A Guide to Disney's Festival of Holidays

One place that always goes all out during the holidays is Disneyland. On November 9th, Disney's Festival of Holidays returned to the California Adventure park in Anaheim. The Festival has two main attractions the marketplace and the entertainment. You will find a variety of dance, live music and a holiday-inspired performances throughout the park this holiday season. And like aways you can meet Santa Claus in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.

Along with the Festival of Holidays going on in California Adventure you can find Disney's ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party. Viva Navidad! has Donald Duck and the Three Caballeros bringing out some holiday cheer with festive puppets and the music of mariachi and samba musicians.

But what's the main attraction for the Festival of Holidays? THE FOOD! Just like last year, the Festive Food Marketplace is back, but with some changes. Each booth is completely different compared to last year and has a variety of options. Along with the the food vendors, the Market Place also has booths for Disney's holiday merchandise and speciality boutique pop-up shops. Here are all of the food stands that are part of this year's marketplace.

Merry Mashups has combined some of your favorite holiday classics. Here you can find the turkey & stuffing tamale with cranberry relish, lox & everything bagel nachos and even the hot cocoa marshmallow macaroon.

Winter Wonders has some feel good food that will make you feel warm and cozy. Here you can find the pumpkin soup with maple cashew cream, chana masala with grilled garlic naan and a vanilla cranberry trifle for dessert. I actually tried the chana masala and it was delicious! However, the serving size was on the small side and the "grilled" naan was cold.

Brews and Bites should just be called Brews and One Bite. The only food item on the menu is the chorizo queso fundido with house made tortilla chips. The rest of the menu is just the assortment of craft holiday brews. The best deal here is getting the alcohol flights, because you get a taste of four different brews.

At Favorite Things you'll find holiday ham shanks and Reuben potato tots to eat, but the real winners here are the eggnog cocktail and the cranberry sangria.

Holiday Duets has some interesting pairings here, the curry cauliflower soup is made with lamb and the shrimp and grits comes with sausage. Disney thinks they are perfect pairings, but I can't help but disagree. But you can't go wrong with the festive Mickey and Minnie Cookies here.

If you're looking for something sweet then Visions of Sugarplums is the stand for you. Here you'll find warm sticky toffee pudding, a white chocolate cranberry blondie, the eggnog wreath éclair and horchata fudge. Also here you'll find the Sweet Dreams and Milk Special, your choice of dessert and a carton of Horizon's organic milk. Yum!

At Blissfully Braised the name of the stand says it all. Here you'll find braised pork belly and cornbread cakes with braised collard greens and gravy.

Grandma's Recipes has your classic holiday treats like pot roast and candied yams. What you'll also find is what Grandma is drinking while she cooks. Here you can find cider and blonde ales that have a tart and fruity taste.

Spicy Celebrations is where you'll find hot fried turkey, jalapeño latkes and chocolate chipotle pot de crème. The real winner here is the pomegranate margarita.

A Twist on Tradition doesn't really seem that different to me, but maybe to some it can be seen as unconventional. Here you'll find pozole rojo beef with hominy polenta and “chicken-less” mole with Spanish rice. I honestly cannot wait to try the vegetarian mole! Also you can get the black forest yule log here.

The Winter Sliderland booth just reminds me of Thanksgiving. The turkey slider and stuffing mac and cheese just seems like some creative Thanksgiving leftovers to me. The only thing that throws off the Thanksgiving vibe is the milk chocolate-candy cane pot de crème dessert.

Making Spirits Bright is obviously the best booth in the Festive Food Market Place. Here you'll find a variety of wine, champagne, and even some festive mimosas. Make sure you get one of the Flights so you can sample three of the beverages. Yum!

If you plan on eating your way through the Festive Foods Marketplace then you might want to invest in the 2018 Disney Festival of Holidays Sip and Savor Pass. This pass comes with an official credential and lanyard and eight coupons that can be redeemed for food and beverages at select booths. The coupons do not work on alcohol and you get one coupon per booth essentially. The pass is $54 total, so if you plan on eating at all of the stands this might be a good investment.

Personally, I love holidays at the Disney parks. Something about the Disney Christmas magic just makes me feel so warm and fuzzy inside. The Festival of Holidays is a great addition to the park, however there's one thing about it that really grinds my gears. While the food is tasty, the portions are just way too small for the price paid. But hey that's just me. What do you think about the Festival of Holidays this year? Let me know! Until tomorrow.