Disney celebrated Lunar New Year with all of Mickey’s friends who live at California Adventure Park every year. This year’s event, from Jan. 23 through Feb. 18, included food venders, traditional decorations, and activities for all ages to love and enjoy. I had the wonderful opportunity to see what exactly Disney had to offer for the Lunar New Year celebration. 

Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession was the first thing to see. The procession is a way of celebrating family honor, strong friendships and the hope for a successful new year. The procession began with dancers in dresses that resembled magnolias, the flower Mulan’s father gave her for courage, as well as ribbon dancers who manipulated red ribbons in twirls and frills in a beautiful art style. 

After the enchantment of the flowers, we were awed by the massive Chinese dragon puppet operated by 10 people who leaped and danced throughout Disney’s Hollywood Land. Then, Mulan made her grand appearance dressed in her traditional Disney princess attire along with Mushu and Chip ’n Dale. 

Chip ’n Dale showed their pride by holding bright red lanterns dressed in hanfus, which are high collared fitted two-piece genderless traditional Han Chinese outfits. The wonderful sighting of beloved characters who celebrate a month of wishes and celebration with their friends was a real inspiration to explore different communities and their celebrations. 

Food is a major way the Asian community celebrates the Lunar New Year. In the Paradise Gardens Park at California Adventures, vendors offered Asian-inspired dishes from Korea, Vietnam and China. 

I tried a BBQ pork bun with kimchi mayo and a garlic chile crunch. The food was savory and spicy which fulfilled my appetite for the next experience of the day. I purchased a Sip and Savor Pass for $46, which included six redeemable coupons for select foods and beverages with participating vendors. While I didn’t get to experience all the wonderful food, I still had wonderful memories through the experience of a pork bun.

After chowing down a wonderful lunch, there were so many activities for all age groups to experience. Throughout the park, children could stop by art tables that offered coloring pages and puppets of Chinese dragons. They could also meet with Disney’s Asian characters including “Turning Red’s” Mei Lee; Raya and Mulan. 

While children ran around hoping for autographs and pictures with their favorite characters, I decided to see what was offered for an older audience. The event had live music and dance performances from different Asian countries including Melody of China, a Chinese chamber ensemble, and Vocal Seoul, a Korean a cappella group.