The Best Looks from Disneyland’s First Pride Event
I wish I could see Drag every day at Disneyland, but Pride Nite was a good start. On June 13 and 15, Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California – the one that started it all – threw its first-ever Pride event. While Disneyland Paris has had an annual Pride event, this specialty ticketed “Pride Nite” was the first one on U.S. soil.
There was a castle fireworks show, Clarabelle Cow was voguing, Mainstreet U.S.A. was covered in rainbow projections, but the most magical part of Pride Nite was all the queer fashion. Like other specialty-ticketed night-time events, costumes were allowed. This typically isn’t the case for adults as guests over 12 are not permitted to wear costumes in the parks so these “nites” are a rare occasion for adults to dress up and “Pride Nite” was no exception.
As a queer Disney fan, I loved seeing everyone’s looks, from handmade dapper suits a la Disneyland’s grand opening to the fringe, queer-coded Disney characters we all know are gay to hetero-norm princesses reimagined beyond the binary. Here are some of my favorite looks from LGBTQ+ fans and allies. They shared inspiration for their outfits with me as well as what Pride at Disneyland means to them.
Fairytale Fierce
One of the perks of specialty “nites” is rare character appearances and “Pride Nite” featured the Muses from Hercules for the first time at any Disney Park. The movie is Jeremy Singh’s favorite Disney movie and Megara is his favorite Disney character so when he heard the Muses would be appearing, “I knew it was time to bring her out but with a pride twist!”
“I went for a Megara-inspired ball gown moment with a rainbow petticoat,” he said. “Pride Nite at Disneyland really is such a special moment for many of us. Having the chance for the thing we love to recognize us and provide us a safe space to celebrate and shine our light in a world that is constantly trying to dim us, there’s no other feeling quite like it.”
Drag queen Paige Matthews had the most stunning riff on Ariel’s blue dress, complete with a rainbow fish clutch. “My outfit for Pride Nite was inspired by Ariel from The Little Mermaid,” she said. “She has always been my favorite Disney princess as she aspired to live a different life than the one that she was given. In a similar fashion, I knew from a very young age that I was gay and aspired to live a different life than the life my parents wanted me to. Therefore, when the opportunity presented itself to attend Pride Nite at Disneyland, I knew that I wanted to attend as my own version and interpretation of Ariel from The Little Mermaid.”
“Pride at Disneyland means that after so many years of the LGBTQ+ community loving and supporting Disney, we can finally feel like we belong and are truly being supported,” she said. “It means that Disney has finally stepped up to the plate and has acknowledged us as not only fans of Disney but as a community that belongs there; truly showing that Disney is for everyone.”
Handmade Magic
While most had true costumes or modern streetwear, Tailor Ryan Beyer went retro a la Disney’s Dapper Days with a handmade suit and vintage nubuck shoes. “I’ve loved classic tailoring for years and that happens to be the industry I work in,” he said. “I wanted to wear something colorful that felt very celebratory but was still comfortable for the evening. I chose a linen madras which had teal, blue, red, green, and yellow throughout. While it wasn’t a full rainbow, it certainly had a lot of color and was very fun to wear. I opted for a short suit, and white nubuck shoes to stick with classic Americana fashion.”
“I’m not nearly as much of a Disney nut as my partner is, but Disneyland really represents a lot of happy memories for us in our nearly decade-long relationship.” His partner (and Disney nut) Dakota McKinnon riffed on modern summer flair with 70s-era gym wear.
“Pride at Disney means sharing our magic with the ones we love and others who share our love for all things Disney,” said McKinnon.
Beyer added, “To hear iconic gay anthems (thank you, Cher) played throughout the parks was really special. There was a sense of community and friendship that really made the night special for me. To have an official Pride Event truly made us feel like we were surrounded by family – and it’s more important than ever to lift our community up in the face of the setbacks our current political climate has thrown at us. I hope Disney will continue to voice its support for the LGBTQ+ community. Queer men and women identify with the themes of Disney stories deeply, throughout all stages of our lives. We are discovering who we really are, shaping our chosen families, and wishing upon a star.”
Proud ally Taryn Bench made a custom dress for “Pride Nite” that she said had to be twirl-worthy. “I had an idea to make a tiered ruffle dress in a fun rainbow-tiered way that gave me the capability to twirl the night away! I paired my rainbow dress with a Disney Pride mini Loungefly bag around my waist and rainbow butterfly clips in my hair!”
Bench said she also wore the Pride sandals from Teva for ultimate park comfort. “You gotta have comfortable shoes when you are running around the park for hours on end,” she added.
“This event means so much to me. Having Disney create an after-hours event specifically for Pride is such a huge step in the right direction, with so much more inclusion needed. I have such a fiery passion for equality for all. I am fiercely passionate about being an ally and going to this event was just the most loving and accepting environment. I felt like I was enveloped in a warm hug all night. I can’t wait to see how this event evolves and what Disney continues to do every year surrounding Pride month.”
Queer Coded Couples
I know all too well how hard it is to find a costume for my wife and me for Disney events. But just because characters aren’t explicitly queer doesn’t mean we don’t read between the lines and recognize them as such. Gay couple, Matthew and Hayden went as Bunsen and Beaker from The Muppets because even the show hints at the two. “Suddenly it wasn’t about wearing as much color, rainbows, etc. but bounding [dressing and accessorizing as a specific character] as queer characters,” said Matthew. “My boyfriend Hayden’s favorite character is Beaker and I’m a huge Muppet aficionado. In the 2015 TV show The Muppets, there’s a fun moment where Beaker and Dr. Bunsen Honeydew are wearing each other’s clothing. Kermit inquired about it and Bunsen stops Beaker’s answer by saying, ‘If it happens outside of work, we don’t owe ’em an explanation!’ So, in a lot of Muppet fans’ heads, it’s now canon. I went as Beaker due to the height and then later we switched as they do on the episode.”
“I’ve been going to the unofficial Gay Days at Disneyland since 2004,” said Matthew. “I was proud of the company finally taking a stand on the abhorrent ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill and other anti-LGBTQ+ laws in general in Florida. For Disneyland to now officially have a designated ‘Pride Nite’ means the world. It’s another step in inclusion and means the mouse is truly having our backs, giving us a special night, and saying we matter. They didn’t scrimp on those epic fireworks or the cavalcade either. I felt the love! Disney has always felt like a safe haven, and now it’s solidified. We’ll definitely be back next year. Fingers crossed that it happens.”
Cosplayer Elizabeth Hanson used Giselle’s curtain dress from Enchanted as her outfit inspiration. “Giselle is a very loving character and very excepting of everyone, so I felt it was very fitting,” she said. And instead of pairing the look with Prince Edward or even Robert Phillip in more regal attire, Hanson’s partner Desiree went as lawyer Robert Phillip in the best sapphic twist I saw all night.
“My birthday happens to be in June,” said Hanson. “And when I found out that the first LGBTQ+ event was being held at Disneyland I was thrilled and felt like I absolutely had to attend. Especially given our current political climate. I really want to believe that LGBTQ+ people still have hope, so Disney hosting the first LGBTQ+ event felt really significant.”
All the Glitter
Theme Park content creator David Vaughn is always at Disneyland (and knows the best new snacks!) and for “Pride Nite” his outfit was all about shattering gender rules. “I wanted lots of glitter, rainbows, and above all pink,” he said. “I still hear parents tell their kids that pink is a girl’s color and I have no idea why. It just feels like a very silly rule that we should have tossed out decades ago.”
“To me, Disneyland throwing a ‘Pride Nite’ is a big welcome! There are folks who still don’t feel comfortable holding hands in the park with the person they love or expressing themselves in another authentic way. Disneyland is for everyone, and this event is a safe haven. All of this feels like the start of something like we’re heading into a future of love and acceptance in everyday places. What better spot to start that than The Happiest Place on Earth?”
