Go before the 60th celebration kicks off, or wait till way after it has settled down?

[AustinTink]

There is definitely a new nighttime parade coming to Disneyland -- auditions were announced for it at the end of last year, and I think they're being held soon (if they haven't already taken place).

So that much is confirmed and official -- there will be a new nighttime parade. What is not official or confirmed by Disney just yet is the theme/concept and name of the parade. However, the rumor has been that it will be a version/variation of Paint the Night (from Hong Kong).

Ohmygosh! That makes me so happy!! I miss the nighttime parade so much.

 

[Sherry E]

This probably has nothing at all to do with the 60th anniversary, and is probably more related to what I suspect is going to be the next big transformation phase at DLR -- or maybe it is even about the Annual Pass program -- but it's worth mentioning because it's interesting.

On the new DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Facebook page, someone mentioned in the comments on the left side of the page that he was invited to a focus group at DLR this coming Friday. I think he said he was originally invited last year, but was then informed that the group was full. Disney contacted him again this year and he is doing the focus group on Friday.

I know that focus groups can be held about anything, at any time, but I don't think they happen all that often at DLR -- or we would hear about it much more frequently. I know that there are always CMs with surveys around DLR, and occasionally you will hear of one of those surveys leading to something more lucrative -- but the ones leading to actual focus groups are not common.

In fact -- and I mentioned this on the DIS Unplugged: Disneyland page -- I recall someone from this board saying several years ago (pre-Cars Land) that she was approached by a CM to do a survey for a couple of hours, and at the end of the time she would receive a $100 Disney gift card. She turned it down because she didn't want to take the time away from her day in the parks. I get the feeling that it was probably a focus group sort of set-up, as it was right before the really big changes in DCA, and Disney probably wanted to get a sense of what people were thinking about DLR as a whole.

So, the focus group that is taking place in a couple of days could be about a bunch of things, and I am so anxious to know!

​

Coincidentally, yesterday I was doing an online survey -- not from Disney, but from a random survey place -- and the survey was all about entertainment and events in a theme park (an unidentified, anonymous theme park). I don't think the theme park in question was Disney, because some of the events listed have either already happened at Disneyland, or there wouldn't be enough space for them at DLR. I thought it might be a survey about Knott's Berry Farm, but I'm not sure.

Here were some of the things mentioned in my survey about the anonymous theme park, which I was being asked about in terms of how appealing they are or aren't:

• Circus event
• Dinosaurs (and an archaeological tour)
• Western/Wild West events
• Behind the Scenes Tours
• Mardi Gras
• Spring Celebration (with an exhibition of flowers, plants and related activities)
• Super Heroes - TV/Movie Character exhibition, with assorted stalls and character meets