Disney Lunar New Year Celebration with Kids

Disney California Adventure just wrapped up their Lunar New Year Celebration for this year and I thought it would be a great time to reflect on the wonderful experiences my family enjoyed. I absolutely look forward to going this time of year and this year was extra special as it was my younger daughter’s first time at Disney California Adventure.

My family, my husband and two daughters, a 6 and a 1 year old, got to the parks bright and early a few weeks ago since everyone was super excited about the day. We got there before 8am so we had some breakfast and practically walked onto Soarin’ Around the World. My older daughter is now tall enough to experience some of my favorite attractions, so this trip was extra special for her as well. Plus since Mommy and Daddy have to take turns watching her sister, she enjoyed riding all the rides with both of us! We went to get FastPasses for Radiator Springs Racers and were on the ride in no time. It was my older daughter’s first time on it as well and it turned out to be her favorite ride.

What I look forward to the most during the Lunar New Year Celebration is Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession. So I made sure I had front-row seats for the show. My daughters and I lined up in front of the arch before Paradise Pier and ate our snacks while we waited. The first show starts at noon and we were 45 minutes early. Good thing we waited when we did. Around 11:45am, there were about 7 rows of people behind me already. The great part about the front row seats is getting up close and personal with Goofy like here. He was saying hi to my daughters.

After Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, my daughters went to the children’s tables to color and create Lunar New Year lanterns.

We got to enjoy the beautiful music of Luna Lee while we ate lunch by Paradise Pier. Luna is a Gayageum Musician from Korea.

For dinner, we headed back to the Paradise Garden Grill to try that amazing fried fish that everyone was eating. My younger daughter was all about the food while my older daughter was chasing down characters for autographs. They danced and signed her book which totally made her day. This is a Vietnamese dish called Cá rô phi chiên giòn which is a whole crispy Tilapia lightly dusted with Rice Flour and deep fried, with Citrus Chili Vinaigrette and served family style with Soup, Vegetables and Rice. It is made as a meal for two, although we were able to stretch it to a meal for four. The fish definitely tastes better with a little soy sauce on it, although I wish I had some traditional fish sauce instead.

Overall, we had an amazing day and made so many memories. We enjoyed the food, music, entertainment, activities, photo opportunities, and ambience of the Lunar New Year Celebration at Disney California Adventure. We are already looking forward to next year! Our goal for next year is to get a photo with Mickey and Minnie!