Highlights Along the Way
Family Travel, Treats, Tips, & Traditions

Festival of Holidays at The Disneyland Resort! Get a month FREE when you buy a Disneyland pass!

Disclosure: We attended a media event at Disneyland. Tickets and treats were complimentary for editorial consideration. Opinions are our own.

The holiday season is in full swing at the Disneyland Resort. Every year we look forward to Christmas time at the Disneyland Resort. While we love the holiday merriment we see year after year, we are always excited to see what’s new. Last year the big new addition was Season of the Force, which you can still enjoy at Disneyland!

festival of holidaysThis year Disney has outdone themselves with Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park.

main street holiday picture

Holiday decor is around every corner at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure Park, Resort Hotels, and even Downtown Disney! Giant Christmas trees, garland, festive bows, are everywhere! Each land has it’s holiday themed decor tailored perfectly to fit right in.

grizzly rapids in a Christmas Sweater

You will find Santa in a different location than in years past. Make sure to chat up elves, write your name in Santa’s nice list, and speak with the REAL Santa himself! This new location suits Santa perfectly and I believe guests will love it!

Where to find Santa at Disney California Adventure Park

santas nice list at disneyland

Disney Santa California Adventure Park

festival of holidays banner at Disney California Adventure Park

The Festival of Holidays is brand new for 2016. Throughout Disney California Adventure Park guests can enjoy holiday festivities that inclusively celebrate cultures from all over the world. Celebrations include Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Three Kings Day.

three kings day photo by Disney(photo credit Disney)

Special holiday entertainment is all over the park. While guests can enjoy many of the entertainment, rides, and attractions they can the rest of the year, there are also nine unique shows just for this season. The Festival of Holidays entertainment includes appearances by special Disney characters, street parties, cavalcades, live music, and of course dancing!

mickey cookie holidays

holiday treats at Disneyland

Of course there are food and drink specialties to celebrate the season! One of my favorite parts of a trip to the Disneyland Resort is the food. Just for Festival of Holidays guests can enjoy 14 kiosks with specialty foods, desserts, and drinks. Sample sized portions offer guests the opportunity to taste so many different choices during their visit.

festival of holidays

This glorious little beauty is a Holiday Eggnog Cocktail….. it’s a must!

egg nog disney california adventure park

princess elena disneyland resort

Princess Elena is here!  Fans of Princess Elena will be delighted to see her come to life at the Disneyland Resort. She makes her debut at Disney California Adventure Park as part of the Festival of Holidays. Princess Elena performs in a special cavalcade on a float where she sings and dances. Guests can also meet, greet, and take photos with Disney’s first Latina Princess!

meet princess elena at Disney(photo credit Disney)

Disney ¡Viva Navidad! is not new this year, but I had to mention again. The music, treats, crafts, and photo opportunities are spectacular. The celebration of Three Kings Day (Dia de los Reyes) is  will run January 5-8, 2017, including music and storytelling in Paradise Garden.

viva navidad

And who can leave Disney California Adventure Park without watching World of Color?

world of color season of light

World of Color – Season of Light has been re-imagined once again. World of Color is a magical show that includes water, lasers, fire, Disney movie clips, music, and more. This night time show is extremely popular and often changes. Season of Light will warm your heart with classic holiday music from artists new and old! It is the perfect “kiss goodnight” before leaving Disney for the evening.

disneyland-gift

Amazing Gift Idea Alert!

If you are looking to purchase Disneyland Annual Passports – they have an unheard of deal going on just in time for holiday gift giving. Right now you can get 13 magical months for the price of 12. Disneyland Resort annual passports are a big purchase but come with hundreds of days of Disney magic for an entire year (and with this deal – a little more than an entire year!). New passes must be purchased between November 16, 2016 and February 11, 2017. Prices vary depending on what type of passport you are considering. The free month offer applies to Deluxe, Signature, Signature Plus, and Premier Annual Passports. Keep in mind that a Disneyland Resort Annual Passport also comes with the benefits of dining and merchandise discounts as well. The Disneyland Annual Passport Deal can be purchased online or at any Disneyland Resort ticket booth.

Until Next Time ~ Kate
Categories:  Disney, Disney Parks
  1. Michelle says:

    I love that CA adventure has so much to offer this year. There are some truly unique experiences, which of course is so Disney! That egg nog cocktail looks delish and I love the ornament gift idea. I know some disneyphiles who would go nuts over it.

  2. Elizabeth O. says:

    Everything’s just awesome! I love that they have this festival to keep the kids excited and entertained during the Holidays! It’s definitely worth going to!

  3. kelly reci says:

    I love to visit disneyland with my kids. That is one of our wish. So much fun to do..

  4. Ourfamilyworld says:

    So many exciting activities to do and rides that we love to experience when we visit disneyland.

  5. Disney definitely knows how to do the holidays. They really do think of every last detail to make your time at the park extra special.

  6. victoria says:

    I wish we could go on Disney with my kids. Such a magical place and so much fun

  7. CourtneyLynne says:

    Omg how fun!!! Glad y’all had a blast!! But how could you not have a total blast at Disney lol

  8. We’re planning another trip to Disney next year when my grandson is old enough to appreciate all the magic and fun! I can’t wait for that day to come. Yay! Another chance for the kid in me to surface!

  9. Donna Larson says:

    I love Disneyland so much! The holidays are magical there!

  10. Ryan Horikoshi says:

    We just got back from Disneyland this weekend. I love the park during the holidays! So festive.

  11. Beth says:

    Eggnog! Yum!

  12. Nichole Larrabee says:

    Christmas time is the best at Disneyland!

  13. Devon F says:

    We really need to get out there for the holidays soon! Our latest family tradition of attending Mickey’s Halloween Party makes it hard to return so soon after but man Disney for the Holidays is so so beautiful!!

  14. elizabeth m says:

    Love the ornaments and all the fun holiday stuff at Disney! Thanks

  15. Catheryn Cervantes says:

    Love the festivities at DCA this year, and Elena!

  16. Lori says:

    It’s our favorite time of the year at Disneyland!

  17. […] planning a trip to Disneyland, but even more so during the holidays. We recently enjoyed the Festival of Holidays and spent an evening at The Grand Californian. We are delighted to share the highlights of why a […]

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