Bats day at Disneyland...

[ickymouse]

If you don't already know, there is an annual even that has been going on at Disneyland in recent years called "Bat's day in the park". It is an unofficial gathering of Goths, Punks and people who fantasize that they're Vampires. I don't mean to be mean, but I can't imagine anything funnier than a couple thousand Black-attired, Black (or whatever multi-colored) haired, pasty-faced, facially-pierced zombie kids wandering the park - in the hottest month of the year - in broad daylight. Some friends of mine have gone the last few years and say it's worth the price of admission alone. A friend told me a funny story about how when the Maleficent Character - a character who rarely makes an appearance except around Halloween - and, apparently for Bat's day - appeared in the park - that the kids flocked around the poor CM, dropping to their knees in tears and genuflecting to the bewildered (but, I'm sure, flattered) CM. It's entertaining enough seeing these children of the night out by day, their makeup melting, carrying parasols to fend off the evil, scorching rays of the sun, but to imagine the aroma of gallons of Aqua Net Super-hold hairspray as is vaporizes into the air around Splash Mountain, while the riders recoil in horror as their huge hairdo's collapse into wads of matted, spidery, black hair...It's too good to miss.


I'm so there, dude.


Sunday, August 28th. Park open 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM

[Lion Sleeps Tonight]

Wow. I've never even heard of that. Sure there are those couple of goths you see around the park on occasion. But it's a bit hard to imagine boat loads of them on It's a Small World. How was this started? Sounds interesting to see.

[js3901]

But it's a bit hard to imagine boat loads of them on It's a Small World.

my G-d, what a great image. I'm going see if I can photoshop something like that.

[spaulo]

I've been there during this "event" in the past. It just ends up meaning long lines for the Haunted Mansion and a quick sell-out of Nightmare Before Christmas merch... apparently that's the only cool/socially-acceptable Disney thing such kids can attach to.

[G2-4T]

It is quite hilarious, I saw it a couple years back. They did a spread on it in the paper too[can't remember which one down there but it was a biggie], these folks come from all over to be a part of it [and not just kids, most are not the usual goths] to take part in the irony of being goth in the happiest place on earth. It was pretty funny and the CMs took it in stride, even the huge group photo with hundreds of them in front of the castle. I esp. liked the Mickey ears cut into bat wings...

[ickymouse]

But it's a bit hard to imagine boat loads of them on It's a Small World.

my G-d, what a great image. I'm going see if I can photoshop something like that.

-Don't bother - I'll just take a picture of it!

[subsonic]

When did this start? I don't remember seeing this before I stopped working there in 1998.

[ickymouse]

You worked at DL, Subsy? Ahhhh. This explains a lot. Bat's Day's only been going on since '99. Here's their official page:

http://www.batsday.net/home/home.htm

[Darren]

August 28th? That's my birthday! It would've been a shocker if I'd decided to go to Disneyland on my birthday this year!

I peeked at the galleries and it looks like a surprisingly large number of people turn out for the event.

[Lion Sleeps Tonight]

Yeah I just saw some of the photos. I wonder what the CM's in costumes think while taking pictures with the 'bats'. I like the skull and bat ears logo though.

[subsonic]

http://www.batsday.net/past/2003/photos/1pm8x10_hr.jpg
HAHA

[Club33Hopeful]

Now that is just plain scary!

[Lion Sleeps Tonight]

At least lots of them are smiling for the picture.

Bats day guest A: "So, do you want to go on 'the vessel of the banshee'?"

Bats day guest B: "Um, the what?"

Bats day guest A: "You know, the 'boat ride of Satan's spawn' "

Bats B: "The WHAT?"

Bats A: (whispering) I mean 'It's a Small World."

Bats B: Oh! Of course.

Sorry, that's a bit mean. Now I'm just going to wait for an actual Bats Day guest to come on the forum and chew me out.

But are there any other special days that Disneyland has?

[spaulo]

Disneyland doesn't "have" this day... it isn't a sanctioned event or anything. Any group can rally its followers for a certain day(s) at the park. That's what this kind of thing is (like G-a-y Days as well).

That picture is a riot. Some of them don't even look like they're enjoying themselves...

[ickymouse]

Wow.


I've been to Disneyland a lot in my lifetime, but I can't remember the last time I had so much fun at that place as I did yesterday for "Bat's day in the park". For those not in the know, Bat's day is when thousands of Goths, Punks, Vampires and Death-Metallers converge on Der Maus Haus for a day of Disney magic. Imagine if Hot topic was giving out free outfits for every third person that walked through the gate. There was enough black fabric worn in that park yesterday to cover the entire park in a gigantic, black shroud (which, would've been kind of nice, since the temperature was a searing 105 degrees).

A few friends of mine (who shall remain nameless, and ultimately, didn't end up going) had the bright idea of going to marvel & laugh at the ebony-adorned children of the night, and I must admit, the thought of seeing legions of pasty-faced kids wearing one-inch-thick layers of alabaster pancake makeup, spidery hairdo's & PVC in the blazing California heat sounded too good to pass up - but I have to tell you - As soon as we entered the gate, I felt something totally different and surprising about the whole thing than the pre-requisite condescension I thought I might: As I mentioned before in the earlier rant (See "I hate people - a Disneyland rant") the usual bile & resentment that rises in me before I clear the end of Main Street was replaced, thankfully, by a growing fascination as more & more Gothers entered the park. By eleven o' clock, the "bats" became more & more prevalent, a number of them even pushing strollers with their own baby-goths. A friend of ours called me on my cell phone just as we were about to get on the Jungle Cruise and told us that the first “event” was going on over at the Snow White show – a little, live-action musical show for kids with actors & dancers re-enacting the beloved Disney classic in Fantasyland. It was a beautiful, clear day and the heat index was already climbing. As we entered the theater, we could see a small number of Goths in the audience, upfront already, and more arriving by the minute. The show started with a giant, Animatronic “Magic mirror” that floated in front of a forest painted on flying flat backdrops. The face appeared in the mirror and started talking. Just then, to the right of the stage, the Wicked Queen appeared on a faux-stone parapet. Right on cue, like someone flicked a switch, the 100-or-so goths all stood up and cheered wildly at her presence. I can imagine the cast member playing her never felt so much like a rock star as she did at that very moment. This was just a taste of what was yet to come for the rest of the day.

After we met up with our friend’s other friends (also huge Disneyland squids like myself), we headed over to The Haunted Mansion, then Pirates, then Jungle Cruise. Thankfully our friend Adam had checked out the Bats itinerary and knew that the big meeting of the day, a massive group photo at the hub, just in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, was about to commence. Before I go any further, just let me say that, if you haven’t already figured it out yet – the best part of the day wasn’t so much that the imposing Goths had taken over the squeaky-clean, family-oreinted park, but, rather that the guests visiting the park had no idea that –or why- any of this was going on that day. That said, let me continue. As we entered the hub, we marveled at the now seething throngs of black-clad Gothers moving, en masse, towards the hub and across the street to the designated photo-op spot. At seeing this sight, as cheesy and cliché and trite of a saying as it is, I found myself involuntarily uttering the words, “Oh – my – Goth!”. The tension in the air as all of the Bats converged on the Castle, being watched & studied & stared at by the hundreds of puzzled park-goers – and from the park-goers themselves – was thick enough to walk on. As the zero-hour approached, the Goths all huddled together, forming a giant wall of black clothing, black plastic, black hair, colored extensions, bald heads, velvet, Victorian parasols in every color imaginable, icy-blue, scleral contact lenses, lily-white skin, tattoos, 8-to-12-inch platforms, jack-boots, creepers, stiletto-heels, Road warrior boots and myriad metal piercings gleaming in the hot, mid-day sun. It was quite a sight. An excitement arose in the air as the hundreds of Goths started to cheer. Now, the confusion and puzzlement of the regular, non-black-adorned guests was replaced by a fascination and curiosity of the moment. A throng of Bat’s Day-sanctioned photographers, as well as friends of the Gothers and guests who probably just wanted to share with their friends back in Omaha the sight their friends wouldn’t believe if they told them, started snapping pictures madly at the humungous group. It was awesome! And the best part was, no one was being obnoxious, no one was being rude, or destructive or vulgar, or lewd, or antagonistic in any way. Here were a huge group of people, strange and bizarre as they may have looked, and they were probably the most well-mannered, happy, good-natured people I’ve ever seen in the park.

As the last photo was snapped, and the crowd began to disperse, across the way, on the side of the Matterhorn Mountain, Mickey, Minnie & Goofy were simultaneously climbing the treacherous peak, which was being announced with some fanfare across the park. In a weird coincidence, this was all going on during, and just after, the Bat’s Photo-op. The funny thing was, if you were anywhere near the hub at that moment, that was the LAST thing you (or anyone else) would be looking at. Just as the music for the activity on the mountainside kicked in, the Goths began to mill about, talking to each other, hugging, taking smaller group photos with friends they might have just bumped into, etc.. But then something really freaky happened, and I wish to God I had had a video camera with me at that very moment: As I stood watching this sea of black cloth, Cyclamen/Violet-dyed braids & pale flesh swirling about me from up on the bench I was standing on to get a good photo-vantage point, I noticed what musical selection was playing – the quiet, contrabass thumps of the beginning of “In the hall of the Mountain King” from Edvard Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. As the song continued, for a brief second, I thought that maybe somehow, one of the Gothers managed to con a Disneyland Cast Member into playing this as a sort of “National Anthem” for their presence there. I quickly realized, of course, that it was for the Disney Spectacle going on on the Matterhorn’s face. But here were all the ‘Enfant Noir’ in full regalia, in the 100+ -degree California sun, teaming through the streets of Disneyland, as the dramatic theme rose in dynamic intensity & volume, and I thought “This is genius – they have their own theme music – right now – and I looked around…and no one seemed to notice except me. It was such an awesome moment.

The rest of the day was mostly uneventful, although it seemed like a lot more of them started showing up later in the day. I can’t blame them, as it made way more sense – if you were going to hang out at Disneyland in a full-length, black wool coat, wearing a Pirate shirt, leather boots and fishnet fingergloves, wouldn’t you want to come when the temperature dropped down to…ninety?


At a certain pre-determined time (8:00 PM), the Goths met for the day’s cherry on top – a mass riding and Photo in front of – where else? – The Haunted Mansion. Our friends & I decided this was way too good to not be a part of. As we approached the Mansion, it became clear that at this time, just about every single Goth kid in the ENTIRE park had made the trek to New Orleans Square for this most momentous gathering (I know this to be true, since after we rode the ride, we hauled ass over to Main Street to eat and see the 50th Fireworks show – which, if you haven’t seen it, is one of the best Fireworks shows I’ve ever seen – and saw NOT ONE Goth kid over there). In a melee of confusion, the Goths that had amassed for the ride & photo had swarmed – I mean SWARMED the Mansion and the outlying area. Whatever dusk-light of the quickly-approaching evening was left was snuffed out by the flash-flood of black apparel. We hesitantly ambled into line for the ride and quickly found ourselves in a re-directed line that wound up right in front of the Mansion for the last fraction of the first 100 that had gone through (that would fit on the front steps). Before we knew it, we were part of bat’s day History, becoming immortalized alongside about fifty Goths decked out to the nines. Inside, the ride reached a new level of excitement, as everyone in the Stretching room recited every line, letter-perfect, right along with Ghost-Host Paul Frees.

Though Disneyland was open another few hours, we had had our fill of sun, fun, rides, lines, stuffing our faces with all kinds of food, walking, standing and Black hair, Maybelline & Patent Leather. A pleasant time was had by all, and so now, it was back to the 5 Freeway North, a waiting bed and cranky cats. Would I go to Bat’s Day next year…?


HELL, yeah!




Photos coming soon...