BATS Day 2005
Sep. 1st, 2005 09:52 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jjmaccrimmon28 Aug 05
There’s always a certain measure of madness in going to Disneyland, but perhaps this was a closer measure of my insanity. Could be.. 12 hours in the Southern California sun, wearing copious amounts of black clothes, thigh high boots and shepherding screaming psychotic children (mine) in the grand-daddy of modern amusement parks. Oh and should I also mention that this is Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary?... Probably… Either way, BATS Day was fun!
For those of you who happen to find this post and haven’t followed the thread to date, or you’ve been living under a rock, “BATS Day in the Park” is when the Goth, DedHed and Industrial communities descend upon Walt Disneyland in all their dark splendor. As one reporter put it, “the gloomiest people on the planet party in the Happiest Place on Earth.” From what I saw, they’re only gloomy in appearance. With acerbic wit, eclectic appearance and remarkably cultured behavior, the Goths came out to play.
My daughter had been pinging about this day for nearly a year. We read about the event last year too late in the game to commit to going, but this year the funds (though tight), timing (though exhausting) and the will (completely indomitable) were just right. At 6am Sunday, I started getting myself and the kids ready for the event they’d chattered about continually for two weeks since buying the tickets. After a pretty uneventful drive from Lancaster, we rolled into the parking lot at about 8:30a. Getting out of the car, we made our way to the trams looking conspicuously out of place among the brightly dressed cheerful masses of tourists.
As we entered the park, we started seeing them. Drifting out of the ether like wraiths drifting out of the shadows, the Goths and punkers came wandering up Main Street USA in small groups. Tightly knit bands of black, purple and red tentatively moved about at first, but gained confidence and swagger as they discovered strength in their numbers. In the SCA we call it “freaking the mundanes,” but this was operating on a whole new level of mental mayhem for those folks who weren’t expecting the chaos.
We made a bee-line to Space Mountain which recently reopened after nearly 2 years of renovation. The ride was wonderful. None of the big drops I remembered were there, but it had many sharp, wrap up turns and abrupt switch-backs. After Space Mountain, and a couple other attractions, we headed for the first scheduled meet-up – the Snow White Musical. Probably a few hundred dyed in black folks showed up to boo Snow White and cheer on the Queen. Not a great showing, but the day was early.
We wandered Toon Town and Frontierland before the next meet up time. This one would be more impressive – the group photo in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Over a thousand participants showed up to be part of a giant group photo. We elected to set up on the very edge so I could grab pictures. That kind of gathering tends to announce your presence, and as such hundreds of tourists and park staff lined up beside and behind Bats Day organizers to eagerly snap photos.
Looking towards Adventureland
Looking towards Tomorrowland
Looking towards Umbrellaland
Noah – Master of Mayhemic Happenstance and Organizer of Cat Herding
Following the group gathering, it was getting exceptionally warm in the park. We headed for indoor attractions to try and stay cool. Pirates, Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room – A/C! The funny thing is that a large Goth group got to the Tiki Room about the same time we did. So I managed to get a few “color” shots. As I did so, I caught one of Disneyland’s permanent residents. Mind you I was took this picture because the woman in purple was damn cute in her purple ruffles and so forth. Apparently “someone” else thought so as well. Check out the “orb” next to her I guess Walt must have been curious.
Note the orb to the right of the picture
We grabbed dinner and ditched the “Baby Bats” meet-up. Much as I would have liked to have had a chance to go, food and a comfortable seat was a necessity. On the subject of food, if you go to Disneyland in the near future, there are two places that are musts. River Belle Terrace and Blue Bayou are tremendous. River Belle is done cafeteria style, but the food is fresh and healthy. Blue Bayou has some of the best food in the park bar none.
As the day grew late, we headed for the Haunted Mansion for the last meet up. The plan was that at 8pm, the participants would meet at the attraction, be counted by the organizers, have small group photos taken and enjoy the attraction amidst the other Goths. When we approached the Mansion, we were swallowed up in a sea of black, which swirled around the entrance path and gardens. It was later posted that 1313 participated in this meet up. The kids and I were numbers 82 thru 84 on the count. When we entered the mansion it was great. Two of the teenage or twenty-something participants had color changing lightsabres and in the darkened entry room (before the stretching room) allowed Christophe and me to duel. It was actually pretty impressive we were told, because Chris was using every one of his well learned boffer techniques on me. In the end (nearly two minutes fight) he got me, which resulted in spontaneous applause from the on lookers. The one other memory from this I’ll treasure was when the “Ghost Host” is describing the stretching room, everyone 40+ people were all saying the commentary verbatim and in unison. When the “lightning” flashed to show “his way out”, thunderous screams followed by applause rocked the chamber.
Our new friends and loaners of fine lightsabres (taken earlier at Pirates of the Caribbean)
We left the park just before the fireworks show. Much as I would have liked to have watched, the crowds were surging out from various attractions and I expected traffic would be horrendous leaving the complex. On top of that, the kids were exhausted. All in all, this was a memorable trip and one we’ll have to repeat in years to come.
Brenna with her new hat
Chris, my very giddy son
There’s always a certain measure of madness in going to Disneyland, but perhaps this was a closer measure of my insanity. Could be.. 12 hours in the Southern California sun, wearing copious amounts of black clothes, thigh high boots and shepherding screaming psychotic children (mine) in the grand-daddy of modern amusement parks. Oh and should I also mention that this is Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary?... Probably… Either way, BATS Day was fun!
For those of you who happen to find this post and haven’t followed the thread to date, or you’ve been living under a rock, “BATS Day in the Park” is when the Goth, DedHed and Industrial communities descend upon Walt Disneyland in all their dark splendor. As one reporter put it, “the gloomiest people on the planet party in the Happiest Place on Earth.” From what I saw, they’re only gloomy in appearance. With acerbic wit, eclectic appearance and remarkably cultured behavior, the Goths came out to play.
My daughter had been pinging about this day for nearly a year. We read about the event last year too late in the game to commit to going, but this year the funds (though tight), timing (though exhausting) and the will (completely indomitable) were just right. At 6am Sunday, I started getting myself and the kids ready for the event they’d chattered about continually for two weeks since buying the tickets. After a pretty uneventful drive from Lancaster, we rolled into the parking lot at about 8:30a. Getting out of the car, we made our way to the trams looking conspicuously out of place among the brightly dressed cheerful masses of tourists.
As we entered the park, we started seeing them. Drifting out of the ether like wraiths drifting out of the shadows, the Goths and punkers came wandering up Main Street USA in small groups. Tightly knit bands of black, purple and red tentatively moved about at first, but gained confidence and swagger as they discovered strength in their numbers. In the SCA we call it “freaking the mundanes,” but this was operating on a whole new level of mental mayhem for those folks who weren’t expecting the chaos.
We made a bee-line to Space Mountain which recently reopened after nearly 2 years of renovation. The ride was wonderful. None of the big drops I remembered were there, but it had many sharp, wrap up turns and abrupt switch-backs. After Space Mountain, and a couple other attractions, we headed for the first scheduled meet-up – the Snow White Musical. Probably a few hundred dyed in black folks showed up to boo Snow White and cheer on the Queen. Not a great showing, but the day was early.
We wandered Toon Town and Frontierland before the next meet up time. This one would be more impressive – the group photo in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle. Over a thousand participants showed up to be part of a giant group photo. We elected to set up on the very edge so I could grab pictures. That kind of gathering tends to announce your presence, and as such hundreds of tourists and park staff lined up beside and behind Bats Day organizers to eagerly snap photos.
Looking towards Adventureland
Looking towards Tomorrowland
Looking towards Umbrellaland
Noah – Master of Mayhemic Happenstance and Organizer of Cat Herding
Following the group gathering, it was getting exceptionally warm in the park. We headed for indoor attractions to try and stay cool. Pirates, Haunted Mansion and the Enchanted Tiki Room – A/C! The funny thing is that a large Goth group got to the Tiki Room about the same time we did. So I managed to get a few “color” shots. As I did so, I caught one of Disneyland’s permanent residents. Mind you I was took this picture because the woman in purple was damn cute in her purple ruffles and so forth. Apparently “someone” else thought so as well. Check out the “orb” next to her I guess Walt must have been curious.
Note the orb to the right of the picture
We grabbed dinner and ditched the “Baby Bats” meet-up. Much as I would have liked to have had a chance to go, food and a comfortable seat was a necessity. On the subject of food, if you go to Disneyland in the near future, there are two places that are musts. River Belle Terrace and Blue Bayou are tremendous. River Belle is done cafeteria style, but the food is fresh and healthy. Blue Bayou has some of the best food in the park bar none.
As the day grew late, we headed for the Haunted Mansion for the last meet up. The plan was that at 8pm, the participants would meet at the attraction, be counted by the organizers, have small group photos taken and enjoy the attraction amidst the other Goths. When we approached the Mansion, we were swallowed up in a sea of black, which swirled around the entrance path and gardens. It was later posted that 1313 participated in this meet up. The kids and I were numbers 82 thru 84 on the count. When we entered the mansion it was great. Two of the teenage or twenty-something participants had color changing lightsabres and in the darkened entry room (before the stretching room) allowed Christophe and me to duel. It was actually pretty impressive we were told, because Chris was using every one of his well learned boffer techniques on me. In the end (nearly two minutes fight) he got me, which resulted in spontaneous applause from the on lookers. The one other memory from this I’ll treasure was when the “Ghost Host” is describing the stretching room, everyone 40+ people were all saying the commentary verbatim and in unison. When the “lightning” flashed to show “his way out”, thunderous screams followed by applause rocked the chamber.
Our new friends and loaners of fine lightsabres (taken earlier at Pirates of the Caribbean)
We left the park just before the fireworks show. Much as I would have liked to have watched, the crowds were surging out from various attractions and I expected traffic would be horrendous leaving the complex. On top of that, the kids were exhausted. All in all, this was a memorable trip and one we’ll have to repeat in years to come.
Brenna with her new hat
Chris, my very giddy son
