It’s the Year of the Rooster and Disneyland Resort is welcoming the Lunar New Year with a very magical celebration at Disney California Adventure Park. Through February 5, Guests can celebrate this joyous occasion as part of a 17-day celebration which includes live performances and entertainment, a special opening addition of ‘Hurry Home” to “World of Color“, beautiful, festive decor, Disney characters dressed in their own Lunar New Year costumes, special cultural activities, and exquisite Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese food offerings.lunar-new-year-2I was invited to attend a very special preview of the Lunar New Year Celebration at Disney California Adventure Park and was absolutely amazed at this bigger-than-ever celebration planned for the Year of the Rooster. Lunar New Year is traditionally celebrated within Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese cultures and commemorates the moment when both the sun and the moon begin their journey for another year.lunar-new-year-3In Disney California Adventure Park you’ll find such beautiful, festive decorations in honor of the “Year of the Rooster”, including whimsical red and gold ornamental lanterns and the 12 zodiac animals, with a Disney twist, of course. lunar-new-year-lanternParadise Gardens has been completely transformed into a magical setting for the Lunar New Year Celebration this year and you’ll find banners wishing guests a “Happy Lunar New Year” in English, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese.lunar-new-year-decorDuring the Lunar New Year Celebration, there are artisans that will teach children to make paper lanterns they can take home. Chinese artisans are also on hand doing calligraphy demonstrations for guests, as well as free face painting.lunar-new-year-bannerThere are also special character appearances in Disney California Adventure Park. You can find Mulan and Mushu, Chip n’ Dale, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse, all dressed up in their Lunar New Year attire. There’s also a beautiful photo location for guests to take photos with the characters.lunar-new-year-mulan-and-mushuYou’ll want to make sure to save time for a visit to see the Lucky Wishing Wall.  Guests may add their own wishes to the wall for a wonderful future. It’s a beautiful display to admire and contribute towards. lunar-new-year-wishesSpecial Entertainment
The entertainment that Disney has arranged this year for the Lunar New Year Celebration is spectacular. Here are some of the highlights:

  • The Acrobats of China – Watch this award-winning troupe from China perform an exciting mix of traditional and classic Chinese dance with human performance art including riveting feats of strength, grace, and balance. This cultural art form has been thrilling audiences for more than 2,500 years! 
  • Live musical performances – Disney has arranged an array of authentic performers for the Lunar New Year Celebration including Chinese concert musician Jie Ma, who performs on the traditional pipa string instrument, and Dat Nguyen, a Vietnamese concert guitarist, composer, and teacher. lunar-new-year-entertainment
  • “Hurry Home – Lunar New Year Celebration” – Each night, prior to the regular “World of Color”, there’s a new feature called “Hurry Home – Lunar New Year Celebration” that is a very special 6-minute feature that’s presented in sequences. Using projected animation along with lighting, special effects, and powerful fountains of “World of Color”, the story unfolds and takes guests on a journey of a Little Lantern who encounters 3 dream sequences. Viewers can expect to see appearances by Mulan and Mushu in the performance. The story is scored with music created for the opening ceremony of Shanghai Disney Resort. It’s a beautiful addition to the already breathtaking “World of Color” and should not be missed during it’s limited engagement at Disney California Adventure Park.
  • “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession” – Mulan and everyone’s favorite dragon, Mushu, welcome “The Year of the Rooster” in this beautiful, colorful procession of Chinese umbrella dancers and a variety of other delightful performers who arrive to music from Disney’s beloved animated film “Mulan”. 

lunar-new-year-dancingLunar New Year Celebration Special Food Offerings
There are so many wonderful and special food offerings available for guests to try during the Lunar New Year Celebration, which are inspired by the cultures of China, Korea, and Vietnam. korea-marketplaceGuests will find a variety of authentic dishes at three locations within the Lunar New Year Marketplace from:

  • China – Pork Soup Dumplings and Turnip Cakes with Spicy Sausage
  • Korea – Kimchi Fried Rice and Steamed Vegetable Dumplings 
  • Vietnam – Sticky Rice Cake with Pork and Sugar Cane Shrimp Skewerturnip-cakebeef-short-rib

Additional Lunar New Year menu items are available at Paradise Garden Grill including Vegetable Japchae, Kalbi Beef Short Ribs with Steamed Rice, Whole Crispy Tilapia with Citrus Chile Vinaigrette, Beef Pho Noodle Soup, Mango Pudding, and Cassava Coconut Cake. beef-phoLunar New Year merchandise is also available in the park during the celebration. There’s a specially designed t-shirt, a collectable pin, a decorative trinket box, and traditional red envelopes for gift giving.red-envelopeThere are so many highlights to this year’s Lunar New Year Celebration at Disneyland Resort for Guests to experience during their visit to the Park. Have you been yet? Don’t forget to take advantage of the SoCal Residents Discount Ticket offer, too.me-with-mulan-and-mushu

I was invited to a media preview event as a guest of Disneyland Resort, in order to write this post. All opinions are 100% my own.