Why Families Should Experience Disney's Lunar New Year Celebration

For families, travel is an invaluable way to teach kids about the world around them and the richness of other cultures. But I’m not quite ready to tackle a trip to Vietnam, China or Korea with my 4.5 year old — yet. 

Fortunately, we only had to drive an hour from our house in Los Angeles to visit an especially festive Lunar New Year celebration at Disney California Adventure Park, which kicked off on Friday Jan. 23 and runs through Feb. 22.  

Because the 31-day celebration anchored the holiday’s tastes, sounds and costumes in something beloved by my daughter — Disney characters and stories — there was instant buy-in. In other words, attending Disney’s Year of the Horse celebration was experiential learning at its finest with help from parade star Mulan, “host” Horace Horsecollar and more.

California Adventure has held these celebrations for more than a decade, making them a mainstay of its programming. While some visitors travel from around the world to attend, it’s really an homage to local Asian communities. 

“It’s a thrill, because these festivals showcase what our communities and heritages are in Southern California,” said Juan Aldava, a spokesperson for Disneyland Resort. “It’s a perfect fit for California Adventure.” 

Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession and On-Theme Characters

I found the most meaningful moments at Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, which began with dancers in red and gold holding up a red dragon in the air. We had seen a similar dragon days before, so this cemented my daughter’s understanding of how Lunar New Year dragons are not scary villains, but rather a positive symbol of strength, luck and prosperity. 

She watched, mouth agape, as beautifully dressed women did traditional dances with umbrellas, silks and other props. When I asked her what she took away about Lunar New Year, I wasn’t surprised when she said, “They dress up in pretty costumes.” 

Dressed up herself in gold as Belle, my daughter traded in her crown to wear the limited-edition red plush Lunar New Year-themed Mickey ears and ogled a new purse and other merch on sale. She looked right at home when embraced by Donald and Daisy, clad in Chinese hanfu. 

Spotting the dressed-up characters was a shared thrill for us. This year, Minnie and Mickey are sporting new Korean hanbok, while Clarabelle and Goofy are wearing Vietnamese ao dai. Making his Lunar New Year debut, Red Panda Mei from Pixar Animation Studios’ “Turning Red” meets guests at Pixar Pier Band Shell.

In addition to the costumes and merch, we also loved seeing artisans produce Chinese calligraphy customized to our own Zodiac and chosen phrases. My daughter was born in the Year of the Ox, so she watched as the artist drew the creature and her choice of “happy.” 

Disney California Adventure’s Lunar New Year Food

The No. 1 way most folks will experience this holiday celebration is through food. Disney launched 35 new beverage and food options throughout the park, including Japchae noodles with kalbi short rib, spicy pork-belly grilled cheese and tteokbokki rice cakes with gochujang sauce and cheese. Along the Mulan parade trail, there are six pop-up marketplaces that exclusively offer Asian food and alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, all available through the Sip and Savor Pass, which offers great value for six items.  

My daughter is still in a picky-eating phase, so we didn’t sample some of the most popular items on offer, such as the returning quesabirria eggroll, but we did thoroughly enjoy two Mickey-shaped items: the hoisin-glazed hot dog bun and the strawberry-milk-tea macaron. As for me, I was happy to try the crowd-favorite taro Vietnamese cold brew — the taro being a purple cream top — and the plant-based kung pao chicken bao. If I wasn’t driving, I would have absolutely tried the Honeydew Colada, which features rum, melon liqueur, honeydew cream, coconut cream and sweet and sour topped with Disney’s famous Dole Whip slushy.

The other nice thing about the Sip and Savor Pass is that guests can place an order for all six items at once — even if the items are from different kiosks. That significantly cuts the wait time since the lines to order can get long, and the pick-up lines move quickly.

As the day came to an end, my daughter craved pizza. But because we ate at the festive Paradise Gardens Park, where live music and character meetups with Mulan, Mickey and Minnie were all on display, we managed to stay enveloped in the warmth and richness of the holiday. Next time, I hope we last until the evening, so we can catch the "Hurry Home – A Lunar New Year Celebration" pre-show to "World of Color," featuring music by Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun. This year, though, driving home to the Mulan soundtrack made for a perfect ending to our day.