Walt Disney World resort to honour Tivoli with design for 175th anniversary parade float
Walt Disney World Resort will contribute designs for a custom float, “Friendship Garden,” to Tivoli’s 175-year Jubilee Parade scheduled to premiere in summer 2018. Walt Disney World Resort is part of the company known worldwide for family entertainment and vacation destinations, and Tivoli in Copenhagen is one of the world's oldest amusement gardens.
These two iconic places have a long-standing tradition of collaboration and mutual admiration, dating back to Walt Disney’s early visits to Tivoli, a place where he found much to inspire him. He was touched by the beautiful gardens, attractions and experiences, and returned to Tivoli several times before opening Disneyland in the USA in 1955.
A sprinkling of Disney magic arrives at Tivoli in 2018
The parade will be based on the theme, "The world comes together in Tivoli.” The procession will be more than 100 metres long, featuring floats, performers, well-known figures and Tivoli characters. The theme of the Disney-designed float is based on “it’s a small world,” an iconic attraction found at Disney destinations across the globe.
George A. Kalogridis, President, Walt Disney World Resort in Florida said:
“Walt Disney loved Tivoli, and so do we. Out of long friendship and deep mutual respect, Tivoli and Disney Parks have maintained a very cordial dialogue over the years, ranging from employee exchange visits to discussions of best practices amongst our leadership. We at Walt Disney World Resort hold the Tivoli organization in the highest esteem, and we are pleased to express that through our participation in the Tivoli 175-year Jubilee Parade.”
Lars Liebst, Chief Executive Officer, Tivoli said:
“One of Tivoli’s visions is to be a leading international experience brand. With this in mind, Tivoli’s long and amicable relationship with Disney is now expressed through a beautiful float to be part of our 175-year Jubilee Parade. We are both proud and honoured they are going to be part of our jubilee celebration in this way.”
Tivoli’s 2018 Jubilee Parade
“The world comes together in Tivoli” is the theme of Tivoli’s 175-year Jubilee Parade.
The procession will be more than 100 metres long, featuring 30 performers, well-known figures and Tivoli characters. The route starts in the Castle Square by the Lake, and parades around Tivoli before ending at the Open-Air Stage.
The music for the parade will be composed by Bent Fabricius-Bjerre, known internationally as Bent Fabric.
Walt Disney World Resort is designing a float with the theme, “it’s a small world,” one of Disney’s most iconic attractions.
The Jubilee Parade will also present the story of Tivoli and its four “pillars”: gardens, culture, rides and food.
The Jubilee Parade will premiere on 1 May, and can be enjoyed every weekday (except Friday) at 17:00, or 18:00 at weekends.
“it’s a small world” attraction
“it’s a small world” is a classic Disney attraction, originally created for the UNICEF pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair.
“it’s a small world” is found in Disney theme parks across the globe. Its closest counterpart at Tivoli is the Mine.
In the Disney attraction, more than 300 mechanical dolls represent all seven continents, with Scandinavia featured in its own scene. Walt Disney himself closely followed the development of the original exhibit.
The “it’s a small world” attraction was created by Disney art director Mary Blair and costume designer Alice Davis.
The song, “it’s a small world (after all)” is known and loved in the USA, and has been translated into many languages so children all over the world will understand its message of inclusion. The song was written by the Oscar-winning brothers behind the soundtrack to “Mary Poppins,” Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman.
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Walt Disney Parks and Resorts are where dreams come true. More than sixty years ago, Walt Disney created a new kind of entertainment families could experience together, immersed in detailed atmospheres and vibrant storytelling.
His vision now includes a collection of six of the world’s leading family vacation destinations – Disneyland Resort, Anaheim, Calif.; Walt Disney World Resort, Lake Buena Vista, Fla.; Tokyo Disney Resort, Urayasu, Chiba, Japan; Disneyland Paris, Marne-la-Vallée, France; Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, located on Lantau Island; and Shanghai Disney Resort, Pudong New District, Shanghai, China.
In addition, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts includes the world-class Disney Cruise Line; Disney Vacation Club; Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa; Adventures by Disney, a guided group vacation experience to some of the world’s most popular destinations; and Walt Disney Imagineering, which creates and designs all Disney parks, resorts and attractions.
George A. Kalogridis
George A. Kalogridis is currently president of Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, a position he’s held since 2013. From 2009 to 2013 he served as president of Disneyland Resort in California.
From 2006 until his appointment to president of Disneyland, George served as chief operating officer for Disneyland Resort Paris.
Kalogridis began his career at Walt Disney World in 1971 as a busboy at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. He has also served as Vice President of Epcot, and as vice president of Travel Operations, he implemented a new system that continues to serve as the foundation for how millions of guests book their travel to Walt Disney World.
Tivoli
Georg Carstensen, founder of Tivoli, was inspired by parks he had seen on his travels abroad when he was first granted permission by the Danish King to open Tivoli on 15 August 1843.
Today, Tivoli is Denmark’s biggest attraction, welcoming 4.6 million visitors in 2016. Around one third of visitors are tourists. Tivoli’s business area spans rides, live music, theatre and dance, events, a casino, meetings, conferences and more.
With 45 restaurants, food stands and bars, Tivoli is Copenhagen’s biggest food venue. Some of these are open all year round, including Tivoli’s own Nimb Hotel. November 2017 sees the opening of Tivoli Corner, which will feature the Tivoli Food Hall, additional hotel rooms, and a shop.
Including tenants, Tivoli’s revenue in 2016 totaled DKK 1.3 million and its profit before tax was DKK 96.3 million.
According to Brand Asset Valuator (BAV), Danes view Tivoli as Denmark’s fourth strongest brand.
Close links between Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and Tivoli
This close friendship between Disney and Tivoli is not new. When developing Disneyland in the 1950s, Walt Disney traveled to many places for inspiration. At Tivoli, Disney was particularly taken by the special atmosphere, with flowers, lighting, nostalgia and romance, which he was keen to recreate in his own park.
Walt Disney and his wife Lillian visited Tivoli many times. At the beginning of the 1960s, a process was established by Tivoli and Disneyland to exchange employees working in visitor services. This tradition continued through the years, and several of Tivoli’s employees have trained at Disney, a company that exemplifies the benchmark in the hospitality industry.