Celebrating the seasons at Disney
Christmas & Halloween
Christmas at Disney
They don't call it the most wonderful time of the year for nothin'...Disney is known for going all-out - and we mean all-out - for Christmas. Not only is it extra festive at Christmas, Christmas lasts for even longer! The decorations go up and events begin on November 8th and run all the way through to December 31st - that's almost a whopping two months of laughing all the way!
The festivities kick off with Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and then you've got EPCOT's International Festival of the Holidays, Sunset Seasons Greetings at Disney's Hollywood Studios which sees the The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror turn into the Hollywood Toy Hotel, and Festive Flotillas at Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. And that's only scratching the surface of the Christmas cake! All your favourite Disney characters will be decked out in their very finest Christmas outfits for when you go and say hello, and every inch of the park will be decorated with more baubles than you can shake your tinsel at.
It's not just the Parks getting in on the festive spirit either. All of the resort hotels get their own, special Christmas twist too - from an elegant Victorian-style Christmas at the Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, to roaring fires and gentle Chrimbo tunes at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (a fan favourite), to Disney's Polynesian Village Resort where Christmas gets a dose of Pacific Island fun.
Keep scrollin' for all the deets...
Christmas at the Parks
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Magic Kingdom Park
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party kicks off the celebrations at Magic Kingdom Park, running from 7pm to midnight on select nights from Nov. 8th to Dec. 22nd. Expect to see some rare characters, ride overlays, and tasty Christmas treats. Oh, and let's not forget the snowfall on Main Street U.S.A! Big highlights of this event include Mickey's Once Upon A Christmastime Parade and Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. Because this event happens outside of normal park opening hours, you'll need to get a separate ticket for it - and these sell out fast! So get straight to it.
The Christmas decor at Magic Kingdom Resort will hit you as soon as you step through those gates - think that iconic Christmas tree, wreaths and garlands galore, and plenty of toy soldiers. As soon as darkness falls it's time to head to Cinderella's Castle and watch it transform with festive projections.
Oh, and guess what? Jingle Cruise is back! Jungle Cruise gets a festive makeover and so do the skippers' jokes! -
EPCOT
Over at EPCOT it's the International Festival of the Holidays, where it's all about celebrating holidays around the world. There's Mexico's Las Posadas, Italy's La Befana telling the tale of Epiphany, Hanukkah celebrations, and many more...
The Candlelight Processional features a celebrity narrator who tells the story of Christmas, with some stirring songs thrown in for good measure! Previous narrators have included Auli’i Cravalho (the voice of Moana herself!), Neil Patrick Harris, Warwick Davis, Ming-Na Wen and even bloomin' Whoopi Goldberg!
But our favourite thing about Christmas at EPCOT might just be the Holiday Cookie Stroll...
Go adventuring through the World Showcase to sniff out some tasty, Chrimbo-themed treats. There are 5 official Holiday Cookie Stop locations to discover, nom something delicious, and then whack a stamp to prove you did it in your Festival Passport. And that's not all - collect all 5 stamps and you can show your full passport to get an extra special cookie. -
Disney's Hollywood Studios
We think that Disney’s Hollywood Studios is really great for taking in the festive atmosphere. You've got all sorts going on!
There's the Sunset Seasons Greetings which sees The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror turn into the Hollywood Toy Hotel, but you'll also get to see the length of Sunset Boulevard light up with projections with the odd cheeky snowfall thrown in. Taking place intermittently on most nights, this is perfect for catching on your way to and from other locations.
Meanwhile, over at Hollywood & Vine, it's time for Minnie's Seasonal Dining. Expect to find Santa Goofy and a host of other friends at this event, but it's only available at Lunch and Dinner. A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration Holiday Show has Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff tell the story of their kingdom, singing along to the best moments from the movie. Pssst, expect a not-so-surprise experience from a certain snowman...
Oh, and Santa Claus is back! This year he won't be greeting guests individually, but don't worry because he'll be popping up during motorcades through the park. -
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Christmas takes on an animal-style twist.
Discovery Island comes to life with some life-sized puppets designed by artisans of your favourite winter animals - think foxes, polar bears, penguins and, of course, the all-important reindeer! Along with these puppets that interact with the guests, you'll experience some serenading thanks to accompanying musicians. Also at Discovery Island is the Tree of Life Awakenings, where the famous Tree of Life wakes up and tells some Christmas tales, each with its own unique style and soundtrack.
The standout event at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, though, is the Festive Flotillas! Introduced as a safe way to view your favourite Disney characters from afar, these flotillas get a Christmas makeover - Santa has his own boat, of course. Rumour has it that a great spot to watch the flotillas is along the bridge that connects Pandora and the Port of Harambe because of its proximity to the water.
Christmas at the resorts
When we say Disney goes all out for Christmas, we mean it! Not only does festive cheer spread throughout the parks, it extends into every nook and cranny of the resorts too.You can expect all your usual garlands, trees, and holiday tunes at each of the hotels, as well as special, limited edition souvenirs to snap up at each resort's shop. But each place has it's own unique spin on the season, and there's nothing like resort hopping (totally a thing) to check out the decorations at each one.
Over at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort, the Christmas theme is a little more low-key, but it packs a punch with its tropical spin - especially look out for the tree! Meanwhile, over at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort, the decorating is all in the hands of the guests themselves! Campers who bring their own motorhomes have the freedom to decorate them every which way they want to and, trust us, some go ALL out. This has become a cult favourite stop on a Christmas tour of the resorts.
Disney's Wilderness Lodge on the other hand, puts you smack bang in the centre of the Pacific Northwest... without taking a step out of Florida! For a lot of people, this is their absolute favourite place come for Christmas, and it's bloomin' easy to see why. It's rustic, it's National Park-themed, it's all wood, and rugs, and fires, and lots and lots of cosiness. Disney's Wilderness Lodge simply oozes Christmas. Oh, and here's a bonus tip: if you want to keep that snuggly feeling with you when you get back home, you can find the soundtrack the resort uses on music apps like Spotify.
Spooky season at Disney
Running from early August to the end of October, at Disney the spooky season lasts for even longer than Christmas! While it takes up more of the calendar, Halloween isn't quite as big an event as Christmas at Disney, but it's just as fun - for some it's even better!The Halloween season lasts a while, so crowd numbers can vary! The first half of August is on the busier side due to it still being vacation time for a lot of US children, but the really good news is that the Halloween party continues right on through the whole of September - historically the least busy month at Walt Disney World Resort.
What can you get up to?
If you want a ticket to anything when the spooky season comes to Walt Disney World Resort, then you want a ticket to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Always quick to sell out, your golden ticket will get you access to some pretty spooktacular events, like the Hocus Pocus Villains Spectacular stage show, Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular fireworks show, and Mickey's Boo to You Halloween Parade.The Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular Show is performed live on the Cinderella Castle stage, hosted by none other than the famous Sanderson sisters as seen in the iconic (you know it is!) 1993 film Hocus Pocus. Not only that, they're joined onstage by a bunch of other Disney villains in supporting roles, from Thackery Binx and Malificent to Cruella - Cruella de Viiiiiiil..!
Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade, meanwhile, is a twice nightly event that sees each land of the Magic Kingdom come together - we're talking loads of villains, ghastly ghouls, and a bunch of iconic characters parading down Main Street, U.S.A. in their frightfully good floats. Spooktacular, indeed.
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