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mynameisearl
06-21-2007, 10:22 PM
Hello- We have the opportunity to take an unexpected trip to Disneyland in August (yeah!). In looking at dates, our trip may coincide one day with Bats Day. We have two kids (ages 3 and 5) and we were wondering if it would be appropriate to have them in the parks during that event. We do not live in a bubble, and we are all about diversity. But we also don't want to scare the you know what out of our kids. We know that some of the outfits and "costumes" can be a bit on the dark side. No offense to anyone participating!!! Any opinions out there about bringing kids during that event? How does it affect crowds? Any info/thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!:)

mi_mous
06-21-2007, 11:10 PM
We were there with kids, ages 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 at the time we were there on Bat's Day. (We didn't know it was going on.)

There was no trouble at all, we were wondering why everyone was wearing black, and figured it was "Goth Day" from all the people we saw. Our kids were not frightened at all, my son did point out a man with a very large mohawk, and that was about all the notice they had to it.

I would go. And, just be prepared to answer any questions your kids may have.

Another Dimension
06-22-2007, 12:01 AM
Disneyland is, and should always be, appropriate for all ages.


No matter what the 'unofficial day in the park event' is.

When DL becomes inappropriate due to some groups or individuals behavior... it's really best to inform a Cast Member or a member of Security.


And by inappropriate, I don't mean two people kissing in public, in some corner or in some queue....
Actual inappropriate, at Disneyland, behavior.




Drinking booze, drugs, nudity, running, lewd behavior, theft, line-cutting, vulgar language, verbally or physically harrassing other Guests, vandalism, throwing things in rides, standing up on rides...
:mad:

Foodie
06-22-2007, 06:01 AM
We were there our first night on Bat Day last year, and the people I saw were the nicest people you'd ever meet. They were friendly and smiling even though dressed in their traditional Goth clothes. Many of them had the Jack Sparrow Mickey ears on and looked like they were having a great time there. Don't worry about them! They're great!

-Foodie :D

KDR
06-22-2007, 07:12 AM
You'll find that the Bat's Day folks are, on average, great guests at DL.

neverlander
06-22-2007, 07:20 AM
We ended up at DL last year during Bat's Days. My husband initially kept commenting on how the styles seemed to have changed in So. Cal. in the last year! How can so many people be wearing black on a 90+deg. day? All the individuals and groups we encountered seemed to be having a great time. We didn't view anything that we would deem "inappropriate." Our daughters loved admiring all the long, fancy dresses and parasols. They would say, "Oh, she's so pretty, but she must be soooo hot!"
Recently, our local newspaper printed a front page story with pics of people parading in their goth attire. These folks had fake blood and wounds with "frightful" looks on their faces. Now, that picture really did scare my youngest. She kept talking about that picture and wondering why people would dress up to look hurt if it wasn't Halloween.
Maybe Disney draws the line with fake blood and such (since you can't really dress up there in costume unless it's Halloween). But really, with the hundreds (maybe thousands) we saw at DL, none appeared scary or mean. I felt fortunate that our daughters had an opportunity to mingle (well, somewhat in lines and all...) with individuals that may choose to dress a little differently than we do. Just one more example of a minor difference that really should not, IMO, impact our cohabitation on this earth.

mynameisearl
06-22-2007, 07:53 AM
Thanks for the great input so far. Any ideas on how it might impact crowds? Or will August just be crazy in general?:)

KDR
06-22-2007, 08:00 AM
Bat's Day is always one of the most crowded days of the year, but not due to the Bats (who probably number less than a thousand). It's due to the fact that Bat's Day is always held the first day the SoCal Annual Passport summer blackout is over. You get a HUMONGOUS amount of Annual Passholders streaming into the park to get their DL fix -- the Bats are just a drop in the bucket.

Oh, and it's invariably one of the hottest days of the year.

lauras5boys
06-22-2007, 08:38 AM
We went to Disneyland last year on Bats Day (not realizing that it was that day or what it was). My children were 6, 4 year old twin and 1 at the time. None of them were scared at all. They did ask questions. One of the kids dressed up even came up to them and said "Don't worry...it's just a costume". My boys thought he was VERY cool after that and wanted to follow him around :p But my boys also think Nightmare Before Christmas is the best movie ever and after we saw a few outfits relating to the movie they were hooked. It probably depends upon the child.

The Real Cinderella
06-22-2007, 08:40 AM
Pardon my naivety, but what is Bats Day?

KDR
06-22-2007, 09:00 AM
Bat's Day website (http://www.batsday.net/home/home.htm)
Direct link to the About page (http://www.batsday.net/about/about.htm)

AVP
06-22-2007, 10:48 AM
I think you'll be fine. I encountered the most traumatic "costume" I've ever seen on a guest just this week, and unless I missed an announcement for "hairy overweight grown men dressing like Minnie Mouse" day, I don't think it was an organized event. (How he got through the front gate is another matter...)

Just go and have a good time. You will likely have forgotten about it by the time you get there, and unless you react strongly, your kids may not even notice.

AVP

KDR
06-22-2007, 12:01 PM
I encountered the most traumatic "costume" I've ever seen on a guest just this week . . . "hairy overweight grown men dressing like Minnie Mouse" day

Sorry 'bout that . . .

AVP
06-22-2007, 12:05 PM
Sorry 'bout that . . .:p

karl
06-22-2007, 12:44 PM
Having been at the park during Bat's Day a couple years back, the one notable item was the crowd over at Haunted Mansion in the evening. I believe they have a "meeting time" at Haunted Mansion. Also, I recall there being a group photo near the castle around noontime.

Otherwise, black suits, dresses, and parasols are an interesting addition to the Disneyland scenery.

disneyperson
06-22-2007, 12:50 PM
A total of about 3000 goths attended Bats Day last year. Don't worry about seeing folk with fake blood and wounds. This will be my fifth Bats Day and I've never seen anyone do that. I don't think they'd be allowed in the park if they tried.Most goths are more into looking beautiful than frightening. The goths as a whole are a very fun and polite group. If you want to see a very cool sight, hang out around the castle at around 2:00 or the HM at 9:00. That's when the group photos are usually taken. Zero and I will be there, parasols in hand.

As for a the wearing of black on a hot day. Most of us would be wearing black anyway and already been wearing it all summer. It's ,well, what we do.;):cool::~D

A standard goth joke on Bats Day "I'm looking for my friend, have you seen him? he's wearing black." hahahahahaha

KDR
06-22-2007, 01:43 PM
Wow. 3000? I really didn't know it was that many, last year. I enjoyed it, hanging out and watching the castle picture -- and, like the year before, seeing my friend Adam walk right up to the front of the group wearing his pink smiley face t-shirt . . .

But, man, wearing black in all that heat nearly killed me. As a general rule, I don't go outside when it's that hot. Air conditioning is my friend.

disneyperson
06-22-2007, 02:45 PM
Wow. 3000? I really didn't know it was that many, last year. I enjoyed it, hanging out and watching the castle picture -- and, like the year before, seeing my friend Adam walk right up to the front of the group wearing his pink smiley face t-shirt . . .

But, man, wearing black in all that heat nearly killed me. As a general rule, I don't go outside when it's that hot. Air conditioning is my friend.

Heehee, which is why, of course, the Tiki Room is usually full of Goths on Bats Day.

Last year, friend of ours wore a pink shirt that read,"all my black t shirts are in the laundry" I wore a black and white checker board shirt because I wanted to be able to find myself in the group photo.

shna
06-22-2007, 04:55 PM
That totally sounds like fun! I wouldn't wear black on a hot day for fear of melting -- but seeing all the people decked out in goth gear sounds nifty. :cool:

tod
06-23-2007, 10:41 AM
The strongest memory I have of "Bats Day" was some middle-aged Goth woman, dressed all in black on a sunny 100-degree day, putting black lipstick on her sheet-white dead-eyed 10-year-old son, who passively sat there as she did it.

I would pay good money NOT to have that memory. Alas, it's too late.

In all fairness, I have to point out that in the grand scheme of things, the participants in "Bats Day" are harmless, much like the bats they named their day after.

Thay can still creep you out, though.

--t

disneyperson
06-23-2007, 11:04 AM
It is likely that the ten year old son was sitting there passively because he had asked his mom to help him with his make up and didn't want her to mess it up.

And yes, we are mostly harmless.;)

kisroo
06-23-2007, 11:25 AM
It is likely that the ten year old son was sitting there passively because he had asked his mom to help him with his make up and didn't want her to mess it up.

And yes, we are mostly harmless.;)

Seeing (and feeling) several days of bumping and pushing in lines from 10 yr old boys, this is the more likely scenario, disneyperson. I didn't see many parents who could elicit a "passive" moment out of their sons at Disneyland on this past trip.

That said, you and your *dark* self do scare me. :eek: :p

~kisroo :)

Rkkm
06-23-2007, 11:31 AM
Well, after reading this thread, this sorta conservative old broad is definitely going to be there on Bat Day. It really sounds like fun! I am looking forward to seeing the outfits -- sounds like a lot of creativity and care goes into dressing for this event. The group photo at the Haunted Mansion must be a real hoot to see!

disneyperson
06-23-2007, 11:34 AM
That said, you and your *dark* self do scare me. :eek: :p

~kisroo :)
Mahahahahahaha! Actually, the only time I look truly scary is first thing in the morning. :eek::eek::D

Doodle Duck
06-23-2007, 12:25 PM
I've had great fun on Bats Day in the past. Some of the best conversations with 'other' guests have been on 'that' day. For the most part these are intelligent and creative kids and like mentioned above I find them not only polite and friendly but at Disneyland for the right reasons. Go.