Whether you are ready to go “to infinity . . . and beyond” or looking to “just keep swimming,” head to Disneyland! Disneyland is celebrating all things Pixar this spring and summer with Pixar Fest all over the resort. Learn all the insider tips for the Pixar Fest celebration.
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7 Planning Tips for Pixar Fest at Disneyland
1. Know Your P’s
2. Budget for Park Hopper Tickets
3. Snag a Spot in a Less Popular Fireworks Viewing Area
4. Make the Most of Maxpass
5. Consider a Dining Package
6. Try Some of the Pixar Fest Food
7. Make Time for Photo Opportunities
If you are a Pixar fan (really, who isn’t?), the place to head on a family vacation this spring and summer is to the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. Disneyland just launched a new celebration, Pixar Fest, on April 13, 2018.
Pixar Fest celebrates all of the beloved Pixar characters and stories in both Disneyland parks. There are even some additions in Downtown Disney and the three Disneyland hotels. It features a new evening fireworks spectacular (Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular) and two refreshed parades (Paint the Night and the Pixar Play Parade).
There are also many Pixar extras, from character meet-and-greets to tasty food and too-cute-to-resist merchandise. On June 23, new rides and attractions of Pixar Pier will join the celebration as well.
Pixar Fest ends September 3, 2018, although it’s always possible that some elements will continue.
I attended the press preview day as well as the public opening day of all the Pixar fun. As always, I made it my mission to bring back the very best first-hand tips from my visit to share. Disneyland has gotten increasingly popular and crowded in the last several years, so I highly recommend planning some things in advance to dodge the crowds. Keep reading to find out the best insider tips for Pixar Fest to make the most of your visit and experience more Pixar and Disney magic in the process.
1. Know Your P’s
Pixar Fest, Pixar Pier, Pixar Play Parade, Paint the Night, Paradise Pier, Paradise Park, Paradise Gardens, Pixar Pals.
Photo credit: Leslie Harvey / Frequent Flyer TravelingMom
Believe or not, these are the names of some of the current and coming attractions, park locations, parades, and events at the Disneyland Resort. All these P’s are enough to confuse even the most serious of Disney fans. I want to make sure you end up at Disneyland at the right time for the right attractions, so read on, Pixar fans.
Quick and easy primer to all the Disneyland P’s of 2018
- Pixar Fest: The celebration of Pixar characters happening in both Disneyland parks running from April 13 to September 3, 2018 with two returning parades and a new fireworks show.
- Pixar Pier: A land in Disney California Adventure that will open as a later stage in Pixar Fest on June 23, 2018. Pixar Pier will include the Incredicoaster, Toy Story Mania, and several themed Pixar neighborhoods.
- Paradise Pier: The former name for some of the area that is now closed for construction that will be becoming Pixar Pier.
- Pixar Play Parade: A daytime parade now running daily in Disneyland park as part of Pixar Fest.
Photo credit: Leslie Harvey / Frequent Flyer TravelingMom
- Paint the Night: An evening parade now running daily in Disney California Adventure park as part of Pixar Fest.
- Paradise Park: The name for a section of what used to be the Paradise Pier area in Disney California Adventure that is NOT being transformed into Pixar Pier. Paradise Park will encompass the areas around Silly Symphony Swings and Goofy’s Sky School.
- Paradise Gardens: The area around the Paradise Garden Grill restaurant and bandstand at the very back of Disney California Adventure. This is where the Pixar Pals meet-and-greet is happening during Pixar Fest.
2. Budget for Park Hopper Tickets
I almost always think park hopper tickets at Disneyland are worth it because of the proximity of the two parks. With so many Pixar Fest events in both parks, they are even more necessary if you want to enjoy the breadth of this festival. If you have only a day, park hoppers are a downright necessity.
Disneyland park has the daytime Pixar Play Parade and the evening fireworks show, Together Forever – a Pixar Nighttime Spectacular. Disney California Adventure has the Paint the Night Parade. If you simply want to hit the three headliners, you need a park hopper ticket to enjoy them all.
TravelingMom Tip: Whether you buy a park hopper or not, don’t pay full price for your Disneyland ticket! Save on all multi-day tickets with TravelingMom partner Get Away Today.
There are even more Pixar Fest must-dos and must-sees in both parks. Here are a few of the highlights not to miss:
In Disneyland Park
- Alien Pizza Planet: This transformed restaurant in Tomorrowland features a cute theme and new menu items like the Alien macaron.
- Pixar Pals Dance Party: Starting June 8, kids will have the chance to boogie with their favorite Pixar characters in Tomorrowland.
- Pixar-themed rides: Don’t forget ride classics like Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage and Buzz Lightyear Astro-Blasters.
In Disney California Adventure Park
- Pixar Pals Meet-and-Greet Area: Meet Buzz and Woody, Mr. & Mrs. Incredible, Dug and Russell, or Flik and Atta in the Paradise Gardens Meet and Greet area.
- Knick Knacks: If you are on the hunt for the most extensive collection of Pixar-themed merchandise, head here first.
- Pixar-themed rides: There are so many Pixar rides in DCA, including Toy Story Midway Mania, everything in Cars Land, Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sully to Rescue, and everything in Bug’s Land (which will close permanently at the end of summer 2018).
3. Snag a Spot in a Less Popular Fireworks Viewing Area
Many Disneyland visitors stress for weeks about how to get the prime viewing location for every parade and show they want to see. When it comes to the new “Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” fireworks show in Disneyland park, I’m here to tell you to stress less! Yes, it is the headliner attraction since it is brand new, but there are plenty of places to experience the magic.
The brilliance of this show is that is it features projection technology in four different locations in the park: on Sleeping Beauty Castle, along the storefronts of Main Street USA, on the Rivers of America, and on the facade of it’s a small world.
To snag the most-sought-after viewing location right near the castle, guests will surely need to camp out a few hours in advance. But you can see so many compelling and unique elements of the show from elsewhere. If you have young kids who can’t wait for hours for a 15-minute fireworks show, grab a spot an alternate location and enjoy.
4. Make the Most of Maxpass
Pixar Fest is going to be very popular, especially after Memorial Day when the summer crowds begin to flood the parks. Crowds can also be significant in May, especially on “Grad Nights” when high school seniors get special admission days. If you don’t want to be the visitor standing in long lines, you need to be maximizing Fastpass, Disneyland’s virtual queuing system.
The best way to do this is to pay for the Maxpass upgrade ($10 per person per day). Maxpass allows you to book Fastpasses from your mobile device. It’s a huge time and sanity saver. Check out TravelingMom’s guide to Disneyland Maxpass to learn how to master it.
5. Consider a Dining Package
In the past several years, Disneyland has offered an increasing number of dining packages for evening shows and parades. These packages allow guests to enjoy a prix fixe meal at one of the popular restaurants and then proceed to reserve show viewing areas. There is no need to camp out for hours in advance!
The downside, of course, is that the packages are pricey. Even the cheapest ones are more expensive than a character meal at Disneyland. Not everyone is a show and parade lover (I personally prefer the rides), but if you are, you may want to budget for one of these splurges.
There are four dining packages for the two new Pixar Fest parades. Note that there are no dining packages for the Together Forever fireworks show.
Dining Package Options include the following:
Paint the Night
- Carthay Circle: Dinner starting at $99 for adults; $45 for children ages 3-9
- Wine Country Trattoria: Lunch starting at $38 for adults; $21 for children ages 3 to 9 OR dinner starting at $49 for adults; $25 for children ages 3 to 9.
- Sonoma Terrace: Reception with charcuterie tray and boxed truffles served with wine, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages is $79 per person.
Pixar Play Parade
- Plaza Inn: Picnic-style lunch costs $39.99+tax for adults and $24.99+tax for children ages 3-9.
6. Try Some of the Pixar Fest Food
Disneyland always goes all out with new food items for their special events. But Pixar Fest features some of the biggest variety and most innovative choices I’ve seen yet. I’m usually a Disneyland guest who quickly grabs a churro for energy and races to the next ride without worrying about meals. But even I found that the food was truly half of the fun at Pixar Fest.
Some highlights for kids and kids-at-heart:
- At least five new flavored churros (confession: I tried three of them. In a single day!)
- Alien macaroons
- Coco-themed menu at Paradise Grill
- Candy counter treats like a Nemo candy apple or a Dory cake pop
Photo credit: Leslie Harvey / Frequent Flyer TravelingMom
7. Make Time for Photo Opportunities
Also as someone who adores Disneyland rides, I often don’t “waste” my time with other things in the park like photo opportunities. But at Pixar Fest, you are going to want to slow down a bit. When the ride lines get long (especially early and mid-afternoon on busy summer days), make time to capture a few family memories at some of the super-cute Pixar photo spots.
TravelingMom Tip: Remember that if even one person in your part has Maxpass, Photopass is included. This means you can get all the great professional photos from Disney for just $10 a day – including ride photos and character meal images!
Some of my favorites photo opps included the following (all in Disney California Adventure):
- Buzz Lightyear & Woody themed cars at the entrance to Cars Land
- Pixar Pals character meet-and-greets in Paradise Gardens
- The new animation wall in the Knick Knacks store
- Monster’s Inc. cutouts near Five and Dime
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