ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Walt Disney World in Florida turns 50 in October.
To help celebrate, Mickey and Minnie will be wearing flashier threads and iconic structures such as the Cinderella Castle and the golf-ball-like Spaceship Earth are getting new lighting. According to the theme park's website, the iconic castle will sparkle "with pixie dust," with ornaments and lighting features.
Mickey and Minnie's outfits for the occasion feature gold-trim and iridescent blue-purple-silver fabric.
"This milestone is such a big deal, we’ve even coined a new word – “EARidescence” – to describe what you’ll see when you visit. Our Disney teams are creating all sorts of new decorations that will shimmer and sparkle all day and into the night," writes Jeremy Schoolfield, Managing Editor, Walt Disney World Resort Public Relations on the park's website.
Disney World opened on October 1, 1971. As part of the opening day ceremonies, there a huge paradewith a 1,000+ person marching band and the release of about 50,000 balloons.
Disney officials on Friday unveiled the first details of how Disney World will celebrate its milestone anniversary. Plans for the 18-month celebration, which starts in October, are being made amid one of the toughest stretches the sprawling theme park resort has faced in its nearly 50 years.
Last fall, the company announced layoffs for 28,000 workers from its parks division due to limits on attendance and other pandemic-related issues.