Things to Do at Disney Springs During the Holiday Season
If you’re spending time at Disney Springs this holiday season, you might want to know what to do beyond a regular visit. You might be surprised to find that the venue offers a tremendous amount of free and paid holiday recreation offerings. With so many shops and restaurants, we couldn’t possibly list them all. That said, we’ve scoured through as many locations as possible to put together this list of things to do at Disney Springs between now and Christmas!
This guide has been updated for the 2026 holiday season. However, it’s a living guide, and we’ll keep updating it as more details are announced. So make sure to check back for more exact details closer to the season.
Christmas Guides
You are currently reading our guide to Christmas at Disney Springs. We have holiday guides for a few theme parks and Disney Springs. Here is a quick reference:
- Magic Kingdom Christmas Guide
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios Christmas Guide
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Christmas Guide
- Things to Do at Disney Springs During the Holidays (This guide)
- The Best Disney Resorts to Visit During Christmas
Epcot’s Christmas offerings are unique to the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. For an overview, see our guide to Christmas at Disney World.
The Christmas Tree Stroll
We’ll start with the “big” thing Disney Springs is known for during the holidays: the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll, presented by AdventHealth. This free offering lets guests go on a scavenger hunt to find themed trees throughout Disney Springs.
Guests can pick up a complimentary map, find trees at their own pace, and complete a sticker activity to receive a small reward while supplies last. This is a simple and complimentary way to enjoy the holiday atmosphere! We’ve put together a complete guide with dates and a list of trees for the 2026 Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll.
Meet Santa Claus at the Marketplace
Santa Claus meets at Santa’s Marketplace at Disney Springs during the holiday season. This location is in the Marketplace section of Disney Springs near Disney Pin Traders and shops like Earl of Sandwich and World of Disney. It is an incredible place to take a photo with Santa, and it’s complimentary. Here are the details for this meet-and-greet:
🎅🏻 Santa’s Marketplace at Disney Springs
📍Near Disney Pin Traders (Behind It)
📅 : November 11th through December 24th
Details: Where to Meet Santa at Disney Springs
You will need to join a virtual queue to get a time slot for this meet-and-greet. You can enter the virtual queue multiple times throughout the day. You must be at Disney Springs to enter the virtual queue. The guide highlighted above explains the entire process with photos.
Fun Holiday Photo Opportunities
The PhotoPass Studio at Disney Springs is a great place to have professional photos taken during your visit. The studio offers a variety of backdrops, ranging from Disney-inspired to festive holiday scenes. Photo sessions are complimentary, and no reservations are needed. To enjoy complimentary downloads, you’ll need an active Memory Maker package, or you can purchase one. You can learn more here on the PhotoPass site. The PhotoPass Studio is located between Tren-D and Arribas Brothers at Disney Springs.
During a visit to Disney Springs, we saw a few guests taking photos with their mobile devices elsewhere. For starters, DisneyStyle (on the West Side) has this fun backdrop of Main Street U.S.A. and Cinderella Castle decked out in holiday decorations!
If you step inside Tren-D (The Marketplace), you’ll run into a loaded Mickey’s Christmas Tree Farm truck, tree and all! I thought this would be a cute place to take a photo, but crowds might make it challenging.
Holiday Entertainment Offerings
While you’re at Disney Springs, you’ll likely see and hear a little holiday entertainment. As you wander through the Marketplace, you might run into DJ Sleigh, spinning holiday tunes! Other entertainment includes Toy Soldier Stilt Walkers, Peppermint Skaters, and the ever-popular Douglas Fir, which rolls all over the venue.
If you’re visiting Disney Springs in the evening, don’t miss the nightly snowfall at Town Center. It begins each evening at sundown and happens every half hour near the Town Center tree. (As with most entertainment, remember that snowfall is subject to cancellation or schedule changes due to weather.)
Christmas Shopping at Disney Springs
Shopping, or at least browsing, is a major part of visiting Disney Springs. To get in the holiday spirit, we would recommend exploring World of Disney. They have some of the most wonderful Christmas displays.
Here are a few photos of the holiday decorations.
Hallmark Holiday Pop-Up Shop
A new Hallmark Holiday pop-up shop is now open at Disney Springs. The Hallmark pop-up is located in Town Center near Frontera Cocina and Disney Guest Services. The shop features products inspired by the new Hallmark Channel original movie, Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, along with Hallmark favorites, including Keepsake Ornaments, greeting cards, and Disney-inspired gifts.
Dining at Disney Springs During the Holidays
Whether you want a full meal, a themed holiday dining experience, or just a festive snack, Disney Springs has an option. Here are a few highlights of dining at Disney Springs this holiday season.
Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar: The bar transforms for the holidays with an over-the-top layer of holiday decor! A limited-time holiday menu will be available. The menu features festive cocktails and seasonal bites! We now have a preview of the 2026 Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Menu Items.
For sweet treats, Amorette’s Patisserie, The Ganachery, and Marketplace Snacks, among many other locations, have fun, specialty treats this season! We’ve included a section for Disney Springs in our Disney World Christmas Food in 2026 list.
Breakfast with Santa
For themed dining, a couple of locations at Disney Springs are offering breakfast with Santa on select dates this holiday season. They are as follows:
Breakfast with Santa at Maria and Enzo’s: This family-style breakfast with Santa takes place on select December mornings and includes a keepsake photo. (Learn more here.)
Breakfast with Santa at the Rainforest Cafe: Guests can enjoy a family-style breakfast, take photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, write letters to Santa, and join other holiday activities. The experience also includes a take-home goodie bag, raffle prizes, and an exclusive retail discount. (Find out more here.)
Final Thoughts
We hope this guide helped you find a few things to do at Disney Springs this holiday season! With over 100 shops, dining locations, and kiosks, there are likely many more special holiday offerings. My best advice is to check your favorite shop’s social media account to see if they have anything “extra” for the holidays. Or better yet, stop in on your next visit.
As for crowds, they are probably inevitable. We recently stayed at nearby Saratoga Springs and walked over to Disney Springs early in the morning, hoping to find low crowds. I was surprised by how many people, but crowds are far more bearable earlier in the day than later.
If you want to dine at a table service restaurant, reservations are a must, in my opinion. If you’re planning a quick service, expect a long line most evenings. These things are true for most regular visits throughout the year, but should be considered a necessity between now and the end of the year.
If you’re still working out your trip details, our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide is a good place to start. Check back with Resorts Gal soon for more updates, and sign up for our newsletter to receive new articles and updates.
Most of all, have fun and embrace the holiday season’s busyness! If things get to be too much, head back to your resort and find a quiet spot. I think you all know that’s what I like to do the most!
In the Comments
Do you have plans to visit Disney Springs this holiday season? What is at the top of your must-do list? Let us know in the comments.
