The holidays have officially arrived at Disneyland and the festivities are filled with new and returning favorites for guests to celebrate with their loved ones. What makes this most wonderful time of year so special at Disneyland, however, is how both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure are infusing so many different cultures into their offerings to make everyone feel right at home.
There is a lot happening at Disneyland Resort, and we’re here to share everything you need to know to make the most of your holiday trip, from the best food and drinks to the new shows and so much more.
Oh, and alongside all you’ll read about below, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is now open at Disneyland after opening at Walt Disney World earlier this year. You can check out everything you need to know about Tiana’s Bayou Adventure right here!
Holidays at Disneyland Resort:
Disneyland Park Is Bringing the Holiday Magic
Disneyland Resort will be the place to celebrate with both Disney characters and Santa and one of the best ways to do so will be with the ‘A Christmas Fantasy Parade’ and ‘Believe… In Holiday Magic’ nighttime spectacular.
‘A Christmas Fantasy Parade’ will feature many of you favorite Disney characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Chip ‘n’ Dale, Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Buzz Lightyear, Disney Princess, and more. Santa will lead the grand finale and will help make for one memorable show.
‘Believe… In Holiday Magic’ is the holiday nighttime spectacular at Disneyland and, alongside a dazzling display of fireworks, Sleeping Beauty Castle will stand proud with over 80,000 twinkling lights, sparkling “icicles,” and “shimmering snow-capped turrets” as the the night sky is filled with color.
For that extra cherry on top, “snow” will fall every night along the Rivers of America, by ‘it’s a small world,’ and on Main Street, U.S.A. If you haven’t experienced “snow” at a Disney Park, I can’t recommend it enough as it is true Disney Magic and so much fun for the kids and kids at heart.
Fantasyland Theatre will be host to ‘Holiday Fun with Santa and Friends,’ and will be a place for craft making, sing-alongs, and holiday music to warm even the coldest day. Not only will you also be able to meet Santa, but Mickey, Minnie and other “select friends” will show up there and elsewhere in the parks in “all-new outfits reminiscent of writing heartfelt letters during the holidays.”
Some of the biggest Disneyland attractions get special theming during the holidays, so guests can look forward to ‘it’s a small world’ Holiday, Haunted Mansion Holiday, and a big transformation of Cars Land. Not only will Radiator Springs be decorated in its holiday best, but so will Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree as they will become Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree, respectively.
Disney California Adventure and Disney Festival of Holidays
Disney California Adventure is once again home to Disney Festival of Holidays, and that brings with it food and drink, live entertainment, merch, and so much more. We’ll get to the food in the next section, but right now we’re here to take about the fun you and the whole family can enjoy through January 6, 2025.
Disney Festival of Holidays will feature two new shows, and they are inspired by both Coco and Encanto and will take place multiple times per day on Monday through Friday.
The Coco-themed show is called ‘A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegria de Disneyland & Miguel” and can be found right in the middle of Buena Vista Street. The performance begins with a procession down the street to the main fountain, and then the team break out into different Christmas songs. What makes this special is they are sung in both English and Spanish and the host, Carlos, takes us through traditions from around the world.
Coco’s Miguel joins the fun partway through the show and there is even a rendition of “Silent Night” where kids are encouraged to join the performers and sign along while holding candles.
This show is a very special one and really highlights how these holiday celebrations are for guests from all walks of life and how wonderful it is when we all come together as one. Furthermore, it’s honors the Mexican holiday tradition of La Posada, adding another layer to the fun.
Outside of Paradise Gardens Park, ‘Mirabel’s Gifts of the Season’ will bring guests into the world of Encanto as Mirabel and her friends sing your favorite songs from the film, including ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno,’ ‘The Family Madrigal,’ and ‘Columbia, Mi Encanto.’
The show is all about Mirabel and her friends getting ready to celebrate their own Fiesta de Navidad, and each of her friends represents one of her siblings. Throughout the show, they take center stage as their corresponding character appears (Bruno, Isabela, and Luisa) and sings their song from the film.
Paradise Gardens is also home to The Disney ¡Viva Navidad! street party, which takes place on Saturday and Sunday and is a returning favorite. This party is hosted by The Three Caballeros and features “lively Mexican folklórico dancers and mariachis, uplifting Brazilian samba dancers and percussionists, along with Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in their fiesta best, and more.”
The Best Food at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure’s Disney Festival of Holidays
All the delicious food and drinks are some of the best parts of a Disney Parks festival, and Holidays at Disneyland Resort and Disney Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure are filled to the brim with 136 new items and 200 returning items. We had the chance to try some of the offerings at Disney Festival of Holidays at our preview event, and you can check out our reviews of 9 items, including a Mickey Mouse-shaped Sticky Toffee Pudding Macaron that is a must-get and earned a coveted 10/10.
Before that, however, I wanted to share with you a bit of my chat with the chefs and creators behind these food and drink items, as they shared with me what makes this year so special.
Disney Festival of Holidays is a celebration of holidays across the world, and this is shown perfectly in the food and drink items. Starting with that legendary Sticky Toffee Pudding Macaron, this combines that classic British dessert with a Disney holiday tradition to make a winning combination.
While that’s a great combo, a dish or drink gets taken to another level when there’s a wonderful story behind it, and Disneyland’s David Nguyen shared a story with me about one special beverage – the Café de Olla Cold Brew. Cold Brew is a big hit at Disneyland and elsewhere, but the team wanted to do something special to bring it to Disney Festival of Holidays.
Another cast member had an idea of just how to do that and shared that when they used to sit around during the holidays and share memories, they would always do so with the Mexican spiced coffee known as Café de Olla alongside a sweet bread called a concha. The team took that heartwarming story and put all these ingredients together to create the Café de Olla Cold Brew – a celebration of modern trends and those that mean so much to us from the past. And yes, the concha sits right atop the drink for an extra treat.
You can check out the full list of food and drink options for Disneyland Festival of Holidays and Holidays at Disneyland Resort right here, and also check out my reviews below of some of the items we were able to try! These were all from Disney California Adventure’s Disney Festival of Holidays and are each at one of the many stalls you can find around the park.
Sticky Toffee Pudding Macaron: Mickey-shaped chocolate macaron filled with vanilla buttercream, date cake, and salted toffee sauce (Favorite Things) – 10/10
This was the star of Disney Festival of Holidays for me and was one of those treats where the first bite feels like a moment you’ll never forget. The mixture of the light buttercream and salty toffee sauce was a legendary pairing, and the texture of the macaron was just next level. I can’t recommend this treat enough and think it should be on everyone’s list to try! It’s one of those rare occasions where the looks and taste both reach for the stars and make it.
Braised Pork Belly Adobo with Garlic Rice (Favorite Things) – 9/10
This came in second place for me as the flavors were so bold and delicious. Most of my porky belly felt as though it melted in my mouth, but a few pieces were a bit tough. Besides that though, the soy sauce and sugary flavors sang magically and danced with the garlicy notes of the rice below. Very special.
The Holiday Duet: Savory Kugel Mac & Cheese and Plant-Based Chorizo Queso Fundido Mac & Cheese (Holiday Duets) – 8/10
As someone who grew up looving kugel, this Savory Kugel Mac & Cheese hit the spot with its creamy sour cream and pops of texture of the breadcrumbs. I also love mixing flavors and textures, and that made it such a joy to have the Plant-Based Chorizo Queso Fundido Mac & Cheese join the fun. I am constantly impressed by Disney as so many of its plant-based offerings taste just like their meat counterparts, and this continues that trend. This side of the duo added a nice little spice and, when combined, tasted like a delicious Mexican-style Mac & Cheese.
Cookies and Cream Hazelnut Hot Cocoa: Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. hot chocolate with cookies and cream flavors, melted chocolate, hazelnut purée, and Irish cream syrup garnished with strawberry whipped cream (Winter Sliderland) – 8/10
This was an interesting one for me as, while I like the muted cookies and cream and hazelnut flavors of this hot cocoa, the strawberry whipped cream won the day for me. It helped it become a strawberry hot cocoa that didn’t taste too fake, and it was so comforting and delicious. On a cold day, this would be the perfect drink to warm you up.
Holiday Mash Bowl: Chicken, cheddar mashed potatoes, and turkey gravy with cranberry stuffing crunch (Merry Mashups) – 8/10
It’s hard to beat the flavors of Thanksgiving in one bowl, and this hits all the right notes without going above and beyond. Nothing stood out as life-changing, but all the components played their part and I particularly enjoyed the cranberry stuffing crunch that add a much-needed texture to the mix.
Chilaquiles Carnitas Torta: Red chilaquiles, refried beans, avocado spread, queso fresco, pickled onions, and a fried egg served with chips (Disney ¡Viva Navidad! at Paradise Garden Grill) – 8/10
I’m so torn on this one, because it’s an 8/10 that could have been a 9/10 or even a 10/10! I LOVE Chilaquiles, and throwing them on a sandwich with all these other flavors sounds like a champion move. However, this may have been the messiest sandwich I’ve ever had in my life! The bread was soaked and soggy and fell apart from the start, and I have to knock it for that. That aside, however, the flavors and crunch and spice of this sandwich are wonderful.
Al Pastor Pork & Pineapple Slider on Corn Brioche (Winter Sliderland) – 7/10
This was another dish that had a bit of untapped potential for me as the flavors and mix of spice and creaminess were so great, but the execution left a bit to be desired. I liked the corn brioche, but it was a but hard for me and the pork wasn’t as tender as I hoped. If they can tighten this up, it could rise the ranks considerably.
Al Pastor Tacos: Pineapple-achiote-marinated pork with avocado spread and tomatillo salsa, served with Spanish rice and refried beans, and topped with queso fresco (Disney ¡Viva Navidad! at Paradise Garden Grill) – 6/10
Much like the Al Pastor Pork & Pineapple sliders, these could have been higher if the pork was a bit more tender. The reason this gets a lower score than that is the pork felt like it was lost amidst the other components, and that’s a bit of shame! All the flavors and textures here were top notch, but it didn’t meld together as great as I hoped.
M&M’S Peanut Butter Fudge Cake: Chocolate fudge cake filled with peanut praline and M&M’S Peanut Butter Minis, glazed with salted peanut butter, and topped with vanilla Chantilly crème (Merry Mashups) – 6/10
If you are a peanut butter lover, this may rank much higher for you, but it felt way too heavy for me. The fudge cake didn’t come apart as easily as I’d hoped and the combo of all these different sweets jumped past my sweetness tolerance (which is pretty high!) a bit. All that being said, it’s hard not to love all these different players, and there is a lot to love, It’s just your mileage may vary.
Holiday Merch and Magic Outside Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure
It wouldn’t be a celebration without themed merch, and we got a preview of some of the holiday-themed gear you can look forward to buying yourself or a loved one! There is a nice selection for both Christmas and Hanukkah, with some of my favorites being the Christmas Spirit Jersey, Mickey Toy Soldier Drummer Sipper, Mickey & Minnie Gingerbread House Bucket, the Hanukkah blanket, and Mickey and Minnie in their holiday attire.
The holiday magic extends outside of both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, as there are plenty of ways to celebrate at the hotels of Disneyland and Downtown Disney. Alongside unique food and drink offerings, Pixar Place Hotel will be having its first holiday season with 31 Christmas trees with over 6,500 ornaments that are each celebrating one of 10 Pixar films.
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa will have its massive gingerbread house that’s inspired by pastries and candies in the lobby, and Mickey’s Holiday Pajama Party breakfast and brunch at Storytellers Cafe will welcome guests for a festive meal with themed characters.
In Downtown Disney, there will be such seasonal offerings as the egg nog churro from California Churro, gingerbread cannoli from Naples Ristorante e Bar, and holiday buñuelo from Tiendita.
Lastly, ornament lovers will be delighted to know that the all-new Chip and Dale’s Ornament Traile pursuit will run from November 22 through January 1 and, if they find all the ornaments around the Downtown Disney and the Disneyland Hotels, they’ll be able to redeem a holiday keepsake.
What are you most excited for during the holidays at Disneyland Resort? Let us know below! And may your holidays be filled with love, laughs, and so much cheer!
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
