The Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival is back at Disneyland Resort from March 6 through April 27, 2026, bringing with it a vibrant mix of limited-time food, drinks, live entertainment and culinary experiences inspired by the flavors of California.
This year’s festival features eight marketplaces spread throughout Disney California Adventure Park, with tons of new additions joining returning favorites. From bold savory bites to refreshing drinks and sweet treats, there is a lot to explore, which makes this one of the more stacked festival menus Disney California Adventure has offered in recent years.
After spending the day tasting our way through the festival, here are the standout bites, drinks and experiences that were worth the trip.
Must-Try Food from the Festival
One of the biggest strengths of this year’s festival is how many new dishes are on the menu. Disney brought back fan favorites, but there is also a strong lineup of fresh additions that make it worth returning even if you have done the festival before.
Guests planning to sample multiple dishes should seriously consider the Sip and Savor Pass, available in 4- and 8-coupon options. It can be redeemed for select food and nonalcoholic beverages at participating marketplaces and dining locations, and all of our top food and nonalcoholic drink picks were eligible with the pass, which makes it one of the best ways to maximize the festival.
Because booths and participating locations are spread out across the park, the official festival guide and Disneyland mobile app are essential. Between long lines, fluctuating wait times and festival dishes being spread across both marketplaces and dining locations, it is the easiest way to track what is included with the pass and where to find it.
Here are the bites that stood out the most.
Tajín Habanero Seasoned Wings
These wings came in hot and flavorful, with the Tajín chile-lime sauce giving them a bright citrusy kick on top of the heat. They were one of the strongest savory surprises of the day and felt like an easy repeat order.
Ramen Mac & Cheese
This was one of the most creative dishes at the festival and one of the best. The mix of creamy mac and cheese with furikake crumble, fish cakes, green onions and chile crunch made it rich, savory and full of texture. This is exactly the kind of fun festival dish people come hoping to find. Also notice the design, looks familiar?
Sirloin Gruyère Mac & Cheese
If the ramen version leans playful, this one leans indulgent. The sirloin, Gruyère, black garlic chimichurri, garlic butter crunch and Fresno chile slices gave it a deep, layered flavor that made it feel more substantial than your typical theme park mac and cheese.
Chicharrón Nachos
One of the best new additions this year, the chicharrón nachos brought together chorizo, cheese sauce, tomatoes and salsa verde in a dish that felt bold, messy and very easy to demolish quickly.
Asa’DOS
The combination of grilled skirt steak, chipotle chicken, Spanish rice and salsa verde made this one of the more filling dishes available. Portion sizes across the festival were generally good, and this was one of the plates that felt especially worth it.
Torta Ahogada
One of the biggest surprises of the day was that the Torta Ahogada — filled with braised pork carnitas, frijoles charros, pickled onion and salsa — was eligible with the Sip and Savor Pass. That made it feel like one of the better value selections at the festival, especially for a dish that feels more substantial than a typical tasting portion.
Best Drinks from the Festival
The drink lineup this year is just as strong, with several refreshing nonalcoholic options and a few cocktails that stood out immediately.
Strawberry Guava Lemonade
This was one of the best drinks of the day. The blend of Simply Lemonade, strawberry purée and guava syrup, topped with vanilla cream and freeze-dried strawberries, made for a bright, refreshing drink that also looked fantastic.
California Punch
With mango purée, guava nectar, cucumber syrup and lemon juice, plus a mango-chile lollipop garnish, this was a fun and flavorful nonalcoholic option that felt festival-ready in the best way.
Strawberry Horchata
A reliable favorite, the strawberry horchata continues to be one of the easiest drinks to recommend. The rice-and-cinnamon base with strawberry purée gave it a sweet, creamy finish without feeling too heavy.
Bourbon Peach Tea Lemonade
For those looking for an alcoholic option, this cocktail mixed Joffrey’s black tea-infused bourbon, peach purée, lemonade and fruit punch into one of the stronger drink offerings we tried. While not eligible for the sip and savor pass, its a great selection to open the wallet for.
Sweet Pick That Lived Up to the Hype
The standout dessert for us was the Café de Olla Tres Leches Cake, topped with piloncillo, chantilly, cinnamon and a Mickey-shaped cookie.
It was bomb.
The coffee influence gave it a deeper flavor than a standard tres leches, while still keeping that soft, rich texture you want from the dessert. If you are looking for one sweet item to prioritize, this is a very strong choice.
Festival Entertainment and Experiences
The festival experience goes beyond food. Disney also packed in entertainment and demos that help the event feel lively throughout the day.
One of the returning highlights is Cookin’ with the Jammin’ Chefs in Paradise Gardens Park, where performers use pots, pans and kitchen tools to create rhythmic, high-energy performances that fit the festival atmosphere perfectly.
Families can also catch Confection Purrfection with the Super Kitties, adding another fun layer of entertainment for younger guests.
On weekends, the festival also offers chef-led culinary demonstrations on Saturdays and Sundays, where guests can watch chefs prepare dishes and share cooking techniques. These demos add a nice educational element to the event without slowing down the fun.
Guests looking for a more focused tasting experience can also book Beverage Education Seminars at Sonoma Terrace for a separate fee through Disneyland.com.
Live music was another major plus during our visit. The Tina Aldana Party Band at the Palisades Stage was fantastic — engaging, energetic and a huge reason the atmosphere stayed lively throughout the day. Their set helped turn the area into a real party.
World of Color Happiness! Was a Bonus Win
Outside of the festival booths, we also checked out World of Color Happiness! presented by PANDORA Jewelry.
As a big fan of Inside Out 2 and A Goofy Movie, those sections were personal highlights of the show. One thing worth noting, though: unless you are very close to the splash zone, there is a good chance you will deal with some degree of obstructed view depending on where you’re standing. If you have experienced World of Color Happiness! before there wasn’t much of a change from its previous show last year.
Festival Merchandise
The festival merchandise selection felt a bit limited, but there were still a few festive items worth noting. Guests could find festival-branded shirts, Mickey ears and other themed merchandise tied to the event.
It may not be the deepest merch lineup Disney has ever rolled out for a seasonal event, but there were still a few fun ways to bring a piece of the festival home.
What to Know Before You Go
Crowds during our visit felt typical for a Friday at Disney California Adventure, but lines were long almost everywhere and fluctuated throughout the day. Even if you use mobile order where available, patience is still part of the experience.
Because the participating marketplaces and dining locations are spread out, and because not everything is included with the Sip and Savor Pass, the festival guidebook is a must if you want to plan efficiently.
Portion sizes were generally solid, especially for several of the Sip and Savor-eligible items.
California Resident Ticket Offer
California residents looking to visit the festival have an especially strong reason to go this year.
Disneyland Resort is offering a 3-Day California Resident Park Hopper Ticket for $249 total, which works out to about $83 per day. The offer is valid for visits on three nonconsecutive days from January 1 through May 21, 2026, subject to reservation availability.
That makes it a strong value for guests hoping to experience the Food & Wine Festival, the Disneyland Resort 70th Celebration, and other seasonal offerings during the spring.
The 2026 Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival runs through April 27, 2026, and if you go in with a plan, the guidebook and a Sip and Savor Pass, there are plenty of standout bites and drinks worth tracking down.
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I’m a dedicated aficionado of all things movies, pop culture, and entertainment. With a passion for storytelling and a love for the silver screen, I’m constantly immersed in the world of cinema, exploring new releases, classics, and hidden gems alike. As a fervent advocate for the power of film to inspire, entertain, and provoke thought, I enjoy sharing my insights, reviews, and recommendations with fellow enthusiasts.