Disneyland’s Festival of Holidays food might be its best year ever

One of the things that makes the holiday season at Disneyland so exciting — and so busy — is that so many things are different in the parks this time of year. Rides like Haunted Mansion and It’s a Small World get holiday overlays that make them totally unique experiences. Every surface is covered in festive decorations and nearly a million lights, including the castle. If you’re not convinced, consider this fact: During the special holiday fireworks show, it snows (well, it snoaps) on Main Street. 

But the one thing that I consistently look forward to — spoiler alert, it’s not the $20 candy cane I spent five hours getting last year — is the new slate of seasonal foods that happen during Disney California Adventure Park’s Festival of Holidays, a globally inspired street party with elements of Christmas, Hanukkah, Navidad, Diwali, Kwanzaa and Three Kings Day that started in 2016. There’s a special “World of Color — Season of Light” nighttime show, and performances throughout the day, like the Holiday Toy Drummers, the Mostly Kosher band and the Blue13 Dance Company. Santa is available for holiday photos in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, and the ¡Viva Navidad! street party has mariachi musicians and folklorico dancers.

A huge part of the party is the Festive Foods Marketplace: There are pop-up kitchens in kiosks on main thoroughfares throughout the park, serving tasting portions of foods inspired by all six of the holidays. It’s always exciting to see what the new offerings will be, and if my past favorites, like the Impossible Chorizo Queso Fundido, will come back.

The offerings have been reduced this year: Some of the kiosks that had two or three food items in 2022 only have one or two. But for the first year ever, I can say that I truly enjoyed everything I tried. 

The Impossible Chicken Curry Bites from Making Spirits Bright is a new dish this year, and an example of how Disneyland is pushing the needle forward with its plant-based offerings. The Indian-inspired green curry sauce on the plant-based chicken packed so much savory, herby flavor that I couldn’t stop eating it, even though I knew I had a long list of things I wanted to try. Same with the new Togarashi Karaage Chicken Slider, topped with a peppery slaw, at Winter Sliderland. Before I knew it, the whole thing was gone. 

The Barbacoa Tamal de Res, a beef and cheese tamale new this year at Grandma’s Recipes, was spicy and delicious. The Esquites Carnitas Mac & Cheese, topped with street-style corn and carnitas pulled pork from Holiday Duets, was rich and decadent. Once I was ready for a break, I ordered a Churro Ale from Brews & Bites, which had gingerbread, butterscotch and churro-toffee flavors and a topper of frozen beer. Think of it like a pumpkin spice ale’s December cousin: sweet, seasonal and imminently sippable. 

But the Festival of Holidays foods extend beyond just the pop-up kitchens. Nearly every sit-down and quick service restaurant has seasonal food and beverage offerings. On my quest, I tried Kielbasa with Pierogi from Smokejumpers Grill, new this year, which paired the spicy sausage and crispy potato dumpling with sauteed peppers and a generous pinch of fresh dill. Later that night, once I had given myself plenty of time to digest, I sat down at Lamplight Lounge, which is serving a Holiday Special Duck Confit with celeriac purée, cherry gastrique, rutabaga and an arugula citrus salad. It was easily the best dish I’ve ever had at that restaurant. 

But I wasn’t done. My perennial favorite during the Disneyland holiday season is a simple, nostalgic sweet: the peppermint soft serve from Cozy Cone Motel in Cars Land. It might only be a cone of minty ice cream with a sprinkle of festive decorations, but it’s a tradition I will never miss.