Disney California Adventure Park celebrated its milestone 20th anniversary in February, and while the Anaheim theme park initially represented California’s geography (featuring sites such as the Redwoods and the Pacific Coast), it now also highlights the diverse cultures and communities that call the Golden State home.
Carmen Smith, vice president of creative development and inclusive strategies at Walt Disney Imagineering, has said that Disney has a responsibility to ensure that the experiences they create and the stories they share reflect the voices and perspectives of the world around us. That responsibility is reflected in the company’s films and television shows, but also extends to experiences at Disney theme parks.
"We create experiences that make people feel welcomed, seen and heard, and let them know that their stories are important," Smith said.
We do many different cultural celebrations at Disney California Adventure Park, and it's always been really important for us to make sure that they’re inclusive and welcome everyone.
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Recent announcements about reimagined attractions at Disneyland have certainly gotten a lot of attention, but for the last several years, the resort has actively embraced California’s diverse population by expanding cultural representation through California Adventure’s annual festivals and seasonal events, including Plaza de la Familia during the Halloween season (taking place now through Nov. 2, 2021), the Festival of Holidays (Nov. 12, 2021, to Jan. 9, 2022) and the park’s Lunar New Year celebration, which has not yet been confirmed for 2022, but typically takes place in mid-January to mid-February.
In addition, the popular Disney California Food and Wine Festival (usually in the spring) originally showcased California crops such as avocados, strawberries and citrus, but now also features dishes that highlight the state’s diverse cultural flavors, including dishes such as black garlic soy-braised pork belly banh mi and tortilla-crusted fried guacamole with carne asada.
"We do many different cultural celebrations at Disney California Adventure Park, and it's always been really important for us to make sure that they’re inclusive and welcome everyone," said Susana Tubert, creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering. “It really creates a layered, multigenerational and multicultural experience."
Plaza de la Familia
Introduced in 2017 to incorporate Dia de los Muertos and the Disney-Pixar film “Coco” into California Adventure’s Halloween offerings, the immersive Mexican-inspired plaza created by Tubert and her team is a place where guests can come together to eat, listen to music and participate in interactive cultural activities.
“The stage [in Plaza de la Familia] incorporates lyrics from one of the songs in [‘Coco’] – ‘Music is my language, and the world is mi familia,’” Tubert said. “And I feel like that really captures the essence of all our cultural celebrations at Disneyland, which is to be culturally authentic and uniquely Disney.”
Plaza de la Familia celebrates the spirit of Dia de los Muertos.
Credit: 2021 Joshua Sudock/Disneyland ResortBrief Spanish and English descriptions in the plaza further enhance inclusion by giving context to guests' experiences and explaining the roots of Dia de los Muertos traditions such as the Memory Wall and the Mexican Arbol de la Vida (Tree of Life).
“We are being engaged in this cultural experience,” said Princeton Parker, Disneyland food and beverage stage manager. “And as someone who didn’t grow up with the Day of the Dead, I appreciate the opportunity to not just step into this world, but learn about it.”
Festival of Holidays
In 2016, Disneyland added the Festival of Holidays to its winter celebrations; however, rather than showcasing global flavors, California’s counterpart to Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays celebrates the traditional food, music and traditions of Christmas/Navidad, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Three Kings Day.
Festival of Holidays celebrates the holiday traditions of California’s diverse cultures.
Credit: 2021 Scott Brinegar/Disneyland Resort“Festival of Holidays is an uplifting, uniquely Disney celebration,” Tubert said. “From vibrant live entertainment to the Festive Foods Marketplace, character experiences and crafts, this immersive and heartwarming festival highlights the wonderful cultural diversity of Southern California.”
The festival allows guests to enjoy holiday foods they know and love, but also provides opportunities to sample dishes they may not be familiar with. After all, says Jimmy Weita, chef de cuisine for Disneyland Resort, there’s no better way to celebrate different cultures and holiday traditions than with great food.
Lunar New Year
First held at California Adventure in 2013, the Lunar New Year festival celebrates Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean cultures through Asian-inspired foods, entertainment and crafts.
The highlight of the Lunar New Year festival is a processional featuring Mulan and Mushu.
Credit: 2021 Disneyland Resort“We get to bring another level of storytelling to life through Lunar New Year,” said John State, culinary director at Disneyland. “This festival challenges our culinary team to understand more about culture, traditions and flavors.”
The highlight of the Lunar New Year celebration is a processional featuring traditional dancers, drummers and martial artists, along with Mulan (plus her dragon sidekick, Mushu) and Disney characters representing the current year of the Chinese Zodiac. Most recently, for 2020’s Year of the Mouse celebration, Mickey and Minnie appeared in spectacular embroidered costumes created by award-winning Chinese couture designer Guo Pei.
“When I was designing for Mickey and Minnie, I thought about Chinese colors and symbols that would best express joy in Chinese culture… so, the designs are filled with happiness,” Pei said.
The Details
Disney California Adventure Park
