{Consideration provided by Disneyland}
Earlier this year, Disney California Adventure was host to The Food and Wine Festival, which showcased an expansive selection of the best California cuisine. In the Festival Marketplace that lined the street leading to Pacific Wharf, Disney celebrated regional cuisine and wines and featured festival-specific menus. This Spring festival was so popular, it inspired this season’s Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park.
Inspired by cultural traditions from around the world, Festival of Holidays celebrates global holidays through food, music, dance, and crafts. This is a wonderful new addition to the holidays at Disneyland and afforded me an opportunity to get my foodie fix at the marketplace locations set up during the festival and teach my children about how different cultures celebrate the holidays.
10 Things To Do During Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park
- Get your dance on! This year, the resort will feature 50 performances of 9 different shows through music and dance. Blue13 Dance Company, a touring dance ensemble, will show case their traditional Indian dances culminating in the ultimate Bollywood dance party at Paradise Park!
- Sing along with a traditional Mariachi band. The GRAMMY Award-winning Mariachi Divas will perform their signature repertoire of bilingual tunes daily at Pacific Wharf. The band is phenomenal and you’ll likely find yourself singing along to their renditions of American pop music and Mexican folk songs.
- Get in the holiday spirit with Phat Cat Swinger. One of our favorite performances during Festival of Holidays was by the “Little Big Band” Phat Cat Swinger. Their brassy, swinging renditions of holiday music is nostalgic with a fresh twist. Featured at the Palisades Stage, audiences can get up and dance to the rhythm of their live swing music.
- Celebrate world music with Mostly Kosher. Old world meets new with this energetic ensemble, which performs their own interpretation of Yiddish Klezmer music. Fusing jazz, Latin rock, and hip-hop, this is a fabulous introduction to world music.
- March on with the Holiday Toy Drummers: Throughout the day, you’ll find these mischievous Toy Drummers marching to their own merry beat as they perform precision drills throughout Disney California Adventure Park.
- Join the Disney ¡Viva Navidad! street party. Located at Paradise Pier, Disney brings Latin-American flair to their holiday celebration with entertainment, decor, food, and your favorite characters. The highlight of the Disney ¡Viva Navidad! holiday celebration is the street party hosted by The Three Caballeros, Donald Duck, Jose Carioca and Pancho. Mickey and Minnie join the party in their fiesta best along with mariachi and samba musicians, folklorico dancers, and 12-foot-tall mojiganga pupets of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Continue the celebration with crafts, Latin-inspired cuisine, traditional music, and a lineup of guest artists including comics and storytellers. Continue the celebration through January 8th, with El Día de los Reyes Magos. Kids can color pictures of the Three Kings and design their own custom crown with sparkling jewels. The resort will also feature Rosca de Reyes, a traditional circular cake that often features a baked-in surprise. Lastly, be sure to grab a photo with the crafted figures of the 3 Wise Men bearing gifts to Bethlehem.
- Welcome Princess Elena! Disney’s long-awaited Latina Princess makes her debut at the Disneyland Resort during Festival of Holidays! Her inspirational musical cavalcade features her magical friend Skylar and her royal company of dancers as they celebrate the holidays together.
- Take a family photo with Santa. Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is the new home for Santa Claus and his elves. A favorite play spot for kids, this area is transformed for the holiday season into a playground filled with holiday fun and games. We brought a change of clothes for the kids and used the photo in our holiday cards.
- Celebrate the Holidays in Cars Land
- Take a cultural, culinary journey. I found myself in foodie heaven as I walked through the Festival Foods Marketplace this season. Fourteen different locations will tempt you with gourmet eats like chili pozole, holiday Swedish meatballs, mini falafel donuts, and a spiced holiday eggnog cocktail. Be sure to visit my Festival of Holidays Foodies Guide for a comprehensive look at all their is to eat and drink this season at the resort.
Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park runs through January 6th, 2019 and celebrates Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas/Navidad, Kwanzaa, and Dia de los Reyes. For additional information, visit Disneyland.com or keep up to date via the Disney Parks Blog.
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