to DL at 8! (Which meant major naptime in the afternoon.)

[ryborg]

Man.. I miss those late nights in the parks.. I wish 1am was the standard closing time

[Eagleman]

I remember 80s summers when my wife and I would stagger into our room at the DLH at 3 a.m., then wake up at 6 a.m. to take the Hotel Tram back to DL at 8! (Which meant major naptime in the afternoon.)

I done that too..........at Disneyland and Walt Disney World...........

As a kid I hated naps......I wanted keep going
Now that I'm old.......what a TREAT...........if I can get in a Hour Nap !!...........

[JayRomy]

Those were also the years that theme parks had major dance floors and leaned into being nightspots for the young -- Videopolis, Studio K (Knott's), Club Decibels (Magic Mountain).

Ahhhh. I was definitely a Studio K Kid. It was 1990 I think, and we'd dance all evening. We were high school kids thinking we were soooooo cool. Hopped up on sugar and caffeine! We were 2hrs away, but went there once or twice a month. There was even a low key promo, that if you closed down the "club", you could end your night with a ride on Monty! It was available to anyone who asked. But many ppl didn't know this (or didn't like it). We thought we were so exclusive. The promo didn't last long iirc. It technically may not even be a promotion, rather just a very cool set of staff/managers. In hindsight I get the feeling it was to keep many people at Studio K until it closed.

Studio K was a bit edgier than Videopolis. SK was where I learned about Ska, danced with Alyssa Milano (along with a million others that night), watched my first real cat fight, would drink Icees until my teeth turned pink or blue, had to change my first tire on the side of the 5 fway while going home one night... That was an amazing summer (minus the cuss word inducing flat tire).

Anyway, then we were off to IHOP for carbs and a two hour drive home basically listening to our latest cassette singles and talking about how rad we were!! We were right between the 80s and the 90s and I wasn't even 17 yet. I wasn't allowed to even go. Some kids disobey their parents and do drugs, I disobeyed and went to theme parks!! 😂 I was an OG geek before it was cool.

Oops. Sorry, got stuck on the corner of Memory Lane and Random Avenue!! This was almost a retro trip report. 😉😮😉

[biggsworth]

I miss the 1am closures from the early 90s!