Disneyland sets dates for food fest

It’ll run Feb. 28 through April 21

Aaron Rodarte takes a picture of her children, Millie, left, Drew and Cecelia, during a Goofy’s Kitchen meet-and-greet at the 2020 food fest. Disney chefs typically choose menus for about 10 festival marketplace booths offering small plates highlighting ingredients from California.

The Disney Food & Wine Festival includes cooking demos and lessons for adults and kids, as Landry Doan shows as she decorates a cupcake during last year’s event. photos by Jeff Gritchen — Staff Photographer

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By Brady MacDonald

bmacdonald@scng.com

Disneyland foodies can mark their calendars for the annual food and wine festival, which will return in February with a lineup of California-centric food, beer and wine; celebrity chefs; and Disney characters dressed in their best kitchen attire.

The Disney Food & Wine Festival will run from Feb. 28 through April 21 at Disney California Adventure with chefs offering cooking tips during culinary demonstrations, tasting seminars and signature events.

Disney chefs always choose menus for about 10 festival marketplace booths offering small plates highlighting ingredients from California.

The marketplace lineup hasn’t been announced, but these eight booths have been featured during the past three festivals:

California Craft Brews

Cluck-A-Doodle-Moo

D-Lish

Garlic Kissed

LA Style

Nuts About Cheese

Peppers Cali-Ente

Uncork California

Expect a couple of new booths to be added to the lineup once the menus are announced closer to the festival kickoff.

A dozen or so California Adventure restaurants also offer festival menu items. The participating eateries haven’t been announced yet, but Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta, Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill, Lamplight Lounge, Paradise Garden Grill and Sonoma Terrace tend to make the lineup.

Disneyland typically offers a Sip and Savor card good for individual items at food and beverage stands throughout the festival. The Sip and Savor cards cost $61 for eight items and $31 for four items in 2024.

Pro tip: You don’t have to buy your food at the booth where it’s served. The best bet is to figure out everything you want to eat and order it all at once from the register stand with the shortest line. Then you can pick up your food whenever you want.

Free culinary demonstrations have been offered on a first-come, first-served basis during past fests.

Previous culinary demos have included Alice’s Wonderland Bakery Unbirthday Party cupcake decorating, step-by-step cooking lessons focusing on a single recipe, and culinary demonstrations by local, celebrity and Disney chefs. Prior festivals have featured chefs like Richard Blais and Fabio Viviani from “Top Chef” and Guy Fieri from “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.”

Serious foodies can sign up for a series of beer, wine and cocktail tasting seminars and signature events taking place throughout the festival run. Past signature events have included the Trader Sam’s Tiki Mixology Seminar, Carthay Circle Winemaker Reception, Silverado Trail Wine Walk and Napa Rose Gastronomic Journey. They typically cost between $150 and $350.

The more affordable, 45-minute tasting seminars featuring a brewery, winemaker or mixologist typically cost about $25.

All the upcharge events tend to sell out quickly during advance booking.

Disneyland has not announced the lineup of free culinary demonstrations and paid signature events and tasting seminars. Reservations will open this month.

Fans of Soarin’ Over California will get another chance to hang glide over Napa Valley, Monterey Bay and Redwood Creek when the classic version of the flight simulator ride returns during the fest.