Disneyland Resort Lunar New Year Festival 2024 Wrap-Up

Attending the Lunar New Year celebration at Disney California Adventure is one of my favorite things to do every year. I like to bring the family to the parks during this multicultural celebration so we can immerse ourselves in all the delicious cultural foods, traditions, and auspicious festivities. Being able to see my culture represented at the Disney theme parks is very special to me.

Some of the Lunar New Year celebration highlights are:

• Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession
• Special Character Meet-and-Greets
• Delicious culinary delights
• Live Cultural Musical Entertainment
• Hurry Home – A Lunar New Year Celebration World of Color Pre-Show
• Commemorative Lunar Festival merchandise
• Booths and Vendors
• Festive red and gold decor

Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession

This beautiful procession starring Mulan and Mushu looks lovely and a must-see every year. This bright and bold magical march honoring the family, friendship and the potential for a fortune-filled new year is amazing during the day, but also catch it during the evening for the dazzling lights on the dragons and costumes.

Special Character Meet-and-Greets

There were many Disney characters dressed up for the Lunar New Year celebration. New this year are Mei and Ming Lee from Pixar’s Turning Red. You will also find Mulan, Mushu, Mickey and Minnie, Goofy, Chip, Dale, and so many more wandering around the festival!

Delicious Culinary Delights

One of the best things about the Lunar New Year festival is all the amazing and delicious food I get to experience. We stopped by Bamboo Blessings and picked up a few goodies. If you like sweets, the strawberry milk tea macaron is a dessert you have to try. It is a large-size macaron filled with strawberry filling. In the middle is a boba surprise. The Taro Vietnamese-style Iced Coffee was something I was very excited to try. Vietnamese coffee is known to be delicious and very strong. So imagine that with a rush of taro flavor on top. I would have loved to have an entire taro drink by itself too. Lastly, we also tried the Mickey-shaped Hot Dog Bun. It tastes like a hot dog but has a fun Disney look. There were so many other food offerings and I would recommend trying a little bit of everything!

Live Cultural Musical Entertainment

I enjoy live musical performances and there were many throughout the Lunar New year celebration like Vocal Seoul, New Tradition, Melody of China, and Luna Lee performed at Disney California Adventure. There were additional live performances at the Grand Californian as well. On the last day of the Lunar New Year celebration, I had the pleasure to watching a performance by the Lạc Hồng Performing Arts Group at the Grand Californian.

Hurry Home – A Lunar New Year Celebration World of Color Pre-Show

Just before the World of Color show is a pre-show that follows the journey of Little Lantern as it returns home for the annual celebration of good luck and fortune. This show is accompanied by a stirring musical score, created by Academy Award®-winning composer Tan Dun. Be prepared to be immersed in the magic of this 6-minute tale.

Commemorative Lunar Festival Merchandise

There is so much red and gold in this year’s Lunar New Year merchandise! By the last day of the festival, all the adult spirit jerseys were sold out, as well as most of the other merchandise.

Booths and Vendors

My children’s favorite booth this year was “Sweet Enchantments – Chinese Sugar Art Creations” where they made beautiful and intricate artwork out of melted sugar. We love watching the artist make these exquisite pieces and she makes it look so easy! The mother and daughter team is very talented.

Festive Red and Gold Decor

It is always nice to see the lovely red and gold decorations around Disney California Adventure around this time of the year. However, the best Lunar New Year decoration this year was at the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa! Be sure to look up the moment you walk into the gorgeous lobby as you will be greeted by a beautiful 80 feet long dragon kite that spans most of the ceiling. This is the first time the Grand California was to welcome the new Lunar New Year and I hope they continue this tradition next year.

Around the corner, you will also three dolls, each one representing a country that celebrates Lunar New Year — China, Korea, and Vietnam. These dolls were created by the Pastry Team at the hotel and are made out of rice crispy and fondant, in the style of the “It’s a Small World” dolls.

• Blue – The Korean doll is wearing a hanbok (literal meaning is “Korean clothes”), which is a traditional attire worn during special celebrations land Seollal, also known as Korean New Year. He is holding a bokjumeoni, a traditional Korean lucky bag used to hod gifts of money.
• Yellow – The Vietnamese doll is wearing a traditional áo dài (literal meaning is “long shirt”) while adorning a matching head piece. Áo dài are worn during special occasions like weddings, engagement events, and Tết (also known as Vietnamese New Year). The doll is holding “Lì xì” which is lucky money given during the new year.
• Red – The Chinese doll is wearing a qipao (Mandarin), also called a cheongsam (Cantonese), which is traditional attire that is worn for Chinese New Year and other special occasions. The doll is holding an eternal fortune tassel, which symbolizes a long and happy life.

Overview

There are so many things to see, do, and eat during the Lunar New Year celebration at the Disneyland Resorts. It is definitely an event I look forward to every year. What are your favorite things to do during the festival?