Popular Culture Review Volume 29, Number 2, Summer 2018 | Page 148

Seasonal Ethnic Celebrations at Disney California Adventure
CELEBRATE GOSPEL — MID-FEBRUARY ( 2011-CURRENT )
Celebrate Gospel began its tenure in 2011 at DCA , with a brief interlude in 2015 at Disneyland as the Hollywood Pictures Backlot area was under construction . Celebrate Gospel occurs as a part of Black History Month during February and the event itself is a one-day extravaganza that is generally held around Presidents ’ Day . Traditionally held at Stage 17 in the Hollywood Pictures Backlot at DCA , Celebrate Gospel generally features 12-16 different gospel choirs and groups . Although Celebrate Gospel is the longest-running of the ethnic celebrations at DCA , there is surprisingly very little information about the events themselves outside of official Disneyland Resort press releases . Few blogs and bloggers review this event , making it difficult to gauge the impact and popularity for park visitors . This was the only ethnic celebration that I was not able to attend in person to collect field research and make observations .
The small park footprint and duration of events for Celebrate Gospel correlate to the small populations of African Americans within larger California demographics . It is unnerving that the relative isolation of this venue and short time scale may also reflect the geographic and cultural marginalization of African Americans in Los Angeles and Orange Counties . Without a concise breakdown from the Disney Company , however , attendance for Celebrate Gospel can only be extrapolated . With the overall population in California at just over 39 million in 2015 , only 6.5 percent or roughly 2.9 million residents identified as “ Black or African American alone ,” according to the United States Census Bureau ( US Census Bureau “ Quickfacts : California ”). Within Los Angeles County itself , however , blacks and African Americans make up 9.1 percent or roughly 925,496 of the 10.1 million residents of
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