This weekend I had the pleasure of attending an ongoing event at Disney’s California Adventure, The Lunar New Year Celebration. Each Chinese New Year is characterized by one of 12 animals, which follow the Chinese Zodiac. This year is The Year of The Rooster. The Lunar Celebration at California Adventure celebrates this Chinese tradition with an array of specialty food, performances, and even crafts. The event runs from January 20th to February 5th and is a lot of fun.

The Lunar Celebration was set up in California Adventure spanning from the outside of The Little Mermaid ride, past Goofy’s sky school. The area was a sea of red, and decorated to the max. There were red booths, red Chinese lanterns, and even the Disneyland balloons were all red. I loved that the celebration took you out of the park, and into a new and different area.

One of the most interesting parts of the Lunar Celebration was the large variety of new food options. As a regular park goer, I loved that I got to try items that I have never seen before, and which will not be around for the rest of the year. The food booths each represented a different culture, and had corresponding menu items. There was a Chinese booth, which served dumplings & an egg tart, a Korean booth serving kimchi-fried rice, a dried fruit cake, & banana milk, and a Vietnamese booth, serving Rice cakes with pork & purple macaroons. All the items looked so delicious. I ended up getting a Pork Bao and my friend Dom and I split the kimchi-fried rice. Dom also ordered a banana milk. The Bao was pretty average. I was slightly disappointed, as I love a local Los Angeles Bao place that spoils me with the best-steamed buns around. The kimchi-fried rice was very tasty. It had a lot of spice and flavor. Dom loved her banana milk, comparing it to a banana milkshake.

Apart from the food, the crafts at the Lunar New Years Celebration were drawing big crowds. There was a free face painting booth, calligraphy classes, a paper lantern making booth, and even a wishing wall. The wishing wall was very cute. You could write your wish on a piece of red paper and tie it to the wall among hundred’s of other wishes.

One of my favorite parts of the celebration was seeing one of my favorite Disney characters, Mulan! Mulan made an appearance with her trusty side-kick, Mushu. Mulan isn’t always around the parks, so it was great to see her and the excitement of many children paying her a visit. The entertainment was another added bonus at The Lunar Celebration. Just as we were leaving the area, a big crowd overlooking the water perked my interest. An acrobat show was just beginning and the performers were starting their act. The performance was incredible. The acrobats flipped and jumped through the air, showing of their skill and balance. The choreography was really beautiful, and the crowd was totally silent as they watched the acrobats perform.

Overall, we had a great time exploring the Lunar New Years Celebration. I am looking forward to move events like this over the year.

Unrelated Side Note: This past Saturday I took the plunge and once again purchased a Disneyland Annual Pass. I am so excited to visit the parks over the next year and explore the attractions, dining, events, parades, and shows at The Disneyland Parks! I am hoping to visit the parks at least once a month, so expect a lot of new blogs coming your way!

– Cassie