Disneyland’s Magic Happens parade is returning to the Anaheim theme park this week, after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half of the almost 100 performers in the parade are part of the original troupe that launched the production in 2020. For the returning performers, the experience is both new and familiar.
Jenn Acevedo, an ocean dancer leading Moana’s float, says that the parade feels like a reunion of the team that launched it. Acevedo, who taught dance classes via Zoom during the pandemic while Disneyland was closed, returned to the park in 2022 to work on the Main Street Electrical Parade and “Fantasmic.”
Acevedo, who hails from Anaheim, said that she always believed Magic Happens would eventually return, but never thought it would take this long. She added that it feels like a dream to be back and relive the opening once again.
The Magic Happens parade initially ran for only a couple of weeks before Disneyland shut down due to the pandemic. However, the long-awaited return engagement is now set to begin on February 24th, much to the excitement of performers and visitors alike.
