Holidays at the Disneyland Resort: Disney Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park Fact Sheet

ANAHEIM, Calif. – As part of Holidays at the Disneyland Resort, the popular Disney Festival of Holidays returns to Disney California Adventure Park from Nov. 10, 2023, through Jan. 7, 2024. This heartwarming and uniquely Disney celebration highlights Christmas, Navidad, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa and Three Kings Day traditions through live entertainment, holiday shopping and eight Festive Foods Marketplaces serving diverse culinary delights. Families can learn more about these holidays with fun crafts such as coloring greeting cards and making ornaments and lanterns. 

Festive Foods Marketplace

The Festive Foods Marketplace features seasonal comfort dishes that reflect family traditions from many cultures. Some menu items were also inspired by the personal stories of Disney chefs. 

Guests may choose to purchase a Sip and Savor Pass*, which can be shared among guests or used over multiple visits to this year’s Disney Festival of Holidays, to redeem eight coupon tabs for food or non-alcoholic beverage selections from participating marketplaces and dining locations. For more fun, guests can pick up a Disney Festival of Holidays Tasting Passport and collect stamps from the marketplaces they try. Guests who collect all the marketplace stamps can receive a special completion stamp.  

Eight Festive Foods Marketplaces throughout Disney California Adventure present a merry myriad of holiday bites and beverages:   

  • Grandma’s Recipes – Traditional flavors shared from generation to generation, with dishes including barbacoa tamal de res and beverages such as the berry pomegranate paloma  
  • Winter Sliderland – Merry miniature holiday feasts, with the beef brisket slider and the togarashi karaage chicken slider and – a Christmas favorite – the spiced pear mule  
  • Favorite Things – Yummy dishes gifted with flavor, including braised pork belly adobo and the mad Santa macaron  
  • A Twist on Tradition – Tempting twists on holiday classics, including savory kugel mac and cheese and glacier margarita  
  • Brews & Bites – Frosty beer and good cheer, featuring Impossible™ chorizo queso fundido and festive beverages such as churro ale with frozen beer slush  
  • Holiday Duets – Perfect pairings curated for culinary delight, featuring esquites carnitas mac and cheese, chocolate tart made with TWIX® cookie bar pieces and Cuban parranda cocktail  
  • Making Spirits Bright – Joyous toasts to the season of celebration with the chocolate mint stout shake, Impossible™ chicken curry bites and pumpkin layered cheesecake  
  • Merry Mashups – Fun fusions of seasonal favorites, featuring southern mac and cheese, maple hazelnut hot buttered rum and Santa’s milk and cookies hot cocoa 

Additional dining locations throughout Disney California Adventure serve special holiday menu items, such as new kielbasa with pierogi from Smokejumpers Grill and pan con pollo from Sonoma Terrace. Paradise Garden Grill features many new items for Disney ¡Viva Navidad!, such as tacos gobernador and achiote-marinated half chicken. Guests may pick up the Disney Festival of Holidays Tasting Passport at the park or check the Disneyland app for a full list of offerings. Mobile ordering through the Disneyland app** may also be available for some holiday food offerings at participating quick-service dining locations. 

The fun continues with “Friends of the Festival” in the Downtown Disney District, which features more themed offerings at shops and restaurants. 

Exciting lineup of live performances

Day and night, various locations throughout Disney California Adventure Park feature live performances from musical and dance groups, including: 

  • Tina and The Sounds of Celebration! brings her powerhouse vocals and musicians to perform holiday tunes with a repertoire of salsa, merengue, cumbia and rock Latino. 
  • Guests can sing along with the GRAMMY® Award-winning Mariachi Divas and their signature repertoire of catchy, bilingual holiday tunes at Disney ¡Viva Navidad! 
  • At Disney ¡Viva Navidad!, the Wayu Band expands the magic of Caribbean folklore rhythms and traditional Colombian music with cumbia, champeta and other musical genres. 
  • The Mistletoes, an a cappella ensemble, celebrates an R&B Christmas and the spirit of Kwanzaa through classic holiday songs with rhythm and soul. 
  • The entertainment group Mostly Kosher celebrates Hanukkah with an uplifting and eclectic musical tapestry that weaves together klezmer, Latin, jazz and rock. 
  • The spirited performers of Blue13 Dance Company turn up the fun with traditional Indian dances that celebrate Diwali and build to a Bollywood-inspired party for all. 
  • Phat Cat Swinger, the West Coast’s “Little-Big Band,” sings a swinging selection of holiday tunes, presented with a refreshing twist. 

Energetic entertainment and character encounters

  • “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” returns featuring a fun street party with Mexican folklórico dancers and mariachis, Brazilian samba dancers and percussionists, and giant mojiganga puppets. This year, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and The Three Caballeros will debut colorful new celebratory attire that creatively weave elements of traditional Latin American fashion with holiday motifs through playful textured fabrics and vibrant floral embroidery. 
  • “Mickey’s Happy Holidays” presents a cheerful, seasonal celebration with Mickey Mouse and friends as they travel through Disney California Adventure. Disney and Pixar characters dance and march along to the high-energy music and rhythms of the Holiday Toy Drummers.  
  • The Holiday Toy Drummers march to their own merry beat and perform precision drills with holiday cheer, several times daily. 
  • Santa Claus welcomes visitors to his rustic home at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Guests may share their holiday wishes with the jolly fellow and take souvenir photos in this scenic location before Santa departs for the North Pole on Dec. 24.  
  • Mirabel from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” greets guests at Paradise Gardens Park. Other favorite Disney characters making appearances throughout Disney Festival of Holidays, include Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, Santa Goofy, Daisy Duck, Chip n’ Dale, Dug from Disney and Pixar’s “Up” and Clara Cluck.  

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