Protests are occurring in Southern California, with both peaceful marches and violent clashes with law enforcement throughout Los Angeles. This has resulted in readers questioning whether Disneyland is safe to visit right now, given the disruptions. This post addresses the current ‘status’ of the parks, plus everything else you need to know if you’re visiting LA or Orange Counties this summer.
As you’ve likely seen on the news, these protests have stemmed from the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, following raids carried out in downtown Los Angeles last week by federal agents. This crackdown then became a flashpoint for days of protests in America’s second-largest city escalating over the weekend, with violent confrontations between law enforcement and protestors.
Political tensions have escalated between President Trump and California Governor Gavin Newsom as protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have spread beyond Los Angeles to other major U.S. cities. LA Mayor Karen Bass has issued overnight curfews for a portion of Los Angeles, which has been the site of clashes between police and protesters over the last week. Since the protests began, there have been nearly 500 arrests, 9 injuries among law enforcement, and 0 fatalities.
For his part, Trump deployed 4,000 National Guardsmen and 700 Marines to Los Angeles against the wishes of Newsom and Bass. California has sued the administration, and the political angle of this is undoubtedly a big part of why there has been wall-to-wall coverage outside of this on the national news (and even the international news–it’s a hot topic on NHK, which usually focuses on Los Angeles due to Shohei Ohtani).
The political angle of this is obviously significant and worthy of broader discussion and consideration, but not here, on a Disney blog. Instead, our exclusive angle is addressing concerns about whether Disneyland is safe to visit right now. This is a question we’ve received from a couple of readers and, indirectly, from members of our families who have asked if everything is “okay” around us. To Californians, this may seem like a silly question–but perceptions outside the state are very different, and likely exaggerated thanks to breathless media coverage.
For reference, we are locals living just south of Disneyland who visit the parks regularly. And to succinctly answer the above question, Disneyland is NOT impacted by protests. We’ve been to the parks since they began, and it was 100% business as usual. Nothing even remotely abnormal in the least. Just a regular ole summer day–busy but uneventful. You would have no clue about any world events from visiting the parks.
We’ll elaborate on that here, as there have been rumors to the contrary and ancillary concerns about safety at Disneyland, but the bottom line is that the bulk of the protests are currently pretty distant from Disneyland. Even closer demonstrations have zero impact on the parks. To be notified of future updates about the protests or all things Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and beyond, sign up for our free Disney Parks email newsletters.
The protests in Los Angeles have been concentrated in the city’s downtown area near Edward R. Roybal Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, for the most part. There have also been protests in the suburb of Paramount, spreading a few blocks west across the Los Angeles River to Compton. At one point, a crowd of protesters walked onto the 101 Freeway, blocking traffic in both directions.
To put this into perspective, the area the protests and violence have largely occurred in a 1-square-mile area of downtown LA. The city of Los Angeles has a total area of 502.7 square miles. Los Angeles County, as a whole, is a little over 4,000 square miles. Disneyland is not in the city or county of Los Angeles–it’s in Orange County to the south.
Here’s a map of the core curfew and protest area in downtown Los Angeles, courtesy of USA Today:
Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are not pictured in the above map of downtown Los Angeles because, again, they are not in DTLA. You would have to zoom out fairly considerably to see Anaheim.
Suffice to say, the major active protests you’ve seen on TV or social media that involve curfews or violent clashes between law enforcement and protestors are over 25 miles away from Disneyland. The current drive time is only 40 minutes, which actually isn’t bad by SoCal standards–it’s often over an hour from DTLA to Disneyland!
Note that I’ve added the ‘active’, ‘major’ and ‘violent’ caveats because, frankly, I cannot say with complete confidence that there aren’t other, smaller protests going on elsewhere in Los Angeles or Orange County. I would hazard a guess that the longer these tensions continue, the more likely it is that protests spread.
To some extent, that already occurred earlier this week in Santa Ana, approximately 7 miles from Disneyland. Protests in Santa Ana began peacefully, but escalated as tensions grew.
The demonstration devolved into violent confrontations with police at the intersection of Bristol and 1st Streets. This prompted police officers to use tear gas and non-lethal projectiles. Some protestors retaliated by hurling bottles through the air and detonating fireworks. Since the protests started on Monday, more than a dozen people have been arrested in Santa Ana in total; no injuries have been reported.
Homeland Security and the National Guard are now stationed by the federal building in downtown Santa Ana at the corner of Parton Street and Santa Ana Boulevard. It’s our understanding that these protests have dissipated, but again, it’s possible that tensions will become inflamed again if protestors clash with law enforcement.
Disneyland has not made any announcements about operational changes in light of protests, and none are expected going forward.
Disney has, however, put a statement out about viral rumors on social media about ICE detaining guests and/or Cast Members at Disneyland. Disney’s External Affairs confirmed in a statement to the Orange County Rapid Response Network that there was no ICE presence at Disneyland Resort.
Here’s the statement from a Disney spokesperson: “We can confirm that is not the case. We’ve gotten multiple reports through the day, but we checked them all and can report that there is no ICE presence at the resort.” The Anaheim Police Department also confirmed rumors of ICE stopping guests or Cast Members outside the parking lot is false.
When it comes to safety, I wouldn’t give a second thought to the protests if you’re primarily concerned with Disneyland Resort. Or even Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott’s Berry Farm, for that matter.
I wouldn’t even have much pause about taking the train up to Union Station and attending a Dodgers game, and that’s just on the other side of the 101 from the protests. The point is that Southern California is a big place, and even Los Angeles is massive.
Unless you’re specifically seeking them out or going to a very limited area of DTLA, you’re unlikely to encounter any disruptions or violent clashes between law enforcement and protestors.
The last time Disneyland had a bona fide protest, it was during the “Yippie Invasion” back in 1970 when radical activists stormed Disneyland, tried to overthrow City Hall and liberate Minnie Mouse. Fights broke out between the Yippies and tourists, the park had to be closed, and hundreds of riot police had to be called to restore order. None of this is a joke–all of that really happened–see the above AP file photo.
More recently, we have seen protests outside of Disneyland Resort on Harbor Boulevard for various things. There were a couple about wages and before that, a few about COVID-related controversies. Regardless of whether I agreed or disagreed with the causes, I was unbothered by all of these because they were peaceful protests–Americans exercising precisely the constitutionally-protected rights that make this country great. Over the years, there have also been a variety of people that I’d label as extremists, raving about this or that. Those are less organized “protests” and more the rantings of a single person (or handful of people).
If we’re talking about safety when visiting Disneyland, the top topic should probably be the walk from nearby off-site hotels, especially farther from the parks and approaching the Harbor-Katella intersection. I’m not sure whether he still makes regular appearances, but there was a man for a while there with a loudspeaker sharing his thoughts on morality. His takes were a bit shocking, even for creedthoughts.gov, but he’s really more annoying than anything else.
Honestly, I think a lot of locals brush all of this off a little too easily and under-appreciate how out-of-state tourists might perceive it. This isn’t a phenomenon unique to Californians; it’s probably true of anyone living cities versus those in the suburbs or countryside.
Many Americans visit the Disney theme parks because they’re insulated from the real world and offer a veil of fantasy and escapism. The parks are predictable, clean, and safe in ways that differ from most other vacation destinations.
Many Americans have also likely seen caricatures of California as a dystopian wasteland of lawlessness and crime. That’s hyperbole at best and deliberately disingenuous at worst. This isn’t to claim California is some utopian place–it’s kind of like the people you see on reality TV, beautiful but dysfunctional.
Nevertheless, Disneyland is part of a real city, and Anaheim is a fairly big one–10th largest in California and 55th largest in the United States. Anaheim has the same issues as any city its size. If you’re staying in an off-site hotel and walking to the parks, you will likely see homelessness, street vendors, and possibly protestors or demonstrators. Depending upon where you stay, you also might have to cross interstate on/off ramps.
Ultimately, none of this bothers us nor does it give any pause when recommending a visit to Disneyland from a safety perspective. (California’s homelessness crisis is heartbreaking and unsettling, so it does “bother” us in that regard.) There is absolutely no reason to avoid Disneyland or California as a whole on the basis of safety; you’re probably statistically more likely to get in a car accident than anything else.
However, if you’re from a small or suburban town, you may find the city streets jarring and experience a bit of culture shock in Anaheim. None of this is necessarily unsafe (despite being part of the metro area, Anaheim is unlike Los Angeles) and we’ve never had any actual issues. But you might find it uncomfortable or unsettling, and not want to make certain walks by yourself at night.
If you’re planning a trip to Disneyland and are concerned about the protests in Los Angeles, you should probably be thinking about this instead–and consider a hotel closer to the parks. You should also probably fly into SNA instead of LAX if this is a fear–not because LAX is unsafe or overrun with protestors, but because it’s totally chaotic and nothing like your home airport.
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
