Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom, June 4. Photos by Tom Dyer.
As always, the Magic Kingdom was packed with red shirts today. And as has been the case for many years now, there was little or no negativity. A few gays with racy t-shirts were asked to cover certain language or change. And there were a few icy stares at public displays of affection. But the Disney cast? Loving it!
I spoke with people from Connecticut, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Puerto Rico… and lots from New York, Atlanta, South Florida and Tampa Bay. Many were raving about Riptide at Typhoon Lagoon the night before, which reportedly drew more than 6,000 people and forced Disney to scramble for additional wrist bands. Tidal Wave — the big Bear party at Wet n Wild — also got good reviews.
Everyone asks about crowd numbers at the Magic Kingdom. Disney won’t release them, but one way to estimate attendance is by the wait to get into rides. At noon the line for the Haunted Mansion took just 25 minutes. Another gauge is the “bear barometer.” In years past, bears lined up all the way to the Hall of Presidents to get into the Country Bear Jamboree at 1 p.m. This year, the line of bears was confined to the ropes in front of the attraction… probably three shows tops.
The crowd in front of Cinderella’s Castle for the 3 p.m. parade was also far less than peak years… about 4 deep in most places… and missing the drag queens that used to sashay in front like it was a runway. But Disney employees picked up some of the slack by passing out hoola hoops and fluorishing a huge rainbow parachute.
So bottom line, it was not a record breaking day at the Magic Kingdom. But I’d estimate that about 40% of the people there today were gay or with gay groups. That’s tens of thousands.
And it remains the natural and rightful centerpiece of Gay Days Weekend for many. The Magic Kingdom is fun… and something about it has always felt, well, sprinkled with fairy dust. What a remarkable thing to join so many like-minded people for a singular day in a special place. After 21 years, Gay Day at the Magic Kingdom lives on.
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