It may still be spring at the Disneyland Resort, but April felt a lot more like summertime. Disneyland dazzled with its remaining Diamond Jubilee décor, and California Adventure was buzzing with the Food and Wine Festival.
Disneyland didn’t have any special events this month, but Season of the Force in Tomorrowland is still going strong.
And over in California Adventure, Buena Vista Street is still proudly showing off its 60th anniversary ribbons.
FOOD AND WINE FESTIVAL
Throughout the month of April, California Adventure brought back an old tradition: the Food and Wine Festival. This event was a celebration of California cuisine, wines, and the culinary arts.
All park guests could visit the mini marketplaces, attend culinary seminars, or view and purchase specialty festival merchandise. Guests could also purchase a festival ticket, which granted them access to more exclusive events, including celebrity cooking demonstrations, beverage seminars, and wine sampling sessions.
The festival was massively popular with park guests, and will hopefully return to its former schedule as an annual springtime event.
CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES
Star Wars Land construction remains a constant presence in the rear of Frontierland. The walls at the back of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad do little to conceal the trucks and mounds of dirt.
As the land takes shape, it will be interesting to see if Disney takes additional measures to keep the new land’s appearance a secret; I’m guessing they will either heighten the wall or add some temporary trees and shrubs to hide this area from visitors inside the park.
This photo from MiceChat shows a projection of how Star Wars Land will fit into the Rivers of America landscape:
There are two big things to note here. First, there will be a connecting path from Critter Country to the new land. That means guests will now be able to reach Fantasyland from Critter Country without winding through New Orleans Square, which could be a lifesaver during Fantasmic! showings. And second, it looks like the Disneyland Railroad will be hidden in rock formations along the waterfront, so the train will not be visible from a galaxy far, far away.
OTHER UPDATES
After a minor refurbishment, shiny new paint job, and a new partnership with Honda, Autopia has finally reopened! The ride is the same, but the Autopia façade and towers now sport a lovely shade of royal blue.
And finally, a big piece of news confirmed this month: Disneyland has cancelled its annual 24-hour summer kickoff. This came as a surprise to many Disneyland fans…but not to those who actually attended. The kickoff last year was a complete nightmare; Disney stopped admitting guests for hours due to overcrowding, and didn’t let in more guests when visitors left. So there were overwhelming crowds waiting to get into the park, even as levels inside died down. The traffic from the event completely overwhelmed Anaheim, and finding a parking spot for the event was an event in and of itself. There is also some speculation that the event has been cancelled as a result of labor cuts at the resort this quarter, but that remains unconfirmed until Disney cites an official reason for the cancellation. Fans are holding out hope that the event will return in the future, but for now, the kickoff is not part of the plan.
That’s all for this month at the Disneyland Resort. As we move into May, the summer season in the parks officially starts!
