(The date of this post and the picture at left probably gives away the answer to the question, but go with me here. Also, I heard this information from a primary source but have not been able to confirm it independently, so understand that this may not be the “official story”. It makes sense, though!)

When you walk down Main Street U.S.A., you may have never given much thought to the setting beyond “small town turn-of-the-century America), but this classic location not only embodies an era, but a specific day. What day? Consider the clues:

1. Year – This is an easy one. Walt himself identified it as “turn-of-the-century America”, approximately 1895 – 1910.

2. Activity – There are a lot of people in town today! Remembering the era we’re in, that gives us some great clues. If it were a regular work day–which at the time would have been Monday through Saturday–most people would have been at their jobs, mainly working in the fields. The fact that they’re in town, apparently for leisure, rules out a work day.

3. Shops – Again, considering the era, on Sundays most if not all the shops would be closed. That was considered a day of rest, especially in small town America, so people went to church in the morning, and then spent the rest of the day with their friends and family. The fact that the shops are all open means it’s not Sunday.

So, it’s not Monday – Saturday, and it’s not Sunday. We’ve eliminated every possible day, haven’t we? Nope, just the “typical” days. When would there be a lot of people in town and the shops also be open?

Right, a holiday! Shops would have stayed open so people could get supplies for their celebrations. With so many people around, it would have also been a great day to sell various goods and services. So the next question is…what holiday? For that, we turn to:

4. The decorations – This is less obvious today as the story has started to fade from memory and as holiday overlays have dramatically affected the design of Main Street U.S.A., but consider the non-(real world)-holiday times. There sure is a lot of red, white, and blue, isn’t there? (In past years, most of the awnings over the shops were one or more of these colors.) There quite a few flags, too–at my last count, 6. That’s a lot for such a short distance. In fact, the flowers that hang from the lampstands used to be red, white, and blue much of the time, too.


Now, let’s put the pieces together. It’s not a regular work day or a Sunday, so it must be a holiday. There is red, white, and blue everywhere, and several flags flying proudly. So what holiday is it?

Of course, the Fourth of July!

Every day you walk down Main Street U.S.A., it’s Independence Day. That explains a couple of other things, too. Think about what you’d expect to see on the Fourth of July, especially a century or so ago. Everyone gathers in town to spend time with each other and…to see a parade! And if you’re very lucky, what might happen at the end of the day? Exactly–fireworks!

Walt Disney was a very patriotic man, and he built perhaps the most patriotic of all holidays into his park, so that every guest who enters experiences it…whether we realize it or not!


You can read more from Randy on his blog, Faith and the Magic Kingdom and listen to his unofficial Disney podcast, Stories of the Magic. Find him on Twitter (@Belgarion42) and on Facebook.