Disneyland has the winter holidays down to a science, but that won’t stop the Anaheim theme park from adding a few new festive surprises to this year’s lineup of tried and true traditions from Nov. 15 through Jan. 6.
St. Nick will set up shop in a new location at the Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland for cookie decorating, craft making and storytelling. The jolly old elf will also be back again for photos at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and each of Disney’s three hotels. And if that’s not enough, Santa will ride his sleigh in the finale of A Christmas Fantasy parade at Disneyland.
The new Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail will take place throughout Downtown Disney from Nov. 22 through Jan. 1. Treasure hunt maps and stickers will be sold for $10 at select shops in Downtown Disney and the Disney hotels. Completed maps can be redeemed for a collectible holiday keepsake.
Storytellers Cafe in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel will offer the new Mickey’s Holiday Pajama Party meal with Disney characters dressed in pajama outfits while you feast on holiday-themed breakfast and brunch dishes starting on Nov. 19.
To kick off the winter holiday season, Disneyland will be opening the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure water ride — you’ll get wet! — in the rethemed Bayou Country land on Nov. 15.
Holiday decor will fill the Disneyland resort with a 60-foot-tall Christmas tree on Main Street U.S.A., massive gingerbread houses at all three Disney hotels and seasonal decor throughout the parks and Downtown Disney.
Main Street U.S.A. is lit up for the holidays during Disney Merriest Nites at Disneyland in Anaheim in 2021. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
The “Believe … In Holiday Magic” fireworks show with “snoap” returns to Disneyland, while Disney California Adventure will see the return of the “World of Color — Season of Light” water show.
Holiday ride overlays will return on It’s a Small World, Haunted Mansion, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Rollickin Roadsters.
Expect plenty of holiday food and drinks at the Disney Festival of Holidays and Disney Viva Navidad food festivals. And if you have any money left, seasonal merchandise will fill the shops in the parks, hotels and Downtown Disney.
Barbecue returns
Disneyland fans of pork spareribs, beef brisket, pulled pork and sausage links have reason to celebrate with the return of Southern-style barbecue to the Anaheim theme park for the first time in nearly a decade.
I sampled the menu at the new Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree during the revamped eatery’s soft opening late last month. The new Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree brings a thematic, musical and menu overhaul to the Hungry Bear restaurant in the rethemed Bayou Country area of the park near Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
I’m a barbecue junkie, so the revamped Hungry Bear was destined to become a go-to spot for me from the moment it was announced. My great hope is that the new place eventually lives up to its promise.
Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree at Disneyland. (Photo by Brady MacDonald/Orange County Register/SCNG)
Disneyland has been without a true BBQ joint since Big Thunder Ranch closed in 2016 to make room for Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. Now they’re serving up Sparkling Strawberry-Pickle Lemonade ($7.29), Southern-style Banana Pudding ($7.29) and a Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter ($21.49) with two house-smoked meats, including pork spareribs that were the star of the show. Skip the other meat options and just order the double ribs. The combo includes baked beans, house slaw, white bread and terrific bread and butter pickles.
Vegetarians and omnivores alike will love the Corn Ribs Plate ($14.99) served with chile-lime aioli, crispy onions, house slaw and beer-battered fries. The Disneyland chefs slice corn on the cob lengthwise into strips, a clever presentation that lets you eat corn like you do ribs and toss away the “bones” when you’re done. Skip the ketchup for those fries, and go for the trio of bold and delicious barbecue sauces instead.
A spellbound bar
Also new: Disneylanders searching for a hideaway to exchange a true love’s kiss with their Princess Aurora or Prince Phillip will find a new romantic lounge in the Disneyland Hotel redesigned with the help of the good fairies Flora, Fauna and Merryweather.
The new Broken Spell Lounge in the Disneyland Hotel lobby. (Courtesy of Disneyland)
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The Broken Spell Lounge in the Disneyland Hotel lobby will be open daily from 4 p.m. to midnight
The “enchanted woods” setting of the Broken Spell Lounge decor draws inspiration from Disney’s 1959 “Sleeping Beauty” animated film. The menu ranges from charcuterie pizza ($24) and Wagyu cheeseburger ($26) to a New York Strip steak frites ($42) and molten chocolate cake ($15), with a full bar and whiskey flights ($26-$68).
The space was previously occupied by Steakhouse 55, which permanently closed in 2021. It spent the next years as the hotel’s indistinct “Lobby Lounge” before the latest transformation into a romantic nightcap spot.
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