Tall White Building with Palm Trees and Brown California Food and Wine Festival Entrance Sign

2019 Food and Wine Festival Now Open!

We just came back from the soft opening of the 2019 Food and Wine Festival at Disney California Adventure Park and have lots to share with you! While there are some new marketplaces at the festival, many of them are the same from years before (and even the soundtrack is still the same). If you enjoyed previous years of the Food and Wine Festival you’ll certainly enjoy this years.

The festival officially opened on March 1st (so if you’re reading this thinking it opened today you’re a bit behind) but had a soft opening on Feb. 28th. They typically do this every year so if you just can’t wait for the official opening day, come the day before.

Crowds weren’t too bad during the soft opening, we were able to get our Sip and Savor Pass (which we highly recommend) without a long line. This year you can actually purchase them at any marketplace and ALL guests can purchase them, not just AP holders (they do get a discount though). This makes the festival so much better in our opinion because you can save upwards to $12 depending on how you use the pass. The breakdown is this:

The Sip and Savor Pass costs $54 including tax (AP holders pay $49). You get 8 tabs to trade in for food or drinks (non-alcoholic). This makes each tab worth $6.75 or $6.12 of AP holders. Some food items can cost right around $6.75 or so but there are several that cost more (the tenderloin slider at Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo for example is $8.50). Using that example you would have saved $1.75 compared to buying it outright. Assuming you choose items similar to this you can save around $12.

All the marketplaces this year have been placed up the main walk path from just beyond Carthay Circle to Paradise Gardens. There are two marketplaces that are off the beaten path so to say and those are LAstyle and Golden Dreams. LAstyle can be found down by Monsters Inc in Hollywood Land and Golden Dreams can be found by Grizzly River Run.

This years list of Marketplaces includes:

  • Avocado Time – Indulge in flavorful medleys that make your mouth sing.
  • Berry Patch – Hail the big berry for top billing!
  • California Craft Brews – Cheers to a round from California’s best local breweries.
  • Citrus Grove – Zing it up with zesty refreshments!
  • Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo – Rally for these sliders, wings ‘n’ beer—a sports fan’s dream!
  • Garlic Kissed – Savor food and drinks featuring the stinking rose.
  • Golden Dreams – Tempt taste buds with well-seasoned eats and nectarous drinks.
  • I Heart Artichokes – Partake in the thistle—prepared in 2 different ways!
  • LAstyle – Feast on favorite southland food-truck flavors.
  • Nuts About Cheese – Let us introduce you to wine’s best friends.
  • Off the Cob – Celebrate the essence of summer’s sweetness.
  • Peppers Cali-Ente – Snack on hot ‘n’ spicy fare with a Cali twist!
  • Uncork California – Sip vino by the glass or try a flight.
  • Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit – Dine on healthy fare paired with complementary libations.

As you can see there are plenty of marketplaces to choose from! We always try and get a food item and then a dessert or a specialty drink from each place. This year our favorite one was Cluck-a-Doodle-Moo’s beef tenderloin slider (for the non-meat eaters out there try the Cauliflower Ceviche at Veggie, Veggie, Fruit, Fruit). It’s been our favorite two years in a row now and is hard to beat! Our favorite drink this year was the Organic Pineapple Passionfruit Kombucha at Avocado Time. For kids, the cotton candy lemonade at Golden Dreams seemed to be really popular.

You can come on out to Disney California Adventure® Park and enjoy the best of Californian cuisine, beverages and entertainment during Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, now through April 23, 2019! Here’s what to expect:

Culinary Demonstrations: Guests can head to the Backlot Stage in Hollywood Land to watch and learn from talented chefs as they share recipes and tips for preparing favorite dishes.

Festival Marketplaces: You can explore 14 different Festival Marketplaces for a varied and vibrant smorgasbord of small plates, specialty wines and craft beers. Each location’s menu is inspired by fresh, California-grown ingredients!

If you are interested in tasting your way through the festival, the Sip and Savor Pass is now available to all Guests. This pass entitles you to eight select food or non-alcoholic beverage items from any participating Marketplaces, Paradise Garden Grill and select Festival Food & Beverage Carts. Guests can use all eight coupons in a single day, or spread them out over multiple visits!

Signature Events: Book yourself for this year’s must-attend signature events. There are quite a few experiences worth checking out, including the new Dinner with Disney Chefs, Winemaker Receptions at Carthay Circle Restaurant and returning favorites like Sweet Sundays.

Family Entertainment: Guests can enjoy an entree of fun-filled entertainment, including lively performances of Jammin’ Chefs, who use pots, pans and percussion to wow the crowd. During Jr. Chef, kids ages 3 to 11 get to whip up fantastic fun during this hands-on “cooking” experience that ends with a tasty surprise.

Event Merchandise: Guests can commemorate this year’s festival with exclusive event merchandise. There is plenty to please the palate of any Disney fan—from festive headwear and apparel, to kitchen accessories and souvenirs.

If you enjoyed this post please leave a comment below. Did we miss anything? Let us know! You may also be interested in reading about Disneyland Tickets and how to get them cheap. Need help knowing what to pack for your Disney trip? See our What To Pack For Disney article to help you pack right!