Fans of The Walt Disney Company are a passionate bunch. These passionate fans led to the creation of a fan club, D23. Since 2009, the club’s biennial expo has been held in Anaheim, California, and has consisted of major announcements for the company’s theme parks, movies, merchandise, and more. Fans are eagerly anticipating D23 tickets to go on sale.
What Is D23?
The name D23 is representative of the year 1923—when Walt Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. It is the only official fan club connected to the company, and, in addition to its biennial expo, it hosts events year-round that keep Disney fans “in the middle of the magic.” It was established on March 10, 2009 as the first official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Members are invited to participate in events, receive special discounts with their membership, and more.
What Is D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event?
D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event takes place this year in Anaheim, California from August 9th through 11th. The event features entertainment, announcements, and sneak peeks from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more.
Cressie Lewis, co-founder and Disney expert at Dips and Trips said, “I’ve been to the past four D23 Expos in Anaheim and I’ve been a D23 member since 2014. I’ve participated as a general admission ticket holder for the first three years and I was lucky enough to have Preferred Tickets for the 2022 Expo. I have attended several comic conventions over the years like Comic Con, DragonCon, and Star Wars Celebration but the D23 Expo is one of my absolute favorites. I enjoy being an “insider” and hearing what comes next for the Disney company in regard to movies, streaming, cruises, and theme parks.”
How Is D23 Different From Other Fan Events?
Unlike other conventions, or “cons” for short, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event focuses only on The Walt Disney Company family of brands. Everything from educational panels to costume contests to shopping opportunities will only feature content from companies like Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar, just to name a few.
“What really sets this convention apart from others is the high production value and the pop-up surprises such as exclusive experiences at Disneyland (like being the first to see a newly resigned Fantasmic show), special concerts, and some impressive swag and giveaways,” Lewis also shared. “Disney is purposely vague when they describe the panels so you never know who will show up or what announcements they will be sharing.”
D23 Tickets on Sale March 26
Asad Ayaz, Chief Brand Officer for The Walt Disney Company, announced that tickets for D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event will go on sale starting March 26. Fans can join D23 at a variety of membership levels. Gold Membership ($99.99/year), Gold Duo Membership ($129.99/year), and General Membership (complimentary) have varying levels of perks included with a membership. All members will be able to purchase D23 event tickets when they go on sale on March 26, but Gold or Gold Duo members will be able to access discounted tickets or exclusive opportunities for the event with their membership.
New Location for D23 Event in 2024
Ayaz also shared that this fan-focused event will be expanded globally in 2024. São Paulo, Brazil will host the first international D23 event this November. This is the first time that Disney’s biggest fan event will take place in Latin America. Visit D23.com for more information on membership and the upcoming event in Anaheim.
Sarah Gilliland is a travel journalist and managing travel editor for Wealth of Geeks with over ten years of experience writing, editing, and producing content related to family travel. She freelances for other online outlets in addition to her role as the managing travel editor at Wealth of Geeks. Sarah’s beats include theme parks, family travel, cruises, and road trips. When she isn’t traveling or writing freelance columns, Sarah can be found on her website, On the Road with Sarah, or binging the latest geeky thing on Netflix or Disney+.