3.5 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Disneyland During Operating Hours

On Monday night, a 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as guests were enjoying the theme park.

The earthquake occurred around 8:00 p.m. PT with a smaller aftershock around 8:30 p.m. PT.

Many of the rides shut down as a result at both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported an earthquake hitting California at around 8:09 p.m. PT, with the epicenter recorded at just two miles north of Disneyland. A smaller aftershock was then reported at around 8:30 p.m.

As a result, all rides at Disneyland Park were closed, except for Jungle Cruise and the Mad Tea Party, per Orange County Register. At Disney California Adventure Park, which is located next to Disneyland, all rides shut down aside from Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind, Mickey's Philharmagic, Luigi's Joy to the Whirl, and Mater's Jingle Jamboree.

Disney fan account MiceChat shared photos to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, writing, "3.5 earthquake strikes near Disneyland. At least 17 attractions [are] currently closed. Damage [is] very unlikely, but guests will be inconvenienced while rides are inspected."

https://twitter.com/MiceChat/status/1731892222948208965

One parkgoer, who was at Disneyland at the time, wrote, "Nothing like an #earthquake just as you're about to get on Big Thunder Mountain..."

https://twitter.com/john_kreuzer/status/1731895325059613079

Another guest at Disneyland hilariously wrote, "Earthquake at Disneyland and they shut the rides down. My old a-- was tired anyway."

https://twitter.com/beigewunder/status/1731911019667013693

Another Disney fan shared screenshots of the Disney map, which shows many of the rides closed.

"Earthquake in Fullerton closed down most of the rides at #disneyland," they wrote alongside the photos.

https://twitter.com/_N_o_e_y/status/1731899912965718154

One Disneyland guest was actually disappointed they did not feel the earthquake.

"I hate that an earthquake Disneyland and I couldn’t even feel it. Instead, I just have to deal with everything being closed," they wrote on X.

https://twitter.com/narlstrom/status/1731900177059852729

Shortly after the earthquake hit, a California reporter stated they heard sirens near Disneyland.

"All rides [at] Disneyland are shut down due to a reported earthquake. Hearing sirens," they wrote on X.

https://twitter.com/brandendurst/status/1731895694774911182

At this time, there are no reported injuries.

It is not common for Disneyland to close due to a natural disaster. Before Hurricane Hilary, which hit the theme parks in September, it was over 150 years since a Category 1 storm made landfall in Southern California. A hurricane is believed to have hit San Diego in 1858.

Disneyland did close temporarily due to Hurricane Hilary earlier this year. It also closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 1963, during a national period of mourning after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The only other time was in 2001 after the attacks of September 11.

Disney World, on the other hand, is used to Hurricanes as Florida has been hit with some severe storms within the past few years. With that being said, Walt Disney World has only had to close six times due to hurricanes since opening in 1971:

• Hurricane Floyd – 1999
• Hurricane Charlie – 2004
• Hurricane Francis – 2004
• Hurricane Jeanne – 2004
• Hurricane Matthew – 2016
• Hurricane Irma – 2017
• Hurricane Dorian – 2019

Disney World also shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Disneyland has not made any comments regarding Monday's earthquake.