Disneyland wants you to ‘Celebrate Soulfully’
Disneyland Resort is celebrating Black Music Month with various special performances and offerings.
Throughout June, Disneyland Resort will honor the month with a breadth of live musical entertainment, specialty menu items and more that honor Black heritage and culture. Throughout the year Disneyland Resort guests can enjoy limited-time happenings that are part of the Celebrate Soulfully experiences.
Disney’s press release mentioned Celebrate Soulfully aims to honor diversity through music, food and events, while elevating guests’ experiences in empowering and impactful ways. Several parks and attractions will be participating in the celebration of Black Music History Month. Continue reading to learn more about what you can expect when you get in on the festivities.
Live music across the resort
Disneyland News reports that Disneyland Resort will host various performances that span genres and decades across the history of Black music. At Disney California Adventure Park, guests are invited to dance along to lively summer concerts at the Hollywood Backlot Stage each evening. Three bands – Midnight Hour, Finesse, and The Rhythm and Blues Brothas – will rotate at this location throughout the month.
Each evening in June, the Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage will feature live band performances, with different Black music genres highlighted throughout the week, including Jazz Fusion, Caribbean, Gospel, Pop, Mid-Century Jazz and more. A lineup of 10 different musical acts have been slated to take the stage throughout the month. The park is even paying homage to hip-hop’s 50th anniversary by having a DJ playing hits throughout the park every Saturday in June. More live performances take place poolside at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Five scheduled performances take place daily including Island Reggae Duo, da-light and DJ Quami.
Interactive art activations will also be available during the month. WonderGround Gallery in the Downtown Disney District and Eudora’s Chic Boutique Featuring Tiana’s Gourmet Secrets in Disneyland Park will host artist signing events featuring illustrators Ryan Riller and Larissa Marantz.
The website also mentions that kids can create their own artwork with a craft inspired by iconic Black artists who have made monumental contributions to Black music. Guests can color a vinyl record-shaped craft to take home or contribute it to the Celebrate Soulfully memory wall.
Limited-time menu items and experiences for Black Music Month
The Black Music Month entertainment is complemented by specialty menu items and limited-time experiences, offering a symphony for the senses.
Food and beverage locations across the Disneyland Resort, including Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen and Goofy’s Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel, will serve specialty menu items in celebration of Black Music Month. There will also be pop-up food attractions available in the park.
The Black-owned food truck Happy Ice will serve refreshing, icy desserts outside the “Star Wars” Trading Post. Disney’s first Black princess, Tiana, will be available for guests to capture a unique photo memory with a limited-time Disney PhotoPass Magic Shot in New Orleans Square.
Celebrate Soulfully year-round at Disneyland Resort
Disney’s celebration of Black culture isn’t just limited to June. Guests can experience year-round and limited-time Celebrate Soulfully offerings at Disneyland Resort. Highlights include special appearances from Ariel from the new live-action “The Little Mermaid” film. The Main Street Opera House will have a special tribute production honoring the relationship between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Disney stories including “The Lion King” and “Black Panther” will also have special experiences that provide park-goers with experiences that go well beyond the movies.
For more information and performance schedules, guests can visit Disneyland.com or the Disneyland app.
Martie Bowser is a journalist and public relations professional in Charlotte, NC. She enjoys amplifying the voices of POC and women that fill a void within their community. Her favorite things to cover include “person of interest” pieces, small business highlights, pop culture commentary, entertainment features, and everything about Beyoncé. Her bylines can be found in Blavity, Black Excellence, Signature Bride, Black Wall Street Times, and HipHop Weekly. Martie can be reached via email at martiebowser@detourxp.com.
This story was originally published June 5, 2023 at 8:20 PM with the headline "Disneyland wants you to ‘Celebrate Soulfully’."