New Orleans Square Officially Opens - One of the Last Times Walt E. Disney was on Film

The footage you are about to see is bittersweet. It shows one of the last times Walt was on film enjoying his park. The day was July 24, 1966 (Walt died later that year). Walt and New Orleans Mayor Victor Schiro officially opened New Orleans Square. It was the first time since opening day in 1955 that a new land had opened. It was also the only area at the park named after a real city. Guests enjoyed shopping, dining and music, and Pirates of the Caribbean opened the following year.

New Orleans Square is Dedicated at Disneyland

July 24, 1966
New Orleans Square is Dedicated at Disneyland

When New Orleans Square opened in Disneyland, it was the first new land built since the opening of the park in 1955. New Orleans Square also has the distinction of being the only land in the magic kingdom to debut with no attractions. There were shops and restaurants, but the land's major attractions, Pirates of the Carribean and Haunted Mansion hadn't materialized yet. New Orleans Square took park Guests back to New Orleans a century ago, and boasted shops such as the One of a Kind shop where Guests could shop for rare antiques, and Mademoiselle Antoinette's Parfumerie welcomed ladies to blend their own exclusive brand of perfume. 1966 Disneyland Ambassador Connie Swanson Lane still remembers this day, forty three years ago, with great fondness, "I had the honor of standing next to Walt for the opening of New Orleans Square. His eyes missed no detail and he spoke of how he would improve on the concept. Accompanying us was the mayor of New Orleans. At lunch, Walt was continually making notes in the Blue Bayou, raise the tree five feet, lighten the sky… What a thrill to touch his shadow."