In this post, we provide an overview of Christmas at Walt Disney World. Particularly, this post covers how Disney transforms for Christmas, including the decorations, events, and merchandise you’ll only find during the Christmas season. This post does not cover tips for planning a trip during the Christmas season.
Links throughout give more specific information about Christmas throughout the resort, so if you have questions, click through! Now…let’s see what Christmas at Walt Disney World is like!
Christmas Across Walt Disney World Resort
When does Christmas at Walt Disney World start?
In 2023, Disney has announced that “you can celebrate this festive season, beginning as early as November 9”. That’s the date that you should expect most, if not all, decorations to be up, merchandise to be available, and most of the holiday offerings in this post to debut. However, there are a few things to keep in mind (these get discussed more below, individually, too).
First, Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays is scheduled to run November 24 through December 30. Until November 18, Epcot will host the Food and Wine Festival, and on the 19th through 23rd there will be no festival.
Second, Magic Kingdom’s primary holiday offering in 2023 is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. That will be held on select nights beginning November 9. That means it’s almost certain that all holiday decorations at Magic Kingdom will be up by November 9. The first decorations typically go up overnight between October 31 and November 1.
Third, hotels more or less move at their own pace. I hope the November 9 date means they’ll be fully decorated by then, but don’t be surprised if some offerings, like the gingerbread features at select hotels, aren’t complete by then.
People are often surprised to find out that there are dates—early December, specifically—during Disney’s Christmas season that are some of the cheapest dates of the year to visit. We love those dates because you’re getting the best version of Disney World at one of the best prices.
During the holidays, almost the entirety of Walt Disney World is decorated for Christmas. We cover the parks, hotels, and Disney Springs in more detail below (and even more in the linked posts).
Besides things specific to the individual parks and hotels, there is a line of holiday merchandise available across the entire resort.
You’ll find all manner of items—t-shirts, spirit jerseys, hoodies, mugs, dish towels, ornaments, figurines, and so on—throughout the resort.
Christmas at the Walt Disney World Parks
We’ll start with an overview of Christmas at the parks. Links open in new tabs.
Christmas at Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom is home to Walt Disney World’ featured Christmas event— Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This ticketed event is held on select evenings throughout November and December. It features unique entertainment (including fireworks), snacks (including some free snacks), and character sightings. The first event of 2023 is on November 9 and the last party is December 22.
Magic Kingdom is also decorated heavily for Christmas beginning in early November. Most decorations go up the first week of November, with many typically debuting November 1. Through that same link, you’ll find information on Magic Kingdom’s holiday merchandise, snack, and show offerings.
Magic Kingdom historically offers some unique holiday experiences. First, Jungle Cruise is usually transformed to the holiday-themed “Jingle Cruise,” and we don’t expect the recent updates to the ride to impact that.
A new Frozen show will debut in 2023. Per Disney:
For the first time in forever, guests will be able to join Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and the Snowgies in front of Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom for “Frozen Holiday Surprise,” a brand new “Frozen”-inspired entertainment experience that will illuminate the castle in a whole new way. This delightful new offering can be seen during regular park hours and during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more details on this exciting holiday addition.
In the past, the Trolley Show and Mickey’s Royal Friendship Faire (the castle stage show) got holiday touches beginning in early November.
Christmas at Epcot
Epcot doesn’t celebrate Christmas, per se. Rather, it hosts the Epcot international Festival of the Holidays. This festival includes Christmas decorations at most pavilions, as well as special holiday food and entertainment.
The festival will begin on November 24 in 2023. Along with the usual festive food and beverage booths, the highlight of the festival is the Candlelight Processional, a celebrity-narrated Christmas show held in the American Gardens Theatre.
Christmas at Hollywood Studios
New for 2023, Hollywood Studios will host a ticketed holiday event, Jollywood Nights, on select nights in November and December. Read more about that here.
Hollywood Studios will continue to offer holiday fun outside the event, too. We’re huge fans of Christmas at Hollywood Studios. The transformation of the park occurs throughout November and December, and is a park-wide celebration. In 2023, festivities are expected to begin November 9.
During the day, there are unique food (mostly cupcakes at Hollywood Studios’ quick service restaurants) and merchandise offerings, decorations, and character greetings. At night the fun really begins, as Sunset Boulevard is taken over by Sunset Seasons Greetings.
Christmas at Animal Kingdom
Since 2019, Animal Kingdom has gotten a thorough holiday treatment! You can expect:
Merry Menagerie puppets in front of the tree of life
seasonal décor
festive Disney character flotillas sailing down Discovery River
holiday edition of Tree of Life Awakenings (most nights)
Christmas at Blizzard Beach Water Park
Note: For 2023 Disney has so far just confirmed Santa will appear at “a Disney Water Park.” We’ll have to see whether this means a change of venue could be in store.
In 2022, Blizzard Beach is joining the holiday celebrations. Blizzard Beach will reopen from its lengthy closure on November 13, 2022 with some new holiday touches. Per Disney:
Through Dec. 31, you can immerse yourself in a merry atmosphere that has a daily snowfall, holiday music, festive inner tubes and even a tropical-dressed Santa.
Christmas at the Walt Disney World Hotels
All the Walt Disney World hotels get unique decorations, including trees, during the Christmas season. Several hotels also get gingerbread structures of various types. Grand Floridian has the large, walk-in gingerbread house. Beach Club has a gingerbread carrousel. BoardWalk has a gingerbread Boardwalk facade.
Several hotels also have unique holiday merchandise, though honestly we haven’t been able to pin down any consistent pattern for this. Ornaments seem widely prevalent, but we’ve also seen mugs at a few hotels.
Christmas at Disney Springs
Like the rest of Walt Disney World, Disney Springs is heavily decorated for Christmas. Most every establishment has basic decorations, and several have their own themed trees. Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar usually transforms to Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar:
There are a variety of holiday events that take place. Here’s a look back at the November 2019 schedule for you:
If you want one place to shop for all your Disney holiday merchandise, you can’t beat Disney Springs, particularly World of Disney. But the highlight of Christmas at Disney Springs is definitely the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll, which features around 25 Disney-themed trees.
These photos are from previous years, but the basic idea is the same. Click through this gallery for pictures of each of the 25 trees!
What’s your favorite part of Christmas at Walt Disney World?
Learn More About The Holidays at Walt Disney World
Want to learn more about Christmastime at Walt Disney World? For starters, we've got a Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World, which introduces you to everything you need to know.
Need more specifics? You'll want to read about the park that gets the most Magical decorations in our post on Christmas at Magic Kingdom. You'll also want to read about Flurry of Fun—the Christmas celebration at Hollywood Studios, the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, and the Holiday Celebrations at Animal Kingdom.
But the flagship event of the season is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party—and our guide has you covered with everything you need to know. Or check out the quick version in our 12 Tips for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
Last but not least, let's not forget that the celebrations don't stop at the parks! You can visit our post on Christmas decorations at the Disney World hotels to see how even the hotels get into the spirit!
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.