Thousands flood Disneyland for 24-hour Diamond Celebration

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Magic Kingdom is filled with a little extra sparkle Friday as throngs of people flooded the park to take part in Disneyland's 24-hour Diamond Celebration.

The gates opened at 6 a.m. and will remain open until 6 a.m. Saturday. People were lined up for hours before the event started.

The park, which opened on July 17, 1955, is celebrating 60 years of magic with diamond-themed decorations and new shows.

Diamond decorations cover Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Carthay Circle Theater at Disney California Adventure. There is also a new "World of Color" show, a "Paint the Night" parade, and a fun-filled new fireworks show called "Disneyland Forever."

For the "World of Color" revamp, Neil Patrick Harris joins Mickey Mouse to takes guests through Disney's 60 years.

VIDEO: Disneyland features 3 new shows for 60th anniversary

The creative project took almost two years to develop and uses 1,200 dancing fountains to create a 380-foot-wide mist screen of water.

"Paint the Night" will bring some vibrant floats and costumes, as well as special effects that will travel down Main Street, U.S.A. The parade features more than 1.5 million LED lights.

The fireworks show will have special pyrotechnics and projections including never-before-seen special effects.

RARE PHOTOS: Disneyland under construction in the 1950s

The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of Disneyland and this station.