The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival is a food and drink festival that takes place each spring in Disney California Adventure in the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. The festival includes a number of themed kiosks, each featuring food and beverages from a particular aspect of California cuisine. Other offerings include wine and beer tastings, seminars, and cooking demonstrations. This event was inspired by the similar but much larger Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.
| Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | active |
| Genre | Food and drink festival |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Disney California Adventure |
| Location(s) | Anaheim, California |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 2006–2010, 2016–2020, 2022– |
| Inaugurated | 2006 |
| Activity | Wine, Food Tasting, Social Events |
History
editThe festival has been held annually beginning in 2006, excepting the years 2011-2015 when Disney California Adventure began a period of major construction and 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic induced closure of the park. The festival was shortened to only two weeks in 2020, also as a result of the pandemic.[1][2][3][4][5]
2006
editThe inaugural event featured two food service locations, the Bountiful Valley Farmers Market and Lucky Fortune Cookery, with 12 food offerings, each offering wine pairings and beer samples. The Golden Vine Winery patio hosted culinary demonstrations, wine, beer, and spirits seminars, guest sommelier education, a wine shop, and event merchandise shop.[6]
2010
editThe 2010 event ran daily from April 16, 2010 through May 31, 2010 with the theme "The Art of Flavor". The 2010 edition featured the Taste of California Marketplace with ten food offerings and wine and beer seminars at the Festival Showplace, located in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot section of the park. Chef demonstrations took place at the Chef's Showcase Stage, situated in Sunshine Plaza.[7] Exclusive dinners, wine tastings and cooking school sessions could be attended at an additional cost.[8]
2011 to 2015
editThe festival was not held due to park construction projects and the Diamond jubilee taking place in 2015.
2016
editThe revamped 2016 edition of the festival ran from April 1, 2016 through May 1, 2016 on weekends and featured eight Festival Marketplace kiosks situated along the Disney California Adventure parade route. The eight themed booths served dozens of selections of California-inspired cuisine included By the Bay, The Brewhouse, The Farm, Gold Rush, LAstyle, The Vineyard, ¡Viva Fresca!, and Wine Country. Beverage seminars and demonstrations by celebrity chefs could again be attended for an additional cost. [9]
2017
editThe festival became a daily event in 2017 and ran from March 2, 2018 through April 12, 2018. The newly expanded and revamped lineup of fifteen themed booths included Nuts About Cheese, Uncork California, I Heart Artichokes, Garlic Kissed, Olive Us, Bacon Twist, Lemon Grove, Seafood ... Sustained, Onion Lair, Off the Cob, Sweet and Sourdough, LAstyle, Wineology, The Brewhouse and Paradise Garden Grill Beer Garden. The seminars and cooking demonstrations were again presented. [10]
2018
editFor the 2018 spring season, the festival again ran daily from March 2, 2018 through April 12, 2018. The now sixteen themed booths added Citrus Grove, California Craft Brews, Peppers Cali-Ente, Strawberry Patch, Avocado Time, Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo and Eat Your Greens booths, while Olive Us, Bacon Twist, Lemon Grove, Seafood . . . Sustained, Onion Lair and Wineology were dropped. [11]
2019
editIn 2019, the California Adventure Food and Wine Festival started on March 1, 2019 and ended on April 23, 2019. The new festival locations were Berry Patch, Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit and Golden Dreams. Citrus Grove, Strawberry Patch, and Eat Your Greens were omitted. The customary seminars and demonstrations were continued from previous festivals.
2020
editThe 2020 California Adventure Food and Wine Festival began on February 28, 2020 and was scheduled to run until April 21, 2020. The kiosk lineup remained largely the same, adding only One in a Melon and discontinuing Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit. A new festival feature was the return of the original ride film of Soarin' Over California to the Soarin' attraction. However, on March 14, 2020 the festival ended early, caused by the closure of the park as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
editThe festival was cancelled for the 2021 spring season due to the closure of the park, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2022
editAfter the COVID pandemic hiatus of 2020-2021, the park revived the California Adventure Food and Wine Festival for the spring 2022 season, beginning on March 4, 2022 and running until April 26, 2022. The lineup of booths was reduced by one, with One in a Melon being dropped from the roster. The remaining booths were unchanged. [12] The festival again featured culinary demonstrations, winemaker receptions and seminars and live entertainment and the return of the Soarin' Over California attraction.[13]
2023
editThe 2023 festival began on March 3, 2023 and ended on April 25, 2023, as part of the Disney 100 Years of Wonder celebration. The food kiosks, live entertainment, food and drink demonstrations, seminars and Soarin' Over California attraction had all returned from the year prior. The booth lineup was unchanged from 2022.
2024
editIn 2024, the festival ran from March 1 until April 22, and once again featured the Soarin' Over California ride film. Winemaker receptions and food and beverage seminars are being offered. The kiosk count has been reduced from 12 to 10. An Earth Eats booth featuring vegetarian dishes has been added, and Avocado Time, Berry Patch and I Heart Artichokes have been dropped from the lineup. [14][15]
2025
editIn 2025, it was announced that the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival will run from February 28, 2025 through April 21, 2025, and once again feature the Soarin' Over California ride film.[16]
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^ MacDonald, Brandy (2010-11-04). "Construction forces Disney California Adventure to cancel annual food festival". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ MacDonald, Brandy (2016-04-04). "Food fest returns to Disney California Adventure with pricey VIP offerings". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
- ^ Luna, Nancy (2016-03-28). "Disney's Food and Wine Festival returns". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ Luna, Nancy (2016-04-05). "Wine and food take center stage at Disney California Adventure festival". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ Luna, Nancy (2016-02-16). "Disney food and wine festival returns in April: 12 things we hope to see". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
- ^ Vincent-Phoenix, Adrienne (2006-05-02). "Disneyland Park Update". Mouseplanet. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
- ^ Gilbreath, Laura (2010-04-17). "Disney's California Food and Wine Festival 2010 Opening Weekend – Part 1". allears.net. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ Gilbreath, Laura (2010-04-12). "Disney's California Food and Wine Festival 2010". allears.net. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ "Disney's California Food and Wine Festival". disneyfoodblog.com. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ "2017 Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival Booths, Menus, and FOOD PHOTOS". disneyfoodblog.com. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ "2017 Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival Booths, Menus, and FOOD PHOTOS". disneyfoodblog.com. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
- ^ "Festival Marketplaces at the 2022 :California Adventure Food and Wine Festival". disneyland.disney.go.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
- ^ "Fan-Favorite, Limited-Time Festivals Return to the Disneyland Resort in 2022: Lunar New Year and Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival". disneyparksblog.com. 2 December 2021. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ "Disneyland Resort Announces Event Dates and More for 2024". disneyparksblog.com. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 4, 2023.
- ^ "Disney Eats: Foodie Guide to Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival 2024". disneyparksblog.com. The Walt Disney Company. Archived from the original on April 24, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ "BREAKING: Disneyland Resort Announces All Event Dates for 2025, Including 70th Anniversary - WDW News Today". wdwnt.com. 2024-12-05. Retrieved 2024-12-06.
