Disneyland’s opening day was supposed to be an exclusive affair. Movie stars and California’s governor were invited to check out the attractions alongside Walt Disney. On this day 69 years ago – July 17, 1955 – they all showed up.
So did 15,000 uninvited guests.
After a year of speedy construction, Disneyland was ready to open its gates to VIPs. Hollywood A-listers were invited to bring their kids to test out the new attractions. California Governor Goodwin Knight made an appearance, as did then-actor (future governor, future president) Ronald Reagan. The press was there to document the fun.
The park was expecting a soft launch with an invite-only crowd of about 20,000, longtime Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar told Wired in a 2010 interview. In reality, 35,000 people rushed into the park with bootleg tickets.
![](https://digital-staging.ktla.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2024/07/GettyImages-589002758.jpg?w=900)
The huge crowds weren’t the only hiccup on Disneyland’s opening day. It was a sweltering day, recording over 100 degrees in Anaheim that day, according to Sklar. Women’s heels began sinking into the freshly poured asphalt. There was a gas leak in Fantasyland. Rides broke down. There were plumbing problems. The Mark Twain Riverboat was so overloaded with people, it started to sink.
The day was so chaotic it would earn the nickname “Black Sunday.”
There was no Space Mountain ride nor Pirates of the Caribbean, but there was the Mark Twain Riverboat, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, Autopia, live monkeys and a scary-looking Mickey Mouse.
See the gallery below for shots from Disneyland’s glamorous (and chaotic) opening day.
While some of those original attractions are still in place, much of Disneyland today is unrecognizable. So are the ticket prices.
The original cost of admission was $1. When adjusted for inflation, that’s equal to $11.72 today –or about the price of two churros.