The Lunar New Year festival has officially kicked off at Disney California Adventure (and it’s an AMAZING time)!
While we’ve taken you with us to spot the cutest festival merch and try all the eats at Prosperity Bao & Bun, Red Dragon Spice Traders, Lucky 8 Lantern, and Longevity Noodle Co. (on top of giving you Mobile Order tips and tricks), we’re here to tell you about all things ENTERTAINMENT!
And, the “Year of the Rat” is definitely the time to celebrate with our favorite characters, returning shows, and even a few interactive spots! So, what are you waiting for?? Let’s ring in the new year!
Shows, Parades, and Entertainment
Since Lunar New Year brings together Vietnamese, Korean, and Chinese culture, it’s no surprise that our favorite savior of China makes an appearance at the festival in Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession!
Mulan is joined by other Disney characters like Mushu (her best friend obvi)…
…Chip, Dale, Goofy…
…and even Mickey and Minnie in their festival attire (hey, is Mickey lookin’ at us! HI MICKEY!!)!
You can also spot a Chinese dragon puppet…
…dancers…
…drummers, and MORE in Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession too!
Although the parade has appeared in the past, we love the beauty and elegance that it showcases as it travels from Pixar Pier to Paradise Gardens Park daily at 11:45 AM, 1 PM, 2:45 PM, and 4 PM.
We hope that all of our favorite characters (and you!) have a year filled with prosperity!
Just like Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession, the Hurry Home – Lunar New Year Celebration is back again this year as the festival nighttime water show!
Hurry Home runs alongside the first showing of the World of Color each night to tell the story of ‘Little Lantern’ as he journeys home to celebrate the new year.
Mulan and Mushu join in to guide Little Lantern to his family, all while bonding over a beautiful friendship.
Although the story is heartwarming, the score for Hurry Home is BEAUTIFUL, since it was originally created for the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Disney Resort!
Plus, how can you pass up all those stunning fountains and lights?!
Throughout the day during the festival, you’ll be able to find authentic Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese dancers and musicians. One of the ensembles for this year’s festival is the Melody of China with their mix of classical, folk and contemporary music!
You can go listen for yourself during the day at 12:15 PM, 1:25 PM, 2:20 PM, 3:35 PM, 4:35 PM, and 5:35 PM at the Paradise Garden Bandstand!
Character Meet & Greets
While you’re in Disney California Adventure, you can meet classic characters in their Lunar New Year attire like Mulan, Pluto…
…and Mickey and Minnie (make sure to bow back since it’s a sign of respect)!
Plus, you can even find rare characters like The Three Little Pigs with the character meet-and-greet spot located in Paradise Gardens.
Crafts and Activities
While the grown-ups make their way around the park for all the eats and treats, the kiddos can participate in plenty of kid-friendly crafts and activities! After they’ve purchased what Lunar New Year Face Painting design they’d like…
…they can also figure out what year they were born in (We just happen to be the Year of the Ox, Mouse…er, Rat, and more over here at DFB!).
And, since it’s Lunar New Year, you can make your own wish for 2020 at the returning interactive “Lucky Wishing Wall.”
All you have to do is write your wish on a tag, tie it to the wall, and hope it comes true (it’s as simple as faith, trust, and pixie dust!).
What did you wish for this year?
You can check out everything we found at Lunar New Year here!
We think that Lunar New Year is one of the BEST ways to kick off 2020, don’t you??
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Check out our Disneyland Food Reviews Here!!
Heather Sievers is DisneyFoodBlog’s Dining in Disneyland columnist! Check out more of her adventures at @DininginDisney on Instagram!
Are you going to check out the Lunar New Year festival at Disney California Adventure? Let us know in the comments below!
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