Things to do and see at Disneyland's Festival of Holidays

This post is brought to you by Get Away Today and Disneyland

It’s my hope that this post will be a guide to help you with all the amazing things to do and see at Disneyland’s Festival of Holidays. I have also included many ideas on what to do in California Adventure side as well. A group of 9 bloggers (including myself) were able to go together without our kids, and we truly enjoyed, ate & photographed our way through both parks. Disneyland and California Adventure of course take the holidays to a whole new level. Add in all the things we already love about Disney and you have yourself truly stepping into a magical Festival for the holidays!

***I also wanted to add that Get Away Today offers package deals for Disneyland and California Adventure. They are one of the few who can offer discounted ticket rates for both parks. So be sure to check them out.***

In no particular order here are some of my top favorites things to do and see at Disneyland’s Festival of Holidays.

It’s a Small World has turned into a giant International House of Gingerbread. It’s simply amazing. Full of all the things we love with the Gingerbread feel. My friend Courtney from Sweet C’s Design captured this picture perfect photo with all the amazing colorful lights. Just like a Gingerbread House!

Even the inside of It’s a Small World has been transformed into an amazing festival of Christmas lights. You’ll also be sure to recognize your favorite Christmas carols being sung inside the ride as well.

Of course, it’s always a good time to take a selfie. Especially when you’re on a slow moving ride & there’s several of you. There was a total of nine of us that went, and we all had such a fun time together.

back row: Alyssa The Recipe Critic and Melissa from No 2 Pencil Blog
3rd row: Kimberly from A Night Owl Blog and Crystal from A Pumpkin and Princess
2nd row: Jennifer from Clean and Scentsible, Courtney from Sweet C’s Design and Ann Marie from White House Black Shutters
Front row: Me! and Destiny from Just Destiny Mag

The next must see is the Paint the Night Electrical Parade. It is magical. It’s a combination of the former Electrical Parade that we all loved with new characters and great music. It was so good.

As we all know the lights of Disneyland and California Adventure are just captivating. The lights always take it to the next level for me. Seeing Main Street all trimmed out in Christmas lights, wreaths and garlands was truly a beautiful sight. But another favorite of mine is when Disneyland {for a few brief minutes} makes it SNOW on Main Street. I hate to keep using the word magical, but truly it was!

You’ll find the cutest treats around every corner! Everyone of them are perfect and photograph ready. These cake pops that my dear friend Melissa from No 2 Pencil and Crystal from A Pumpkin and a Princess snacked on and photographed are *almost* too cute to eat.

Another amazing sight to see is all the treats being made! If you look closely at the photo below, you can see all the festive apples being stored on large trays, waiting to be delivered to all the shops and stands in both parks.

Candy Cane Beignets which can be found exclusively at Cafe Orleans. So good, warm and they have a mild taste of Candy Cane added. Perfect if you’re trying to grab something to eat in the morning & take advantage of the popular rides without waiting in lines.

The Cove Bar in California Adventure. Now this isn’t really “holiday-ish” because the Cove bar is there all the time. But hear me out on this one. Order the Lobster Nachos which I first heard about from my dear friend Melissa. If you split a few appetizers you will be able to eat & go through some of the Festival of Holidays route in California Adventure and will be able to eat on some of the speciality foods for the holidays!

The new Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure park celebrates holiday festivities of diverse cultures with music, dance and craft-making, plus food at the Festive Foods Marketplace. The daily lineup of entertainment includes nearly 50 performances of nine unique shows, with special Disney characters, street parties, cavalcades, musical ensembles and dance performances. The celebrations include Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas/Navidad and Three Kings Day. Guests can look for performances of traditional Indian dance that builds to a Bollywood party, a Klezmer band with a new global sound, the Mariachi Divas and an a cappella vocal group that puts an R&B spin on holiday songs. (Scott Brinegar/Disneyland Resort)

There’s so many tasty treats to choose from along the Festival of Holidays Kiosk Tour! There’s about 14 kiosks that have a variety of holiday foods, sweet treats and festive beverages. Each one of the kiosks will have something tempting for you to try. It was so nice to have a group of us ordering different things so that we were all able to take a bite & sample all the amazing flavors. First up is this amazing Turkey (Thanksgiving-ish) slider that my friend Kimberly from A Night Owl Blog tried. It looked so delicious.

Swedish Meatballs in a white sauce with a touch of cranberries to make it complete is another amazing appetizers you can try. My dear friend Melissa said it was so good and one of her favorites!

Here’s a fun group shot of some of our samplings along the Festival of Holidays kiosk tour. There was a Reuben Potato Smash which was out of this world, an Apple Crunch Bowl, and Braised Beef Short Rib. All were so delicious and full of awesome flavor.

The classic Dole Whip. It’s great for any season or holiday. What can I say??? I can’t not mention it, because it’s the perfect treat during the day, especially in the SoCal sunshine.

“World of Color – Season of Light” brings the warmth and heartfelt spirit of the holidays to this stunning, nighttime water spectacular, with its 1,200 powerful fountains shooting water as high as 200 feet to help tell the story. The show’s musical soundtrack features some well-known musical artists performing popular holiday tunes, including “Let it Snow”by Dean Martin and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” by Michael Buble and Idina Menzel. With classic holiday music, humor and memorable moments from Disney animated films, this becomes an ideal way for guests to conclude their holiday visit. (Scot Brinegar/Disneyland)

Another fun ride that transforms itself into a holiday adventure is the “Jingle Cruise” full of puns, wit & corny jokes that we all love about the traditional Jungle Cruise.

(Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)

The Haunted {Holiday} Mansion is another ride that is by far a must see while at the park for the holidays. It’s so good, and I was amazed at how the entire ride has been transformed into the Nightmare Before Christmas with Jack & Sally being stars of the Mansion.

(Paul Hiffmeyer/Disneyland)

A Christmas Fantasy Parade. It’s a mix of the classic characters we love with lots of Christmas cheer mixed in. Head over to Main Street in Disneyland during the day. It’s also a great time to take “a load off” and rest your feet.

There’s so many more things to do, see and eat during the holidays at Disneyland and California Adventure it will truly be hard to take it all in. We went for 2 days and we’re still wishing we could do more. The main thing is to enjoy yourself, wear comfy shoes and do what you can!

I admit, I am a Disney ride junkie! I love the rides, but I also loved going with a group of moms without our kids to take in all the sights, sounds and tastes!!! Although, I missed my kids it was so nice to experience Disneyland and California Adventure without being pulled in 3 different directions. Would I do it again??? Heck, yes! In a heartbeat.

This post is sponsored by Get Away Today. I have also included affiliate links in this post. We were also given food vouchers from Disneyland to experience all the Festival of Holiday foods while there.