Competition season has begun on the Disneyland Resort, with the annual Lunar New Yr celebration touchdown at Disney California Journey. Over the previous decade, Disneyland’s Lunar New Yr festivities have swelled from comparatively modest weekend occasions to extravaganzas spanning a number of weeks and overhauling leisure and meals choices on the theme park.
Operating now by means of Feb. 18, the celebration melds traditions from Chinese language, Korean and Vietnamese cultures with the corporate’s acquainted roster of characters. This being the Yr of the Dragon made, as an example, the return of Mulan’s Lunar New Yr Procession a pure match. (The mini-parade incorporates a Chinese language dragon puppet in addition to an look from Mulan and her dragon pal Mushu.)
When you’re planning a visit to the Anaheim theme park over the following few weeks, right here’s what to find time for.
What to eat
The colourful Mandarin orange mousse cake is part of Disney California Journey’s Lunar New Yr meals choices.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Instances)
The centerpiece of California Journey’s Lunar New Yr festivities is the meals, with particular choices that honor, tweak and mash up numerous traditions. These span the theme park’s eating places, the resort’s resorts and a sequence of pop-up meals cubicles all through California Journey, just like what the park provides throughout its Meals & Wine Competition and end-of-the-year vacation occasions, though barely smaller in scale.
On the opening day of the festivities, I sampled as a lot as my abdomen — and my pockets — might take, together with a couple of choices from the six meals paths scattered round the principle promenade of California Journey. I additionally dipped into vacation menus on the park’s Pixar-themed Lamplight Lounge and the Grand Californian’s Hearthstone Lounge.
Highlights from the cubicles included a quesabirria egg roll, which efficiently break up the distinction between an egg roll and a quesadilla due to a hearty heaping of melted cheese, and a Mandarin orange mousse cake, which had a glowing, bulbous look and was extra ethereal than it was fruity.
It’s value noting that the California Journey meals cubicles might be hit or miss. I’ve by no means been actually upset, however I’ve additionally by no means been fully wowed, as these are small bites designed for sampling. The fried lemongrass rooster dumplings I had I discovered a bit missing — the combo of overly crispiness and gumminess contrasted and distracted, leading to an merchandise that felt unseasoned and nondescript. The purple spice good friend rooster bites — although packing a good quantity of warmth — have been skinny on meat, at the very least within the small assortment I used to be served.
Taro Vietnamese-style iced espresso is likely one of the many restricted time food and drinks choices at Disney California Journey’s Lunar New Yr celebrations.
(David Nguyen / Disneyland Resort)
Nonetheless, the 4 choices have been sufficient to work as a makeshift dinner, and I’m desirous to attempt the garlic noodles, a BBQ pork bun and the taro Vietnamese-style iced espresso, the latter of which got here extremely beneficial. The park provides a “Sip and Savor” cross, which sells for $46 and permits for six bites or nonalcoholic drinks. With most dishes and drinks working someplace between $6 and $9, the cross can present a small low cost (the cross is $43 for individuals who have the Magic Key annual cross).
I might, nonetheless, extremely advocate making an attempt to attain a reservation at Lamplight Lounge, or getting on the restaurant’s waitlist whereas on the park. Lamplight already has one of many resort’s greatest dishes — the candy and spicy al pastor pork chop — and in the course of Lunar New Yr is providing a noodle dish with spiced pork stomach.
At $27, it’s on the pricier facet, nevertheless it’s a big dish with seasoned Szechuan sauce and a pleasant mixture of flavors and textures, as carrots, cucumbers and peanuts spherical out the presentation. I had hoped so as to add a dessert of Lunar New Yr milk tea and taro doughnuts, however was just too full. Subsequent time.
What to see
Mulan’s Lunar New Yr Procession returns for Disney California Journey’s Lunar New Yr celebrations.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Instances)
Disney has a wealthy historical past with dragons — Maleficent, Elliott, Figment, the demonic fire-breathing determine from the top of Mr. Toad’s Wild Experience — and whereas part of me hoped the Yr of the Dragon can be a chance to showcase this wealthy tapestry of creatures, the resort has relied on outdated standbys. The aforementioned Mulan’s Lunar New Yr Procession has returned, and it offers Mushu, the reddish-orange dragon from the animated movie, a starring function within the middle of the small parade.
Extra essential, nonetheless, is the truth that the mini-parade efficiently melds Disney characters with cultural traditions. Varied segments name out folkloric dances and the which means behind differing colours and flowers. Whether or not bearing on martial arts or fan and umbrella dances, the narration does tie all of it again to the character of Mulan, nevertheless it’s good to see Disney’s leisure workforce use the corporate’s characters as a leaping off level into different customs.
Characters Meilin Lee and her mom Ming Lee from “Turning Pink” are assembly company throughout Disney’s Lunar New Yr festivities.
(Disneyland Resort / Christian Thompson)
Likewise, too, the beautiful World of Colour pre-show that’s “Hurry Residence,” a heartwarming story of a lantern on a quest dwelling. It’s one other returning piece of Disney’s Lunar New Yr celebration, and it’s centered round a nostalgic and wistful rating from composer Tan Dun and playful scenes involving Mushu. It has a extra painterly really feel than the principle World of Colour present, lending it a little bit of a private contact.
Lunar New Yr has additionally launched a brand new character meet-and-greet to the park. It’s welcome to see Meilin Lee and her mom Ming Lee from the Pixar movie “Turning Pink” make it into the parks as the 2 lightfully play off mother-daughter dynamics of their quick time with company.
The characters have been met with lengthy traces on the opening day of Lunar New Yr, signal, I hope, for the long-term attraction of “Turning Pink,” a movie that delicately touched on the emotional turmoil of puberty, the insecurities of younger maturity and the complexities of familial relations.
And don’t miss this particular place for reflection
There’s nonetheless extra, as there’s stay sugar artwork and numerous days of Lunar New Yr will spotlight Chinese language and Korean musical traditions (verify the Disneyland web site for particular dates and efficiency occasions). However it’s additionally value spending a second within the Paradise Gardens part of the park, as right here one can discover the Lunar New Yr Wishing Wall. It’s a spot the place one can take a couple of minutes connecting to different company through their hopes and desires for the approaching yr, in addition to write their very own private message.
Smile, cry or write a observe dreaming somewhat goodwill. I’ll be again, wishing for emotional therapeutic within the coming yr. It’s somewhat hidden nook, one which connects that fantasies of a theme park with these of our personal.
