Activities at the Coco Plaza de la Familia in DCA!
From a young age, I had the privilege of growing up with Mexican heritage intertwined in my life. When I was in grade school I was learning about Mexican culture at home mostly through food! Mole, Mexican hot chocolate, pan dulce, tamales-food made with pure love is what I think of when I think of Mexican culture. I learned how to make handmade flour tortillas from my grandmother who first gave me dough to play with and then showed me how to flatten it with my hands. I love that Disney continues to incorporate celebrations of other cultures and their food in their movies and now in their resorts!
On a Halloween visit to Disney’s California Adventure, the MaxPass AND the printed FastPass system went down. This meant the wait times exploded and the guest service lines were out of control. After lunching at Lamplight Lounge, there was no end in sight, so we headed over to Plaza de la Familia festival to check out the Coco display. Located in the Paradise Gardens, we found beautiful floral displays (seriously, the Imagineers were showing off), delicious food and lots of things to do! Here are 5 fun activities at the Coco Plaza de la Familia!
5 Activities at the Coco Plaza de la Familia
1. Color an Alebrije Mask
Find the cart near the Tree of Life, there are paper masks called alebrije (spirit guide). The surrounding tables have crayons on them for all guests to color their own masks!
PRO TIP!
In the last few years we have found that the crayons are almost always broken or unavailable so consider bringing your own small set to use to color your alebrije!
2. Remember a Loved one
At the Árbol de la Vida (Tree of Life) Disney visitors can write out a remembrance message to a loved one. It then gets hung along the sides of the altar!
3. Take a photo of the wings
There are two photo wing murals towards the back of the plaza. One is larger for adults and the other is kid size. Painted wings are super popular for the Instagram crowd and I’m so happy to see that Disneyland is adding more murals to their events!
4. Try a sweet treat!
The kids and I shared the Pan Dulce Conchita. A Concha is a kid of pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) and this version is filled with caramel. Also offered are Mexican hot chocolate and fresh fruit cups (watermelon and jicama) with a chili lime sauce.
5. Tour the Ofrenda
Disneyland has a life-size version of the Ofrenda (altar) that Miguel builds in the movie. Miguel created it to remember the life of singer Ernesto de la Cruz, his musical hero. It’s a cute little space to wander through although it can get pretty crowded.
