Our PB&J Adventure Book

Disney & LNY Magic
The fusion of two amazing things, the Lunar New Year and the happiest place on Earth! This celebration is one that definitely sparks some extra joy on a personal level. I'm part Chinese, my mom is of Chinese descent, so growing up we'd celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year with our loved ones. Getting to see my heritage represented at a Disney Park and done in such a spectacular way was beyond wonderful!

Showing Ben all about the Zodiac animal signs.

Food, Decor and Mulan, oh my!
Whenever Disney puts on a special event, they truly go above and beyond to give you the best experience possible. So it was no surprise to walk into Disney California Adventure Park and not be amazed by their Lunar New Year set up. There's amazing decor all about, festive music, fun activities for the kids like lantern making and face painting. Let's not forget the adorable merch and of course, the biggest draw: the amazing food!
I absolutely loved seeing how Disney managed to pair Mickey with the right amount of cultural elements when it came to decor and merchandise.

The food! Oh the food! That is what surprised me the most about Disney Lunar New Year! So many menu items that you'd never expect to see at a Disney Park (not in Asia) here at home. There was everything from Shumai, Pork Belly plates, pan fried noodles, almond milk tea (yum) and the piece de resistance: A fried whole tilapia fish (WHAT!?!?). Yes, you heard that right. A Disney Park.... in the United States is serving up a whole fried fish dish to guests. This is mind blowing because this is something so typical in an Asian household or menu, but to see it being offered to park guests, complete with servings of rice and soup is amazing! And if you're wondering, yes it's pretty dang good, my aunties would be all over this dish!

From the top going clockwise: Orchid Sptriz drink (yummy if you love floral flavors),  Pork Belly Banh Mi (this was AMAZING!, spicy short rib shumai, mandarin green tea tart and pan fried wheat noodles with chicken meatballs.

Mango Pineapple Pastry was my absolute favorite treat!

Yummy and extremely photogenic

All about that whole fried tilapia fish! So yummy and comes with a side of rice for two.

**Tip if you're visiting the LNY at Disney and are looking into enjoying the different specialty foods offered, I highly recommend the "Sip and Savor" pass! For $39/$36 for AP holders you get a pass with 6 tabs that can be redeemed for any food or beverage (except alcohol) at any of the LNY marketplace food booths and even at the quick service Paradise Garden Grill special event menu offerings. So worth it and it'll let you try a little bit of everything!

Sip & Savor pass is totally worth it!

Of course, this being a "Disney" Lunar New Year event there's a few magical touches in store besides the fun traditional elements. One of these doses of magic is their special character meet and greets! You'll meet your favorite Disney pals dressed in their traditional LNY best! While we were visiting, we met Mulan and Mushu (twice!). Our little Ben was dressed as a mini Mushu, so it took the whole experience to another adorable level! We also saw Pluto dressed in some Lunar New Year style, and although we missed them, Mickey and Minnie are there in some amazing traditional New Year wear, as well!
A celebration not to be missed!
So if you're looking for a fun way to celebrate the Lunar New Year, be sure to get on over to Disney California Adventure Park to see all of the fun! The event is ongoing from now until February 17th, so you don't want to miss it. THANK YOU DISNEY for sharing the magic of representation for so many cultures and shining a light on the Lunar New Year!