Celebrate Soulfully

Feel the excitement as this beloved annual Disneyland tradition stays going strong with vibrant choir performances and artists lighting up the stage. Let the soul-stirring sounds of gospel music lift your heart. Each Saturday features legendary Grammy Award-winning headliners who fill the night with truly memorable performances of worship and praise.

Dates

• February 20 and February 21
• February 27 and February 28

Special Guests – Grammy Award-Winning Gospel Legends

• Hezekiah Walker – Saturday, February 21

Location: Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage

Celebrate the Magic

• Meet Tiana
  Explore the streets of New Orleans Square or visit Royal Hall. You might encounter Tiana as she regales you with tales of the Bayou.

Celebrate the Joy

• Tiana's Palace
  Experience the vibrance and celebratory spirit of New Orleans Square—where the good times roll, and Creole- and Cajun-inspired fares are ready to be enjoyed.

Heritage Trail: Locations and Influencers to Explore

• Frontierland – Dom Flemons
• Main Street, U.S.A.– Martha Blanding, Frederick Douglass and Scott Joplin
• Mickey’s Toontown
• New Orleans Square – Leah Chase and Ron Husband
• Tomorrowland – Guion S. Bluford Jr.

• Black Panther, Dora Milaje and Monica Rambeau
  Assemble your team at Avengers Headquarters where heroic encounters await. Cross paths with Black Panther, learn the wisdom of Wakanda and even train with General Okoye and the Dora Milaje, Black Panther’s royal guard.

• Five & Dime
  Soulful singer Dime and her jazz quintet perform hits of the ‘20s and ‘30s with brass and sass on Buena Vista Street.

Heritage Trail: Locations and Influencers to Explore

• Buena Vista Street – Floyd Norman
• Hollywood Land – Lanny Smoot, Austin Traylor, Marlon West and Olun Riley

Learn more about these influential figures featured throughout the Resort.

Leah Chase
Entrepreneur/Restauranter (1923-2019)
A powerhouse who revolutionized the culinary scene, Leah Chase cooked her way to success with grit, determination and her love of Creole cuisine with the world-famous Dooky Chase’s Restaurant—a New Orleans landmark founded by Mrs. Chase’s mother and father-in-law. Bringing notoriety with her dishes, personality and devotion to community, Chase’s renowned Creole gumbo was served to freedom riders, civil rights leaders, presidents and celebrities alike, including Duke Ellington, Thurgood Marshall, Barack Obama, Ray Charles and Quincy Jones, to name a few. Her life story was one of the inspirations behind Princess Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. Leah Chase’s profound legacy lives on through her delicious recipes and her unforgettable lessons of unity!

Guion S. Bluford Jr., PhD (Colonel, USAF, Ret.)
Astronaut & Aerospace Engineer (1942-Present)
Guion (“Guy”) S. Bluford, Jr. was the first Black astronaut to fly into space. In his youth, Guy’s fascination with airplanes and spacecraft propelled him to serve in the US Air Force. Soon, he became a fighter pilot, a flight instructor, earned a PhD in aerospace engineering and rose to the rank of colonel. In 1983, he was selected as a mission specialist and blasted off into the cosmos. He remained humble even though he went to space 4 times! Guy always acknowledges his parents, his teachers and other role models who encouraged him throughout his life. Guion S. Bluford, Jr. is an inspiration who truly reached for the stars!

Dom Flemons
Musician (1982-Present)
Dom Flemons is a folk musician known as “The American Songster,” and his repertoire covers 100 years of American roots music. In 2025, he was inducted into the American Banjo Hall of Fame for promotion of the banjo. Studying the styles of folk music greats like Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Elizabeth Cotton and Tom Paxton, Dom played percussion in high school and ultimately hit the stage as a guitarist and harmonica player. In 2022, Dom received an Honorary Doctorate from Northern Arizona University. After a successful run as a founding member of the band, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, Dom became a Grammy^® Award winner with 4 nominations, including one for the album Black Cowboys. Dom Flemons is a bridge that connects yesterday to today and tomorrow!

Ron Husband
Animator (1950-Present)
Ron Husband began his acclaimed career at Walt Disney Animation Studios in 1975 at the age of 25. Becoming the first African American artist to hold the title of animator for Disney Animation, Ron oversaw many notable projects including Djali in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Elk in the “Firebird Suite” segment of Fantasia 2000, and Dr. Sweet in Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Penning the book, Quick Sketching with Ron Husband, Ron was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center, as well as being inducted into the College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Ron Husband is a true visionary leader!

Scott Joplin
Musician (1868-1917)
Scott Joplin is known as “The King of Ragtime.” As the second of 6 children, Joplin quickly pursued his musical ambitions by joining a quartet at the age of 16. Ultimately, Joplin cultivated a new sound with his uncanny ability to play the cornet, sparking a revolutionary musical craze, now known as ragtime. Renowned for his first and most popular song, “Maple Leaf Rag”, Joplin is considered a multipurpose musician, having composed 40 ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet and 2 operas. Scott Joplin’s untimely passing brought the end of the ragtime era, but his influence is still felt in popular music!

Frederick Douglass
Social Reformer, Abolitionist, Orator, Writer & Stateman (1818-1895)
In spite of being born into a life of slavery, Frederick Douglass learned to read and write, using his voice and pen to fight for emancipation, civil rights and freedom for all. He escaped slavery when he was 20 and rose to prominence as a national leader of the abolitionist movement, promoting complex and groundbreaking ideas. Douglass published his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, which became a national bestseller. His fame led to several meetings with Lincoln, where Douglass pushed for the emancipation of slaves and the inclusion of African Americans in the Union Army. Frederick Douglass is revered for his relentless pursuit of equality!

Floyd Norman
Animator, Storyboard Artist & Writer (1935-Present)
Floyd Norman has led an illustrious career with an unflinching honesty, which has truly made him a Disney Legend. As Walt Disney Animation Studios’ first Black animation and story artist, Floyd worked on such classics as Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone and The Jungle Book. Floyd co-founded the AfroKids animation studio, where he co-created the original Hey! Hey! Hey! It’s Fat Albert television special, in 1969. Floyd returned to Disney to work on Robin Hood, Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch and The Kwicky Koala Show, among others. More recently, he worked on Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Mulan. Floyd Norman is a trailblazer for animators everywhere!

Bessie Coleman
Aviator (1892-1926)
Born in Waxahachie, Texas, Bessie Coleman carried a yearning at a young age to take to the skies as an aviator. After being rejected by every US flying school due to her race and gender, Coleman ventured to France and attended an aviation school. In 1921, at the age of 19, Coleman became the first American woman to obtain an international pilot’s license. Determined to open new opportunities for the marginalized, Coleman returned to the United States and established a school to train African American and women aviators. Bessie Coleman’s dream inspires all of us to fly high!

Nikkolas Smith
Artist/Activist (1985-Present)
A self-described “artivist”, award-winning author, #1 NYT best-selling illustrator and film concept artist, Nikkolas Smith has infused social justice into his unique portfolio of art, making him one of the most recognized talents of our time. At Hampton University, Nikkolas earned his master’s degree in architecture, where he studied the styles of Black architects like Paul Revere Williams. During his 11-year career as a Disney Imagineer, Nikkolas realized art and architecture share the same values: both fill spaces, tell powerful stories and bring people together. Known for his depictions of marginalized voices, award-winning picture books and film concept art (Wakanda Forever), Nikkolas has designed the Legacy Tower at Downtown Disney District. Nikkolas Smith creates with integrity and passion!

Lanny Smoot
Walt Disney Imagineer – Research and Development (1955-Present)
One of Walt Disney Imagineering’s most prolific inventors—with 106 patents to his name—Lanny Smoot has made an indelible mark throughout Disney: a state-of-the-art extendable lightsaber; virtual/interactive koi ponds (Hong Kong Disneyland); and the Fortress Explorations interactive adventure (Tokyo DisneySea), to name a few. Along with his induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame^®—the second Disney Cast Member to achieve this honor (the first was Walt Disney)—Lanny and his recent invention, the HoloTile^™ floor, are currently featured at the National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum. Beyond his achievements, Lanny is most proud to mentor the next generation of innovators. Lanny Smoot is a true innovator with endless imagination!

Austin Traylor
Animator (1994-Present)
Graduating from Laguna College of Art + Design, Austin Traylor earned a spot at The Walt Disney Animation Studios Apprentice Program. Training under Eric Goldberg and Disney Legend Mark Henn, Austin achieved his first Disney credit as an animation apprentice for the animated short, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Austin went on to become a hand-drawn animator for the Emmy^®-award winning short, Once Upon a Studio, animating multiple characters, including Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. Among his most recent work was as a hand-drawn animator for Mini Maui in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Moana 2. Austin Traylor personifies an artist who inspires us all to dream big!

Marlon West
Visual Effects Supervisor (1963-Present)
As a visual effects supervisor for Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marlon West has worked on multiple projects, from early visualization to final delivery. Marlon’s most notable projects include The Lion King, Pocahontas and The Princess and the Frog—to name a few. Marlon was co-visual effects supervisor on the record-breaking Zootopia 2 and VFX supervisor on Iwájú—a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Disney Animation and Pan-African comic book entertainment company Kugali. He also served as co-head of effects animation for the Oscar^®-winning feature films Frozen and Encanto, as well as Frozen 2 and Moana. When it comes to bringing memorable stories to life, Marlon West is a true artist with boundless creativity!

Martha Blanding
Disney Legend & Author (1950-Present)
Martha Blanding began her illustrious career at Disneyland Resort as the first permanent Black tour guide at the park and quickly became a VIP hostess to distinguished Guests, including famous celebrities and notable international representatives. Martha’s work ethic paved the way for her becoming senior manager of Disneyland Resort merchandise special events, as well as co-founder of PULSE—an employee resource group for Black Disneyland Cast Members. After retirement, Martha co-authored the best-selling memoir, Groundbreaking Magic: A Black Woman’s Journey Through The Happiest Place on Earth. She was inducted as a Disney Legend—the first Black Disney Parks Cast Member to receive the honor. For half a century, Martha Blanding has embodied the Cast Member motto: “We Create Happiness.”

Olun Riley
Lighting Supervisor – Walt Disney Animation Studios (1969-Present)
After studying at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College, Olun Riley joined Walt Disney Animation Studios in 2005, where he worked as lead lighting artist on Meet the Robinsons and Bolt, and held critical roles in converting classic films—The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast—into 3D. Olun’s other credits include Wreck-it Ralph, Frozen, Moana and Encanto, just to name a few. As a lighting supervisor on Big Hero 6, Strange World and Zootopia 2, Olun worked closely with the directors of cinematography and designers on multiple sequences. Olun Riley’s passion has lit the way with his inspiring legacy in animation and visual effects!