Back to Galaxy’s Edge: Disneyland can reopen April 1 as California updates COVID-19 rules

Get ready to head off-world and get back to Black Spire Outpost at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge — Disneyland can officially reopen on April 1.

That’s according to new COVID-19 pandemic guidance released by the state of California on Friday, noting large venues like theme parks and sports venues can reopen with a reduced capacity in just a few weeks.

According to the Los Angeles Times, theme parks in counties that are in the state’s red tier can reopen April 1. The red tier is the second-strictest of the state’s reopening guide. In the red tier, theme park capacity is limited to 15%. That can increase to 25% when a county gets to the orange tier and then 35% in the yellow tier.

Officials told the Times that only in-state guests can visit the parks, and other restrictions include capacity limits on indoor rides and no dining indoors.

Shortly after the reopening news dropped, Disneyland Resort President Ken Potrock shared this statement:

Is Disneyland open?

Disneyland has not yet released an official reopening date, though its possible guests are just weeks away from returning to the parks.

Disneyland’s parks and resorts, and many other California amusement parks, have been closed for nearly a year because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The resort recently reopened the Downtown Disney District for shopping and outdoor dining and recently expanded that reopening to include Buena Vista Street in Disney’s California Adventure Park.

Disneyland also offered a special ticketed event, A Touch of Disney at Disneyland Resort, with a limited capacity throughout Disney’s California Adventure Park for March 18. The resort has not yet said if the reopening news affects that separate ticket event.

The last time Disneyland was open, the Walt Disney Company was touting the success and popularity of the new Star Wars ride at Galaxy’s Edge: Rise of the Resistance. At the beginning of February 2020, the Orange County Register reported that the opening of the immersive indoor ride at Disneyland and Walt Disney World helped drive more guest attendance and spending. Disney’s earnings report for that first quarter showed attendance increased 2% and spending at the domestic parks rose 10%.

Now that Disneyland can reopen, Star Wars fans are less than a month away from being dropped into an epic battle between the Resistance and the First Order, getting their hands on ice-cold blue and green milk and taking another joy ride on the Millennium Falcon on Smuggler’s Run.

If you still can’t wait to get your hands on some new lightsabers, the new Star Wars Trading Post reopened last month in Downtown Disney. The spot is themed like a “hidden jungle Resistance base” with Rey’s iconic speeder parked out front.