Christmas Festivities At The Magic Kingdom In Walt Disney World include Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, one of the biggest Christmas trees you’ll ever see and a special version of the nighttime fireworks show.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party begins the second week of November and runs through the end of the 3rd week of December. You do have to purchase a separate ticket for this event but it is well worth it. Guests can experience snow on Main Street, enjoy special character meets, see Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade and enjoy Holiday Fireworks in the evening. The party starts at 7PM, and lasts until midnight.
On December 25th, ABC airs the Christmas Day Parade that is filmed ahead of time at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Taping occurs in November or December (each year, the exactly filming dates are announced a few weeks ahead of time). If you are vacationing during that time, you can attend the taping of the parade and hopefully end up on the final cut! There is a lot of stoping and restarting of the parade during the filming, so make sure you bring your patience. Because of the placement of the cameras, they do not put up the Magic Kingdom Christmas tree until after the taping.
Once the Christmas tree is up at the Magic Kingdom, there is a nightly tree lighting ceremony that takes place every evening at dusk (approximately 5:15 pm).
Cinderella’s Castle is decked out in over 200,000 icicle lights and looks like a frozen ice palace. In fact, Queen Elsa appears twice in the evening to light the Castle Dream Lights in a short ceremony called “A Frozen Holiday Wish.” Check your Times Guide for accurate showtimes on the date of your visit.
December 30th and 31st are showings of the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
The Jungle Cruise is overlaid with a holiday theme and renamed the Jingle Cruise. It includes a Christmas-themed spiel from the skippers who are homesick and wanting to celebrate Christmas. The queue also decorated for the holidays.
Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade takes place daily starting the day after the last Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party through the end of the year. Check your Times Guide for showings on the day of your visit. This parade does take the place of the Festival of Fantasy Parade.
Santa Claus greets guests at the Candy Cane Gardens next to City Hall between 10 am and 5 pm. He can also be seen in the Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade.
The entire park is decked out in Christmas decorations. Wear your holiday themed clothing to the parks and take your Christmas card pictures during your vacation (if you visit in November and early December). When you enter the park, you will find life-size wooden toy soldiers. The windows on Main Street are redecorated for the holidays and poinsettias are abundant. You might even hear The Dapper Dans serenade you with Christmas carols as you pass by.
Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe in Liberty Square is open year round. Stop in here during the holidays to pick up a personalized Christmas ornament to decorate your tree at home. You can even get a picture on Santa’s sleigh located outside the shoppe.
Extra entertainment is also added for the two weeks that fall during Christmas break. This includes a special stage show and dance parties in Tomorrowland. Check your Times Guide for this year’s additional entertainment.
Holiday treats are also added to the restaurants and snack stands. Visit the Main Street Confectionery and Big Top Treats for special cupcakes, apples, cake pops and pretzels. The popcorn stations also have Christmas themed buckets available.
There is so much to see and do in the Magic Kingdom especially during the holidays. The great part is that the majority of decorations and events are available between the weekend following Thanksgiving and mid-December when crowds are low. If you want to experience Disney World at Christmas, I highly recommend you plan a vacation during these dates.
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