Written by Gregg Fitero
Looking for something to do over Spring Break? Well, you’re in luck, as from February 28th through April 21st, Disney hosts their annual food and wine festival. Every year, Disney celebrates everything incredible that California has to offer. And over the weekend, I could take a day off and experience all the hype surrounding California Adventure’s Food and Wine Festival. Let’s talk about it.
For those of you who are unaware, the festival is essentially when the Disney California Adventure theme park has a variety of kiosks sprinkled throughout the park, each with unique food, drinks, and merchandise only obtainable during the festival.
Sip and Savor Pass:
If you plan on attending the event, the first thing I’d recommend is to get the Sip and Savor pass offered. The pass comes with 4 and 8 voucher variants, which you can use to purchase any of the festival kiosk treats, excluding alcohol. The Sip and Savor is a great way to save money while getting to try a majority of the festival dishes. I’d personally recommend the 8 voucher (green) pass to split with a friend. As a bonus, anyone who purchases the 8 voucher pass also receives an exclusive Mickey Mouse-shaped plate. In addition, Magic key holders also get a special lanyard to hold the pass.
Food & Drinks:
The food and drinks offered are the highlight of the event. This year has a total of 8 kiosks that each offer tasty treats from Café de Olla, Tres Leches Cake, and musubi fried rice, to delectable drinks like the huckleberry-citrus cooler. My personal favorites were the birria mac & cheese and the blueberry pancake cold brew. Not every item on the menu is a hit, however. I found the lemon pepper wings to be underwhelming, while the Cherry Cobbler Pot de Crème was a bit too sweet for my liking.
Those looking to get a little more inebriated during their visit need to try the cantarito-style paloma, watermelon cucumber mojito, and the pickle whiskey cocktail.
Culinary Demonstrations & Beverage Seminars:
In addition to the food, the festival also hosts demonstrations from local Disney and visiting chefs, and seminars where they discuss topics like mixology, and wine pairing. These events differ depending on the day, so make sure you research ahead to see who’s scheduled for what day.
The Classics:
Don’t forget to enjoy the park’s other attractions! In between snacks, drinks, and events, California Adventure has amazing rides to get you hungry for the next treat. The Incredicoaster is an amazing roller coaster, and the Guardians of the Galaxy ride is a must before you leave the park. Just be sure not to ride them on a full stomach (speaking from personal experience.)
Disney’s Food and Wine Festival is a great one-day trip for your Spring Break week plans. Thanks for reading.
