Story and Photos By ERIC HAYASHI
ANAHEIM – Festival of Holidays has arrived at the Disneyland Resort and is being celebrated through Jan. 6, 2025.
Throughout the resort there are holiday items and festivities available for everyone to enjoy. This year’s festival includes parades, fireworks shows, tree lightings, a mariachi band, and Santa in the parks and in the Downtown Disney District.
In the Downtown Disney District, there is live music most evenings, many holiday decorations, and many of the restaurants are offering seasonal foods. Each of the Disney hotels is offering photos with Santa through Dec. 24 in the main lobbies.
In the lobby of The Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, you can view a giant gingerbread house built by the Disneyland bakers, as well as a giant decorated Christmas tree. In addition, you can purchase a map for Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail, including an ornament. The trail has ornaments hidden on holiday trees throughout the Downtown Disney District.
A few examples of the holiday food and drink items available in the Downtown Disney District: Ballast Point Brewing Company is offering a Holiday Salmon dish, Beignets Expressed has a Peppermint Twist Beignet, California Churro is selling an Eggnog Churro, Naples Ristorante e Bar has a Christmas Colada, and Wetzel’s Pretzels is offering a Frozen Hot Chocolate.
The festival is also being celebrated at California Adventure Park. This year, there are several carts selling seasonal foods and drinks in addition to the decorations, characters dressed in holiday attire, holiday-themed overlays of rides, World of Color, and a couple of new live entertainment events.
The food this year has old favorites such as the sticky toffee pudding macaron and a beef brisket slider, plus new items like an al pastor pork and pineapple slider and barbacoa tamal de res. I personally tried the Holiday Mash Bowl, (a cheddar mashed potato, chicken nuggets and turkey gravy with cranberry stuffing crunch), beef brisket slider, barbacoa tamal de res and the sticky toffee pudding macaron. I will be returning to try many more of the food and drink items available.
During the weekdays at Disney California Adventure Park, there are two new shows. The first is “Mirabel’s Gifts of the Season,” singing and dancing by the beloved “Encanto” characters, who decorate a tree; the second is “A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegria de Disneyland & Miguel,” where a mariachi tells of different traditions in the Latin American countries and sings Christmas carols in English and Spanish. You will find additional musical acts during the Festival of Holidays throughout the park.
If you would like to meet Santa, he is in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. To finish the night, the World of Color – Season of Light is now showing.
Disneyland has the usual ride overlays for the holidays, such as It’s a Small World and Haunted Mansion themed with “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” Unfortunately, Jungle Cruise was not included again this year for the overlay.
Also returning to Disneyland: A Christmas Fantasy Parade and “Believe … in Holiday Magic” fireworks spectacular, complete with snow. Santa Claus is also in Disneyland at the Fantasyland Theater. Although it is not holiday-themed, the newest attraction to open is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a reimagined version of Splash Mountain.
There are new holiday food items throughout the park, including chicken al pastor pizza, garlic cheesy brat, Black Forest bundt cake, cranberry barbecue chicken sandwich, gingerbread cookies, and holiday funnel fries.
To wash all the food down, there are holiday drink options throughout Disneyland like the cranberry Wagonade — lemonade with cranberries, iced Mexican peppermint chocolate, peppermint s’mores hot chocolate, or Holiday Green Drink — an apple-flavored beverage topped with caramel cold foam and sprinkles.
For those that are more interested in photo opportunities, characters are dressed up in holiday attire. Of course there is new merchandise available for purchase. A few items that are selling fast are the gingerbread house popcorn bucket, Mickey elf bucket, Mickey toy soldier sipper, and a Santa Sully popcorn bucket. Additional items available are ornaments, clothing and home goods.
