DCA Festival of Holidays 2017 - Day 1 + Pictures
Today was my first day at the Disney California Adventure Festival of Holidays 2017. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Improving on last year's event, this event is more organized, more encompassing, and even more delicious. As you walk through the Festival of Holidays pathway, you are greeted by intoxicating smells, festive music, and beautifully decorated sights. There are local craftsman selling goods and standing tables for eating, drinking, and chatting with friends. There are even family friendly stations with activities for children. In my opinion, this is a wonderful event that is be fun for people of all ages.
In total, today, I shared 7 different festival food items with my boyfriend. Starting from first to last: (1) Braised Pork Belly Adobo with Garlic Fried Rice, (2) Grilled Chicken Sausage with Red Beans and Rice, (3) Baked Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, (4) Chana Masala with Grilled Garlic Naan, (5) Beef Corn Tamale a la Plancha with Spicy Rojo Sauce, (6) Nashville Hot Fried Turkey with Dill Pickles, and (7) Chorizo Queso Fundido with House-made Tortilla Chips. For further pictures/reviews, click through the slideshow. Spoiler: Our favorite of the day was the pork belly. However, we don't regret any of the foods we tried and definitely can't wait to go back to try more.
(1) Braised Pork Belly Adobo with Garlic Fried Rice - Fantastic start to the day. This pork belly was so flavorful and tender. The rice was rich and garlicky goodness. BF and I loved it. 4.6/5 Stars - It was a bit strong; but we didn't mind. This can be found at Blissfully Braised.
(2) Grilled Chicken Sausage with Red Beans and Rice - We ate this immediately after the mind blowing pork belly and to be honest, it was flavorful and tasty - but less so than it's predecessor. BF loved the spicy beans though. 3.6/5 Stars. This can be found at Grandma's Recipes.
(3) Baked Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes - I debated buying the scalloped potatoes - they seemed expensive for potatoes and cheese. However, this was delicious. They were so cheesy and soft without being overwhelming. They were a bit oily though. 4.7/5 Stars. This can be found at Festival Holiday Extras.
(4) Chana Masala with Grilled Garlic Naan - The BF loves Indian food, so we had to try it. I found it a little overwhelming, I'm not used to curry. However, BF approved & there was a large portion with fluffy naan. 3.4/5 Stars. This can be found at Classic Crocks and Casseroles.
(5) Beef Corn Tamale a la Plancha with Spicy Rojo Sauce - So, the BF is Mexican - he does not impress easily with Tamales. He said it was boring, but tasty with the sauce. I thought it was spicy and delicious - average of 3.2/5 Stars between us. This can be found at Spicy Celebrations.
(6) Nashville Hot Fried Turkey with Dill Pickles - The dill pickle is the smallest sliver I've ever seen. Outside of that, this was wonderful. The turkey was a bit dry but the dry rub was deliciously spicy. 4.5/5 Stars. This can be found at Spicy Celebrations.
(7) Chorizo Queso Fundido with House-made Tortilla Chips - Mexican BF claims this is "good for fast queso". I don't have much gauge; I liked it. The chiles and chorizo inside were great. The chips with a bit oily and salty though. 4.5/5 Stars. This can be found at Chips, Breads, & Holiday Spreads.
Unfortunately, we didn't spend our whole time just gorging ourselves at the park today. We also enjoyed some live music, a movie preview for Coco (looks better than I anticipated - I'm excited to see it), and strolling through the new decorations. So climb aboard for the ride and look at a couple of the pictures I took. Like this one of me being a weirdo. (Life's about being weird. Or maybe I'm just looking for an excuse to keep being me.)
Notice the awesome ears I'm wearing? They're custom made by one of my best friends. She owns an Etsy shop with a ton of cool ears and there are always new ones, up and coming. They do an array of hats and ears for all occasions or just because you want some. They're great Christmas presents! And yes, you're right, I have no shame when plugging my BFF. I hope you don't for your BFF either. I also hope you buy some ears. But not too many, because when she's too busy with her business, I never see her. Literally though, I've seen her slave over these things to give the best customer service experience. Search her shop, Come2TheEarSide, on Etsy. And mention me with a #Kimsentme.
Here's a scene with Festival of Holidays booths. We didn't ever wait for more than 10 minutes in a festival line - but we did tend to avoid the ones that looked crowded. The booths run from the edge of Carthay Circle Restaurant to Goofy's Sky School - traversing the path towards Paradise Pier, along Ariel's Undersea Adventure, rather than over the bridge. Although, you'd think that this might cause more traffic into the crowds that tend to form with the World of Color show and the popular rides in Paradise Pier, it's actually managed quite well. There are designated eating areas off to the sides of the walking area - making sure that people don't get in the way of others that may just be passing through.
But, if, for some reason you're looking to avoid the festival booths but want to get to the back of the park, from the main entrance, walk through the path next to Soarin' over the World towards Ghirardelli, walk through the restaurants next to Ghirardelli and across the bridges towards Paradise Pier.
Here's a low quality video of some of the live music that we were able to see, staring the very talented Mariachi Divas (highly recommend) and a little girl singing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. There are multiple different live acts through the festival, including music and dancing, celebrating holidays like Diwali, American Christmas, Kwanzaa, Navidad, and Hanukkah. It's really a sight to see. Also, all the food being sold advertises which holiday it represents, making it all the more symbolic that no matter the cause, this holiday season is for celebration and being with those you love. That's something I'll always stand behind, or at least sit and clap for, if I'm feeling shy.
Do you feel Christmas-y yet? I do. Until next time!
