FAMILY TRAVEL: Holidays at Disneyland Resort

Oga’s Cantina at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort

Oga’s Cantina looks like an intergalactic tavern tucked away in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort. The experience centers on the bar, which is decorated with space creatures. Guests saddle up like bounty hunters, smugglers, and Jedis to order beer, wine, and hard seltzer on tap. Non-alcoholic drinks include Jabba Juice with blueberry flavored boba and Moogan Tea, a chocolate milk tea dusted with cinnamon-sugar.

The Blue Bantha (aka “Blue Milk”) is popular, especially for first timers. You can purchase the non-alcoholic, non-dairy beverage at stands throughout Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. But at Oga’s Cantina, the blue milk is served with a brown butter chocolate chip + coconut cookie.

Why blue milk?

SW aficionados know that blue bantha milk appeared in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV — New Hope. Luke Skywalker consumed the azul beverage in the film.

Adventurous imbibers order the Fuzzy Tauntaun served in a tall Collin’s glass.
It combines Cîroc peach vodka, peach schnapps, Simply OJ, and is topped with “Buzz Button Tingling” foam that tingles your lips.

A VIP Holiday Tradition:
Candlelight Processional at Disneyland Resort

This Disney holiday tradition is truly special.
The live performance was created by Walt Disney in 1958 as a way to show his gratitude to community leaders and friends. The 45-minute performance retells the story of the first Christmas.

The spectacle features a grand choir comprised of Disney Cast Members and local community choirs. A symphony orchestra performs along with trumpeters perched atop the Main Street, U.S.A. train station. Renowned vocalists sing Christmas classics. A highlight was hearing “Silent Night” in Spanish. It’s a special holiday experience that most people don’t know exists.

A highlight for many viewers is the celebrity narrator. In recent years, I’ve been lucky to watch Sterling K. Brown and the mesmerizing Viola Davis recite the Christmas story.

Disneyland’s Candlelight Processional is scheduled for December 2 and December 3, 2023 for invited guests and Club 33 members. There are two performances each evening and park guests can view parts of the show from Main Street, U.S.A.

Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park

A family favorite holiday tradition is the Festive Foods Marketplace that pops up at Disney California Adventure park. This year, the merriment runs from November 10, 2023 to January 7, 2024.

Local chefs and bartenders have told me that this is the best Disney food festival of the year.

The Sip and Savor pass allows us to share several dishes and beverages in the Festive Foods Marketplace. (For our family of 4, we usually get two passes.) Plus, since it’s valid throughout the duration of the festival, you can use the pass when revisiting the park.

The food includes holiday-inspired bites, craft beer, wine, and seasonal beverages. I met up with a group of food writers at the park and we agreed that these dishes show off the prowess of the park’s culinary team. The food includes flavors showcasing several cultures. In a way, it’s emblematic of the parks’ diverse visitors. Christmas, Navidad, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day are all celebrated. The complexity and thoughtful inclusion of ethnicities shown in these tasting size portions changed my perception of theme park dining.

Standouts included Filipino-style pork belly adobo with garlic fried rice; Mexican streetfood-inspired equites carnitas Mac & Cheese; re-imagined “nachos” with smoked salmon on everything bagel chips dotted with cream cheese, tomato, red onion, and capers.

Vegetarian dishes are available, too. Last year, Brews & Bites served IMPOSSIBLE Chorizo Queso Fundido with housemate tortilla chips.

DRINK: The kiosks offer a surprising number of beverages. In previous years, Golden Road Brewing Christmas Cart wheat ale, Allagash Brewing Curieux bourbon barrel-aged golden ale, Ficklewood Ciderworks Bramblebark hard cider, açaí berry Juneshine hard kombucha, and more were on tap. There are also seasonal flights that my husband and I enjoy sharing.

Our kids’ favorite drink was the Ceylon Splash. Joffrey’s Coffee & Tea Co. Ceylon black tea mixed with passion fruit juice, citrusy calamansi purée, and sweetened with coconut syrup. Yum!

For more Disneyland Resort holiday updates, visit the parks’ website.