Hi, I'm Asia, and my twin 8-year-old daughters and I are MAJOR Disneyland fanatics.
So last weekend, when we got the chance to attend Disneyland Resort's "Celebrate Soulfully" event, a celebration of African American heritage and culture, we were more-than-excited to check it out!
Here are some of the coolest things we got to experience during the event:
Along the walk of Downtown Disney, there were reimagined portraits of Joe from Soul.
These portraits were done by up-and-coming Black artists Bee Harris, Bianca Pastel, Arrington Porter, and Cory Van Lew, and they are really beautiful in person.
There was also a huge piece of art on what used to be ESPN Zone of the new The Proud Family revival, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, which gave me 2000s nostalgic vibes.
And there was also this really awesome chalk art mural created by cast member and chalk art muralist Marcella Swett, who does a new portrait every week.
Here are a few of her other pieces, which you can find on her Instagram page.
There are mini-gospel music concerts happening throughout the day at Downtown Disney.
And along Downtown Disney, there are vendor carts highlighting the work of African American artisans, like Post 21, which features items specially curated from African American businesses:
The cart has jewelry, and books, like B Is for Black Girl — The ABC's of Black Culture, written by a pair of African American twins, which I picked up for my girls.
Many of the stores in Downtown Disney also have new items like the artwork and collectible items at WonderWall Gallery:
Like these pins:
And holiday ornaments:
In fact, everywhere you go, there is lots of Tiana love via Princess and the Frog souvenirs for purchase.
LovePop features special "We Are Black History" pop-up cards like this one:
And the new Pelé Soccer store features a sweatshirt for purchase with an image of Pelé and the phrase, 'Empower the Culture."
Now, about the food (and drank!):
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen — located in Downtown Disney — features Creole cuisine.
Like this NOLA BBQ shrimp and grits that we ate so fast we honestly forgot to take a photo, but here's what it looked like before I went totally ham on it.
And at Disney's Grand Californian's Hearthstone Lounge, there is a special menu of "Celebrate Soulfully" offerings, which include Black-owned wines and liquors, as well as special menu items.
I sampled the McBride Sisters Chardonnay as well as their Red Blend, which were both pretty good.
Full disclosure, the McBride Sisters' Chardonnay was already one of my faves (I mean, I wasn't gonna turn it down!), but I had never tasted the Red Blend before, as I'm not much of a red wine drinker. This one was solid, and pretty fruity.
And from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., you can order special food items off the menu, like this Cajun shrimp flatbread, which was honestly A-MA-ZING!
If you like jazz, there's a jazz group, the Mood Indigo Group, playing in the lobby.
And if you like gospel music, there's the "Celebrate Gospel" festival at the Fantasyland Theater — there are two Saturday night main performances on the 19th and 26th.
The walkway leading to the theater is full of a photo and written celebration of gospel music, including its history and an homage to notable gospel music artists through the decades. It was nice to be able to get that history while you waited for the performance.
There were several community choirs that performed from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., but the main evening event featured Kierra Sheard on the 19th, and will feature Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music on the 26th.
All in all, I thought it was a pretty cool event, and — as an African American mom — it was nice for my kids to see themselves and their culture celebrated at their favorite place. I will also be writing a strongly worded letter (aka begging, LOL) to make Cajun shrimp flatbread a thing always!
"Celebrate Soulfully" is happening at the Disneyland Resort through Monday, February 28.
