12 Cool Ways to Celebrate a Disneyland Birthday (For All Ages)

Celebrating a Disneyland birthday sounds dreamy until you realize how easy it is to miss out on the good stuff.

If you don’t know about Disneyland birthday perks and experiences, you could end up with little more than a Disneyland birthday button (though you really should pick up your free Disneyland birthday badge – more on this on the 7th cool way to celebrate a Disneyland birthday).

I’ve rounded up 12 cool tricks to help everyone, kids or adults, get more from a Disneyland birthday celebration.

In December 2024, I was at Disneyland, celebrating my Mother’s birthday – and we have spoken countless times about how INCREDIBLE her birthday was.

So, before you get those cute Disneyland birthday shirts ready, let’s get into the advice and tips, so you can plan an incredible birthday at Disneyland Resort.

This post is all about the 12 cool ways to celebrate a Disneyland birthday 2025 and beyond – for all ages.

Disneyland Birthday

1) Take a Disneyland Tour (this doesn’t have to cost thousands!)

There’s somewhat of a misconception that you have to be rich and/or famous to go on a Disneyland tour.

And whilst your regular VIP tours do cost thousands, there are certainly more inexpensive tours available!

These tours are usually based on the history of Disney or a behind-the-scenes look of Disneyland.

Here are a few well known tours you can find at Disneyland:

Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour – where you can ride on the Lilly Belle – the Presidential Car of Disneyland, used by Walt and Lilly during the golden age of Disneyland! This tour is 90 minutes and costs $145 + tax per person for guests ages 3 and up!
Disney’s Happiest Haunts Guided Tour – a two-hour Halloween themed tour during the spooky season, returning in 2025.
Holiday Time at the Disneyland Resort Guided Tour – a 2.5 hour Christmas tour during the festive weeks at Disneyland.

On my Mum’s birthday, we crossed off a HUGE Disney bucket list item: going to Walt Disney’s apartment inside Disneyland Park!

This was part of the 1.5 hour Walt’s Main Street Story Tour, which sadly, is not available at the moment. And there’s no word on its return.

Hopefully, Disney are busy revamping the tour and it will return soon, because it was really one of the coolest things I’ve ever experienced in a Disney Park.

After all, who wouldn’t like to enjoy drinks and cookies on Walt Disney’s balcony?!

2) A Table Service or Character Birthday Meal

A table service or character birthday meal at Disneyland isn’t just about food—it’s a whole event.

You get to sit back, avoid the crazy food lines, and actually relax while enjoying a nice meal.

It’s not cheapest option food-wise, but if you choose the right locations, you’ll have have a great experience.

If you want a more sophisticated Disneyland meal, they have options for that. We had breakfast at Carnation Café on my Mum’s birthday, which was a great (and not too expensive) option with a pretty laid-back atmosphere.

Want a more fun and silly option? Character meals. We went to Goofy’s Kitchen at Disneyland Hotel, where we witnessed several birthdays – which meant special birthday cupcakes and being sung to by a cast member – with a character joining in with the public celebration!

If you hate being the center of attention on your birthday, you may hate this. But if you love it, book that meal!

(Also, side note: the breakfast selections at Goofy’s Kitchen were SO extensive. I still dream of the cake/pastry table now 🤩).

3) Order a Birthday Cake

If you’re dining at certain restaurants, you can order a classic Mickey Mouse celebration cake.

Interested in this Disneyland birthday cake? Here are the important details you should know:

There are 2 flavors: White Chocolate or Chocolate
It costs $48 + tax (and gratuity if applies) for each cake
Serving size – One cake can feed 4-6 guests
You can choose to engrave a message on the Mickey ears. This would be either “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations”.
You can add the cake to your online reservation at least 3 days in advance. You can make requests for same day cakes at restaurants when you arrive, but to guarantee you can get one it’s best to pre-order. You also can’t customize your cake if you order on the day.
These cakes contain eggs, milk, gluten, wheat and soy (as well as being produced in facilities that could include different allergens, e.g. tree nuts and peanuts).

Which Disneyland restaurants serve Mickey Mouse celebration cakes?

Blue Bayou Restaurant – New Orleans Square – Disneyland Park
Cafe Orleans – New Orleans Square – Disneyland Park
River Belle Terrace – Frontierland – Disneyland Park
Lamplight Lounge – Pixar Pier – Disney California Adventure
Wine Country Trattoria – Performance Corridor – Disney California Adventure

4) Enjoy a Festival at Disney California Adventure

They may not be as beloved as the festivals at Epcot (Walt Disney World Resort), but DCA can also pit on a good festival!

The two most prominent, recurring festivals are the:

Food & Wine Festival (which took place February 28th – April 21st, in 2025)
Disney Festival of Holidays (which took place November 15th, 2024 – January 6th, 2025)

These festivals usually combine food stalls with bitesized items, as well as live entertainment.

DISNEYLAND BIRTHDAY decorations — M&M Peanut Butter Fudge Cake from Disney California Adventure during Festival of Holidays

Pro tip: if you want to try a lot of food, consider a Sip and Savor Pass (available in 4 or 8 digital coupon versions, for participating food and beverages. It can often save you money compared to buying the items individually).

5) Try Some Incredible Snacks & Treats

Disneyland has some incredible snacks year round that you can find at quick service locations when you feel like it!

We’re talking Mickey-shaped beignets, churros (if they have seasonal churros, this is fun too!), Dole Whips and basically anything that screams “Disney.”

DISNEYLAND BIRTHDAY discount — Mickey Sugar Cookie

It helps to do some research before you go to make sure you find the best snacks possible!

If you have any Disneyland snack recommendations, please leave them in the comments 🙂

6) Decorate your Hotel Room Door

This is so much fun! For my Mum’s birthday, we stayed at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel, and of course, I decorated the hotel room door!

Is it silly? Yes. Is it necessary? No. Did I keep the decorations so I can reuse them for future Disney birthday celebrations? Absolutely!

After all, it’s great every time you return to see your bright and colorful door. It’s a fun and simple way to be reminded that it’s your birthday!

7) Get your Free Birthday Button

Getting a free birthday button at Disneyland sounds trivial until you see how much you get out of it.

First, it literally shouts “It’s my birthday!” without you having to say a word.

Even if you hate attention, you may find yourself smiling when a cast member goes out of their way to yell “Happy birthday!” from across the sidewalk.

There’s always a chance that you may get something for free from cast members (i.e. cake, a snack etc.). Of course, this isn’t guaranteed, but you can get your birthday button and see!

8) Watch 1 (or more) Disneyland Nighttime Shows

Watching Disneyland’s nighttime shows can be a perfect end to your birthday.

The best thing about Disneyland is they have several nighttime shows (although some of them won’t be on every single night – so make sure to check Disneyland’s website/app before your visit!).

Here are the main shows you’ll find here:

Fantasmic! – a show in Frontierland, Disneyland Park, which takes you inside Mickey’s imagination.
A fireworks show – this will change with the season, but I saw the Believe…In Holiday Magic Fireworks Spectacular on my first visit last year, and it was amazing with lots of impressive fireworks!
World of Color – One – a show based on water and projections. During the festive season, this changes to World of Color – Season of Light.

There may be additional shows depending on the season.

Word of advice: if having an excellent view is important to you, get there early.

To guarantee a great view, you would need to leave at least 30 minutes – 1 hour + (crazy, I know).

We didn’t do this, and got there about 15 minutes before, and our view wasn’t incredible.

For World of Color, you can try to get a Virtual Queue for the best viewing area (if you don’t mind getting splashed by water!)

Alternatively, if you’re happy to splurge, you could consider a dining package or dessert party.

9) Stay at a Disneyland Hotel

Staying at a Disneyland hotel makes the experience just a little more special.

You get early park entry (30 minutes early before other guests), so you’re running around getting on select rides before the crowds even wake up. (In my experience, Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure was not open during early entry, but we could wait in line, so we were on the ride within less than 10 minutes after the park opened).

You’re close enough to nap and come back—not stuck dragging a tired kid (or, even, yourself!) across Anaheim.

The downside? The price. However, there are ways to save, as detailed later in this section.

There are three Disneyland on-site hotels:

Pixar Place Hotel – this is the cheapest hotel, and sadly, it feels like it. It feels like a slightly upgraded version of Disney’s Art of Animation Resort at Disney World. Art of Animation is great, because it is a Value Resort. Pixar Place Hotel is not inexpensive, but appears to lack in quality. It has been recently refurbished, but feels like a sterile, generic hotel with some thoughtless Pixar characters thrown in here and there. Granted, I haven’t stayed there, but walking through the lobby of this hotel was enough for me to know that it is not the best Disneyland hotel. On the bright side, Pixar Place Hotel has its own entrance to Disney California Adventure, which is great if you’re planning to spend lots of time in Disneyland’s second park.

Disneyland Hotel – this is an AWESOME one. This is the first Disney hotel that was built. Although it is NOTHING like the original in the 1950s, this hotel feels like a love letter to that time. If you get past the underwhelming lobby, this resort is amazing. The outdoor areas feel a little Polynesian inspired! It is in the mid-price range for Disneyland Hotels.

Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa – This is Disneyland’s most expensive 4.5-star hotel. It feels very similar to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge at Disney World (but with an arguably less grand lobby). Similarly to Pixar Place Hotel, this resort also has its own entrance to Disney California Adventure. Despite being less “luxurious”, this hotel will usually cost more than Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at Disney World.

So, let’s talk prices and how you can save on a Disneyland Hotel:

Pixar Place Hotel – Standard hotel rooms will usually cost over $350 + tax here each night. You may find some modest discounts on Disneyland’s website, or trusted sites like Undercover Tourist.
Disneyland Hotel – With standard room rates often costing over $500 + tax per night, a great option is renting DVC points at The Villas at Disneyland Hotel. I rented points with DVC Rental Store to stay there (please be aware that you will have to pay Transient Tax on top of the rental price when you stay in the room).

Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa – As standard rooms here often cost north of $700 + tax per night, renting DVC points is another great option here. However, there is less availability at The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa than there is at the Disneyland Hotel, so definitely make requests 11 months in advance.

10) Get Custom Birthday Ears

The free birthday button isn’t enough? Consider some birthday ears (which, sadly, are not free). But they can be a great addition for photos on a special birthday!

You can get a Mickey and Minnie Mouse Ear Headbands personalized at Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe at Disneyland Park.

Find more details here.

11) Create a Personalized Ride Challenge

Want a little less spontaneity? Create a ride challenge!

Maybe you want to ride Space Mountain five times.

Or go on all the rides in Fantasyland.

Perhaps, you want to ride every Disneyland roller coaster in a day.

Word of advice: if you’re setting a ride challenge that involves a lot of rides, you might want to consider Disneyland’s Lightning Lane options.

12) Go to Disney Village (No Park Ticket Required)

You don’t need a Disneyland ticket to have a great birthday—just hit up Disney Village. It’s wild how much you can actually do here without spending a fortune on park admission.

There’s shopping, live music, and a handful of loud, and a plethora of dining locations – from quick to table service.

For reference, Disney Village is a lot smaller than Disney Springs, but it’s still a great, more budget-friendly option (depending on how many shops and dining locations you decide to visit 😂).

Frequently Asked Questions about a Disneyland Birthday

Is there Disneyland birthday free entry?

Do you get to go to Disney for free on your birthday? Sadly, not anymore.

So, is there Disneyland birthday free entry? I wish. Disney used to offer free admission on your birthday, but those days are long gone.

You can’t even get a modest Disneyland birthday discount on tickets.

Sad times. 😭

Does Disneyland give anything for a birthday?

As mentioned earlier in this post, you can get a free Disneyland birthday button, but that’s the only thing that’s guaranteed.

When I dined at Goofy’s Kitchen with my Mum for her birthday, they brought over a free birthday cupcake (but is it really free if you paid over $60 per person for breakfast?!).

When wearing your Disneyland birthday button, you may get something free from a generous cast member, but this can’t be guaranteed.

Is Disneyland free on 3rd birthday?

Children under 3 years old can enter Disneyland for free, but sadly, on your child’s 3rd birthday, they will require a Disneyland Park ticket.

What day is Disneyland’s birthday?

The Disneyland opening date was July 17th, 1955 – so its 70th birthday celebrations are just around the corner!

Ta Ta For Now

Are you planning a Disneyland birthday? What are you most excited to do on your (friend/family member’s) day?

If you’ve ever celebrated a birthday at Disneyland Resort, I’d love to hear how you made it special.

This post was all about the 12 cool ways to celebrate a Disneyland birthday 2025 and beyond – for all ages.