A Walkthrough of the Lunar New Year Celebrations at Disney California Adventure
Happy Year of the Tiger Disney friends! If you’ve been following along with us here at MickeyBlog you’ll know that we are currently celebrating the Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure. Yesterday shared many an article about all of the different sights, sounds, eats and treats that we experienced. Throughout yesterday’s festivities our MickeyBloggers Greg and Elyssa were snapping away and captured some wonderful photos that are perfect at conveying how awesome this seasonal event at Disneyland Resort really is. With that in mind, I thought we’d kick off this morning by giving you a bit of a walking tour!
Disney California Adventure gets a spectacular Lunar New Year makeover.
Red and gold decorations were everywhere with added touches like the lions that greet us! There were also hundreds of beautiful hanging lanterns in beautiful hues of red and gold.
Throughout the festival you’d find really neat displays that talked about the different Lunar New Year traditions. We all know that this year is the Year of the Tiger. But, do you know what animal represented the year you were born!?
This awesome display will walk your through what years are represented by each animal !
Thanks to Disney, I now know that I was born on the Year of the Rabbit!
One of the highlights of a visit to the Lunar New Year fest should be Mulan’s Lunar New Year procession.
During this promenade that happens several times throughout the day, Mulan and her sidekick Mushu celebrate the year of the Tiger with a colorful procession of traditional Chinese fan and ribbon dancers, dragon dangers and more!
Be sure to check out the showtimes during your visit. Yesterday, the performance times for the procession were as follows:
- 1:30 PM
- 2:45 PM
- 4:45 PM
- 5:45 PM
- 7:00 PM
You can find out more about Mulan’s Lunar New Year Promenade here.
The Lunar New Year festivities at Disney California Adventure are a family-friendly event. There are fun activities available including learning to write Chinese Calligraphy, making your own Dragon’s Pearl and more!
Here’s a look at one of the craft kiosks you’ll find throughout the Festival .
Here you could pick up replicas of the traditional Chinese New Year Drums!
One side of the item featured vibrant Lunar New Year colors and branding.
On the other side visitors were encouraged to decorate their own.
The kiosk was sure to inspire tiny imaginations with its traditional and ornate Lunar New Year decorations.
One of the things we missed during our visit were the performances at Paradise Gardens.
Melody of China were giving performances throughout the day!
Showtimes during our visit were as follows:
- 12:45 pm
- 1:55 pm
- 3:15 pm
- 4:15 pm
- 5:15 pm
- 6:15 pm
The seating areas in the Paradise Gardens area was whimsical and wonderful.
There were beautiful decorations throughout like banners and bamboo.
Signage decorated many of the eateries.
They combined with the archway decorations to create a beautiful atmosphere!
The promenade looked simply stunning.
Year of the tiger banners were hung throughout.
There were golden lanterns hanging in each of the archways.
Colorful banners featuring Mickey and friends also decorated the lampposts. We love the one above of Goofy playing the drums.
Here’s another look at the stunning Chinese Guardian Lions.
We were lucky in that the park wasn’t too busy during our visit meaning we had time to relax and really savor the fest.
A visit to the Lunar New Year Fest is also educational. Displays like the one below walk you through how Lunar New Year is celebrated across different cultures.
Below you can see how traditions are celebrated in Korea.
Chinese traditions are outlined below.
As well as the Vietnamese celebration known as TET.
Yesterday one of our writers covered the Wishing Wall. You should definitely check out the article.
This was one of the most beautiful aspects of the festival.
Guests were encouraged to write down their wishes for the new year and attach them to the wall.
Signage throughout the theme park featured a cute little cartoon tiger to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.
You’ll find the tiger image on a lot of the merchandise for this year as well. You can check out some examples here.
Special Lunar Year maps have also been posted on displays throughout the parks.
They’ll take you through where all of the Lunar New Year festivities are located in the park.
The outdoor dining areas all featured special Lunar New Year tablecloths.
The bright colors gave such a magical feel to the whole area.
Don’t they look magnificent with Pixar Pier as a backdrop!
Below you can get a closer look at the Lunar New Year banners featuring the adorable tiger!
As well as ones featuring Mickey serving up a delicious treat.
Be sure to pick up your Sip and Savor pass when you visit to pre-pay for a handful of Lunar New Year eats and treats.
You can find out more about the Sip and Savor passes here.
We also took you through most of the incredible festival merchandise yesterday including some amazing Spirit Jerseys. You can check them out here.
Here’s another example of the maps and event listings you’ll find throughout Disney California Adventure.
There’s a brief rundown about each of the entertainment options which we found really helpful.
A highlight of our visit was definitely the chance to meet some of our favorite characters in their Lunar New Year finery.
You can check out our coverage of the following meet and greets by following the links below:
If you’re visiting between now and February 13, 2022, be sure to pick up a GuideMap when you visit the park.
It will serve as your guide to all of the Lunar New Year festivities as well as the goodies that can be purchased with your Sip and Savor Pass.
We had such a wonderful time at this year’s fest and consider it a highlight of Disneyland’s annual calendar.
If you can’t make it to Disney California Adventure this year to celebrate the Year of the Tiger, there is always next year!
Simply fill out our form below and we’ll let you know when booking opens up for 2023!
As always readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Disney-related news and updates!.
We’ll be coming to you LIVE from the theme parks each and every week!
Didn’t make it to Disney in 2021!? Well we’ve got some fantastic news- Disney Packages are currently available to book through the end of 2022! That gives you plenty of time to plan that magical getaway and I’m here to help.
With new policies and procedures in place during the year ahead, there’s never been a better time to work with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner who can help you navigate through Disney’s new way of doing things! I’ll be on hand to assist with everything from finding that perfect package and getting the best deals to organizing park passes, Disney Genie+ and dining reservations. Best of all- my services are ABSOLUTELY FREE!
Just fill out my form HERE to get your FREE, no-obligation quote. Alternatively, feel free to reach out at mroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook