You care about planning your trips early, snagging those hard-to-get tickets, and making sure your night at Disneyland actually matches your vibe, right? With the 2026 Disneyland After Dark event dates finally out, you can start mapping out which nights fit your style – from romantic Sweethearts’ Nite to the all-new 70 Years of Favorites Nite packed with throwback fun and rare characters. In this post, you’ll get the key dates, what each party offers, and how to time your ticket buys so you don’t miss the good stuff.
So, What’s New for 2026?
With Disneyland After Dark turning into a yearly ritual for a lot of fans, 2026 is all about doubling down on the hits while sliding in one big anniversary twist. You’re getting a brand-new 70 Years of Favorites Nite, fresh entertainment for Sweethearts’ Nite, expanded nods to Disney Channel Nite and a bigger push on specialty food, rare characters, and those hyper-specific photo backdrops that make your Instagram feed look like a Disney history lesson.
The Big 70 Years of Favorites Party
For the 70 Years of Favorites Nite on March 3 and 5, you’re basically time-traveling through Disneyland’s history in one evening, bouncing from swing dancing at Fantasyland’s Royal Theatre to a Videopolis Dance Party at Tomorrowland Terrace and Woody’s Round Up line dancing in the Golden Horseshoe. You’ll have rare meet-and-greets plus photo ops celebrating the Main Street Electrical Parade, Club Buzz, Mad T Party and more.
Bringing Back the Classics: Sweethearts’, Star Wars, and More
On top of that, you’ve got four returning heavy-hitters: Sweethearts’ Nite in January and February, Star Wars Nite around that always-hot May the Fourth window, Disney Channel Nite in April, and Pride Nite in June, all back at Disneyland itself. Each one keeps its core vibe – from the new “Once Upon a Dream” show and Celebrate Love cavalcade to glow-soaked Pride decor – while layering on new food, merch, and photo ops so it doesn’t feel like a copy-paste of 2025.
When you zoom in on those returning nights, you start to see how dialed-in they’ve become. Sweethearts’ Nite spreads across nine dates, so you can actually score a reservation-worthy date night without fighting for a single evening, and that “Once Upon a Dream” show is built to hit all the couples in the feels. Star Wars Nite leans hard into May 4 and 6 with character photo ops you almost never see in the daytime plus snacks that are basically limited-edition collectibles in food form. Disney Channel Nite quietly becomes fan-service central, pulling references from 90s kids through current viewers, while Pride Nite turns the whole park into a rainbow backdrop with character looks you’ll probably only catch those two nights, which is exactly why repeat visitors keep coming back.
What to Expect on 70 Years of Favorites Night
70 Years of Favorites Nite is basically a highlight reel of Disneyland history that you actually get to walk around in.You swing dance under the lights at Fantasyland’s Royal Theatre, then hop over to the Videopolis Dance Party at Tomorrowland Terrace where 80s kids are losing their minds, and finish with Woody’s Round Up line dancing in the Golden Horseshoe. You’re surrounded by photo ops nodding to the Main Street Electrical Parade, Club Buzz and Mad T Party, so your camera roll ends up reading like a 7-decade scrapbook.
Awesome Character Meet-and-Greets
Character-wise, this is the night where you finally meet the faces you thought were gone for good. You’re talking rare appearances from Carousel of Progress, Merlin from The Sword in the Stone, Friends from A Bug’s Life and even deep-cut Fantasmic favorites.
Food and Fun to Make You Smile
The snacks and entertainment are dialed in so you feel like you’re taste-testing every decade at once. Food during 70 Years of Favorites Nite leans hard into nostalgia, so you’re not just eating, you’re time traveling a bit.
Sweethearts’ Nite – Is It Really That Special?
You know that couple that uses Sweethearts’ Nite photos for every holiday card all year long? You might become them, because this event leans hard into romance with the new Once Upon a Dream – A Musical Journey Through the Disney Songbook show, the Celebrate Love cavalcade rolling down Main Street, and low crowds on classic rides you actually want to cuddle up on. If you care about photos, you get unlimited PhotoPass downloads all night, which quietly makes the higher ticket price feel a lot more justified.
Dates You Don’t Want to Miss
If your calendar’s already packed, you still want these nine dates circled in red: Jan. 22, 25, 27 and Feb. 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 17. Each night runs 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. with that 6 p.m. mix-in, which means up to 7 hours in the park. Valentine’s-adjacent nights, especially Feb. 12 and 17, will vanish fast, so you’ll want your game plan locked in before tickets hit the site at 9 a.m.
Because those dates fall squarely in prime proposal and anniversary season, you’ll notice patterns: locals typically grab Jan. 22 and 25 for a cheaper-feeling early celebration, out-of-towners eye Feb. 8 and 10 for long-weekend trips, and the die-hard romantics fight over Feb. 12 for that close-to-Valentine’s magic. If you’re chasing lighter crowds and better photo spots, target Jan. 27 or Feb. 3, since midweek dates historically sell a bit slower. And if you’re juggling flights or hotel points, that 6 p.m. mix-in lets you skip a separate day ticket completely, which can save you a surprising chunk of cash.
Star Wars Nite – May the Force Be With You!
Four event nights in 2026 turn Disneyland into your own personal galaxy far, far away, with April 28, April 30, May 4 and May 6 locked in for hyperspace-level fun. You get shorter waits for Space Mountain, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge practically glowing after midnight, and specialty snacks that feel straight out of Batuu. It all feels a little wild – like you walked into Star Wars Celebration but with rides, fireworks and way more churros.
Special Surprises on May 4th
That May 4 date is basically the Super Bowl of Star Wars Nite, so you can bet it sells out first and packs in extra goodies. You might catch a surprise character lineup, limited-run merch that only drops that night, or a one-night-only entertainment moment that diehard fans still talk about years later. If you’re the type who quotes the original trilogy daily, this is the night you plan your whole trip around.
Photo Ops You Can’t Pass Up
Over a dozen Star Wars themed photo spots usually pop up across the park. You get unlimited PhotoPass downloads baked into your ticket, so it’s ridiculously easy to turn the whole night into your own in-universe photo shoot. If your phone background isn’t updated by the time you walk out at 1 a.m., that’s on you.
Disney Channel Nite – A Throwback to Childhood
Streaming-era kids keep discovering old Disney Channel hits, so it totally tracks that Disney Channel Nite on April 12, 14 and 16 leans hard into that nostalgia wave. You get character meets, themed snacks, and playlists that bounce from early 90s jingles to mid-2010s bop-after-bop. It feels like stepping into your old after-school lineup, only this time you’ve got PhotoPass, shorter lines, and way better snacks in your hand.
What Retro Vibes Are Coming Back?
Expect your night to feel like someone smashed together a 90s and 2000s Disney Channel marathon and dropped it right into Main Street. You’ll spot era-specific photo backdrops, faux “set” corners, and dance parties that switch genres faster than you could channel surf in 2003. Lighting, soundtracks, and show segments all skew throwback, so you’re basically walking through a living mixtape of your favorite Disney Channel eras in just four hours.
Perfect for Disney Kids at Heart
If you still quote lines from old Disney Channel shows without thinking, this is the night that hits you right in the feels. You get that late-night park energy from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., plus event-only merch, nostalgia-heavy music loops, and unlimited PhotoPass to capture every goofy pose. It’s engineered for grown-up “Disney kids” who now have their own money, their own schedules, and zero shame about lining up for one more character pic.
Because the event runs on just three dates in April, you’re in a pretty exclusive club of fans who carve out a whole night just for this era of TV you grew up with. You can roll in at 6 p.m. with the mix-in, knock out a couple of your favorite attractions, then spend prime hours chasing Disney Channel photo ops, specialty snacks, and characters you haven’t seen in years. It’s that rare combo where you get to indulge your inner kid, flex your nostalgia knowledge, and still enjoy all the perks of an After Dark event in one packed, very late, very fun night.
Pride Nite – A Celebration of Love and Diversity
Nothing hits quite like walking into Disneyland and seeing the whole park lit up in rainbow just for you and the community. On June 16 and 18, Pride Nite turns Main Street into a literal pride parade route, with rainbow-colored lighting, music remixes, and color costumes. You get all the After Dark perks – shorter lines, rare characters, unlimited PhotoPass – wrapped in a night that actually celebrates who you are.
What’s Going to Make This Night Unforgettable?
You’re basically getting a park that feels like it’s been handed to the community for four solid hours. Upbeat music and anthems, characters show up in unique pride-inspired looks, and PhotoPass captures your colorful outfits.
Summing up
Now you might think these After Dark dates are just for hardcore fans, but if you’ve ever wanted Disneyland to feel a bit more like “your park, your night,” 2026 is your shot. With Sweethearts’ Nite, Star Wars Nite, Disney Channel Nite, Pride Nite and that new 70 Years of Favorites party, you’ve basically got a menu of vibes to pick from.
So your next move is simple: lock in the nights that match your style, budget for those late-night snacks and photos, and plan early – because when these tickets drop, you know they won’t hang around.
