Author: Tania Escobar
If you love Disneyland, then you’re probably aware of themed events, like Dapper Day, set up by fans to enjoy the parks as a group. These events aren’t limited to annual pass holders. Instead, participation is encouraged by all who are part of different Disney fan communities.
One such event, Villains’ Day – Stalk Around the Park, occurred on Sunday, February 10th, 2019. Created by The Circle of Villains, a private group on Facebook, this was their 5th annual fan event. Though the group is private, the event was made public on Facebook, which filters out events based on individuals’ likes and places they have gone. Villains’ Day fell on my lap because I’m a frequent visitor to Disneyland, and I get location tagged on someone’s photos when I’m there.
The foundation of this meetup was to dress as your favorite Disney villain, whether it be Dapper Day, Disneybound, or villain Mickey Ears, with a matching sweater. Whatever the look or clothing the attendees wore, each represented a Disney villain of their choosing.
Participants showed off various evildoers, from the well-known, like Maleficent, to rare, forgotten villains like The Horned King from The Black Cauldron. I decided to Disneybound as my favorite villain, Scar, from The Lion King.
Walking around the park, I would get excited when I saw various visitors in their villain-wear. I took as many opportunities as possible to fangirl with my fellow fans, which was easy as the event was well organized. The hosts scheduled numerous opportunities to meet with the community or take group photos. There were even surprise Disney Villain-themed giveaways held throughout the day to the lucky finder of the Instagram photo spot.
The event schedule for the day was as follows:
💚11:30 AM Meet & Greet and group photo directly behind Sleeping Beauty Castle
💜12:00 PM to 12:30 PM Enjoying Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
💚1:30 PM Stalking Mark Twain
💜3:30 PM Group photo between parks
💚4:50 PM Enjoy Mickey and the Magical Map
💜6:00 PM Stalking Toon Town
Though there were many great outfits, there were three I saw that were my favorites for the day. First was a woman who Disneybound as King Candy from Wreck-it-Ralph, as I had forgotten he was a villain. Next was a gentleman in a Thanos hoodie holding the Infinity Gauntlet souvenir sipper sold at the park last year. Technically, Disney owns Marvel, which makes Thanos an official Disney Villain. Lastly, a three-year-old boy wore a black skull t-shirt and threw around a Sheriff Woody doll and Buzz Lightyear action figure to represent Sid from Toy Story. I found this kid, and his villain choice, to be adorable.
Villains’ Day was an amazing unofficial-themed day at Disneyland. I enjoyed everybody’s creativity and originality when it came to their ensembles. Themed community events are some of my best memories at the park because groups of strangers come together to honor them what makes Disney magical.
