Guide to Lunar New Year 2024 at California Adventure

Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure is a celebration of Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese traditions that occurs in January and February 2024. It’s the first big event of the year at Disneyland Resort, and in this post, we’ll share tips & info for visiting, plus photos from the annual event.

The 2024 Lunar New Year celebration at Disney California Adventure rings in the Year of the Wood Dragon in the Chinese zodiac calendar and the Year of the Dragon (regular, non-wood edition) in the Vietnamese zodiac calendar. The Chinese zodiac calendar plays a significant role in shaping the traditions, holidays, and foods enjoyed in Asian communities all over the globe.

Disneyland Resort has not yet announced dates for the 2024 Lunar New Year at DCA. Last year, the event ran from January 20 to February 15. Our expectation is that the date range is pretty comparable to that, once again starting the Friday after the Martin Luther King Day holiday and ending before Presidents’ Day or Ski Week crowds arrive in full force.

That would mean that this year’s Lunar New Year celebration starts on January 19, 2024. As for when it’ll end, the most logical date would be February 14, 2024–but we could see that changing by a day or two in either direction. At latest, it’ll likely wrap up by February 16, 2024.

For now, here are details about last year’s even for the Year of the Rabbit and Cat. During this limited time event, you’ll be able to partake in a joyous cultural celebration with a touch of Disney magic, featuring Asian-inspired food and drinks, vibrant décor, keepsake merchandise, rare characters, exciting entertainment, and more…

Lunar New Year celebrates the celestial journey of the sun and the moon on their voyage toward another year. Disneyland Resort’s special festival invites you to make memories with your family and friends while sharing wishes for good health, luck and prosperity throughout the year to come.

Culturally, Lunar New Year is a multi-day annual tradition that is the customary time to reflect on the past and step into a new life of hope, prosperity, and happiness. Much like ¡Viva Navidad!, which is like an event straight out of circa-1982 EPCOT Center, Happy Lunar New Year also combines authentic culture with Disney fun.

It’s a great little celebration, and really makes me wish that Disney went through with its plan for a series of “Small World Celebrations” that began several years ago with Opa! A Greek Celebration. Perhaps now that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is open, DCA will start offering some counter-programming to draw locals away from Disneyland.

The Lunar New Year entertainment is great. There’s an educational component that feels inspired by actual Lunar New Year celebrations. This provides guests an authentic slice of culture alongside the fun of the Mulan processional and special character meet and greets.

Thankfully, it’s not simply characters from Mulan and Mickey Mouse in traditional Lunar New Year garb–there’s actual substance to this.

For Lunar New Year, Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession is once again a cavalcade rather than a small processional with a show stop in front of Paradise Garden. The procession will be extended throughout all of Disney California Adventure along the parade route from Paradise Gardens through Hollywood Land.

Second, the culinary landscape will expand, with the addition of two new Lunar New Year marketplaces: Bamboo Blessings and Wrapped with Love. They will join the returning marketplaces, including Lucky 8 Lantern, Prosperity Bao & Buns, Red Spice Traders, and Longevity Noodle Co.

“Hurry Home – Lunar New Year Celebration” also returns, presented prior to “World of Color.”

This heartwarming nighttime water show tells the tale of a little lantern’s quest to reunite with family for the annual celebration of good luck and fortune. During the celebration, you can check the Disneyland app for showtimes.

Last year, Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession debuted a gorgeous new float with Mulan, Mushu, Goofy, and traditional Chinese drummers. Decorated in red and gold to symbolize good fortune and happiness, the float features bright bunches of red firecrackers with golden tassels, and delicate red and gold lanterns that come aglow for after-sunset performances.

My favorite viewing spot–and where I shot these photos–is near Prosperity Bao & Buns, with Mickey’s Fun Wheel (or whatever they’re calling it now) in the background.

lunar-new-year-dancers-disney

The costumes are stunning in the processions. If you can go to a late afternoon show, do that, as the light hitting the performers makes for some really nice photos.

There are a ton of performers in the Mulan procession–probably about 20-30.

We’d also recommend catching the last procession of the day, as it occurs after dark and the lanterns on the floats are illuminated.

Given this and the high quality of the performances, I’m surprised Disney doesn’t try to extend the Lunar New Year celebration a bit longer. It’s a really nice draw, probably not that expensive to put on, and is really popular with guests.

Additionally, the Paradise Garden Bandstand presents daily live performances featuring enchanting traditional musical instruments, along with Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese folk dancers. The San Francisco-based musical group Melody of China performs a fusion of Chinese folk, classical and contemporary instrumentals.

Sonoma Terrace presents exciting live entertainment during Lunar New Year. Featured are Chinese music ensemble Melody of China, Korean-American a cappella group Vocal Seoul, and a variety of community performing groups.

Of course, character meet & greets are part of the event, which is a nice touch for families. Enjoy special appearances by Disney characters at the Paradise Gardens Gazebo, where you may spot Tigger, Mulan and Mushu, Mickey and Minnie, and the Three Little Pigs–all dressed in their festive finery.

On top of that, the titular character from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ film Raya and the Last Dragon, returns to Disneyland Resort during the Lunar New Year celebration. Under a forest canopy deep in the heart of Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, you may encounter the heroic Raya.

As noted above, the Lunar New Year festivities ring in the Year of the Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac calendar and the Year of the Cat in the Vietnamese zodiac calendar. For this occasion, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and his sweetheart Ortensia the (Lucky?) Cat join
the Lunar New Year!

This marks Ortensia’s debut at Disneyland, and for the occasion both Oswald the Rabbit and Ortensia the Cat are dressed in special outfits paying tribute to these cultural celebrations. (Expect long lines as Disneyland fans love rare characters–especially ones appearing for the first time who also have historical ties to Walt!)

While in Paradise Gardens, head over to the Lucky Wishes Wall to share your own special wishes of hope, health and happiness.

There’s also complimentary arts and crafts, including dragon’s pearl coloring craft and Chinese calligraphy with local artisans. Plus, new face painting opportunities have been added to the celebration, available for purchase.

lunar-new-year-disney-california-adventure-236

The best part about Lunar New Year at DCA is that it doesn’t feel like it’s simply a ruse to sell some expensive event merchandise and overpriced menu items to locals (although that’s part of the equation). There’s a genuine effort to make this an enriching and entertaining experience for guests, and this is exactly the kind of thing that belongs in EPCOT.

There are lots of cool decorations up around Paradise Garden.

It may not seem like it from the photos here, but there’s a lot to see outside of the procession.

In addition to this, there’s other live entertainment on the band stand stage that you can enjoy while eating, plus stations where guests can get their faces painted, art stations for kids, and several spots set up with educational info about Lunar New Year in the various cultures that celebrate it.

Even though it’s the winter “off-season” at Disneyland Resort, Lunar New Year will still draw crowds. Expect that to hold true for the duration of the event. The food booths are especially busy, as are the meet & greets, which routinely have hour-plus lines.

On the plus side, you can grab a last minute spot for the cavalcade and have a great view. Same goes for the entertainment in Paradise Garden, which is a relatively uncrowded area of Disney California Adventure.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the food being served up at DCA’s Lunar New Year festivities…

Lunar New Year Food Menus

One of the highlights of Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure is the marketplaces, serving a variety of Asian-inspired dishes prepared with a Disney twist. These include Longevity Noodle Co., Lucky 8 Lantern, Prosperity Bao & Buns, and Red Dragon Spice Traders.

These food booths are the same stands used for DCA’s Food & Wine Festival and its Festival of Holidays. While Lunar New Year’s culinary component is not as fleshed out as those events, it’s starting to expand and come into its own. We’ve already tried several dishes from the last two incarnations of the event, and have generally liked what we’ve tried.

Note that due to there being so few food booths, the lines can get long. We recommend rope dropping the marketplaces, ordering as close to 10:30 am as possible. From what we’ve seen, Longevity Noodle Co. has the longest lines, with guests stretching back through the World of Color seating area throughout the day for this marketplace. Prioritize this one.

Alternatively, you can place orders at a single marketplace, and then go to the pickup lines at other booths from there. Those return lines can still be lengthy, but you’ll save a good amount of time this way (assuming Disney doesn’t “disable” the multi-booth ordering, which does happen from time to time).

For the best value in your epicurean adventure, we recommend buying the Sip & Savor Pass. This provides six vouchers, redeemable for food and nonalcoholic beverages at Lunar New Year Marketplace kiosks and other select dining locations.

We usually make a pass of the marketplaces before redeeming any vouchers, making note of the items that are most expensive out of pocket, and thus offer the best bang for buck with the Sip & Savor Pass. A good rule of thumb is paying for the desserts out of pocket and using the Sip & Savor Pass on the more ambitious savory snacks.

Longevity Noodle Co. Food Menu:

  • Garlic Noodles: Long noodles tossed in zesty garlic butter with parmesan
  • Spicy Pork DanDan Noodles: Pan-fried noodles with ground pork and spicy tri-chile sauce
  • Raspberry Oat Milk Tea: Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. Ceylon Tea, raspberry and demerara syrups, and oat milk garnished with skewered raspberries (New) 
  • Lotus Flower Glow Cube

Lucky 8 Lantern Menu:

  • Quesabirria Eggroll with Guajillo pepper consommé filled with Oaxaca cheese, beef birria, and a side of guajillo pepper consommé (New)
  • Mandarin Mousse Cake: Layers of mandarin mousse with vanilla cake and clementine compote finished with white chocolate crunch balls and a tangerine glaze (New) 
  • Coconut-Lavender Matcha Foam Iced Coffee: Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. French Bistro Blend, coconut milk, coconut cream, and white chocolate sauce garnished with lavender matcha, coconut foam, sea salt, and purple sanding sugar (Non-alcoholic) (New) 
  • Lotus Flower Glow Cube

Bamboo Blessings Menu:

  • Mickey Mouse-shaped Hot Dog Bun: Brioche-style Mickey Mouse-shaped buns stuffed with hot dog and finished with sesame seeds and scallions
  • Mickey Mouse-shaped Purple Sweet Potato Macaron: Red macaron filled with purple sweet potato buttercream and a crème fraîche center
  • Young Master Brewery Pale Ale with mandarin and bergamot zest
  • Four Sons Lunar New Year IPA
  • Master Gao Brewery Baby Jasmine Tea Lager
  • Three Weavers Brewing Co. Moon Rabbit: Golden stout with vanilla and Vietnamese cinnamon (New)
  • Stereo Brewing Co. Gingerine: Ginger wheat ale with tangerine, honey, and lemon juice (New)
  • Brewery X Green Tea Rice Lager (New)
  • Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Black Rice Ale (New)
  • Tsingtao Premium Lager (New)
  • Tsingtao topped with a frozen mango beer foam (New)
  • Lucky Flight: Tsingtao, Young Master Brewery, Stereo Brewing Co., and Three Weavers Brewing Co. (New)
  • Prosperity Flight: Four Sons Brewing Co., Master Gao Brewery, Brewery X, and Anderson Valley Brewing Co. (New)
  • Lotus Flower Glow Cube

Prosperity Bao & Buns Menu:

  • Pepperoni Pizza Bao Bun served with marinara (New)
  • Char Siu BBQ Pork Bao with pickled red onion and jalapeño
  • Peach Yuja-Ade: Yuja-lemongrass purée, dragon fruit and peach syrups, lemon juice, and butterfly pea flower tea garnished with a lemon wheel (Non-alcoholic)
  • Soju Peach Yuja Ade: Soju, yuja-lemongrass purée, dragon fruit and peach syrups, lemon juice, and butterfly pea flower tea garnished with a lemon wheel
  • Lychee Celebration: Gin, prosecco, lychee syrup, yuja-lemongrass purée, and grapefruit juice garnished with an edible purple orchid
  • Lotus Flower Glow Cube

Red Dragon Spice Traders Menu:

  • Gochujang Elote: Steamed corn on the cob rolled in gochujang aїoli and cotija cheese drizzled with spicy gochujang sauce (New)
  • Red Spice Fried Chicken Bites: Fried chicken chicharrones in spicy red chile sauce (New) 
  • Guava Whiskey Cocktail: Whiskey, ginger liqueur, guava nectar, coconut cream, and lime juice garnished with a lime wheel (New) 
  • Dancing Firecracker: Pineapple and lime juices, guava nectar, spicy honey, and house-made hibiscus syrup garnished with a lime wheel (New) 
  • Lotus Flower Glow Cube

Wrapped With Love Menu: 

  • Pork and Shrimp Wontons with a black garlic sauce (New) 
  • Bok Choy & Mushroom Dumplings with a black garlic sauce (New) (Plant-based item)
  • Pineapple Baijiu Cocktail: Dark Rum, baijiu, Allspice Dram, pineapple and orange juices, and falernum syrup garnished with a dried red pineapple chip (New) 
  • Grapefruit-Melon Wine Cocktail: Sauvignon blanc, grapefruit liqueur, watermelon purée, rock melon syrup, and lime juice garnished with skewered grapes (New) 
  • Lotus Flower Glow Cube

Paradise Garden Grill Menu:

  • Kimchi Bokkeumbap: Kimchi, potato, carrot, and onion fried rice with egg and Korean chili paste topped with crispy sweet and sour tofu and black sesame seeds (New) (Plant-based Item) 
  • Shrimp Lo Mein: Lo mein noodles tossed with shrimp, mushrooms, onions, carrots, and bok choy (New) 
  • Dak Bulgogi: Korean BBQ chicken served with rice and kimchi
  • Bánh Mì: Grilled pork belly with pickled carrots, cucumbers, daikon, and jalapeños with a spicy mayo
  • Sweet and Sour Whole Fish served with steamed rice and stir-fried vegetables (served family-style for two) (New) 
  • Tiger Milk Tea with BobaBam Brown Sugar Boba (Non-alcoholic) (New) 
  • Hite Beer
  • Blackberry Soju Cocktail: Soju, blackberry purée, and lemon juice with a hint of ginger (New) 
  • Lotus Flower Glow Cube

Lamplight Lounge Menu:

  • Surf & Turf Fried Rice: Five Spice-rubbed New York steak, sautéed shrimp, fried rice, ginger pea purée, and chile oil topped with a carrot salad (New) 
  • Sesame Seed Donuts: Donuts topped with sesame seed brittle and served with a kaya jam dipping sauce (New) 
  • Three Weavers Brewing Co. Seafarer Kolsch-style (New)
  • Lamplight Lounge Lunar New Year Cocktail: Han Soju, Aperitivo Aperol, carrot and orange juices, and cream of coconut garnished with a raspberry and mint (New) 

Lamplight Lounge – Boardwalk Dining Menu:

  • Pork Dumplings with Chinese broccoli, roasted mushrooms, Fresno chiles, and fried shallots (New)
  • Lamplight Lounge Lunar New Year Cocktail: Han Soju, Aperitivo Aperol, carrot and orange juices, and cream of coconut garnished with a raspberry and mint (New) 

As shown above, Paradise Garden Grill has a special menu for Lunar New Year, and a few other options can be found at the Festival Food and Beverage Cart.

Our favorite tends to be Paradise Garden Grill, as it serves full meals that are ambitious and delightful. One of our favorite “traditions” during the event is joining Guy Selga of TouringPlans.com to devour the Whole Fried Fish, which tastes so much better than it looks. I’m also a big fan of the Bánh Mì, if you want something a bit more…conventional.

Overall, Happy Lunar New Year is an event that’s well worth experiencing if you’re a Disneyland local, really into cultural experiences, or are thinking of an early-year Disneyland Resort vacation. We were really impressed by the overall quality of Happy Lunar New Year, and ended up spending about half the day over in Paradise Garden enjoying it. It seemed very popular with other guests, and we’ve never seen Paradise Garden this busy–it’s even busier during this than during Viva Navidad.

As an added bonus, January and February are generally great months to visit (if you don’t mind some refurbishments) as the crowds are at their lowest points of the year, and “winter” in Southern California has air quotes around it for a reason. The event itself is a very high quality little offering you could spend a couple of hours experiencing, and is a nice gesture for locals and those who want something new or unique. For most people, it isn’t going to be something around which a trip should be planned, but considering that it’s only running for 4 days, it’s excellent.

Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!

Your Thoughts

Excited to meet Oswald the Lucky Rabbit or Ortensia the Cat for the first time during the 2024 Lunar New Year festivities at DCA? Anything on the food booths look good to you? Does Lunar New Year Celebration look like a classic “edutainment” experience, or does it look uninteresting to you? If you have been, what do you think of Happy Lunar New Year? Any tips to add? Hearing from you is half the fun, so if you have additional thoughts or questions, please share them in the comments!

6 Responses to “Guide to Lunar New Year 2024 at California Adventure”
  1. John January 29, 2023
  2. Melody January 24, 2023
  3. Melh January 23, 2023
  4. Huskerpaul January 21, 2023
  5. Amber Thomas January 25, 2019
  6. Tom Bricker March 2, 2015

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