Disneyland Resort invites guests to make new holiday memories
The holiday season is in full swing at the Disneyland Resort, and this year there are a few new gifts to unwrap as the Anaheim parks add new experiences to the traditions guests have come to expect.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, formerly Splash Mountain, officially opened on Nov. 15. The water-based attraction has been closed since May 2023 in order to transition the ride and the surrounding area from a “Song of the South” theme to focus instead on Disney’s 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog.”
“Disneyland is very fortunate to have a New Orleans Square; we are the only park that has that,” said Kim Irvine, executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering.
Tiana’s Palace restaurant opened last summer in the space that was formerly the French Market restaurant. The building, Irvine said, was the inspiration for Tiana’s Palace in the movie.
“You can tell that very clearly from the architecture, and we enhanced it by putting the smokestacks and wheelhouse on top and then creating an interior that was Tiana’s dream come true of having a palace restaurant,” said Irvine.
The reimagined ride features Tiana and other memorable characters from the movie, like alligator friend Louis with an original story that invites riders to help Tiana find a band for her Mardi Gras soiree. The ride includes new arrangements of songs from the movie by musician Terence Blanchard, like “Gonna Take You There,” “Down in New Orleans” and a new song, “Special Spice,” written, produced and performed by Grammy-award winner PJ Morton with vocals by Anika Noni Rose. And of course, there is still the 50-foot drop.
Critter Country has transitioned to Bayou Country making it more of an extension of New Orleans Square with new retail shops, like Ray’s Berets and Louis’ Critter Club. Eudora’s Chic Boutique is inspired by Tiana’s dressmaker mother and sells home goods and decor as well as sauces and seasonings.
Irvine said the Imagineering team worked hard on the changes, and he referenced Walt Disney’s philosophy that Disneyland would never be complete.
“Disneyland is such a sacred place to a lot of people, and it has a lot of memories. It is hard to figure out how to enhance things and make things better without destroying those memories,” said Irvine. “But Walt very much wanted to have a park where he could keep adding things and changing things.”
That careful balance of making room for new memories is also implemented at Disney California Adventure. The park welcomes the return of Festival of Holidays, which celebrates the diverse traditions of the season.
Now through Jan. 6, guests can visit the Festive Food Marketplace for a taste of the holidays in the form of seasonal food and beverage offerings. Favorites from years past, like braised pork belly adobo with garlic rice and barbacoa tamal de res with Oaxaca cheese and tomatillo salsa are back, but there are new dishes to try too.
A festive yule log filled with chocolate chip cookie dough and covered with chocolate buttercream or the Mickey-shaped sticky toffee pudding macaron stuffed with vanilla buttercream, date cake and salted toffee sauce go beyond traditional Christmas cookies. The turkey croissant muffin slider imagines your Thanksgiving dinner in savory cupcake form, topped with cranberry marmalade. Scannable Sip and Savor passes are available in four- or eight-coupon versions, redeemable for select food and nonalcoholic beverages in the Festive Food Marketplace.
There is also new live entertainment. The ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party returns but is only featured on Saturdays and Sundays this year, opening up room for new acts. “Mirabel’s Gifts of the Season” is a new presentation, showing multiple times Monday through Friday afternoons in Paradise Gardens Park.
“It is a daytime storytelling show with songs,” said Tobi Longo, show director with Disney Live Entertainment.
The show features Mirabel from Disney’s 2021 animated feature “Encanto” along with her sisters and other characters as they decorate the Christmas tree and celebrate their special gifts.
Over on Buena Vista Street at Carthay Circle, Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland joins Miguel from Pixar’s “Coco” for multiple showings Monday through Friday nights of “A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel!”
“I took the inspiration from the Mexican tradition of Las Posadas,” said Longo, who is also the director of the new show.
Typically Las Posadas celebrations commemorate the journey Mary and Joseph made searching for lodging in Bethlehem, signified with a procession of lanterns or candles. The Disney version features folklorico dancers and mariachi musicians performing bilingual holiday carols.
“We have our own in-house mariachi group that joins us and for a sing-a-long street show,” said Longo. “We bring children up at the end and we give them candles to sing ‘Silent Night.’”
Downtown Disney gets in on the holiday magic to go with a new “snow” moment happening each night in the outdoor dining and entertainment area. A sprinkling of “snow” is a signature part of Disneyland’s “Believe ... In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular, but this year guests don’t need to have a park ticket to see snow in the forecast.
“That will happen evenings as a surprise and delight in the Splitsville Luxury Lanes area,” said Disneyland cast member, Arielle Harris. “It is a nice big open area, and you’ll have a great view of it.”
The holiday season runs through Jan. 6 at the Disneyland Resort, giving guests plenty of time to visit the parks for a chance to make new holiday memories.
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