Disneyland invites you to spend 24 hours in Magic Kingdom

If you have ever been to Disneyland and wished the fun didn’t have to end at closing time, then make plans to head to the Southern California theme park Friday, May 22. That’s when you can enter the park at 6 a.m. and not leave until 24 hours later.

The annual round-the-clock experience is happening this year as a 24-hour party to kick off the summer and launch the Disneyland Resort Diamond Celebration. It has been 60 years since Walt Disney opened the doors to what has been called “the happiest place on Earth.”

Guests who take advantage of the 24-hour access will be some of the first to see three new nighttime attractions: the “Paint the Night” parade and the“Disneyland Forever” fireworks show at Disneyland Park, plus the new version of “World of Color – Celebrate! The Wonderful World of Walt Disney,” at Disney California Adventure Park.

The “Paint the Night Parade” includes more than 1.5 million individually controlled lights. It’s the first all-LED parade in Disneyland history. Included in the parade will be characters from “Cars,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Toy Story.”

Fireworks have been a mainstay of the park for years but the new presentation also ties in special effects of the storefronts on Main Street, USA, and the Matterhorn mountain.

Over at California Adventure, Neil Patrick Harris is the host of the new video for “World of Color” that embraces the growing world of Disney. Not only will there be members of the traditional animation family, it includes additions rom the Marvel and “Star Wars” worlds.

The celebration will include dancing and special character encounters at locations in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks, along with a diamond decor throughout the resort.

Go to www.disneyland.com for more information.

This story was originally published May 20, 2015 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Disneyland invites you to spend 24 hours in Magic Kingdom."