DLW 142: New Orleans Square Dedication

This week, Oogie Boogie isn’t going to be happy this Halloween, but there is plenty of Halloween merchandise, updated policies at Downtown Disney, some restaurants reopen, Galaxy’s Edge could be getting some festivals, we discuss the opening of New Orleans Square, and more!

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News:

There is nothing that 2020 hasn’t touched at the resort so far, and the popular Halloween party “Oogie Boogie Bash” has been cancelled by Disney this week. We had hoped that the party would still be on this year, but with no direction from the state of California, there just isn’t enough time to plan, prep, and put on the party this year. No word yet on what, if any, Christmas decorations will be around the resort this year. – https://wdwnt.com/2020/07/oogie-boogie-bash-cancelled-at-disney-california-adventure-due-to-covid-19-pandemic-concerns/ and https://www.micechat.com/265236-canceled-oogie-boogie-bash-halloween-event-at-disneyland-resort/ and https://www.ocregister.com/2020/07/24/disneyland-cancels-oogie-boogie-bash-due-to-coronavirus/

Oogie Boogie’s Bash may be cancelled, but that doesn’t mean that there is no Halloween merchandise to buy! The Halloween 2020 Disney Parks collection of merchandise has debuted on shopDisney. The collection includes mugs, decor, spirit jerseys, a limited release pin, and more. There is even a spirit jersey for your furry friend! – https://dlnewstoday.com/2020/07/shop-new-halloween-2020-disney-parks-merchandise-debuts-on-shopdisney-including-mugs-decor-spirit-jerseys-limited-release-pin-and-more/

There have been some updates to the Downtown Disney policies that guests should be aware of befor going. Neck gaiters, open-chin triangle bandanas, and face coverings containing valves, mesh material or holes of any kind are not acceptable face coverings. This has been updated since our story about it last week. Guests may remove their face covering while actively eating or drinking outside, but must remain stationary and maintaining appropriate physical distancing from others. These policies were updated to close some loopholes that guests were finding in the policy to bypass the requirement. – https://disneyland.disney.go.com/experience-updates/downtown-disney/ and https://www.ocregister.com/2020/07/23/disneyland-tightens-covid-19-mask-requirements-at-downtown-disney/

Two popular restaurants have reopened in Downtown Disney this week. Ballast Point and Tortilla Jo’s are now serving to-go food for outdoor eating, as it still is a mandate to not allow indoor dining. Tortilla Jo’s has a limited outdoor seating area to the right of their building and Ballast Point has an upstairs outdoor patio. Both restaurants require reservations. – https://www.micechat.com/265136-downtown-disney-updates-loophole-closed-more-restaurants-reopen/

As we spoke about on our public live stream this weekend, some Star Wars seasonal festivals might be coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The infomation on these events are from the new Star Wars book from Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Imagineering. In the “Traveler’s Guide to Batuu” they lay out the three festivals that take place in the Spring, Fall, and Winter. Black Spire Day is celebrated on May the 4th and commemorates the founding of the outpost. The Batuuan Harvest Festival is celebrated in the Fall and honors golden lichen, or “gold dust” which will be used in special drinks and dishes. Finally, Life Day, which debuted with the Star Wars Holiday Special, locals will celebrate peace, harmony, and freedom. Life Day was originally celebrated by the Wookies (like Chewbacca) on Kashyyyk, their home planet. – https://wdwnt.com/2020/07/rumor-black-spire-day-harvest-festival-and-life-day-seasonal-celebrations-coming-to-star-wars-galaxys-edge-at-disneyland-disney-world/ and https://www.ocregister.com/2020/07/26/are-3-star-wars-seasonal-festivals-coming-to-disneylands-galaxys-edge/

With everything still being on lockdown, especially cruise lines, Disney has released a virtual viewing of their Disney Cruise Line show “Tangled: The Musical”. The hour long musical can be viewed at the link in our show notes. – https://dlnewstoday.com/2020/07/disney-cruise-lines-tangled-the-musical-full-length-show-featured-in-virtual-viewing/

Van Eaton Galleries is planning a virtual “walk through” of the 65th Anniversary auction items, which was originally supposed to be a free exhibition from July 25th through August 14th. To keep up to date on the progress of this and to be the first to see it, keep an eye on the Van Eaton Gallery’s website at the link in our show notes. – https://www.micechat.com/265233-rare-disneyland-treasures-on-exhibit-and-auction/

The Jungle Cruise has become a popular merchandise item recently, with new items released this week. New items include a Jungle Cruise Coin Purse for $48, A little tote by Harveys for $178, and a poster tote by Harveys for $198. – https://wdwnt.com/2020/07/shop-new-jungle-cruise-coin-purse-and-totes-by-harveys-float-onto-shopdisney/

A new Funko Pop collection is being released to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Disneyland. The collection features an Alice in Wonderland set, a collectible Disney character train set, and a Matterhorn-themed Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. The Alice set will be exclusive to Target, and the train set will be exclusive to Amazon. – https://wdwnt.com/2020/07/photos-video-new-disneyland-65th-anniversary-funko-pop-collection-featuring-alice-in-wonderland-matterhorn-bobsleds-characters-and-more-coming-soon/

Discussion Topic:

New Orleans Square Dedication

MousePlanet – https://www.mouseplanet.com/12309/Profile_of_Disneylands_New_Orleans_Square_1966

Yesterland – https://www.yesterland.com/1966brochure.html

New Orleans Newspaper Article – https://www.nola.com/archive/article_fcc19c81-31cb-5c57-b55a-170d043aab54.html