Gay Days at Disneyland Returns – What You Should Know
RuPaul’s Drag Race Stars Symone, Gigi Goode, Crystal Methyd, Alexis Michelle, Lady Camden, and Daya Betty, along with Zach Zimmerman and Varla Jean Merman set to appear at the 25th Annual Gay Days at Disneyland!
Are ready for the 25th Annual Gay Days at Disneyland? Well, you still have some time to plan because the epic queer event runs from Friday, September 22 through Sunday, September 24. It’s expected to attract thousands of LGBTQ+ park-hoppers from California and all over the country.
Since the event began in 1998, the Disneyland Resort has welcomed this annual celebration and continues to do so even as some of the country’s culture wars aim their sights at Disney and the LBGTQ+ community. As the official shirt for this year proclaims: “We say gay.”
Festivities begin on Friday at noon with the opening of the Gay Days Welcome Center/ Expo at the Grand Californian Hotel. At 5 pm, Disney PRIDE hosts a welcoming cocktail gathering, and at 6:00, RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars favorite, Alexis Michelle, takes to the stage with her cabaret act, fresh from a sold-out engagement at Joe’s Pub in New York. At 8 pm and 10 pm, A Night of Stand-Up with Zach Zimmerman will feature the wry comic’s singular musings, followed by a signing of his new book, Is It Hot in Here (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth?)
Saturday, September 13 will be Gay Day at Disneyland with a full day of activities and meet-ups scheduled in the park. The day culminates with two big shows at the Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel. First up at 8 pm, Drag Race sisters from season 14, Lady Camden and Daya Betty will reunite for a brand-new show. Then at 10 pm, the House of Avalon takes over with Sugartank: Gay Days, featuring the talents of Symone, Gigi Goode, Crystal Methyd, and more, bringing their LA-based party to Anaheim for the first time!
Sunday, September 18 will be Gay Day at Disney’s California Adventure with more in-park activities and the Gay Days Anaheim pool party, PLUNGE! from noon until 4 pm at the Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel. Tickets are $25.
As the sun sets, we’ll close the weekend with a show direct from Provincetown: the iconic Varla Jean Merman will make her Gay Days debut in her new piece, Stand By Your Drag! At 6 pm and 8 pm.
VIP ticket packages are available now.
Both days in the parks will feature gatherings only available over Gay Days weekend, including a scavenger hunt, a group photo, a lesbian ice cream social, group meet-ups at varying attractions, and many more events targeted to families, teens, bears, couples and Mouseketeers of every ilk. A complete schedule is available at the Gay Days website www.GayDaysAnaheim.com
Other highlights of the weekend include the Gay Days Welcome Center (located inside the Trillium Room of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel), screenings of ABC pilots, and mixers.
Gay Days Anaheim is a “mix-in” with the park’s other weekend guests, but gays and lesbians are encouraged to wear red shirts to identify each other and to show strong numbers. Official T-shirts are available on the official Gay Days at Disneyland website.
Important Note: Gay Days Anaheim is NOT a Disney-sponsored event so Disney will not have any information regarding the “unofficial” happening.
