Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s D23 Expo: A Guide to the Ultimate Fan Event

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Let the magic begin! Disney’s D23 Expo returns to the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., from Aug. 9-11.

The annual event, presented by Visa, will feature 55 panels spread over five stages. Disney fans will be able to attend panels, presentations, interactive experiences, surprise reunions and exclusive showcases from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, Disney+, Hulu, Lucasfilm and more.

Keep reading for a rundown of the D23 2024 schedule, ticketing and live streaming.

D23 Schedule

This year’s expo, the largest to date, will kick off with D23 Day at Disneyland Resort on Thursday (Aug. 8). Two of the weekend’s major events include the Disney Entertainment Showcase on Friday at 7 p.m. PT and Disney Experiences Showcase on Saturday at 7 p.m. PT.

D23 concludes on Sunday with the Disney Legends Award honoring Miley Cyrus, Angela Bassett, Jamie Lee Curtis, Colleen Atwood, Steve Ditko, Harrison Ford, Frank Oz, Kelly Ripa, John Williams and other Disney legends. The ceremony, scheduled for 5 p.m. PT at the Honda Center, will be hosted by Ryan Seacrest.

“To be named a Disney Legend is the highest honor our company can bestow on anyone, reserved for those whose talent and achievements have earned them an enduring place in our history,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “The fourteen individuals to be honored as Disney Legends this year have each made extraordinary creative contributions across the worlds of Disney and we look forward to celebrating them at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.”

The weekend of panels, meet and greets and more includes the Disney 23 Masquerade: The Ultimate Disney Costume Contest, Disney Princess – The Concert, Disney Character Voices: Inside the Studio, which will offer live recording sessions with fan-favorite Disney characters.

Additionally, fans will get an exclusive sneak peek of new series, and Q&A’s with the cast and creative teams behind beloved series and movies. Other events slated for the weekend include 30 Years of Toy Story, Disney Princess: Creating Tiana’s World, Exploring New Parts of the Mind: Behind the Design of Inside Out 2 + a Dreamy Surprise, Grey’s Anatomy: 20th Celebration, Abbott Elementary: Class Is in Session, Donald Duck’s 90th Quaktacular, Marvel Comics: Celebrating 50 Years of Wolverine, and a Marvel Animation sneak peek featuring special guests and first looks at Disney+ series such as X-Men ’97, Eyes of Wakanda and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman. Find more information here.

Where to Get Tickets

The ticket process for D23 looks different this year. For starters, tickets went on sale in March, and you had to sign up to become a D23 Member to purchase them. D23 Gold Members and D23 Members with Visa cards got access to pre-sale tickets ahead of everyone else. Single-day and three-day passes ranged from $79 to $259 and more than $1,000 for the Ultimate Preferred Fan 3-Day Pass.

Although tickets to the Ultimate Fan Event and other events are sold out, you might be able to find a small assortment of passes on sites like StubHub and Vivid Seats.

Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ will also be showcasing an epic streaming lineup of live and on-demand content, along with immersive experiences, appearances from talent, photo opportunities at The Disney Bundle Pavilion, special perks for Disney+ subscribers and live demos of the latest features on Disney+.

Can’t make it in person? Unfortunately, D23 will not be live streamed this year but you can follow updates on the D23.com and on the D23 YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Latifah Muhammad

Billboard