Princess Tiana is taking the present on the highway.
Throughout a particular brunch occasion tied to the 2025 Essence Competition of Tradition on the historic family-owned and operated Dooky Chase’s Restaurant in New Orleans, Disney Parks and Disney Imagineering unveiled “Tiana’s Joyful Celebration,” a brand new touring exhibit.
That includes interactive, multi-sensory experiences impressed by the folks and tradition of New Orleans, the brand new exhibit intends to increase on Tiana’s groundbreaking story, first dropped at life in Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog.” The immersive exhibition, which additionally builds on Tiana’s Bayou Journey experience, will launch at The Kids’s Museum of Indianapolis on March 7, 2026, earlier than touring to 12 different cities across the nation beginning in 2027. Essence Fest attendees additionally received a sneak peek of what they might anticipate in the event that they visited Disney’s extraordinarily standard activation on the Ernest N. Morial Conference Middle.
“We wish individuals who could not know her to get to know this stunning princess who is stuffed with power and vigor and pleasure and pleasure,” mentioned Carmen Smith, senior vp of artistic growth, product content material, and inclusive methods for Disney Parks.
Earlier than the disclosing of the exhibition’s renderings and earlier than brunch was served, the occasion kicked off with trays of mimosas, a energetic DJ set, and none aside from Princess Tiana herself, who entered the room as “Who’s That Lady,” by Eve appropriately performed. She made an look to greet visitors and take images. There was nary one baby within the room, and but there was a sea of smiles set between bedazzled Mickey ears.
Brunch started with gumbo, earlier than shrimp and grits, biscuits, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and extra New Orleans requirements arrived. The shareable plates have been practically cleaned as shortly as they’d been set out within the elegant crimson eating room.
The visitors, who all gathered by 11 a.m., all wearing shades of inexperienced, consisted of native notables, historians, museum curators, influencers, media, celebrities, authors, Disney stars, together with actor Jason Weaver, and extra.
Members of the Chase household, together with Stella Chase Reese, daughter of Leah Chase, who strode in dancing with an umbrella, and Leah’s grandson Edgar Dook Chase IV, have been additionally readily available. Edgar handled attendees to a cooking demonstration of shrimp and grits and broke down the holy trinity of New Orleans cooking for the much less acquainted, which includes onion, celery, and inexperienced bell pepper. He additionally launched the gang to a different essential aspect referred to as The Pope: garlic.
“We actually use lots of The Pope right here on this restaurant,” he quipped.
Edgar additionally shared that on July 17, he shall be starring as a decide on the upcoming season of the Meals Community’s “Household Recipe Showdown” alongside actress Octavia Spencer.
“It’s a narrative about households coming collectively and sharing their recipes,” he defined.
Edgar is aware of quite a bit about household recipes. Dooky Chase’s, initially based in 1941 and was a sit-down creole gem by the Chase household’s daughter-in-law, Leah, stays an establishment to at the present time. Now being operated by a fourth technology of Chases, the institution is steeped in historical past, together with visits from Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and others through the Civil Rights period.
Dooky Chase’s, named after the unique Edgar “Dooky” Chase, not solely parallels Tiana’s personal restaurant ambitions within the animated movie, however the Chase household served as advisors on each Tiana’s experience (the second hottest experience at Disney World) and the exhibition. The brunch served as a homecoming occasion for Tiana, bookended by dance events and stuffed with pleasure.
