Christmas trees, carols, and Santa, oh my!
Christmas at Walt Disney World is a time to get wrapped up in all things merry and bright with seasonal decorations, themed foods and drinks, jolly parades and shows, and Santa Claus! The festive fun will be at the parks from 11 November to 31 December 2023, with something happening at each of the four parks for everyone to enjoy! With your park ticket you can enjoy a variety of festive celebrations. If you’re after a little more – you can purchase extra tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom with festive fun for the whole family, or Disney Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a Christmas celebration with a little more Hollywood glam!
Extra Jolly Christmas Specials at Each Park
Magic Kingdom
All throughout the park you’ll be treated to joyous holiday decorations and trimmings, with garland draped storefronts, and all your favourite Disney characters in their Christmas best. Some rides will even have special seasonal overlays! The iconic Jungle Cruise is transformed into the Jingle Cruise - It’s a festive-yet-familiar adventure from stem to stern! Gather around Cinderella Castle for the brand-new Frozen Holiday Surprise, a dazzling party with Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and the Snowgies!
EPCOT
During the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, taking place from 24 November-30 December, you can be immersed in the sights, sounds, smells, and wonders of holiday traditions from all over the world. In World Showcase, you can listen to stories told through music and dance, with performers in traditional costumes. On select nights, you can witness the stirring Candlelight Processional as it winds through the park, where a celebrity guest will narrate the story of Christmas, accompanied by an orchestra and massed choir. Visit Living with the Land to celebrate the bounty of Christmas with the Glittering Greenhouses overlay, lighting up the greenhouses with glimmering lights. And of course, don’t forget to visit the Odyssey pavilion to meet the main man himself, Santa Claus!
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Be engaged with the holiday season and the magic of nature, with fun seasonal décor around the park, and your favourite Disney pals, Mickey and Minnie Mouse, in their holiday attire at Adventurer’s Outpost! Visit Discovery Island to see the Merry Menagerie – artisan sculpted puppets of arctic animals, like penguins, reindeer, foxes, and polar bears! As dusk falls on the park you can experience Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition – watch in awe as the park’s iconic centrepiece shimmers and sparkles as it comes to life, accompanied by a heart-warming musical score.
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Along with beautiful seasonal decorations, you can meet your favourite Toy Story characters and Pixar Pals in their holiday attire. Join everyone’s favourite snowman, Olaf, along with special guests as the history of Arendelle is told, along with a rousing sing-along in For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration. For a fun Christmas meal, head to Hollywood & Vine for Minnie’s Holiday Dine, where you can see Minnie Mouse and her pals during this oh-so-merry meal! Make sure you don’t miss out by reserving your table in advance. As the day winds down, witness Sunset Seasons Greetings – gaze in wonder as the Hollywood Tower Hotel is transformed each evening with colourful holiday projections!
After-hours Parties
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a separately ticketed, event is held on select nights in November and December after the park closes. Your party tickets allow you entry to Magic Kingdom from 4pm until the close of the party (generally around 12-midnight) with the official event starting at 7pm. Ticket prices vary by event date but range from US$159 to US$199 per ticket, plus tax for adults (ages 10 and up), and US$149 to US$189 per ticket, plus tax for children (ages 3 to 9).
For those of you who love to ride, many of your favourite rides will be open throughout the party! Ride TRON Lightcycle / Run in the dark or enjoy the holidays twists on rides like Space Mountain and Jungle Cruise – better known as Jingle Cruise during the holiday period! Sample special festive food and drinks, as well as cookies and hot cocoa… even better yet the cookies and cocoa are included in your ticket price! You’ll get to party with your favourite Disney pals in their holiday best at dance parties and entertainment. And don’t forget to wander through Main Street U.S.A. as it becomes a winter wonderland with a stunning ‘snowfall’!
Exclusive to party nights, you will be treated to some special festive entertainment. Head over to Cinderella Castle to see Mickey Mouse and his friends dance the night away to holiday tunes in Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration. Winding through Frontierland, Liberty Square and Main Street, U.S.A., Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is the best way to see all your Disney pals in their festive best… you’ll even get to see Santa on his sleigh! As your night comes to an end, gather around Cinderella Castle for Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show, a spectacular fireworks extravaganza set to all your favourite holiday carols, hosted by none other than Minnie Mouse herself.
Disney Jollywood Nights
This festive season, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is hosting a brand-new nighttime party on select nights from 11 November to 20 December 2023! Introducing Disney Jollywood Nights, a Disney Christmas party with a touch of Hollywood glam! This special separately ticketed event takes place from 8.30pm to 12.30am. With your party ticket, you get access to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as early as 7pm on the date of your ticket. Ticket prices vary by event date but range from US$159 to US$179 per ticket, plus tax for all tickets.
Party the night away with themed entertainment at various locations throughout the park – be welcomed by a DJ spinning holiday tunes on Hollywood Boulevard, and dance the night away at Echo Lake, a nostalgic bash where you might see Powerline Max, Phineas and Ferb! Enjoy some delicious, themed food and fancy drinks and cocktails to get you through a night of partying. Alcoholic drinks will only be served to guests aged 21 and over with valid ID.
During the night, you’ll get to revel in some exclusive festive shows. Join the Pumpkin King himself for a festive sing-along in What's This? Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along at Hyperion Theatre, behold a star-studded stage show inspired by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood at Theatre of the Stars, Disney Holidays in Hollywood, with appearances from Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Miss Piggy, and more! Wrap up your night (like a present under the tree) outside the park’s iconic Chinese Theater with Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, a dazzling nighttime spectacular with fireworks, lasers, lights, projections and merry music.
Holiday fun throughout the Walt Disney World Resort area
The holiday fun isn’t just limited to the theme parks, all around the Resort area, you’ll find Christmas decorations and experiences to keep the magic alive!
Disney Springs
Enjoy special entertainment throughout the precinct, like Toy Soldier Stilt Walkers, Snowflake Skaters, live DJ performances and a very merry meet-and-greet with Santa Claus! Wander along the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll presented by AdventHealth to see all the elaborately decorated Christmas Trees throughout the neighbourhoods of Disney Springs. For an extra magical touch to your shopping or dining experience, witness magical snowfall and flurries around the streets.
Disney Resort Hotels
When you stay at a Disney Resort Hotel the magic never ends! With lobbies and guest areas adorned with festive seasonal decorations, with special holiday menus as restaurants and bars, you’ll feel like it’s Christmas all the time! At select resorts you’ll even get to see some incredible life-size gingerbread houses!
Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park
A water park… at Christmas? It sounds like an Aussie Christmas to me! Get that beachy feel we’re used to, in the middle of snowfall and flurries and snowy scenery. Be on the look out for jolly St. Nick as well, decked out in his holiday-finest beachwear!
What part of the holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort would you like to se the most? It’s not too late to get in on the action, or start planning for next year!
