If you’re heading to this year’s Food & Wine Festival at California Adventure with the whole family, don’t skip these exciting entertainment offerings for guests of all ages.
Think there’s not a lot to do at the 2024 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival if you’re visiting with kids? Think again, because this staple Disneyland Resort event is surprisingly family-friendly. Sure, there’s plenty of wine (and beer and cocktails!) to sip if you’re over 21, along with adult experiences like winemaker dinners, tasting seminars, and cocktail mixology classes. But just because your little ones are tagging along doesn’t mean you have to skip out on all the fun.
Below, I’m sharing some of the family-friendly entertainment you can catch during this year’s Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival whether you’re visiting with toddlers, tweens, or any age in between. There’s so much to do that families will easily find something for everyone to enjoy!
Cookin’ with the Jammin’ Chefs
Photo by Heather Adams
Cookin’ with the Jammin’ Chefs is a Food & Wine Festival staple at California Adventure, and it’s absolutely worth catching. This brief, 15-minute show is jam-packed with music, exciting character appearances, and some fun dancing – and both kids and adults will enjoy it!
The show, which is standing room only, takes place at the obelisk in Paradise Gardens Park. Here, the Jammin’ Chefs come together with some of your favorite Disney characters (Chip ‘n’ Dale, Daisy Duck, and Clarabelle Cow) to make music with pots, pans, and other kitchen tools turned instruments.
Little ones will absolutely adore the character appearances, and the tunes are totally catchy (I’ll admit, I was pretty impressed when I caught the show for the first time!). It’s truly an all-ages show, as little ones of all ages will be mesmerized by the dancing and the music. Plus, since it’s a quick show, the wait to watch isn’t too long, making it a great option for restless kids.
Meet Chef Goofy
Characters are always a highlight for kids and kids-at-heart alike, and the Disney California Food & Wine Festival offers the chance to meet Chef Goofy in the parks! Usually tucked away at Goofy’s Kitchen inside the Disneyland Hotel, Chef Goofy heads over to Hollywood Land for the festival, making an annual appearance at an adorably kitchen-themed meet and greet spot.
Chef Goofy gets all dressed up for the occasion, and he’s so much fun to see! You’ll find him popping in at the very back of Hollywood Land, next to Studio Catering Co. from 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM most days.
While the wait for Chef Goofy can get long on busy days, it’s never too long – making it well worth the adorable photos and videos you’ll get of your kids.
Confection Purrfection with the SuperKitties
Photo by Heather Adams
If you’ve got a few Disney Junior fans in your house, great news: One of the most exciting additions to the 2024 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival is an appearance by the SuperKitties! The hit Disney Junior show is popping into the festival with an all-new entertainment offering that gets kids involved in the foodie fun firsthand.
Over in Hollywood Land at the Hollywood Backlot Stage, you and the family can catch Confection Purrfection with the SuperKitties. This exciting show does include some great stage action, but the best part is it comes with a sweet treat! Kids ages 3 to 11 can participate in the show by engaging in a hands-on cupcake decorating experience.
Here’s how it works. You’ll want to arrive at the Confection Purrfection with the SuperKitties viewing area about 30 minutes before showtime. Cast Members will ask for kids who want to participate, and you can sign them up so they get a show wristband. Right before the show gets underway, the kids will be escorted up to the tables near the stage so they can don chef hats and get to work on their cupcakes. And as the Cast Members will warn you, it’s likely they’ll come back to you covered in some frosting, too!
Oh, and while the SuperKitties are the star of the show, keep your eyes peeled for another fun character surprise!
There are plenty of opportunities for kids to join in the SuperKitties fun – there are four showings daily Monday to Friday, and two showings on Saturday and Sunday.
Note: Parents do have to stay in the audience viewing area for this show, so make sure your kids are comfortable decorating cupcakes on their own! Cast Members will be able to help, but if your little ones are shy, just note that you’ll have to step back for this event.
Soarin’ Over California
Okay, technically this one isn’t an entertainment offering – it’s an attraction! But since it’s something special that happens just during the annual Food & Wine Festival, it counts as something to do that you and the kids just can’t miss.
Although Soarin’ Over California was transformed into Soarin’ Around the World in 2016, the much-beloved original film returns for a limited time. During the festival, when you ride Soarin’ Over California, you’ll once again soar past towering redwood trees, the perfectly landscaped greens of the desert’s golf courses, and even stop by Disneyland for a nighttime fireworks show.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of Soarin’ Over California or have never experienced its magic, I’m here to tell you that it’s a festival must-ride. Plus, if you catch a ride on this attraction on the first day of its return, Cast Members are known to hand out Cuties in honor of the orange-scented film, which makes for an extra-special ride experience.
Note: There is a height requirement to ride Soarin’ Over California, so keep in mind that kids under 40 inches tall won’t be able to ride.
Arts and Crafts
Little ones can hang out at these pint-sized tables to color a chef’s hat of their own. Photo by Heather Adams
If you’re headed to this year’s Food & Wine Festival with little ones who love to draw or color, great news: There’s a whole area dedicated to gettin’ crafty and creative. Head to Hollywood Land and walk towards the Hollywood Backlot Stage. Right before you hit the stage, you’ll see an area off to the right that’s filled with kid-sized chairs and tables.
Here, little ones can grab a seat and a few crayons to color their very own Disney chef hat. Cast Members are on hand to help kids get the items they need and put their chef hats together once the masterpiece is complete. Parents can hop in and help, too – just note that the chairs are toddler-sized, so you’ll be doing some leaning and squatting!
Note: If your little ones are too small to safely or successfully color, they can’t hang out in the arts and crafts area. So, if you’re visiting with young kids of different ages, infants and tiny toddlers may want to head over to Monsters, Inc. Mike & Sulley to the Rescue! or the Chef Goofy meet and greet while their siblings color.
Live Music
Lastly, both kids and parents can enjoy some live music at two stages in California Adventure while the Food & Wine Festival is happening. The Palisades Stage, which sits right at the waterfront of Paradise Bay, and the Paradise Gardens Bandstand, which is located in the festival’s beer garden, both feature rotating lineups of different musical acts.
Kids can move, groove, and get that wiggly energy out during these performances. The Palisades Stage in particular offers a great wide open space for them to bop around and let loose (and it’s set away from booths with boozy offerings, if you’re hoping to keep them out of the beer garden!)
You can catch live music every day of the festival starting at 11:30 AM, and acts appear throughout the afternoon and evening. Performances happen roughly every hour to hour and a half –– check the daily entertainment schedule during your visit to see who’s popping in throughout the day!
Thanks to Disney for inviting us to the opening day of the 2024 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, where we got to experience the festival marketplaces and exciting entertainment like Cooking with the Jammin’ Chefs and Confection Purrfection with the SuperKitties.
