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It’s an exciting year to visit Disneyland! Okay, that’s pretty much true every single year… but Disney recently released their exciting line up of festivals and events taking place at both parks in 2024 and I for one, can’t wait to experience them! Here’s a quick look at what’s in store for us over the next 12 months, along with everything else you need to know about visiting the parks this year!
2024 Happenings:
Jan 23 – Feb 18: Lunar New Year, Disney California Adventure Park
This multicultural celebration is a tribute to Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean traditions. They are celebrating the the Year of the Dragon with Asian-inspired food and beverages, vibrant décor and “Mulan’s Lunar New Year Procession” featuring Mushu.
Feb 17 & 24: Celebrate Gospel, Disneyland Park
Celebrate Gospel is an annual tribute to Gospel music that brings together award-winning music artists and community choirs from across Southern California. This years concerts will be headlined by Marvin Sapp (Feb. 17) and Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Feb. 24).
March 1 – April 22: Food & Wine Festival, Disney California Adventure Park
Food & Wine is always one of our family faves, if you haven’t been before, I highly recommend you visit sometime in the future. Food booths in California Adventure serve creative foods and beverages, cooking demonstrations and family-friendly entertainment inspired by the diverse cultures and cuisines of the Golden State. During the festival the popular attraction, Soarin’ Over California, will return for a limited time.
April 5 – June 2: Season of the Force, Disneyland Park
Are you a Star Wars fan? You will probably want to visit during Season of the Force, we’ll see the return of Hyperspace Mountain (I love this version of Space Mountain). It will also bring specially themed food and beverage, merchandise and more. During the celebration, you’ll also be able to embark on new adventures aboard Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will provide fresh perspective on the fireworks above Disneyland.
April 26 – Aug 4: Pixar Fest, Disney California Adventure Park
It’s exciting to see Pixar Fest returning to the Parks. During the festival you’ll see colorful décor and themed menu items with a fun Pixar twist. During this festival you’ll see some fun entertainment featuring Pixar stories. There is a brand-new daytime parade happening at California Adventure, called “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!”. Over at Disneyland park, the emotional “Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” will return with some brand new scenes. If character meet and greets are your thing, there will be new characters like Ember and Wade from “Elemental,” Red Panda Mei from “Turning Red” and more.
Aug 23 – Oct 1: Halloween Time, both parks
Halloween time at Disneyland is always a ton of fun. Disneyland resort is filled with autumn décor, characters dressed in Halloween outfits and uniquely themed attractions.
Aug 23 – Nov 2: A Celebration of Coco, Plaza de Familia, Disney California Adventure Park
Celebrate the bonds of family and Mexican traditions of Día de los Muertos through a cultural experience featuring storytelling and music from Pixar’s “Coco.”
Begins Nov 15: The Holidays Begin Here, both parks
Nothing quite beats the holidays at Disneyland, you can celebrate the magic of the holiday season with the lively Disney Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure. You’ll also find seasonal overlays on beloved attractions, holiday spectaculars and festive decor all around the resort.
SPECIAL TICKETED EVENTS
On select nights Disneyland offers some after-hours events in 2024. These themed nights require a separate ticket than a regular park ticket. These events include pre-party park mix-in, shorter wait times for select attractions, unlimited select Disney PhotoPass digital photo downloads from the event, and more.
Disneyland After Dark (select nights from January through June): Disneyland park will host four themed nights, which will include unique entertainment, rare character encounters and special menus of sweet treats and savory snacks. Specific details on this year’s Disneyland After Dark themes and events will be announced soon, so stay tuned!
Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party (Returning in 2024): Disney California Adventure park will once again throw some family-friendly Halloween parties. The even includes immersive treat trails, rare character sightings and unique entertainment. This is the one time of the year when you are encouraged to dress up in costume (both adults and children.
If you’ve got plans to visit the Happiest Place on Earth this year, here’s what you need to know! In recent years, the process for booking your trip has gotten a little more complicated, so if you haven’t visited recently, here’s the steps you need to take:
Purchase Disneyland Tickets:
We love using Get Away Today to book everything! You can purchase tickets directly from their site, either by themselves or as part of a package to help you save even more! In fact, if you purchase a package and use the code THRIVING10, you will save an additional $10. When purchasing tickets, you’ll need to make a decision about whether or not you want Park Hoppers or 1 Park Per Day tickets.
Disneyland Resort has two different parks: Disneyland Park and Disney’s California Adventure Park. If you choose ‘Park Hopper’ tickets, you will start you day in one park, but 11:00 am, you will be able to move over to the other park. You will then be permitted to go back and forth between the two parks as much as you want for the rest of the day. This ability costs an extra $60 per ticket, regardless of how many days you will be visiting the parks.
The alternative is ‘One Park Per Day’ tickets. These are the baseline Disneyland tickets, and if you purchase these, you will spend your entire day at the park you start out at.
Make Park Reservations:
To ensure the parks don’t become overpopulated on any given day, guests are now required to create reservations. You will be prompted to choose which days you are planning to visit the parks. On each day of the calendar, there will be an icon, indicating which park still has availability for your desired day. You can only make these reservations 120 days in advance. You’ll make your park reservations over at Disneyland.com.
During the process, you’ll be prompted to choose your starting park for each day. If you selected ‘One Park Per Day’ tickets, you will spend the entire day in the park you choose. If you selected ‘Park Hopper’ tickets, this is the park you will start your day in.
Make Restaurant Reservations:
Most sit-down restaurants at the parks require a reservation to accommodate their growing interest. Reservations open up 60 days in advance and some tend to fill up quickly. I recommend setting a reminder on your phone for the day they open up so you can try and nab those spots in time! To make your reservations, go to Disneyland.com, hover over ‘Things to Do’, and select ‘Make Reservations’ under ‘Dining’.
While your park tickets and dining reservations will be handled ahead of time, there are a few tools that you can use during your time in the parks that will help make your day go even smoother! You will need to download and login to the Disneyland app to access these features.
The first feature is Mobile Ordering! The lines for quick service food stands can get very long. Fortunately, the Disneyland app has a free feature that allows you to order your food ahead of time and pick up at a special window, skipping the line altogether. You can place these orders on your mobile phone via the Disneyland app by clicking the plus sign on the bottom of your screen and selecting ‘Order Food’.
All About Genie+
You can also utilize a feature called Genie+. This is similar to the old MaxPass system, if that is at all familiar to you. Genie+ is a paid service that allows guests to select specific return times for a ride. When you make a Genie+ reservation, you will be able to bypass the standby line and enter a Lightning Lane that has a capped capacity, ensuring a faster wait time. This service costs an additional $30 per person per day, but I believe is well worth it if you are going during peak season! You also have the option to purchase Genie+ at the same time you purchase your tickets.
You can also purchase access to an Individual Lightning Lane. These apply to one specific ride and are a separate, additional charge for some of the most popular rides. Guests can purchase a Lightning Lane pass for up to 2 attractions per day. You do not need a Genie+ service to purchase these.
Individual Lightning Lanes can be purchased for Rise of the Resistance, located in Disneyland Park, as well as Radiator Springs Racers and WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure, located in California Adventure. Price and availability will range by date and attraction, but will land somewhere between $15-$28 per ticket. You can purchase your Lightning Lane passes upon entering the theme park on the day you intend to use them. To do so, open the Disneyland app, click the plus sign at the bottom of the screen, and select ‘View my Genie Day and Tip Board’.
Have a Magical Day!
I know that our first (and subsequent) family trips were incredibly memorable, and I can only imagine the same will be the case for you! If you’re ready to book your trip, click here to get started! Get Away Today is how we have booked the majority of our Disneyland trips. Get Away Today has several money-saving packages available, as well as discounted Disneyland park tickets too! If you book a package, use the code THRIVING10 to save an additional $10.
For even more Disney magic, tips and tricks, check out the following posts:
- Honest reviews of all the hotels we’ve used around Disneyland
- Big list of Disneyland hotels for large families (sleeps 6+)
- Complete Guide to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
- Ultimate Guide to Disneyland Snacks
- Make a custom lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop
- Our visit to Club 33
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