It's take two on 2025 with Disney's Lunar New Year

January 17, 2025, 10:40 PM · More than two weeks after America welcomed 2025, Disneyland today welcomed the Lunar New Year at Disney California Adventure.

Let's hope Disney has more luck with its version of the new year than the rest of us in Southern California have had so far. Perhaps you've heard the joke? "I'm sorry - we tried the two week free trial, and now we'd like to cancel our subscription to 2025."

Unfortunately, time allows no backsies or refunds, so it looks like we are stuck with what the Asian tradition declares will be the "year of the snake."

Really? Of all the animals, we get the freakin' snake in 2025? That seems... appropriate, I suppose.

Disney does not have a prominent and lovable snake character to assume the role of this year's Lunar New Year mascot. (At least, maybe not until Gary the snake debuts with "Zootopia 2" this November.) So Mickey and Minnie continue in their starring roles for this event, too. This time, they are sporting Korean-inspired outfits to celebrate the new year.

Minnie and Mickey for Lunar New Year 2025
Minnie and Mickey's outfits were sourced with fabric from Korea, according to Disneyland costume designers.

Disney also created a clever logo for this year's event, one that twists a snake into the familiar Mickey-head shape.


This is on display in Grand Californian lobby, but you can find the logo in gold on most of this year's Lunar New Year merchandie, too

Inside DCA, Paradise Gardens serves as the hub for Lunar New Year festivities, including character meets and daily live performances that celebrate Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese cultures through music and dance. For me, given all that's happened the past week across Los Angeles County, I was drawn to the Lunar New Year Wishing Wall. Here, visitors may write a wish for the new year on a tag and tie it to the wall for good luck.

Lunar New Year Wishing Wall
Write us a good wish for Altadena, please.

Ultimately, for most visitors, Lunar New Year is Disney California Adventure's first food festival of the year. Disneyland invited me and other reporters to hear about this year's festival menu before providing us our choice of six items to put to the taste test.

I loved the new Pho Dip [$9.50], though I wish that it either came freshly dipped (logistically difficult, I know), or with a bigger cup for the Pho broth that would have fit the whole width of the sandwich. Still, the beef was tasty and decently seasoned, helped by the jalapeƱos and pickled onions. The new Mini Char Siu Pork Shanks with rice and pineapple chutney [$9.25] also satisfied, as did the new Tropical Coconut Cooler [$8], with mango coconut foam atop coconut milk with house-made jackfruit syrup, dragon fruit syrup, lychee nectar, and cherry juice.

On the parade route, Mulan's Lunar New year Procession returns - unchanged from past years, as far as I could tell.

World of Color - One also features the return of the "Hurry Home" preshow this year.

Lunar New Year continues at Disney California Adventure through February 16. Our ticket partner is offering a variety of deals on daily tickets, including a three-day ticket for Southern California residents that starts at $65 a day. You can get those deals - at prices lower than on Disney's own website - here: Disneyland theme park tickets.

Remember that whenever you buy tickets or book vacations through our partners, a small portion of that goes to support Theme Park Insider. So you can support independent media while getting a great deal at the same time.

To keep up to date with all our theme park news in 2025 - and, please, let's hope that's mostly good news from here on - sign up for Theme Park Insider's weekly newsletter.

Replies (0)

This article has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

Vacation deals

Park tickets

Subscribe by email

Subscribe by RSS

New attraction reviews

News archive