The expanded Celebrate Gospel music event returning to Disneyland for the first time in several years sets the groundwork for a Black History Month celebration that the Anaheim theme park plans to build into more of a festival-style affair.

This year’s Celebrate Gospel music festival in the Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland expands from a one-day event in past years to two back-to-back Saturdays on Feb. 19 and 26.

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Celebrate Gospel will showcase and highlight Black talent, experience and culture with a variety of music from traditional gospel to contemporary acts, according to Disneyland entertainment team senior manager Veronica Horton.

“We are really excited to get these great artists,” Horton said during an online video interview. “It’s just a great mix of music.”

The Feb. 19 Celebrate Gospel show features award-winning gospel singer, actor and fashion designer Kierra Sheard along with a cappella gospel group Sacred Groove. The Feb. 26 show features Grammy Award winners Jonathan McReynolds and Mali Music along with the Singers of Soul a cappella group.

Southern California church and community choirs that have struggled to practice during the COVID-19 pandemic will also take the stage on both weekends.

“The pandemic has changed how choirs meet and how churches meet,” Horton said.

The Celebrate Gospel shows in the Fantasyland Theatre run from 3-7 p.m. on both Saturdays with community choirs and a cappella groups alternating during the first part of the show before each evening closes with a headliner.

Downtown Disney will host even more music throughout February with nightly concerts featuring R&B, Motown, reggae, funk, jazz and doo-wop groups.

Need a warm-up before the Celebrate Gospel shows? Gospel acts will perform every Saturday in February from 1-3 p.m. at the outdoor shopping center next to Disneyland.

Live jazz will also be offered every night in February in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel lobby and Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney.

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Celebrate Gospel has been a Disneyland tradition for more than a decade — showcasing Southern California choirs and community groups that perform each February during Black History Month.

Celebrate Gospel returns to Disneyland after spending the past few years before the COVID-19 pandemic at Disney California Adventure after starting out at Disneyland as part of Magic Music Days.

Chalk muralist and senior production artisan of Disney Live Entertainment Marcella Swett creates chalk murals for Black History month at Downtown Disney in Anaheim on Thursday, February 10, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The returning Celebrate Gospel music festival is now part of the new Celebrate Soulfully monthlong event that honors the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history.

Celebrate Soulfully — which celebrates the work of Black artists through music, dance, food and stories — runs throughout February at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel.

The similar names attempt to align two Black History Month events that have been running at Disneyland (Celebrate Gospel) and Walt Disney World (Celebrate Soulfully) into one cohesive package.

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Horton wears two hats during Celebrate Gospel — also serving as co-chair of Pulse, a Disneyland employee group that promotes the cultural, educational and professional development of cast members of African and Caribbean descent.

Pulse was tapped to offer insights and feedback from a Black perspective on the Celebrate Gospel and Celebrate Soulfully events.

“We are able to come to the table and offer that point of view,” Horton said. “It’s a great opportunity for us to ask questions or have questions asked of us about those things that are important to the Black community in a Black experience.”

Celebrate Soulfully puts an emphasis on food as part of the mix during the Black History Month event.

The Hearthstone Lounge in Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen in Downtown Disney will offer Celebrate Soulfully menu items throughout February.

Disney World has a much stronger Cooking with Soul menu lineup at Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs with dishes that pay tribute to African recipes and historic Black chefs.

Expect food to play a larger role as Disneyland expands the Celebrate Soulfully event in years to come.

“Those are definitely ideas that we want to leverage, but we just haven’t landed on that yet,” Horton said.

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Disneyland is already discussing plans to grow Celebrate Soulfully into a larger festival.

“It’ll definitely be something that we want to expand on,” Horton said.

Disneyland plans to incorporate the Celebrate Soulfully theme into Disney’s Food & Wine Festival starting on March 4, the “Tale of the Lion King” stage show coming to the Fantasyland Theatre in early summer and other events throughout the year.