A few years ago my work had a conference in Orlando. I created some content for Disney World - both “need to know” information (like park reservations on convention tickets) and “cool things about the parks” information (like Flower and Garden, Galaxy’s Edge, etc)
Now, we are having a conference in Anaheim in 2026, and I have been asked to do the same thing. I haven’t been to Disneyland since 2023 so my mind is fuzzy on the “need to know” side. And I also am not fully immersed in what special events are happening in April 2026.
What should I include? Housing and procuring tickets are the only think I don’t need. Anything else, transportation, food, etc. could be covered. All thoughts and ideas are welcome!
The goal is to get people excited about coming and to give them advice to make things easier.
If it’s in the first 3 weeks of the month, the California Food & Wine Festival will be going on. That is always a hit and I protested a whole bunch about the use of parade route space to setup up-charge food booths. And now we almost always buy the lanyard with the tabs and try out a bunch of very tasty treats. So I definitely enjoy it when we can get away during April. They usually also turn Soarin’ back to the California version for the festival. And there are plenty of cooking demonstrations you can reserve to attend. And Chef Goofy usually meets as well.
The need to know should definitely include that park reservations are needed for all ticket types, the ease of hopping/how compact the park is, and if your audience is similar maybe even a comparison of what’s the same, what’s similar but arguably better & what’s totally unique.
And I think definitely some historical context about it being Walt’s original concept for a family theme park including that the park today has the Griffith Park bench (where he first conceived the idea of DL) on display in the Disney Gallery exhibit area.
Some other cool facts to consider mentioning if you wanted to dive deeper into the historical/sentimental side:
The light in the fire station window. When Walt was alive the light being on would represent that he was in the park that day. When he died they kept the light turned on to mark that his presence would always be there in spirit. This would segway well into to the new animatronic of Walt that was put in the for the park’s 70th anniversary in the Opera House (that will eventually rotate between Walt and Pres. Lincoln).
The Mark Twain is where Walt & Lily celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary on July 13, 1955, 4 days before DL’s grand opening. They had a river cruise with a jazz band and drinks and then dinner at the Golden Horseshoe for all their guests.
In the walkway through the castle directly under the (broken) block that hangs there is a survey marker. It’s the survey marker that divides Main St. in half and Walt stood there on that spot and instructed his imagineers how he wanted Main St. and the hub & spoke concept to work. I was told this by a custodial CM who also told me that the clock was stopped at the time of Walt’s death but when I mentioned that on chat after hearing it, it was factually debunked so not sure how true the whole story is. But it is definitely survey marker that divides the hub & Main St. in half and I can always imagine Walt standing there envisioning the whole thing and marveling how it came to be. That feeling is best enjoyed after being close to the last ones off of Peter Pan and walking through an empty Fantasyland.
Let me know if you want more in this vein, and I’ll expand the hive mind to my kids (once they are all done with school). They might remember more off the top of their hands than I do but I think that’s a good amount of facts to get started on.
A few “need to know” items in addition to those mentioned already:
If they want to have table service, it’s best to make reservations 60 days ahead. Some venues are booked very quickly, so best to try at 6 a.m. PT. They can still try for walk-up, but it’s more difficult and consumes valuable park time while waiting.
Quick Service options are good here, though finding a seat can sometimes be a challenge.
Lightning Lane: Works well here but can only be booked once scanned in. If they won’t be entering the park until late in the day, it’s best to wait until they are in the park to purchase so that they can assess whether it will be worthwhile in light of posted return times. If they have the ability to scan in early, they should get Lightning Lane, as they can continue to book from anywhere after they have scanned in. They can book every 2 hours or upon scanning in to their last booked ride, whichever is first.
If they have the morning to be in the parks, they will get lots more out of their day if they are there for Rope Drop.
If they have hoppers, they can hop after 11 a.m.. No need to scan into the reserved park first if they arrive after 11.
Contrary to rumors that may circulate in other parts of the country, the area around the parks and hotels are safe, well lit, and with plenty of park-going pedestrians at night.
CA Adventure offers plenty of alcohol options. Disneyland has some options, but may only be in table service venues.
Many people (justifiably, IMO) who have frequented WDW say, after a single visit to DL, that they fell in love with its charm. It’s an extension of many locals’ backyards, and it is therefore more relaxed than WDW is.
Most people will be staying in the convention center hotels. I am going to share information about the ART buses and the Toy Story lot so if they are not comfortable with walking back at night they have a second option. But I agree with you. I describe the area as similar to after a baseball game lets out at night, but I live in Washington, D.C. so have opportunities to be in that kind of environment frequently.
