Lunar New Year Celebration at the Disneyland Resort

Updated January 25, 2024

The Disneyland Resort knows how to throw a party and Lunar New Year doesn’t disappoint.

This festival keeps getting better and better.

And, there’s a lot to know about it.

Let’s get started.

Basic Scoop

The Lunar New Year Celebration takes place at California Adventure, which is the park adjacent to Disneyland Park.

You will need a theme park ticket to get into the park, but the celebration is part of your day and includes no additional cost. Food, drinks and merchandise are available for purchase.

This event runs from January 23 to February 18, 2024.

Highlights Include:

  • Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession – with a gorgeous new float that debuted in 2022
  • Unique holiday entertainment
  • Special appearances by popular Disney Characters dressed in colorful event costumes (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Mulan and Mushu, Meilin Lee and Ming Lee, and Raya)
  • Delicious Asian food
  • Commemorative merchandise
  • Kid-friendly crafts and activities – complimentary!
  • Chinese calligraphy demonstrations
  • Festive décor and more

Food

Disney shares all about your food options at this link.

There are some really talented chefs working on this festival. Plan to indulge in some yummy dishes during your day at DCA.

Sip and Savor Pass

The Sip and Savor pass is a great way to sample a bit of everything offered at a reasonable cost.

You’ll receive 6 coupons on a commemorative lanyard, which will allow you to grab 6 dishes/drinks (non-alcoholic) at participating food booths within the celebration including:

  • Longevity Noodle Co.
  • Lucky 8 Lantern
  • Prosperity Bao & Buns
  • Red Dragon Spice Traders
  • Bamboo Blessings (new!)
  • Wrapped with Love (new!)

Purchase your Sip and Savor pass at:

  • Sip and Savor Carts
  • Seaside Souvenirs (Pixar Pier)
  • Lunar New Year Marketplaces
  • Lunar New Year Merchandise Hub (near Ariel’s Undersea Adventure)

Recently added to the Disneyland Resort festival protocol: You may purchase seasonal food items for any of the four “marketplace” booths that border the parade route at ANY of the four booths.

Meaning, you won’t have to stand in line at each. When paying at one booth, you’ll be given a voucher to retrieve your food at the other booths, too. One line for all four booths! Love this.

Those marketplace booths include:

  • Longevity Noodle Co.
  • Lucky 8 Lantern
  • Prosperity Bao & Buns
  • Red Dragon Spice Traders

Sip and Savor tabs entitle you to ‘tasting size portions’……not full entrees.

Costs include:

  • $46 for all park guests
  • $43 for Magic Key Holders

Entertainment

Mulan’s New Year Lunar Procession is the highlight of entertainment options during this celebration. 2022 included a new float! It;s back again and features Asian drummers plus red and gold lanterns that glow in after-sunset performances.

Most days include the following showtimes for Mulan’s New Year Lunar Processional:

  • 12:45pm
  • 2:30pm
  • 5:00pm
  • 6:45pm

Check the Disneyland app for these times during your visit just in case times change. This processional lasts about 20 minutes. Arrive 10 minutes prior to showtime to grab a spot for viewing.

Set up on the ground along the path between Goofy’s Sky School and Silly Symphony Swings for your best view. I prefer to sit across from Bayside Brews to avoid the sun. Visit this link for a peek at the procession from a previous year including where I sit for it as well as what your view will be from my spot.

The procession, overall, will travel from Pixar Pier to Hollywood Land.

After the procession goes by, look for local musicians at the Paradise Gardens Bandstand. Consider having an adult find a place to sit and settle in the bandstand area while another parent grabs a spot in line to see characters at the adjacent gazebo.

This is a great place to take a break during your visit. There are restrooms nearby, good food at Paradise Garden Grill, and then also pizza/pasta at Boardwalk Pizza if you’re looking for another option for dining.

Characters

Be on the look out for these guys during the festival:

  • Mickey
  • Minnie
  • Mulan
  • Mushu
  • Meilin Lee
  • Ming Lee
  • Raya

Find them in the big gazebo in Paradise Gardens, which is the area located just beyond Goofy’s Sky School.

To get there, walk past Ariel’s Undersea Adventure and follow the path to where you see the big Lunar New Year sign welcoming you to this event location.

For specific character meet and greet times, check the free Disneyland app under “Characters”. If characters are not listed, ask a cast member for details.

Note: If you see that a character is currently greeting guests and a long line has formed, know that you may not see that specific character by the time you arrive at the gazebo. But, another will take his or her place. Cast members do a great job of keeping guests informed about the timing of everyone.

For lots of tips on characters at the Disneyland Resort, visit this post.

Raya

What a treat it was to have Raya join the fun last year.

Want to meet Raya? She’s set up in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. The area is gorgeous. Don’t miss it. If you can, check out this spot during the day and after dark, as it’s impressive at both times.

Check the app to make sure, but she’s usually on site from around 2-7pm each day.

You may stand in line to meet Raya and take a photo with her. But, the line is long pretty much all the time since Raya is fairly new to us. If you don’t care to stand in line, there’s an option to walk by the character experience. This will allow you to see her and snap photos from a slight distance, but with no wait! (My choice every time.)

Free Activities

Paradise Gardens is really the hub of all children’s activities during this celebration. You’ll find lots to do in this area – beyond meeting characters – including the Lucky Wishing Wall.

Another great area for free activities is in front of Ariel’s Undersea Adventures.

So much free and fun stuff to do!

How to Fit the Festival Into Your Day at DCA

As with any day at the Disneyland Resort, I recommend you arrive an hour prior to official park opening. Focus on attractions as soon as you arrive and then enjoy the Lunar New Year Celebration in the afternoon.

If you follow my tips and strategies, you should not have to wait more than 20 minutes for any attraction at California Adventure. You’ll also very likely have every attraction in the park complete by around lunch time.

This post shares exactly how to make that happen.

Once you’re finished with attractions, head over to the Lunar New Year Celebration to get started on all it has to offer.

Magic Key Holders

Head on over to the area under Silly Symphony Swings to enjoy a Magic Key perk during the festival.

After showing your Magic Key, you may pose for a picture at the exclusive Magic Key photo op.

Notes

  • With guests learning Disney Genie as they go through the park…while encountering all the fun at this festival…it can get a little chaotic. It’s a lot of ‘new’ all at once. To see and do all this park and festival have to offer, I encourage you to get organized before visiting. Use my tips and strategies to move through attractions efficiently so you can focus on the Lunar New Year celebration. This post explains everything.
  • Questions? Leave me a comment. If I don’t have the info you’re looking for, I’ll find out who does.
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10 thoughts on “Lunar New Year Celebration at the Disneyland Resort

  1. Great article, Casey! Do you know what time the sip and savor kiosks open? Trying to strategize my day. We will begin the day in DCA, doing the festival in the afternoon.
    TYSM!
    Year 7, or 8 of using your strategies and advice. Is that right??? Wouldn’t do Disneyland without you.

    1. That’s right! In my 10th year now ?

      What a kind thing to say. Thank you.

      Kiosks typically open at 11am, but I would check around 10am. Occasionally they open a few early.

      Have so much fun!

  2. We’re going to be at Disneyland Feb 14 and 15 and DCA the 16th. What do you think the odds of are Raya still being around since it’s a day after the official festival ends?

  3. Just FYI, the best spot for viewing isn’t goofy sky school. The procession starts near there but you’ll miss the whole show with dancing and music etc if you don’t go to viewing area across from little Mermaid. It’s best to grab a spot there 20 min for standing or 30 if you really want a bench.

    1. Hi, Erin.

      That’s definitely an option, but for families with young children, it will be difficult to see it all without a long wait prior to showtime – especially as the festival continues and more guests show up to watch. It’s no fun waiting a long time in the sun for such.

      My recommendation is the area I mentioned across from Bayside Brews to avoid the sun and crowds.

  4. Planning a trip for my boyfriend and I, I’d like to make sure to catch the Lunar New Year festivities. If our first day is 2/17 do you think we can see everything? Or will it be busy from everyone wanting to see the last day?

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