July 17, 1955 was supposed to be a 15,000-guest press preview. More than 28,000 showed up, the heat hit 100, the drinking fountains didn’t work and a man sold ladder rides over the back fence for $5. Walt’s people called it Black Sunday.
Disneyland’s first day was July 17, 1955, and almost nothing about it worked.
That day was never meant for the public. It was an invitation-only press preview, broadcast live on ABC, with the real opening set for Monday, July 18. About 15,000 invitations went out.
More than 28,000 people came. The number most often cited is 28,154, and the reason it wasn’t 15,000 was that somebody had been printing fake tickets.
How did 28,000 people get into Disneyland on a 15,000-ticket day?
Counterfeits, mostly. Forged invitations flooded the gates. Out back, a man leaned a ladder against the fence and charged $5 a head to climb over, per History.com and AllEars.
Traffic on the Santa Ana Freeway backed up seven miles.
Once inside, the crowd found a park that had been finished the night before, if that. Main Street’s asphalt had been poured so recently it was still soft, and in 100-degree heat women’s high heels sank into it.
Why were there no drinking fountains at Disneyland’s opening?
A plumbers’ strike. Walt had to choose between finishing the restrooms and finishing the fountains, and there was only time for one.
He picked toilets. Longtime Disney executive Dick Nunis recalled the logic years later: guests could buy a Coke or a Pepsi, but they couldn’t relieve themselves in the street.
So the fountains sat dry on the hottest day of the summer. Restaurants ran out of food and drink by midafternoon. A gas leak closed Fantasyland, Tomorrowland and Frontierland for part of the day.
The Mark Twain riverboat, loaded well past capacity, listed in the water. History.com’s account has it “filled beyond capacity and listing.” Some retellings say it sank twice; that part is unconfirmed.
What went wrong on the ABC broadcast?
Plenty. “Dateline: Disneyland” ran 90 minutes on ABC with Art Linkletter, Bob Cummings and Ronald Reagan hosting, using 29 cameras, and an estimated 70 to 90 million people watched, which was most of the country.
They saw missed cues, dead microphones and Cummings caught on camera kissing a dancer. Linkletter and Cummings ad-libbed facts about the park that weren’t true. Walt, at one point, locked himself in his apartment above the firehouse and had to shout for someone to let him out.
What did Walt Disney say at the dedication?
The plaque still sits at the flagpole. “To all who come to this happy place, welcome. Disneyland is your land. Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future.”
It’s a good speech. It was read to a park full of people standing on melting pavement with nothing to drink.
Which rides were open on Disneyland’s opening day?
Not many. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Autopia, the Jungle Cruise, the Mark Twain, the Disneyland Railroad and the Stage Coach were running. Peter Pan’s Flight was closed.
Rocket to the Moon didn’t start until July 22, per D23. Dumbo the Flying Elephant opened Aug. 16.
Tomorrowland was so unfinished that the Canal Boats of the World floated past bare dirt. Someone stuck signs in the weeds with Latin plant names so it would look intentional.
Did Walt Disney call it Black Sunday?
The staff did, and Walt came to use the phrase too. Whether he coined it is disputed; most accounts credit the employees who lived through it. The Walt Disney Family Museum says the day was “referred to by some at the time” as Black Sunday.
Walt’s own verdict, per the museum: “I probably opened it before it was ready. I’ll learn from it.“
What happened on July 18, 1955, the real opening day?
It went fine. The first paying guest was David MacPherson, 22, of Long Beach, who got ticket number two. Roy Disney held number one.
Admission was $1 for adults and 50 cents for kids, rides extra.
About 15,000 people came that Monday. The park hit its one-millionth guest, a four-year-old named Elsa Marquez, on Sept. 8, 1955, seven weeks after the disaster. First-year attendance was 3,642,597.
Walt had told a reporter on Black Sunday, “It may take a month.“ It took about that.
The ladder guy, as far as anyone knows, was never caught.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
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Hat Tips:
The Walt Disney Family Museum, the press-preview status of July 17, the open attractions and the Walt quote
Yesterland, the July 18 public opening, the 1955 LA Times ad, the dedication text and the ticket prices
History.com (2015), the invitations, the 28,154 figure, the ladder, the freeway backup, the heels, the Mark Twain and the “It may take a month” quote
AllEars (2019 and 2025), the plumbers’ strike, the gas leak, the temperature and the Cummings incident
Mental Floss, the Dick Nunis recollection
Biography.com (2025), the broadcast details, the 29 cameras and the firehouse-apartment lockout
D23 (Rocket to the Moon and Dumbo the Flying Elephant A-to-Z entries), the July 22 and Aug. 16 opening dates
MousePlanet, David MacPherson and the first-year attendance
Laughing Place (Sept. 2016), the one-millionth guest
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