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2024 D23 Expo — Disney’s BIGGEST Fan Event of the Year

UPDATED August 14, 2024

D23 is Disney’s official fan club, and as part of the fan club, D23 puts on a HUGE fan convention. In 2024, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event took place from August 9th-11th in Anaheim, California, and this year’s was the biggest yet!

D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event

The convention is comprised of special events, exclusive merchandise, unique exhibits, and fascinating presentations. The fan expo draws crowds from all over the world and features appearances from Disney execs, celebrities, and Disney Imagineers as the company dishes on upcoming entertainment, theme park developments, and more!

We covered ALL THE NEWS that comes out of D23 2024: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event ALL WEEKEND LONG right here on the DFB! And Saturday, August 10th delivered MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS at the Disney Experiences Showcase, hosted by Disney Parks Chair Josh D’Amaro.

See ALL the MAJOR NEWS DROPS here!

You can check out the full schedule for the weekend below, but right here we’re dropping ALL THE HEADLINES from the Horizons D23 Experiences Showcase so you can dive right into all the BIGGEST NEWS DROPS!

2025 D23 Expo

Stay tuned for details about the D23 Expo for 2025! In the meantime, you can check out the schedule of events from 2024 to get an idea of what next year’s event might entail…  

2024 D23 Schedule

The D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is taking place in Anaheim, California. The event runs from August 9th through August 11th, 2024. Prior to releasing the full schedule (which you can find below), Disney provided a general schedule of the main events, including highlights like the Disney Experiences Showcase on August 10th:

©Disney

Let’s start with some notable standout events:

  • Sunday, August 4th, 2024 — D23 Day at Angel Stadium
    • The first-ever D23 Day at Angel Stadium brings D23 members together to watch the Angels take on the New York Mets! Fans who are among the first 23,000 to enter the gates will receive a one-of-a-kind D23 Mickey Mouse bobblehead.

©Disney

  • Thursday, August 8th, 2024 — D23 Day at Disneyland Resort
    • Kick-off the weekend of celebrations at the very first D23 Day at the Disneyland Resort! The parks will welcome D23 fans from “rope drop to late night” offerings, including a custom cavalcade, dance party, photo ops, special foods, merchandise, and more. Plus, Disney Junior will join the fun and host a musical celebration at Disney California Adventure Park!

It’s D23 Day!

Click HERE to check out our coverage of D23 Day!

  • Saturday, August 10th, 2024 at 7PM — Disney Experiences Showcase at Honda Center
    • At the Disney Experiences Showcase, we can expect some MAJOR parks news. We’re talking Disney World, Disneyland, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disney Resort, and more. Past D23 events have brought us announcements like the DinoLand retheme and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure! Disney Parks Chair Josh D.Amaro will lead this event.

©Disney

  • Sunday, August 11th, 2024 at 5PM — Disney Legends Ceremony at Honda Center
    • The Disney Legends Award is given to “artists and visionaries throughout the company’s history” who have made an impact. This year’s honorees include Colleen Atwood, Angela Bassett, Martha Blanding, James L. Brooks, James Cameron, Jamie Lee Curtis, Miley Cyrus, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Mark Henn, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, Joe Rohde, and John Williams.

©Disney

14 NEW Disney Legends Were Inducted — Here’s How to Watch the FULL Ceremony

Now, here’s a FULL LOOK at the COMPLETE 2024 D23 schedule. The schedule for Friday, August 9th, is everything in the light purple-gray color on the left, followed by the schedule for Saturday, August 10th, in lavender, followed by the schedule for Sunday, August 11th, on the far right. The headline events will take place On Friday and Saturday at 7PM Pacific Time in the Honda Center, and the headline event on Sunday will take place at 5PM Pacific Time. 

©Disney

Over at the Walt Disney Archives Stage, you can learn about The Muppets at 12:45PM on Saturday or listen to Disney Legends in Conversation on Sunday.

©Disney

Additionally, the Disney+ section of the event will feature a Bluey and Bingo meet-and-greet that will run daily through 6:30PM.

©Disney

If you’re interested in Disney animation, be sure to check out some special signing opportunities! You’ll have the chance to meet the Moana 2 filmmakers, Disney Legend Mark Henn, and the voice of Moana, Auliʻi Cravalho!

©Disney

These events will run until about 5–6PM each day.

©Disney

For our Star Wars fans, you might want to stop by to hear from actor Daniel Logan!

©Disney

The Talent Central section of the event is JAM-PACKED with Disney talent!

©Disney

As you can see, the list keeps going! From Lorcana artists to Disney Imagineering Cast Members, you have tons of opportunities to talk to Disney experts.

©Disney

Finally, make sure to check out the “Live at World of Disney: The Product Experience” for some special merchandise and product events!

©Disney

On August 9th, look out for the Disney Entertainment Showcase, where we’re hoping to learn about upcoming projects, never-before-seen footage, surprise announcements, special guests, and more! Disney will even show off some exclusive new content coming to theaters and Disney+.

©Disney

Of course, one of the main events will be the Disney Experiences Showcase on August 10th at the Honda Center. This is where Disney plans to host some “surprise appearances, and a few familiar faces,” like Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro! Disney promised “updates on new and highly anticipated projects across Disney Experiences, along with new ways for generations of fans to connect with their favorite Disney stories.”

©Disney

Finally, the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 11th. Disney will be honoring the 2024 class of Disney Legends at the Honda Center.

©Disney

Here’s a list of the fourteen Disney Legends who will be honored this year:

  • Colleen Atwood — Atwood is a costume designer who has been nominated for a dozen Academy Awards and has won four Oscars, including for her work on Alice in Wonderland (2010). She has also designed costumes for Disney films like Planet of the Apes (2001), Into the Woods, Lady and the Tramp (2019), and The Little Mermaid (2023).
  • Angela Bassett — Bassett is an actress who has starred in Disney’s Black Panther films as Queen Ramonda.
  • Martha Blanding — Blanding was the first permanent full-time Black Tour Guide at Disneyland Resort. She “personified the philosophy of creating happiness for others while embodying the principles of hospitality and courtesy Walt Disney sought to establish for Disneyland Cast Members.” She later became the senior manager of Disneyland Resort Merchandise Special Events.
  • James L. Brooks — Brooks is a film director and producer who has won awards for projects like Terms of Endearment. He co-created The Simpsons, which has become the longest-running primetime scripted show in TV history.
  • James Cameron — Cameron is a celebrated director, writer, and producer who has worked on iconic films like The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Titanic, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water.
  • Jamie Lee Curtis — Curtis is an actress who has starred in Disney films like Freaky Friday and Haunted Mansion (2023).
  • Miley Cyrus — Miley Cyrus is a singer, songwriter, and actress who started her career as a Disney Channel star. She starred in the series Hannah Montana, which premiered to the largest audience of any Disney Channel Original Series.
  • Steve Ditko — Ditko is a comic artist and writer who worked on Marvel stories like Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery and Doctor Strange, Master of the Mystic Arts.
  • Harrison Ford — Ford is an iconic actor who has portrayed some beloved Disney heroes like Han Solo from Star Wars and Indiana Jones.
  • Mark Henn — Henn is a Disney animator who worked on The Fox and the Hound, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Moana, and many other Disney stories. He was the supervising animator for young Simba, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Mulan, and Tiana.
  • Frank Oz — Oz is an actor, director, producer, and writer. He has directed films like The Dark Crystal, Muppets Dake Manhattan, and Little Shop of Horrors. He has acted in live-action movies like The Blues Brothers and Knives Out and voiced characters in Inside Out, Monsters, Inc, and Inside Out 2.
  • Kelly Ripa — Ripa has worked in media with ABC for over 30 years as a co-host and executive producer of Live. Ripa has also authored a New York Times best-selling book Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories.
  • Joe Rohde — Rohde was a Walt Disney Imagineer for 40 years. He was the overall creative executive and supervising designer for Disney’s Animal Kingdom and also worked on The Adventurers Club, Aulani, and Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: BREAKOUT at Disney California Adventure.
  • John Williams — Williams is known for his work on the music scores for over a hundred films, including all nine Star Wars saga movies and all five Indiana Jones films.

For a COMPLETE MAP AND GUIDE to What’s Happening Where at D23, click HERE!

Shopping and Merchandise Details

Disney announced some details about the shopping and merchandise that will be available at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event. There will be limited-edition merchandise and collectibles available at destinations like Mickey’s of Glendale, The Hollywood Studio Store, and The Emporium.

D23 Shopping and Merchandise

Disney also said that the event will “feature exclusive D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event branded products.”

WHEW! We told you that the D23 Expo is  BIG DEAL… Stay tuned for information on the 2025 D23 event, because we’ll be sure to keep you updated RIGHT HERE!

 

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