Today I am thrilled to feature a guest post by one of our long-time readers, Caryn Burroughs. When I saw all of her personal posts about her love for ¡Viva Navidad!, I knew we just had to ask her to write a guest post about it! Thank you, Caryn!!!
One of my favorite holiday attractions at Disneyland during this time of year is the ¡Viva Navidad! celebration. My family has spent significant time taking in this special event already this season and will certainly make sure to stop by again before it goes away after January 6th. If you haven’t had a chance to head over to the Paradise Garden area of Disney California Adventure to check it out, here are four great reasons to go.
1. The ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party – For me, this show is one of my absolute favorites at the Disney Parks. The Three Caballeros are the stars of this show full of dancing and live music with from both Mexico and Brazil. On one visit recently my three year old got to play alongside one of the samba drummers. The costumes are colorful, the music is festive and you can’t help but dance as you watch. Mickey and Minnie are a part of this show too!
A tip for a great viewing spot: Try to stand near Bayside Brews facing the Paradise Garden Grill and you’ll be right up front in the middle of the show. Dancers and musicians face both directions but the float faces Bayside Brews. The party stretches from approximately Silly Symphony Swings to the end of the Paradise Garden area.
2. The food! – There is a special menu for ¡Viva Navidad! over at the Paradise Garden Grill. Our family favorites include the Sopes De Barbacoa and the Street Style Tacos. Both are served with rice and chips. My husband would make a special trip over to this area just for the ceviche too. Our picky eater loves grabbing a Kids Power Pack over this way though they also serve a cheese quesadilla.
 |
| Street-style tacos at Paradise Garden Grill. |
3. Character Meet and Greet – For me, it’s so fun having a chance to see Mickey and the gang dress up in different outfits and what they wear for the ¡Viva Navidad! Meet and Greet is so fun. Over in the Paradise Garden Grill area there is a gazebo all decked out for Christmas where you can see Mickey and Minnie together, The Three Caballeros plus Goofy whose shoes are decorated with real maracas!
4. Live Bands – While you’re enjoying a meal or snack over at the Paradise Garden Grill you are also treated to more live music. Several groups come in and play at the bandstand. We’ve heard a couple different Latin groups so far. Jack loves to dance alongside of them and shake his maracas.
We still need to go back and check out the crafts and do some more shopping. My husband picked up a great ¡Viva Navidad t-shirt and Jack got a new pair of maracas. I have my eye on a couple Christmas ornaments that I think I need to pick up before Christmas.
Someone asked me recently what it was overall that I loved about this event so much. “Feliz Navidad” is my all-time favorite Christmas song. The Disneyland Resort brought this song to life in vivid, festive color with my favorite Disney characters leading the party. How could I resist?
You can celebrate the holidays with ¡Viva Navidad! at California Adventure daily from 11:00am to 7:00pm through January 6th. January 2nd through the 6th additional treats, activities and displays to celebrate Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes) will also be available.
