December 21, 1958 –
Disneyland – Anaheim, CA
Disneyland
presents the very first Candlelight Processional Parade. Hosted by
actor Dennis Morgan, it is performed on Main
Street, U.S.A. and in Town Square.
The event was conceived by Dr. Charles Hirt of the University of Southern
California School of Music and features a large choir from schools invited from
around Southern California to proceed down Main Street while singing Christmas
carols prior to the re-telling of the birth of Jesus in front of the Train
Station in Town Square. (This event will become a Christmas-season
tradition at the park, and later be copied at Walt Disney World in 1971, where
it would also become a Christmas-season tradition).