Celebrate Chinese New Year at Shanghai Disney Resort from January 15 to February 14, 2025
Shanghai, January 8, 2025 – With the Year of the Snake just around the corner, Shanghai Disney Resort is preparing to celebrate Chinese New Year with a variety of seasonal festivities, brand new themed decorations and exciting experiences! Representing the year’s Zodiac animal, Gary, the snake from the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Zootopia 2, will be featured in Spring Festival decorations to help kick off what promises to be a year filled with fantastic new experiences and offerings, beginning with the legendary Spring Festival. From January 15 to February 14, 2025, the New Year atmosphere will envelop the resort, adding extra special festivities to Disney Winter Frostival. Amongst the snake-themed decorations and Chinese lanterns, guests are invited to enjoy seasonal exclusive shows and entertainment, savor delightful festive treats, and discover extraordinary gifts, helping to create a unique destination for unforgettable reunions during the Year of the Snake and beyond.
Cheer on the Year of the Snake with Gary from Zootopia 2!
In celebration of the Year of the Snake, which symbolizes wisdom and elegance in the Chinese Zodiac, Shanghai Disney Resort is pleased to introduce Gary, the new snake character from the upcoming film Zootopia 2. Guests visiting Shanghai Disneyland, where the world’s first and only Zootopia-themed land is located, will encounter traces of this mysterious reptile among a lineup of Chinese New Year decorations and shows, and embark on a fun-filled journey.
The iconic centerpiece in the Gardens of Imagination is always a hotspot for guests looking to capture precious reunion photos. This Spring Festival, guests will be able to spot Gary as part of the main lantern decoration, creating a special photo opportunity. In the Garden of the Twelve Friends, which will transform into a New Year Wishing Garden, celebratory decorations will hang around the Year of the Snake mosaic, featuring Gary as the center imagery, adding an extra touch of magic to this enchanting area during the upcoming Spring Festival celebrations. And don’t miss out on the special decorations dotted throughout Mickey Avenue featuring unique Gary-themed elements and auspicious Spring Festival details.
As one of the resort’s much-loved nighttime show, Spring Festival Celebration: “Our Families” will illuminate Enchanted Storybook Castle each evening from the eve of the Spring Festival on January 28 through to the Lantern Festival on February 12, featuring projections of Disney families and a special fireworks effect writing the Chinese character for “snake” in the night sky. Gary will also join the majestic celebration with an appearance in the projections – wishing guests a prosperous Year of the Snake filled with luck and fortune.
Jump into the festive spirit with exciting Spring Festival traditions and the return of The Adventure of Rhythm
Alongside the presence of Gary, the festive atmosphere will be felt all around the resort. Lively lanterns themed around various Disney characters and stories will adorn the eaves, while splashes of red and gold will fill the air, embodying the spirit of luck and good fortune throughout the celebration. Guests can also try to spot the many snake elements that are woven through decorations such as the garlands at the park entrance and the stunning centerpiece at Celebration Square, bringing with them the snake’s famed wisdom and prosperity.
It’s not only the décor that’s being updated; the Disney friends are also changing their outfits to look their best for the New Year. Mickey and Friends are hosting a gala where they will play instruments and dance to drive away the “Nian” beast and usher in good luck for the New Year. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are dressing up in festive red outfits emblazoned with dragon and phoenix elements believed to bring prosperity, and snake elements on their shoes to represent this year’s zodiac animal. Auspicious elements can also be found across the outfits of Duffy and Friends, who are getting together to make traditional Chinese paper-cutting decorations. Duffy has a gourd pattern on his chest symbolizing fortune and wealth, while the rest of his friends are wearing clothes decorated with lucky elements like fish, persimmons, butterflies, and Ruyi. Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie the Pooh and his friends are embracing gold and red tones in their outfits too, switching their regular accessories for ones with a distinctive New Year feel.
From January 20 to February 16, 2025, guests can enjoy even more special surprises as the much-loved The Adventure of Rhythm returns to the Storyhouse Stage. Since its opening to all park guests in summer 2024 for a limited time, the thrilling indoor live stage show has taken many guests on an adventurous musical journey around the world, combining different styles of music and live performances with beloved Disney stories and characters, including those rarely seen in the park. Uniquely designed in a way that brings guests new surprises with every show, The Adventure of Rhythm is an unmissable spectacle to enjoy during the New Year celebration.
This Spring Festival, guests can also enjoy many much-loved traditions sprinkled with Disney magic, including the daily Spring Festival Drum Ceremony, Mickey Avenue Shanghai Swing, and Goofy dressed as the God of Fortune, who will again appear on Mickey Avenue to wish guests good fortune in the New Year. Each exciting experience offers a unique blend of tradition mixed with Disney magic, ensuring guests are immersed in the holiday spirit.
Join Nick Wilde, Judy Hopps and more for the Zootopia Lucky Year
For a really wild Spring Festival experience, guests won’t want to miss out on the Zootopia Lucky Year celebrations. Throughout the vibrant mammalian metropolis, Zootopia residents are coming together to lend their hoofs, paws, and claws in a lighthearted celebration of traditional festivities. Lanterns of all shapes and sizes – depicting elephants, rabbits, gazelles – will illuminate the streets, while playful stickers featuring animal-based New Year puns will adorn the windows and doors of the metropolis. Judy and Nick have also jazzed up their outfits with crimson scarves to keep them warm while out on patrol in the cold season.
Guests can also celebrate the Lucky Year with Zootopia residents with a new collection of merchandise. The 2025 Spring Festival Zootopia Collection features keychains, New Year red packets, and other accessories that promise to make wonderful gifting options.
Reimagined Duffy and Friends Celebration Hall to open its doors in Adventure Isle
Beginning from the New Year, guests visiting Shanghai Disneyland will have another reason to celebrate as Tribal Table located in Adventure Isle completes its transformation into Duffy and Friends Celebration Hall. Set to open its doors on January 13, the new space combines Duffy and Friends-themed dining, shopping and entertainment in one destination that celebrates companionship and friendship, sharing those feelings with all guests.
From stunning outdoor and indoor décor to mouthwatering food and beverage selections, along with a diverse range of exciting merchandise, the reimagined destination will immerse everyone in the friendship of Duffy and Friends, while displaying all the fun activities they enjoy on their adventures in a series of gorgeous murals and brought to life with fun decorations. As guests wander through the space, they will witness day transform into night as the decorations change to reflect the different activities enjoyed by the cuddly bear and his friends.
At the heart of the new location is a mural depicting Duffy and Friends gathered round a campfire, serving as the focal point for gatherings and the inspiration for the hall’s themed dishes. The delicious menu includes grilled and barbecued foods, celebration packages, and exclusive souvenirs. The menu also extends the “From Farm to Disney Table” concept, offering a series of monthly-exclusive dishes made with seasonal farm produce sourced from across the country.
Bring the ‘taste’ of Spring Festival to every reunion with festive flavors and gifts
Shanghai Disney Resort makes every New Year reunion unforgettable with a wide selection of auspicious menus and dishes that bring out the traditions of Spring Festival. All across the resort’s restaurants and eateries, guests will find classic dishes brimming with the taste of New Year. Spring Festival family set menus and themed brunch at the Royal Banquet Hall offer a New Year feast fit for princesses and princes. At Shanghai Disneyland Hotel’s Aurora, fine dining is further elevated on the celebration set menu with stencil cuttings of fish and “Fu,” which symbolizes fortune and good luck, adorning the immaculately plated cuisine. Casual snacks and bites are filled with festive touches too, like the Mickey-shaped chocolate pieces that decorate select treats at CookieAnn Bakery Café and the monthly-exclusive ice cream flavors at Donald’s Dine ‘n Delights. Guests can also take the New Year blessings along with them with a selection of prosperous food and beverage souvenirs, including the red and gold, gourd-shaped CookieAnn Hot Cup, and a Duffy and Friends Popcorn Bucket depicting happy scenes of the friends celebrating the Spring Festival in their new outfits.
From sending presents to loved ones to putting on a new outfit to welcome the New Year, there’s a gift for everyone this Spring Festival. Guests looking to add a lucky dash of red to their wardrobes need look no further than the new 2025 Spring Festival Mickey and Friends Collection, which features tons of exciting items decorated with Mickey, Minnie and their friends in traditional Chinese outfits. To complement any New Year look, the 2025 Spring Festival Duffy and Friends Collection features character-themed headwear and a trendy Duffy backpack, as well as Duffy and Friends plushes and plush keychains that can be paired together to create good-luck phrases and blessings by combining the various lucky elements on their outfits. For that perfect Year of the Snake gift, the brand-new 2025 Duffy and Friends Snake Zodiac Collection includes keychains of all seven friends dressed in adorable snake outfits, while the 2025 Spring Festival Winnie the Pooh and Friends Collection features the honey-loving bear and his friends wearing their lucky snake caps. And to bring even more New Year luck, Shanghai Disney Resort will once again offer Spring Festival Lucky Bags filled with exciting offerings. The 2025 Spring Festival Duffy and Friends Collection is set to launch on January 9, 2025, with the details of the other collections being announced at later dates through the resort’s official communications channels.
Celebrate all holiday long with immersive Disneytown and hotel experiences
As part of the celebrations, Disneytown will be packed with shows and activities to immerse guests in the spirit of New Year. At the Spring Festival Market, the sights and flavors of the season will come alive through traditional folk activities and tasty New Year snacks. Guests can further explore these traditions by watching one of the many folk performances or even crafting their own New Year’s decorations at the Spring Festival Lucky Workshop. Elsewhere around Disneytown, countless entertainment options filled with New Year fun are waiting to be discovered.
For those who do not want the festivities to end, a stay at one of the resort’s hotels is the perfect way to extend the reunion. This year, both Shanghai Disneyland Hotel and Toy Story Hotel will be kitted out from head to tail in snake decorations as well as offering a diverse program of special entertainment and activities, making every stay truly magical.
As Shanghai Disney Resort prepares for a magical Year of the Snake, guests are invited to kick off the New Year with cherished reunions and festivities while surrounded by joy, excitement, and imagination during this special holiday.
