The Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival starts this Friday, and will run until April 12th. There are dozens of offerings from food and drink booths, as well as tasting and demonstration seminars. Today, the booths opened for soft openings, with a look into the menus offered. About half of the items were from last year’s festival, and there are plenty of new items and booths as well. I’ve already found a number of items that I can’t wait to try! Here are some things you should know about the festival before you go!
Food Booths
If you attended last year’s festival, you’ll notice that some of the same booths have returned this year, with some new additions. I personally am excited for the Avocado Time and Strawberry Patch Booths. You’ll note that a couple have moved over to the Hollywood Land area, with the Brewhouse in the old beverage corner by Monster’s Inc.
Beverage Tastings
I personally didn’t know until the other day how many wine, beer, and spirit tastings are offered over the course of the next 6 weeks. Every day, at the Sonoma Terrace, beverage industry professionals will guide guests through different tastings and give notes and pairings. There are dozens of tastings to choose from on the Disneyland site. Tastings are $20 a person, and I recommend booking in advance. Guests must be 21 and up. You can register here.
Winemaker and Brewmaster Dinners
These dinners are limited and will be held in Napa Rose, Steakhouse 55, and Carthay Circle. They range from $150+, pre tax and gratuity, but include a multi-course meal and beer or wine pairings. Brewmasters and Sommeliers, or Winery Directors will be on hand to assist with pairings and beverage history for the companies represented. Those remaining Dinners can be booked online, and only guests 21 and up may register.
Celebrity and VIP Culinary Demonstration Experiences
During the Food and Wine Festival, guests may also get to see their favorite celebrity chefs in action in one of many culinary experiences. The Hyperion Theater will host Chefs Guy Fieri (March 9th) and Robert Irvine (March 30th), where they will share stories and cook, giving guests an opportunity to see them in action and sample some of their food. These are each $99 before tax and gratuity. Only for guests 21 and up.
Over at Paradise Park on the Palisades Stage, numerous other chefs will be giving demonstrations (weekends only). These are short demonstrations, but guests who purchase the VIP tickets will receive seating, a tasting of the chef’s dish, and a meet and greet with the chef after the presentation. These are each $30 before tax. I recommend going to the Disneyland website for the full list of experiences to book. There are so many opportunities to choose from, and I feel as though most people probably don’t know there are over 100 to choose from over the course of the festival.
Merchandise and More!
The merchandise has not been released, but will be sold at the Festival Cart out front of Sonoma Terrace, and two other locations in Hollywood Land: Festival Gifts or The Studio Store. The AP Corner is also being offered this year at the soundstage by Monster’s Inc, where it was last year. It’s unknown if they will offer the Sip and Savor pass again this year, but I hope they do as it really is a great value if you plan on trying multiple items over the duration of the festival. I would venture a guess that there will be AP exclusive merchandise as well. Five bands will be rotating at the Paradise Gardens Stage, including Five Got Rhythym, Lala Brass, Island Reggae Band, The Tina Aldana Band, and Adelaide Tropical. For the kiddos, Goofy has a show called “Jr. Chef,” while Chip and Dale are stirring up trouble in “Jammin’ Chefs,” a fun show not to be missed! Disney California Adventure is going to be a fun place to be for the next six weeks with everything that’s offered.
Menus
Stay tuned to DAPs Magic for more updates on this year’s festival!
What are you most looking forward to trying?
Until next time,
Caitlyn
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