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A joyful celebration is sure to be had by all as the holidays at Disneyland have officially come back to the “Happiest place on Earth.” From November 15, 2024 – January 6, 2025, more than 60,000 guests are expected to walk through the theme parks’ gates, which includes Disney California Adventure.
It’s been 69 years since Walt Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California. His career as a commercial artist in Illinois fueled his passion for animation and the introduction of his “anthropomorphic” character Mickey Mouse, whose upbeat personality and signature black ears, has built a cult following around the world.
Over the years, Disneyland has continued to cater to millions of guests each year with experiences that celebrate the magic and adventure of its characters brought to life through its movies, especially around the holidays.
Holidays at Disneyland on Full Display in the Downtown Disney District
Introduced in 2001, the Downtown Disney District is a main attraction in itself of Disneyland. With no admission to either theme park required, you can easily spend the day walking, dining, shopping and being entertained.
“It’s really helped place ourselves as a multi-day destination,” says an executive during a recent preview of this year’s holidays in Disneyland. “So for the last few years, we have been putting a big investment into Downtown Disney to evolve it and grow it.”
The district, which locals also frequent, is ideally surrounded by Disney’s three hotels (Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand California Hotel & Spa and Pixar Place Hotel) and two theme parks. Food offerings are plentiful, offering variety from world-class dining to burgers and fries, gourmet sandwiches, Mexican, Korean, Caribbean, desserts and, of course, candy, including Disney’s Wonderful World of Sweets.
Disney shops are stocked and ready for shopping with this year’s holiday merchandise that goes beyond the infamous Mickey Mouse ears. “We have five collections to kick off the holidays this year, available all the way through the season until January 6,” shares Rachel Moran, a media event spokesperson at Disneyland.
“We have our Mickey Mouse Family Collection, that is the iconic Christmas colors you expect to see when you come to Disneyland. Because we love the soft texture, especially for the holiday season, we have a whole Disney Snowman Collection. Everything is soft, everything is well-textured,” she says, giving collection examples that also include the Disney California Adventure Park Festival of Holidays. This collection aims to celebrate customs and cultures that take place worldwide in addition to Christmas, such as Diwali, Hanukkah and Kwanza.
Disney memorabilia is not the only merchandise taking up space in the Disney Downtown District. Grab forgotten makeup at Sephora, your favorite soccer player’s jersey at Pelé Soccer and for Marvel fans, the Avengers Reserve shop set to open December 6 will feature a striking 9-foot Hulk sculpture smashing through the wall.
Nights during the holidays at Disneyland can be a little brisk, but when there is entertainment involved to keep you moving and warm, all the better. Be sure to check out the main stage area close to Disneyland Resort and the restaurant Din Tai Fung for nightly acts performing cover song hits ranging from Bob Marley to the 80s group Berlin.
To sum it up, with 30-plus family-friendly offerings in the area, “It’s a fun retail shopping district for you to enjoy.”
Going Down Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
If there is one reason to experience the holidays in Disneyland this year, it’s the opening of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The water ride replacing the theme park’s Splash Mountain in Frontierland expands the story of Disney’s “Princess and the Frog,” first released in theaters in 2009, which was closely mirrored after the life of one of New Orleans’ most treasured chefs, Leah Chase.
The ride takes you on an adventure back to 1927 as Princess Tiana prepares to host a Mardi Gras celebration in honor of her business, Tiana’s Foods. As guests ride through the water-filled celebration, they will be introduced to 19 new critter characters playing zydeco and also see some familiar faces, such as Mama Odie and Louis the Alligator. The ride’s anticipated finale includes a fun 50-foot descent through water before rolling into Tiana’s soiree as the adventure ends and you decide to do it all over again.
GRAMMY® Award-winning musician Terence Blanchard arranged and produced music for the queue, including new renditions of “Gonna Take You There,” “Down in New Orleans” and more. The newest song, “Special Spice,” was written and produced by GRAMMY® Award-winning musician PJ Morton with vocals by Anika Noni Rose, especially for the attraction.
Opening day on November 15, 2024, comes four years after conception plans for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure began. “It was an incredible, magical journey from day one,” shares Sherita Carter, Disney’s first African American woman executive producer of Walt Disney Imagineering. “There was so much excitement when we found out we would be bringing Tiana to Magic Kingdom and Disneyland. The call I got to be the producer and to lead the team, I cried that day and I just really felt like, you know what, this is what I am designed for. This is why I have been at Imagineering. Let’s do this!”
Video: Get a preview of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
She continues, “From day one, I knew that this would be something very special, that it was going to be something bigger than us. Those of us who were doing it felt the significance from day one and really wanted to deliver.”
Similar to research done for the movie, Carter and her team set out to do a deep dive into Southern culture to bring authenticity once again to Tiana’s expanded storyline, this time as the owner of Tiana’s Foods. “I think it was really special for me and the team to have that direct connection with the Chase family, Leah Chase being one of the inspirations, and then her daughter (Stella Chase) who was able to relay Leah to us in a way that felt like we knew Leah. And that gave us so much insight as we were crafting our story about Tiana,” says the North Carolina native whose multidisciplinary background includes creative, finance and accounting.
Video: Watch special Jazz of New Orleans water show at Disneyland
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure not only expands Princess Tiana’s storyline by introducing new critters, adventures, and songs, but visitors will also get a chance to show love for the new theme attraction through merchandise.
New Orleans artist Sharika Mahdi’s work caught the attention of the Disney Imagineering team, who later reached out for concept sketches, with one making its debut on the first Tiana Bayou’s Adventure merchandise collection featuring a shirt, journal, coasters and postcards. “I was just excited to do the sketches. They gave me a lot of creative freedom, basically take what they liked about my work and just reimaged and reinterpreted some of the themes based on the movie,” she says.
Video: See Sharika Madhi and her painting featured on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure merchandise
Mahdi’s style encompasses lines, color, and movement, signature attributes that attracted the Disney team. “I am very excited and I am also humbled because I put in my good work. I put in my effort and this is what happens,” she says about the opportunity for Tiana’s fans to see her authentic work shine through the merchandise line.
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And the Bayou Adventure Continues
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Bayou Country is joined by other new additions that are quickly bringing more excitement to Tiana’s continued storyline. Louis’ Critter Club is the go-to place to shop Tiana apparel, plushes and ears to home décor and Ray’s Berets brings guests into the cozy cabin home of firefly Raymond and his kin for an assortment of headwear, accessories and toys.
Head to New Orleans Square, originally opened in 1966 (it would also be the last expansion Walt Disney touched), to shop at Eudora’s Chic Boutique featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets, inspired by her mother who is dressmaker, along with home goods, accessories, sauces and seasonings before grabbing a bite to eat at restaurants to include Tiana’s Palace, Cafe Orleans, Royal Street Veranda, Blue Bayou, Mint Julep Bar and Harbour Gallery.
Everyone looking to taste Tiana’s food in an imaginary way can enjoy lunch or dinner at Tiana’s Palace, a quick-service restaurant opened in 2023 serving New Orleans-inspired dishes such as hearty gumbo and specialty beignets for lunch and dinner. The restaurant takes inspiration from the film for the interior, with a large mural of the bayou and references to Tiana’s story.
At the head of all food and beverage offerings in New Orleans Square is Lindell Skinner. The 23-year veteran who started his Disney career at Disneyworld in Florida oversees a 900-plus person team charged with feeding thousands of enthusiastic guests daily.
“We’re always going to try to tell authentic stories when it comes to New Orleans Square. I was born and raised in New Orleans, so I have some familiarity, just a little bit, with the cuisine,” he says jokingly. “That was something that was really important to me when I got to the location (New Orleans Square), is thinking about every aspect of the cuisine and every location and making sure every location has an identity.” Liddell says he is working to accomplish this goal over the next three years.
“We did research. We had chefs go down to New Orleans and really understand the cuisine, meet with locals in the community, and try different food throughout New Orleans so that when we came back to California and started having those conversations and started the menu planning, it was a little bit easier for me to start talking about the why behind gumbo file vs. a regular style of spice.
When asked about the response of Disney guests to the food experiences created to transport their palettes to Crescent City, he says there was an adjustment period. However, they are now becoming more familiar with the menus and dishes, and Tiana’s story has helped to inspire their curiosity.
Spreading Holiday Cheer at Disney California Adventure
No visit to Disneyland is ever complete without a visit to Disney California Adventure, which opened the same year as the Downtown Disney District in 2001. Carrying a different vibe than its sister theme park across the way, head into Cars Land inspired by the 2006 Disney movie, Avengers Campus and Grizzly Peak before taking in the lights, camera and action in Hollywood Land among some of the attractions.
Rollercoasters, shopping, entertainment and more await all who pass through the gates. As you celebrate the holidays at Disneyland, be sure to save time to join in on the Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure, which includes the park’s Festival Food Marketplaces, seven in total, offering tasty small bites throughout the park. Purchase the Sip and Savor Pass that can be redeemed for four or eight digital passes for food and non-alcoholic drinks inspired by the season.
From savory al pastor & pineapple sliders, Korean fried chicken sliders and BBQ pork cornbread muffin served with cole slaw to Mickey-shaped gingerbread cookies and jelly donut fruit punch, it is recommended to pace yourself throughout the day as the selections for this holiday season are beyond yummy.
And finally, holidays are not the holidays without music and songs to carry us through the season. This year’s celebration guide is your ticket to catching multicultural performances from November 15, 2024 – January 6, 2025, at the Carthay Circle, Paradise Gardens Bandstand and Hollywood Land.
The holidays at Disneyland are indeed unlike any other place during this time of year. Having experienced a preview for myself for the first time, I can genuinely see why individuals and families from around the state, country and world find joy in the magic Walt Disney imagined in 1955. And as the company continues his legacy when thinking about what’s next, they do so keeping this quote by him in mind, “Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.”
Your visit to Disneyland is calling. Visit the website to access planning guides, information about Disney hotels, performances, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, purchase tickets and more.
