Pixar Fest Celebration Announced for Disneyland 2024 – Pixar Fireworks, New Parade
Disneyland has announced the spring & summer event for 2024 and it is the return of Pixar Fest! Pixar Fest is a celebration that honors the popular Pixar films including iconic favorites like Toy Story, Up!, and Coco. This new, reimagined Pixar Fest will also incorporate the new Pixar films into the celebration like Elemental and Turning Red.
Pixar Fest was last held in 2018 at Disneyland and is returning next year to “bring guests together of a celebration of friendship and beyond.” I was at the 2018 Pixar Fest and I loved this event especially the Pixar-themed Together Forever! fireworks spectacular. This fireworks show even includes the Up! house flying behind the castle! This is such a great event to revamp and bring back for the 2024 spring and summer. The 2024 Pixar Fest will also include a brand new parade in addition to an updated version of this amazing Pixar fireworks show.
Keep reading for our full guide to this newly reimagined Pixar Fest including the fireworks, all the details of the new parade plus Pixar character meet and greets.
Pixar Fest 2024 Dates
Pixar Fest will take place at Disneyland from April 26th, 2024 through August 4th, 2024.
Disneyland, California Adventure, hotels, and Downtown Disney will all be filled with colorful Pixar-themed décor for the celebration. The last time Pixar Fest was held at Disneyland both theme parks received Pixar decorations along with flower sculptures in Downtown Disney honoring the different Pixar characters.
The Cars Land entrance also received two cars in Buzz Lightyear and Woody costumes for guests to take photo ops with.
Pixar Fest was hosted previously at Disneyland in 2018 and was a hit with guests especially younger kids that may connect with the Pixar films more strongly than the Disney Animated Studio films.
The new Disneyland Star Wars celebratory event, Season of the Force, will run in conjunction for part of the dates of Pixar Fest making this a great opportunity to enjoy both these new additions.
Read our guide to Season of the Force for dates, entertainment info plus everything about the new Star Tours scenes.
Discount Disneyland Tickets
Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today,offers the best Disneyland discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.
Book your discount tickets NOW >
Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.
Pixar Fest NEW Parade
Pixar Fest’s most exciting announcement includes the news of a brand new parade coming to California Adventure! Read more about the new Pixar Fest parade here.
The new parade is called Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration! No further details were announced quite yet although we do have some concept art to get an idea of this parade. The image above features the beginning parade float with the iconic Pixar lamp covered in what appears to be stickers relating to the various Pixar films.
This second piece of concept art features the characters from Turning Red including Red Panda Mei! I imagine this section of the parade will include songs from the film, especially from the pop boy band 4*TOWN Mei and her friends are fans of.
This new parade replaces the previous one (Pixar Play Parade) that ran during the 2018 Pixar Fest which was rather short in comparison to other Disney parades. I am excited to see Disneyland put in the effort to create a whole new parade although I am sure we may see some returning floats from the original Pixar Play Parade. I hope we see the return of the Pixar UP! float. Can you tell what my Pixar movie is yet?
Together Forever! Fireworks
Pixar Fest Disneyland also will feature Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular which celebrates the unbreakable bonds between pals, such as Woody and Buzz for Pixar Fest. This dazzling pyrotechnic show includes musical themes from the beloved Pixar movies and highlights the unlikely friendships and adventures of Pixar friends.
There is also a special castle flyover by Buzz Lightyear and the house from “Up” suspended by balloons flying over Sleeping Beauty Castle. This is one of the best parts of this fireworks show which is why using the time to get a coveted castle viewing fireworks spot might be worth it.
Together Forever! has not been seen at Disneyland since 2018 when it debuted with the first run of Pixar Fest. I loved this fireworks show especially as a huge Up! fan. The house from Up! was a stunning inclusion of the fireworks show. This is a Disneyland fireworks show that you should not miss!
Disneyland has also announced that the Together Forever fireworks show will also feature brand new scenes when it debuts at Pixar Fest.
Rare Pixar Characters
Pixar Fest will also include rare Pixar characters for guests to meet which is always a good highlight of any celebration at Disneyland. And in the case of Pixar, it’s great to see these beloved films get this sort of attention and love.
Three of the characters announced so far for Pixar Fest at Disneyland include Ember and Wade from “Elemental” and Red Panda Mei from “Turning Red.” More characters will be announced at a later date!
I would love to see Kevin come to Disneyland as this is an extremely popular character meet and greet at Animal Kingdom.
Pixar Place Hotel Opening Date
Pixar Place is the new name of the reimagined Paradise Pier Disneyland official hotel. This hotel has undergone a massive Pixar retheme and opens on January 30th, 2024 so the renovations will be complete in time for Pixar Fest.
The completion of the Pixar Place retheme may have even inspired Disneyland to bring Pixar Fest as it’s perfect timing to be promoting this Pixar hotel while also celebrating Pixar in the theme parks.
Pixar Place will have new dining options, a Pixar-themed pool and splash pad area, Pixar-themed rooms, and a stunning lobby featuring Pixar artwork and tributes.
Pixar Fest Merchandise & Themed Food
Like with any celebration at Disneyland, you can expect a variety of Pixar Fest-themed merchandise. This also might lead to a surge of new general Pixar merchandise beyond the offerings we see in Pixar Pier.
Pixar Fest will also come with a specialty food & beverage guide which will come at a later date. I imagine we’ll see some devoted Pixar Fest menu items at Lamplight Lounge as this is the iconic Pixar restaurant in California Adventure!
Stay tuned for more information about 2024 Pixar Fest!
Plan Your Disneyland Vacation
You won’t want to miss Pixar Fest this Spring at the Disneyland and the Disney California Adventure Parks. Be sure to check out our website for more Disneyland Trip Planning Tips. Subscribe to our Disneyland discount email where we offer exclusive discounts on tickets, hotels, and dining. Join the FREE newsletter here>
Disclosure: We have used all the products recommended on Mickey Visit. We may receive compensation when you click on links to some products featured.
