Walt Disney World has announced Christmas dates & details, with new info about some of the entertainment, decorations & more at Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Disney Springs, and the hotels. This shares everything revealed for the holiday season, along with commentary about what’s coming, what’s (likely) cancelled, and what’s still unknown.
From November 14 through December 31, 2025, get ready to deck the halls as Walt Disney World comes to life with Christmas decor, themed food and beverage items, characters in festive outfits, special holiday entertainment, and so much more. Although November 14, 2025 is the official start date of Christmas at Walt Disney World and December 31, 2025 is the official end date, we’d caution that these are probably not “hard” dates for when the event will launch and wrap up.
It used to be the case that Walt Disney World kicked off its Christmas celebrations over the Veterans Day holiday weekend, which would be on November 7, 2025. The biggest exception to this is EPCOT, which usually celebrates Festival of the Holidays from the day after Thanksgiving until day before New Year’s Eve. There’s more to the start date than that, and it’s not nearly as straightforward as it used to be.
Last year, the Christmas season didn’t officially start until November 12, the day after the Veterans Day holiday weekend. This year is even later than that, with Walt Disney World waiting until the following Friday to begin Christmas 2025. That’s a full week later than past precedent prior to last year.
Everything might just start all at once on November 14, 2025. This would be consistent with Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, which is beginning one week later this year. This would mean that the first date of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party would be November 14, 2025 and the first date of Jollywood Nights would be November 15, 2025.
We’re skeptical that’ll be the case–those would be very late kickoffs for the hard ticket events. It’s more likely that the hard ticket parties at Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to begin one week earlier, and the rest of the holiday festivities to start on November 14, 2025.
That’s what happened last year, and it would make sense for a repeat of that–since it’s harder to cram more parties into fewer dates from mid-November through late-December as compared to August through October. But it’s impossible to say for sure this year, as scheduling has not been consistent with 2025 events.
As for the December 31, 2025 end date, most holiday entertainment will conclude on that date. The lone exception is EPCOT’s Festival of the Holidays, which wraps up on December 30, 2025–decorations come down there to prepare for the big New Year’s Eve bash.
Everywhere else, music and decorations will gradually go down in the first week or so of January 2026. (Outside of EPCOT and entertainment, it’s common for Christmas to unofficially continue through Marathon Weekend.)
Turning to the substantive news, let’s start with Magic Kingdom. Walt Disney World confirmed that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be held on select nights in November and December 2025.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a hard ticket event (read: upcharge) at Magic Kingdom, featuring festive atmosphere, special entertainment, character meet & greets, and seasonal treats. The event highlights include Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration Stage Show, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, snow on Main Street, and much more. Guests with special event tickets can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4:00 pm, with MVMCP running from 7 pm until midnight.
See our Guide to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party for everything you need to know, including the predicted start date and prices.
Magic Kingdom will once again host the “Frozen Holiday Surprise” in front of Cinderella Castle, featuring Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff and the adorable Snowgies. “Frozen Holiday Surprise” can be seen during regular park hours and during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, meaning it’ll probably start the first week of November.
We’ve seen “Frozen Holiday Surprise” a few times in the last couple of years. It’s incredibly underwhelming. I don’t know how they managed to add a stage show component to this and still somehow made the end result worse than the previous projections, but it was quite a feat.
Fair warning: “Frozen Holiday Surprise” still draws a fairly large crowd (although we noticed it shrink last year), which is likely due to the longstanding reputation of its similarly-named predecessor. In our view, the show is incredibly anticlimactic without a proper castle lightning component. Your mileage may vary, though.
Looking to see even more magic from Elsa during the holidays? Catch her and many other Disney characters in the new “Disney Starlight” night parade, debuting July 20 and available twice each night. Note that the Starlight night parade will NOT be available on evenings Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but the parade will continue throughout the holiday season.
The fact that it wasn’t mentioned alongside “Frozen Holiday Surprise” almost certainly means that the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights once again are NOT returning for Christmas 2025. This is truly unfortunate, and a short-sighted mistake on the part of management.
We will never pass up the chance to praise the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights or call for their long-overdue return. Those icicle lights were one of our favorite things about Christmas at Walt Disney World for the decade-plus. We spent many a late night on Main Street, simply gazing down at those resplendent lights, savoring the scene. I lost count of how many times we did this over the years–probably over 100.
For those who have never had a chance to see the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights, they were nothing short of spectacular. Brilliant, you might say. Cynics might think such a physical light display is quaint or antiquated, surpassed by the ease and flexibility of projections. That those of us who miss the Dream Lights are simply clouded by nostalgia and sentimentality, ignoring the daytime visual blight, installation, and simplicity of the physical icicle lights.
We wholeheartedly disagree. No projections can match the more than 200,000 tiny white lights that illuminate Cinderella Castle and transform it into a veritable ice palace. The Dream Lights would stop you in your tracks, with the resplendent physical display being an absolute jaw-dropper. Words, photos, and video absolutely cannot do it justice. I’m not normally one for the flowery language in Disney’s press releases, but even the company’s marketing teams undersold the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. Whatever praise you’ve heard about the Dream Lights, it’s true. All of it.
(Before anyone makes any claims about it “not being possible” because Walt Disney World disposed of the old lights or because they got complaints about the crane, two things are worth noting. First, new lights can be purchased or fabricated–the lights used in 2019 were not the same as the ones in 2007. Second, the last two years of the Dream Lights, Disney lowered the crane during the day. That problem was already addressed. These are just excuses!)
The world-famous Jingle Cruise is confirmed as returning in 2025 for a festive-yet-familiar adventure, as a trusty skipper expertly navigates guests through some of the world’s most treacherous waters.
Guests may hear and see plenty of holiday-themed gags along their 10-minute, 10,000-mile journey that goes on for Niles and Niles and Niles, so make sure to keep a close ear as your skipper guides you through the jungle with a boat full of pun-filled fun.
Yet the fun starts as soon as guests enter the queue. Before boarding your canopied tramp steamer, you’ll see that the skippers have also decorated the loading area with plenty of lights, sights and sounds for the holidays. Look out for some hidden details throughout your wait time — you never know what you’ll discover next about the shenanigans happening each day at the Jungle Navigation Company.
And speaking of waits, Jingle Cruise is usually a more popular Lightning Lane during the holiday season, but it’s also better at night. That’s worth keeping in mind when prioritizing Multi-Pass picks.
The hard-ticket Disney Jollywood Nights event returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for its third season. After ticket sales were worse in its sophomore season than its inaugural campaign (at least as measured by sold out nights), we weren’t 100% sure it’d be back. We’re very pleased to see Walt Disney World not giving up on the concept and instead iterating and (attempting to) improve it.
Disney Jollywood Nights will also include unique character experiences featuring both new and returning favorites. Reunite with beloved characters like Phineas and Ferb, Santa Duffy and Santa Stitch, Bo Peep, Lotso, Baloo, and King Louie from TaleSpin.
That’s not all–so be sure to check out our Guide to Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas Party for what to expect–including a predicted start date and more than a little commentary!
Also at DHS, Sunset Seasons Greetings returns to the Hollywood Holiday Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard.
This park icon will twinkle with projection effects, transforming into a snowy corner of Arendelle, a Muppets gingerbread masterpiece, a Toy Story toy hotel, and a Dickensian village inspired by “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.”
Walt Disney World didn’t provide dates for Sunset Seasons Greetings, but we’d expect it to quietly start showing a day or two before the first Disney Jollywood Nights. Meaning that you can probably expect to see it around November 7 or 8.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Echo Lake is once again expected to get decked out for the holidays. This is one of our “sleeper spots” for Christmas at Walt Disney World. We could sit on a bench in front of Santa Gertie for hours, just soaking up the atmosphere and listening to the great background music.
At Toy Story Land, you can once again spot Woody, Jessie and Buzz sporting their holiday best. (This means scarves and/or Santa hats.)
Again, no start dates for any of this. If past precedent is any indication, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be decked out for the holidays starting in early November. Since the park doesn’t celebrate Halloween, we’ve seen decor in previous years going up in late October.
Also at DHS, Minnie Mouse will be hosting a yuletide feast at Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the return of Minnie’s Holiday Dine (which we absolutely love). Santa Goofy will be there, along with Minnie and others in their holiday finery.
Selections include oven-roasted herbed chicken, carved beef tenderloin, seared salmon, spice-rubbed pork loin and a plant-based roasted mushroom-farro risotto. Make sure to save room for some showstopping desserts as well, including seasonal bread pudding, Mississippi mud pie and more.
Advance Dining Reservations are highly recommended for Minnie’s Holiday Dine. Same-day reservations can be made on a limited basis (subject to availability), but this is an incredibly popular character dining experience–especially since it offers great bang-for-credit on the Disney Dining Plan.
Continuing with characters, you will also be able to enjoy “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration,” with its festive finale featuring Olaf.
The biggest Christmas “character” of all is, of course, Santa Claus.
Jolly Old St. Nick will make special appearances throughout Walt Disney World in all four parks, Disney Springs and even at a water park, where he’ll be donning his tropical holiday beachwear.
At EPCOT, Santa Claus will join storytellers from around the world as a part of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays from November 28 to December 30, 2025.
Walt Disney World has confirmed the following Holiday Storytellers will return:
- Mexico Pavilion – Las Posadas Celebration
- Norway Pavilion – A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa
- China Pavilion – Chinese Lion Dancer
- Italy Pavilion – La Befana
- Japan Pavilion – Daruma Storyteller
- Between the Morocco and France Pavilions – Hanukkah Storyteller
- France Pavilion – Père Noël
- United Kingdom Pavilion – Father Christmas
- Canada Pavilion – Canadian Holiday Voyageurs
Enjoy festive traditions from around the world with amazing holiday storytellers, delicious dishes, merchandise, entertainment and more, each celebrating unique cultural traditions.
Get ready to satisfy your festive cravings at Holiday Kitchens. Located throughout the park and serving up a mouth-watering array of seasonal foods and drinks, there are delicious treats waiting for you from around the globe.
Also returning is Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt, sending you on a journey around World Showcase to locate Olaf in 13 different spots throughout EPCOT. Find 13 holiday traditions that Olaf has discovered in every pavilion around World Showcase before visiting Creations Shop or World Traveler at International Gateway to redeem a special holiday prize.
One of the highlights for me is the Candlelight Processional. Listening to a celebrity narrator tell the Christmas story, accompanied by a full orchestra and mass choir, is such a moving experience—it truly captures the magic of the holidays.
We don’t have specifics about narrators, dining packages, or anything else, but that’s common–those usually aren’t announced until late summer into early fall. For the last few years, fans have gotten nervous about the “delayed” announcement and what that means for the fate of the event. It doesn’t mean anything–Disney has just gotten into the rhythm of announcing Candlelight dates and narrators later, and usually all at once. It takes longer for scheduling of the celebrities and so forth.
We’ll update our Guide to the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT the moment any additional news is released!
In the Land pavilion at EPCOT, you can take a leisurely boat ride through the greenhouses of Living with the Land for a special, sparkling tour. Enjoy a peaceful cruise and view twinkling holiday light displays throughout the greenhouses. This usually starts a bit before the rest of the holiday season at EPCOT, with decorations visible during the daytime hours throughout most of November (the ride won’t be illuminated until later, which is the whole point of the attraction, though).
We absolutely love Living with the Land. It’s one of the Walt Disney World attractions we do the most. We also absolutely love Christmas lights. Put those two things together, and we are squarely the target audience for Living with the Land: Merry and Bright Nights. Unsurprisingly, we absolutely love this overlay.
We’re not the only ones. Living with the Land: Merry & Bright Nights had one of the highest average wait times last December, and drew massive lines right up until parl closing. I could go on and on about this, gushing about the calming atmosphere, thoroughness, and understated simplicity of it all. Suffice to say, do not miss Living with the Land: Merry and Bright Nights!
Animal Kingdom will come alive with the return of a Merry Menagerie of winter animals realized in the form of life-size, artisan-sculpted puppets. During the day, Discovery Island is alive with a life-size “Merry Menagerie” of artisan-sculpted puppets that include reindeer, foxes, polar bears, penguins, birds, seals—and probably other critters we missed.
These winter animals are accompanied by serenading live musicians who mingle amongst guests and the Merry Menagerie of critters to create festive atmosphere. Seriously, these puppets are something special–truly some Real Christmas Magic at Walt Disney World!
At Adventurers Outpost, meet and pose for a photo with world travelers Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse at their exploration headquarters, dressed in their best holiday outfits. The globetrotting couple is preparing for their next grand expedition, so make sure to snap a postcard-perfect picture to send to all your friends and family.
A dazzling visual display full of bright colors and animated imagery, the “Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition” lights up Animal Kingdom as the majestic centerpiece of the park comes to life on nights when the park is open after dark in Discovery Island.
Accompanied by a series of wintry tales and a heartwarming holiday-inspired musical score, this holiday evening experience is sure to delight and inspire your whole family tree. The show begins after dark each night and occurs approximately every 10 minutes until the park closes, so make sure to catch a quick peek before heading back to your hotel after a long day of fun.
In addition, original artwork from artist Rob Kaz will be available at Island Mercantile in Discovery Island throughout the holiday season. Kaz will also greet guests inside Island Mercantile from November 1 through November 20, so make sure to swing by to see his beautiful Disney-themed artwork.
No word yet on what else is happening at Animal Kingdom for Christmas, but that’s not uncommon.
One oddity is that Walt Disney World did not announce the return of meeting Santa Claus at the 76th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party on the patio at Restaurantosaurus. As the guest of honor himself, Santa’s checked his list twice and invited everyone to join him in this festive location as the students and faculty of the Dino Institute celebrate the season in (pre)-historic fashion.
This was a fun experience last year, and WDW has already committed to keeping Restaurantosaurus open through early 2026, so we’re not sure why this wouldn’t return. Unless our speculation is correct, and Restaurantosaurus might actually end up closing early. We’ll keep you posted.
Walt Disney World resort hotels will be decked out for the holidays, with their lobbies featuring iconic trees and other festive flourishes. Definitely good news for fans of Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom Lodge, Contemporary Resort, and other holiday favorites.
Gingerbread displays will once again be part of the holiday season at Walt Disney World! Select resorts will also offer holiday menus and specialty food & drink at their restaurants. All of this usually rolls out in phases, likely beginning the first weekend of November and continuing through the week before Thanksgiving.
While the lineup of gingerbread displays has yet to be announced, Walt Disney World did already reveal that Grand Floridian’s Gingerbread House is Cancelled for Christmas 2025. This is due to construction, but as discussed in that post, we suspect it will never return. At least, not to its old location in the lobby.
Walt Disney World has also teased one of the new discounts to be released later this week.
Friends and families can save up to 20% on rooms at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, while also receiving up to a $100 Walt Disney World Resort Dining & Shopping Card when adding four-day (or longer!) standard theme park tickets to their stay.
This offer is available to book starting July 10 for stays most Sunday to Thursday nights October 12-November 20, 2025, and most nights November 23-December 25, 2025.
In all likelihood, there will be additional special offers released on Thursday for the same or similar travel dates. This is just likely the marquee discount that Disney wants to spotlight. We’ll keep you posted!
At Disney Springs, the Christmas Tree Stroll will once again return. These elaborately decorated, Disney-themed trees will consist of returning favorites plus some new dazzling décor.
As the story goes, Indiana Jones and his easygoing pilot Jock Lindsey stumbled on Disney Springs in 1938 while chasing down a mythology-based tip in central Florida. Before long, this home base became a popular stopover and watering hole for world travelers and locals alike, full of dusty mementos of glorious holidays gone by. Today, thrill-seeking families soak up the rugged charm of Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar, with its spare airplane parts, salvaged equipment and plenty of holiday decorations.
Additionally, nightly snowfall will add a touch of wonder for holiday shoppers in Town Center. Expect all of this to also start around the first weekend in November 2025.
Ultimately, it sounds like this is the “new normal” for Christmas at Walt Disney World. There are still a handful of things that have not been announced as returning as compared to pre-closure, but it’s likely some or most of that is gone for good. It’s now 5 years since the COVID cancellations, and what once might’ve been valid on a temporary basis has turned permanent. Once Disney gets a taste of operational cost-savings, it’s tough to reverse course, sadly.
This is also despite crowd levels that have been on the decline for the last couple of years as pent-up demand has fully exhausted itself and Walt Disney World is starting to see the consequences of its higher prices and other changes. To each their own, but if I were management seeing a slowdown in bookings, I might reevaluate my offerings and restore some of what made the parks popular before. Instead, they seem fine with a cycle of lower attendance leading to more cost-cutting leading to lower attendance.
With that said, it’s only July (less than two months until Halloween season!), which is still early. This is not presented as an exhaustive lineup of Walt Disney World’s Christmas 2025 entertainment and offerings. Several more things will almost certainly be announced in the coming months, which is what happened the last few years. This is merely a teaser for Christmas, so here’s hoping that Walt Disney World has more surprises up its sleeve!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this Walt Disney World news? What about Christmas entertainment, decorations, and various offerings this year? Will you be disappointed if there aren’t lights up for the holidays? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
