The Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Disney World in 2025
The Christmas holiday season is undeniably one of the most magical (and merriest) times to visit Walt Disney World. That said, other than a few small windows within the two-month timeframe, it’s also the busiest. We’re talking major crowds, lines galore, and long waits for almost anything you can think of. On the flip side, everywhere you look, you’ll find festive decorations and cheerful cast members as holiday tunes play in the background. I can hear those gentle bells ringing on Main Street U.S.A. just thinking about it all.
The weather is warm but not miserable, you’re not at work, and the people you love the most are by your side. If not, I hope they are with you in spirit. That’s a tough one, but a reality for many of us.
On a positive note, you’re in for a treat because the holidays are extraordinary. To help you plan, each year we put together this ultimate guide that features all of the major offerings. Then, we create a guide for each park, the resorts as a whole, and Disney Springs. Those individual guides are like chapters in a book, and we’ve listed them below in each section. They will help you locate the little things like treats, Santa locations, and characters wearing holiday attire.
As far as enjoying the festivities, anything at a theme park will require the cost of admission to experience. If you’re planning to attend a party, you’ll have two options that both require a separate ticket. Then, we cover a few holiday things that you can do on a resort day or at Disney Springs, which won’t require admission.
Our best advice is to review what’s available, select a few items that you and your travel party consider must-dos, and incorporate them into your itinerary. If this is a first-time visit or you already have a lengthy list of things to accomplish that go hand in hand with a regular park day, don’t worry. You can completely skip the holiday stuff, other than seeing the decorations as you’re coming and going. You’ll still have a wonderful time.
Below, you’ll find everything you can expect for visiting Disney World during the 2025 holiday season. Please note that we will continually update this guide as new items are announced. It is common for Disney to make new announcements regarding the holidays throughout the year, especially between July and early December. The 2025 holiday season kicked off on November 14th and will last through December 31st.
Updated: December 5, 2025
Magic Kingdom
The Most Magical Place on Earth always knows how to celebrate the holidays! As mentioned above, you’ll hear the melody of familiar holiday tunes as soon as you set foot on Main Street U.S.A. We always enjoy walking up to the train station to take in exquisite views of the park in its holiday best.
While holiday decor can be found throughout most of the park, Main Street U.S.A. is the primary place to get that real holiday feel. If one of your sole purposes for visiting is to enjoy the holiday offerings, we recommend spending an hour or more taking it all in on Main Street. You might even see the Dapper Dans perform a few Christmas tunes while wearing their holiday attire. Their showtimes are listed in the My Disney Experience app.
While you’re soaking up the holiday spirit, stop in the Confectionery for a seasonal treat. The only tough decision you’ll have is deciding what to try. Don’t get me started on the create-your-own popcorn options at the back of the store. They have special holiday flavors!
As far as planning time at this park, there’s too much to mention in one place, so we’ve created a separate holiday guide for Magic Kingdom’s 2025 season. A few highlights include:
Frozen Holiday Surprise: This magical stage show happens every evening after sunset and serves as the castle lighting ceremony. It features Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, and Olaf from Frozen. This is a great start to an evening spent at Magic Kingdom during the holidays.
Jingle Cruise: Normally, the Jungle Cruise, this classic attraction, features a holiday overlay with more festive skippers than usual! Make sure to take time for a ride on this Adventureland attraction.
Santa Claus Meet-and-Greet: Santa meets during regular park hours at Magic Kingdom from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. You can find him at Storybook Circus! His listing has been added to the My Disney Experience app.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is exclusive to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, with two exceptions. The parade is typically offered a couple of times in early November when it’s filmed for ABC’s Christmas Day special. This is done after the Christmas decorations have been installed.
In 2025, you can see the parade if you’re visiting the week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day. Historically, the Christmas parade is offered in place of the Festival of Fantasy Parade. As of December 5th, Magic Kingdom’s Christmas Parade has been added to the park’s schedule (twice a day) from December 22nd through December 31st. We’ve placed the schedule here, and you can also check the times in the My Disney Experience during your visit. Also, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away (the new nighttime parade) will be offered twice nightly* during the holidays* (*It is not offered on nights when Mickey’s Christmas Party is held.)
Park Decorations: In 2025, Main Street U.S.A., Fantasyland, Liberty Square, and Frontierland all offer exquisite holiday decor! We’ve created individual photo posts for each land that can be accessed from our 2025 Magic Kingdom Holiday Guide.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
While Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held at Magic Kingdom, we’re listing it separately because it’s a seasonal event. Guests visiting during the holiday season will want to be aware of party nights and plan their days and evenings around them. We love the Christmas Party and have attended it for years. But if it doesn’t work for your budget, you can still enjoy the other holiday offerings in the parks. See our Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Guide to learn more.
Epcot
Most of Epcot’s holiday offerings tie back to the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays. This year’s festival dates run from November 28th through December 30th. This festival offers traditional food booths along with other events and entertainment. The food booths are called Holiday Kitchens and offer a variety of items related to the country of origin. As you stroll through the World Showcase, you can sample festive dishes, seasonal beverages, or participate in the Holiday Cookie Stroll.
Holiday Storytellers: During the Festival of the Holidays, most countries offer Holiday Storytellers. These special representatives, often Santas, share their country’s holiday traditions.
Epcot’s Candlelight Processional is held each evening during the Festival of the Holidays. This year’s event includes 8 new celebrity narrators, including Susan Egan and Brie Larson!
Santa Goofy: New in 2025, Santa Goofy will have a special meet-and-greet in Epcot’s Odyssey Pavilion.
Santa Claus will have a fun meet-and-greet location at Epcot again this year. If you’re up for a scavenger hunt, don’t miss Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Scavenger Hunt during the festival.
Joyful, a gospel R&B group, performs during the Festival. They will be available in CommuniCore Plaza, featuring a combination of classic songs and updated arrangements. They are truly a joy to see. Check the My Disney Experience app on the day of your visit for showtimes. Additionally, the Voices of Liberty will perform in the American Adventure Pavilion as Dickens’ Carolers.
As far as rides, Living with the Land’s Glimmering Greenhouses has become one of our top must-dos during the holiday season at Walt Disney World. This seasonal overlay brings the attraction to life in a new light–Christmas lights! Make sure to ride it at night to get the full effect. (We usually ride it a couple of times per visit!)
See our 2025 Epcot Festival of the Holidays Guide to learn more about the holiday happenings at Epcot. It offers a complete overview of festival offerings to help you plan.
2025 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays Guide
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Through the years, Hollywood Studios has become our favorite park at Christmas due to the stunning decorations. It’s like taking a step back in time to Tinseltown. The park is frosted with vintage decor, twinkling lights, and pops of color. Holiday projectors and faux snow blowers work together to make the park every bit as magical as you can imagine. Here’s what Disney has in store for this season!
Sunset Seasons Greetings: This nighttime projection show on the Hollywood Tower Hotel happens multiple times each evening! It’s simple to see and a holiday must!
Special Ending to Frozen Sing-Along Celebration: This attraction, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, offers a special holiday ending with Olaf. It is one of our favorites.
Meet Toy Story Characters in Christmas Outfits: Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear wear special holiday accessories during the Christmas season at Hollywood Studios. Find them in Toy Story Land.
Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood and Vine: You’ll want a reservation for this character meal. But if you love classic characters (Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto), it’s a great opportunity to see them in holiday outfits.
Santa Claus Meet-and-Greet at Walt Disney Presents: New in 2025, Santa Claus is meeting guests at Walt Disney Presents, and this location is so much fun. If you have time, stop by to see Santa and have your photo taken with him.
Holiday Installation at Walt Disney Presents: This last-minute offering is a welcome holiday surprise. Stop in Walt Disney Presents to check out props and other items from some of Disney’s classic Christmas films, including Babes in Toyland, Noelle, The Santa Clause, and The Muppets Christmas Carol. (What a treat!)
See our 2025 Guide to Christmas at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to learn specifics about all of these offerings. It’s been updated with photos of the park’s seasonal decor and more!
Disney Jollywood Nights
Similar to Magic Kingdom’s Christmas Party, Jollywood Nights is a separate ticketed event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The park will close a little earlier than usual on party evenings, so you’ll want to schedule your park days accordingly. If you would like to know more about this event, see our Disney Jollywood Nights Guide.
Disney’s Jollywood Nights Guide (The 2025 Edition)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
We love the decorations at Disney’s Animal Kingdom almost as much as Hollywood Studios. Discovery Island and Africa are not to be missed if you’re hoping to see unique decor. Here are a few of the other holiday happenings in the park in 2025.
Merry Menagerie: This talented group of puppeteers wield artisan, hand-crafted puppets designed to look like Arctic animals. They are beautiful and always such a surprise to unsuspecting guests.
Tree of Life Awakenings: The Tree of Life Awakenings show transitions to a special holiday version. All you have to do is walk up to the Tree of Life anytime between sunset and the park’s closing to see it. The show happens about every 10-15 minutes. We like to watch it a couple of times on our way out of the park.
Meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse in Holiday Attire: You can find Mickey and Minnie Mouse in holiday outfits at Adventurer’s Outpost during the holiday season. They wear special accessories to jazz up their safari suits.
Santa Claus Meet-and-Greet in Dinoland USA: This is Santa’s last year to meet in Dinoland, with the area of the park closing permanently in February 2026. It’s such a fun location!
See our guide to Christmas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2025 for photos of this year’s decor and more specifics of these offerings.
Disney Resort Hotels
We could write a book on the resort hotels at Walt Disney World during the holidays! Every resort hotel has unique decorations, some more elaborate than others. A few of the resorts have extravagant gingerbread displays in their lobbies. The following hotels will offer gingerbread displays in 2025:
- Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Disney’s Wilderness Lodge (small display)
We’ve put together a list of this year’s best resorts at Disney World to visit during the holidays. It includes our top choices and tips for how to plan a holiday resort hop!
Disney Springs
As you can probably imagine, Disney Springs is a busy place to be during the holiday season. Major happenings for the venue often include a Santa Claus meet-and-greet and the Christmas Tree Stroll. Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar will also have a special holiday overlay called Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar.
As you’re walking through the venue, expect to find a winter wonderland atmosphere with toy soldier stilt walkers, snowflake rollerbladers, a holiday drum line, and a brass band playing holiday tunes! With so many things to do, we’ve put together a complete guide with things to do at Disney Springs this holiday season. It includes free and paid recreation offerings, plus tips on managing crowds.
Santa Claus
Santa Claus will meet in all four theme parks and at Disney Springs this holiday season. We’ve put together a list of every location to meet Santa Claus in 2025.
Christmas Merchandise
Each year, Disney launches a new merchandise collection for the holiday season. It includes apparel, accessories, items for the home, and more. The image below features a few of our top picks for the season. Some items are exclusive to the Walt Disney World Resort.
Since the holidays have kicked off, we’ve created several new merchandise photo posts to share our finds. Here is a list of what we have so far: 2025 Walt Disney World Christmas Merchandise Photo Report.
Food and Beverages
If you’re looking for all of the food and beverage items this holiday season, look no further. You’ll have a plethora of treats to choose from, whether it’s a specialty shake or a giant cookie with holiday frosting! We’ve compiled one guide with all of the treats you can expect to find this holiday season: Disney World Christmas Food in 2025.
More Planning
Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Explore our resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.
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In the Comments
Are you planning a visit to Disney World during the 2025 holiday season? If so, what concerns do you have, or what are you excited to see? Let us know in the comments.