What’s New/Touring Tips Disney’s California Food and Wine Festival Disney’s California Adventure

Disney's California Food and Wine Festival returns to Disney's California Adventure from April 16 – May 31 with the theme The Art of Flavor. This year's Festival features new venues, new Signature Events, and a larger selection of food and wine offerings. Every day park visitors can attend complimentary cooking demonstrations, many of them featuring notable celebrity and guest chefs. Wine, beer, and spirits tasting seminars are available several times a day for a small fee. In addition to the Taste of California Marketplace, featuring tapas-style foods, special Festival menu items are available at restaurants around the park. Signature Events offer guests the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of food and wine, to interact with chefs and winemakers, and to educate themselves on wine tasting and cooking techniques.

= = = = = = = = = = = =
WHAT'S NEW
= = = = = = = = = = = =

The Festival Showplace, located in Stage 12 of the Hollywood Pictures Backlot, is the new home of most of the Festival's activities. The wine, beer, and spirits seminars are held there, as are the Sweet Sundays events. The Taste of California Marketplace, Festival Gift Shop and Wine Seller are also located there. The new Star Lounge, featuring Stella Artois beer and a large selection of wines by the glass, is also in the Festival Showplace.

The Taste of California Marketplace returns this year with a new location in the Festival Showplace. Two favorites from previous festivals, the Cheddar Cheese Soup and the Beer Battered Halibut return to the menus along with a number of new items. The menu is HERE. Coca Cola beverages are self-service out of one of the two "Freestyle" Coke dispensers. Select one of 20 "base" beverages (e.g. Coca Cola, Coke Zero, Dasani Water), and then select a flavor (some have as many as six choices) and then dispense your own personal beverage. 104 different combinations are available. A regular 22 oz. beverage is $2.79, a 32 oz. beverage is $3.29.

A number of returning events have new locations. The Jr. Chef program has moved to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot between Monsters, Inc. and the Studio Catering Company. The wine and beer walks are now located along the walkway between Sunshine Plaza and the Golden Vine Winery.

New this year is the Brewer's Collection, located in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot behind the Backlot Theater and featuring a selection of Stella Artois brews on tap.

Festival Artisans can be found in the Pacific Wharf area, offering a selection of merchandise from gourmet olive oil to kitchen tools and wine-country inspired bath salts.

The wine, beer, and spirits seminars have been complimentary in past years, but this year there is a nominal charge of $1 to attend each one. Tickets go on sale one hour before the event starts. These events are only open to those 21 and older, and everyone must show ID and receive a wristband when they purchase their ticket. All members of your party must be present to purchase tickets. Unlike past years, once you have your ticket you do not have to wait in line, and may arrive back at the venue just in time for the event if you choose – though the seats up front will be taken by those who wait.

The Chef's Showcase demonstration kitchen is located in Sunshine Plaza, and features a brand-new show kitchen. A large tent completely covers the stage and seating area, which will accommodate up to 150 guests. This year's Festival includes a larger number of celebrity and guest chefs than ever before, including Guy Fieri, Cat Cora, Richard Irvine, Keegan Gerhard, and Jamie Gwen.

On selected days during the Festival Autograph Sessions with featured chefs and cookbook authors will take place in Sunshine Plaza. Copies of the books will be for sale at the Festival Gift Shop and also at the merchandise cart in Sunshine Plaza. There will also be Bottle Signings and some autograph sessions every day in the Festival Showplace, featuring the winemakers and chefs presenting there.

There are again two Wine Walks this year. For $10 you receive four tastings. One features 12 different California wines from four different areas, including Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Paso Robles. The other Wine Walk features 12 different wines from four areas of Italy.

The Beer Walk showcases international beers, ales, and lagers, and is also $10 for four tastings.

The Junior Chef program has moved to to the Hollywood Pictures Backlot. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays kids aged 11 and younger will prepare a sweet treat with the help of a Disney chef and special guest Chef Goofy. Each child receives a chef's hat to take home as well as a sweet treat to eat afterwards. About 30 kids can participate in each session.

= = = = = = = = = = = =
SIGNATURE EVENTS
= = = = = = = = = = = =

There are multiple changes in the Signature Events this year. The popular Winemaker dinners, Sweet Sundays, the Taste finale event, Napa Rose Cooking School and Taste Wine Like an Expert sessions are all returning, and there are also a number of new offerings. To sign up for any of the Signature Events, visit http://www.disneyland.com/foodandwine.

The Brewmaster Dinner is new this year, featuring Karl Strauss beers paired with a multi-course meal. This event, which will be held at Steakhouse 55 on May 7, sold out several weeks before the Festival began.

There are two new Grand Reserve Wine Pairing Dinners this year, which will be held on May 8 and May 22 in the Napa Rose private dining room, for $185/person. Each dinner is limited to 24 guests. Wines from Flora Springs are featured on May 8, and those of David Arthur on May 22. These events are sold out.

Also new are the Riedel Glass Tasting sessions. There are two sessions, on April 24 and May 28. Participants will taste wines and learn how the shape of the glass affects the taste. These sessions are $90/person and will take place at the Festival Showplace. Each guest receives their set of four tasting glasses to take home.

The very popular Sweet Sundays event returns this year in a new indoor location at the Festival Showplace. Those of us who had leaves falling in our wine glasses last year will appreciate that. At this point all sessions except the final event on May 23 are sold out. This year, seating at the event is pre-assigned, and upon checking in you will be given a ticket with your table assignment.

The grand finale event of the Festival, Taste Food-Wine-Life will be held on Saturday, May 29 for $135/person. Separate park admission is not required.

= = = = = = = = = = = =
TOURING TIPS
= = = = = = = = = = = =

There is high interest in the celebrity chef demos – people line up at park opening for a session that starts at 3:30. Festival personnel have been handing out tickets starting ~11:30, but those have been gone by noon. Once you have a ticket you are free to leave and return in time for the session, though there are those who wait the entire time, since they will get the seats closest to the stage. There is a standby area off to the side where people without tickets can wait. For those who wish to stand behind the seating area during the presentation, they have been queueing those people at the entrance to Sunshine Plaza.

For those who are just trying to see one of the "regular" demonstrations, it can be confusing trying to figure out which line to stand in – ask a Cast Member to make sure you are in the correct line.

The first sessions of the day for both the cooking demonstrations and the wine tasting sessions are typically not full, and you can usually walk up right before and still get in. As the day goes on they get more crowded. Selling tickets for the wine/beer/spirits seminars really does make those a lot easier – you know an hour in advance when tickets go on sale whether you are going to get in or not, so you don't have to spend time waiting.

Most of the venue and waiting areas are either indoors or shaded this year – a welcome relief from some days during previous Festivals when it was close to 100 and we were waiting in the sun. The exception is the queue area for the Chef's Showcase stage – while they have set up a number of umbrellas, there is still a lot of queue that isn't shaded. Be prepared with sunscreen, hats, and liquids if you are going to wait hours to see your favorite chef.

NO ONE under the age of 21 is permitted in the wine tasting or beer education areas.

Reservations for Signature Events can be made on-line at the http://www.disneyland.com/foodandwine web site. Same day reservations for the Signature events (if available) can also be made at the Festival Information Center at Sunshine Plaza.

Be sure to pick up a Festival Guide – these are available at the Festival Welcome Center, Festival Showplace, and at the turnstiles. This nicely-designed pamphlet contains maps of the event venues, a schedule of events, and other information to help maximize your Festival experience. A PDF file featuring the daily schedules for the entire Festival is available on-line HERE.

The Wine "Seller", located in the Festival Showplace, offers a variety of wines from the group of wineries participating in the wine tasting sessions. Any wine purchases must be picked up at Lost & Found to the left of the main entrance outside the park. You may not carry the bottles into either Disneyland or DCA, so do not pick them up until you are ready to either leave for the day or take them back to your car or hotel. The wine purchase process is time-consuming and cumbersome, since due to some California law they have to account for each bottle separately and make you fill out a separate pick-up form for each bottle.

A variety of festival-themed merchandise including pins, artwork, chef coats, wine stoppers, glasses, t-shirts, hats, etc. is available at the Festival Gift Store in the Festival Showplace. There is also a merchandise cart set up in Sunshine Plaza which features merchandise more geared to the current visiting chef, including cookbooks.

= = = = = = = = = = = =
RELATED LINKS
= = = = = = = = = = = =

Food and Wine Festival General Information
2010 Festival Menus and Prices
2010 Festival Photo Gallery
2010 Sweet Sundays Review

Food and Wine Festival Rate and Review – Let us know what you think of Disney's California Food and Wine Festival!.

If you have comments or tips to share with others about touring Disney's California Adventure, please email us. Thank you.