Disney will be hosting a series of events in the parks to commemorate Black History Month. The celebrations are meant to celebrate black culture, and feature special exhibits on African-American heritage.
The “Disney Parks Honor Black History With ‘Celebrate Soulfully’ Events” is a story about how Disney World has been honoring black history with events that are centered around the theme of “Soulfully.”. Read more in detail here: where is disney world located.
The ‘Celebrate Soulfully’ event, in celebration of Black History Month, will provide unique experiences to Disney Parks that pay respect to Black history and culture via cuisine, music, art, entertainment, and more. The 2022 event will return to Walt Disney World Resort for the second year in a row, but will make its first appearance at Disneyland Resort in California.
This February and beyond, as Disney Parks celebrates the many and different parts of Black history and culture, family and friends are welcome to visit and see how the parks and resort locations are celebrating soulfully. Celebrate Soulfully is just one of the ways Disney Parks is supporting more inclusivity and representation in entertainment and media as part of its Reimagine Tomorrow initiative.
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Here are just a few of the things attendees can look forward to:
Music: Live Performances of R&B, Gospel and More
Celebrating Soulfully will include Black singers and musicians from a range of genres in a variety of settings.
— On two Saturdays in February, Disneyland Park in Anaheim will host its ‘Celebrate Gospel’ event, which will include homage to the spirit of gospel music. On February 19, award-winning Gospel star Kierra Sheard will perform with Sacred Groove, an a capella Gospel group; on February 26, Grammy-award winners Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music will perform with Sacred Groove, an a capella Gospel group; and on February 27, Grammy-award winners Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music will perform with Sacred Groove, an a capella Gospel group. As part of the event, both programs will include Southern California community choirs. Both concerts will take place on the Fantasyland Theater stage from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
— At Downtown Disney District (Disneyland’s lively retail and dining promenade that’s park-adjacent and requires no admission fee), visitors can look forward to a series of nightly outdoor concerts that span such genres as R&B, reggae, funk and jazz; as well as Saturday afternoon Gospel performances. Next door, at the glorious Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, guests will be treated to nightly live performances by a jazz trio, with a vocalist added on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Plus, the hotel’s Hearthstone Lounge will offer a special menu showcasing wines, beers and spirits from Black-owned businesses.
— At Disney Springs (Walt Disney World Resort’s retail, dining and entertainment district), guests will also enjoy live Motown favorites, jazz R&B and pop performances throughout the month of February.
— The Tam Tam Drummers of Harambe will evoke the sounds of the Congo at Walt Disney World’s Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park’s Mombasa Marketplace in Africa. ‘A Celebration of the Festival of the Lion King,’ a Broadway-style production including pageantry, puppets, and music from the legendary Disney picture, is also coming to Animal Kingdom.
Live nightly jazz performances at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa during the ‘Celebrate Soulfully’ event. (photo courtesy of Disneyland Resort)
Art: Showcasing the Work of African-American Artists
Guests may enjoy the inspired works of Black artists and visionaries at several exhibitions and installations across the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort.
— ‘The Soul of Jazz: An American Adventure,’ which debuted at EPCOT last year, has been extended to include history from Harlem and Kansas City.
— A set of murals inspired on the Disney Pixar film ‘Soul,’ designed by young Black artists Bee Harris, Bianca Pastel, Arrington Porter, and Cory Van Lew, will be on display at Downtown Disney after first debuting at Disney Springs in 2021.
— Marcella Swett, a chalk muralist, will create a new live chalk-art work each week in February at Downtown Disney.
— Guests will be able to meet skilled African artists and maybe purchase some of their distinctive handiworks at the Mombasa Marketplace in Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
— Art installations inspired by heroine Penny Proud and her family will be showcased at Downtown Disney District and Disney Springs ahead of the premiere of the new Disney+ animated series ‘The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.’
During the ‘Celebrate Soulfully’ event, the musical ensemble ‘Island Reggae’ will play at Disneyland Resort. (Photo courtesy of Disney’s California Adventure Resort)
Food: Black Heritage & Culture’s Culinary Influence
Guests may search for new and recurring ‘Cooking with Soul’ menu items across the Walt Disney World Resort, which highlight true soul-food recipes and the creative chefs that produce them, particularly at EPCOT and Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
— Disney Springs dining destinations will offer soul-nourishing brunch and happy hour menus, including House of Blues, Wine Bar George, City Works Eatery & Pour House, STK and Chef Art Smith’s Homecomin’.
— At Polite Pig, Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, and D-Luxe Burger, guests can sample the distinct tastes of the Caribbean, Africa, and the Southern United States, as the resorts’ culinary teams draw on their background to develop imaginative new menu items.
Both Amorette’s Patisserie and The Ganachery in Disney Springs will serve sweet delights inspired by Disney Pixar’s “Soul” and Walt Disney Animation Studio’s “The Princess and the Frog.”
— Menu items inspired by the tastes of Eastern Africa may be found at EPCOT’s Refreshment Outpost, while meals based on African cuisine and honoring notable Black chefs can be found throughout Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
— They’re celebrating soulfully the New Orleans way at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in the Downtown Disney District, highlighting the characteristic flavours of Louisiana and real creole food.
Visit disneyland.com or disneyworld.com for additional details.
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