Guide: Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in 2026

Jollywood Nights is an extra-ticketed event that’s offered during the holiday season at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The holiday party offers a unique blend of entertainment, rare character appearances, and exclusive dining experiences. In our guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know for Jollywood Nights in 2026, including event dates, entry times, what’s new this year, and tips for making the most of your evening. It’s going to be one festive holiday party!

It is important to note that this guide will be updated throughout the 2026 season. Some information we’ve provided is from our experience at previous events.

2026 Jollywood Nights Dates

Disney Jollywood Nights returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on select evenings in November and December. We’ll add the dates for 2026 as soon as they’re announced.

• November: 7, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28
• December: 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 23
• January: 3, 5

Jollywood Nights dates for 2026 were announced on June 24, 2026. We have a separate chart with ticket prices by date for the 2026 Jollywood Nights event.

Guests can enter the park as early as 5:30 p.m. This allows more time to soak up the atmosphere, dine, or experience attractions before the party’s official start time of 7:30 p.m. The event lasts from 7:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. This allows up to 7 hours to enjoy the park, but it’s important to note that exclusive party events won’t begin until 7:30 p.m.

New in 2026

We’ll add more details here as they’re announced.

What to Expect at This Year’s Jollywood Nights

The following entertainment offers and schedules were specific to last year’s event.

Entertainment

The following events will return to Jollywood Nights in 2026.

• Disney Holidays in Hollywood
• What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along
• Glisten! Skating Show
• Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!

Disney Holidays in Hollywood

Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy host this festive stage show at the Theater of the Stars on Sunset Boulevard. (This is where Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage is offered during the day.) Expect appearances by Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Belle, Tiana, and more! This darling performance blends classic Hollywood flair with a holiday twist.

Showtimes: 8:15 p.m., 9:15 p.m., 11:00 p.m., and 12:00 a.m.

What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along

This charming sing-along invites guests to step into the world of Halloween Town and Christmas Town at the Hyperion Theater. (This is where the Frozen Sing-Along is held during regular park hours.) With Jack Skellington as your host and a gentle “snowfall” setting the scene, you’ll join in to sing favorites like What’s This and Sally’s Song.

Showtimes: 7:30 p.m., 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 11:30 p.m., and 12:30 a.m.

Glisten! Skating Show

Glisten! brings holiday magic to the plaza in front of the Chinese Theater at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Watch world-class skaters glide, twirl, and jump rope on a glowing synthetic rink! The scene is set to classic holiday tunes and original Jollywood songs! Where else can you see skaters perform outdoors in Central Florida?

Showtimes: 8:10 p.m., 9:10 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11:10 p.m., and 12:00 a.m.

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!

This high-energy fireworks spectacular is exclusive to Jollywood Nights. Each evening at 10:00 p.m., watch the sky above the Chinese Theater light up with projections, lasers, fireworks, and more! Starring Wayne and Larry from Prep & Landing, the show follows their mission to save Santa. It also features scenes from Beauty and the Beast, Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Dance Parties and Street Gatherings

• Twilight Soirée at the Tip Top Club
• Pixar Disco lights up Pixar Plaza 
• Holiday Fiesta en la Calle

Twilight Soirée at the Tip Top Club

This 1930s-style jazz lounge allows guests to enjoy a few tunes and take a spin around the courtyard. You can find the Tip Top Club in the courtyard of the Hollywood Tower Hotel on party evenings.

Live Music Performances: 7:30 p.m., 8:10 p.m., 8:50 p.m., 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m., 11:10 p.m., and 11:50 p.m.

Pixar Disco in Pixar Plaza

Step onto the dance floor in Pixar Plaza with characters like Edna Mode, Frozone, Joy, and other Pixar favorites.

Held Nightly During Jollywood Nights from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and then again at 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Holiday Fiesta en la Calle

This year, the Holiday Fiesta en la Calle moves to the Coaster Courtyard on Sunset Boulevard. This lively fair is where the party comes to life. Expect live music, colorful decorations, and some pretty fun characters! José Carioca and Panchito Pistoles return from The Three Caballeros, joined by Miguel from Coco, who’s making his Jollywood Nights debut!

Characters

The following characters made appearances at last year’s Jollywood Nights. We’ll update this list when characters are confirmed for 2026.

• Phineas and Ferb 
• Max Goof as Powerline 
• Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers 
• Stitch dressed as Santa 
• Baloo and King Louie 
• Mike Wazowski 
• Edna Mode 
• Frozone 
• Joy from (Inside Out)
• José Carioca and Panchito (The Three Caballeros)
• Miguel (Coco)
• Duffy (dressed as Santa)
• Mickey and Minnie Mouse
• Donald Duck
• Daisy Duck
• Goofy
• Pluto
• The Mandalorian
• Lotso (Toy Story)
• Chewbacca (celebrating Life Day)
• Bing Bong from (Inside Out)
• Partysaurus Rex (Toy Story)

Attractions

The following attractions are expected to be available during this year’s event.

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance  
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror 
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway 
• Slinky Dog Dash 
• Disney Villains: Unfairly Ever After
• The Little Mermaid – A Musical Adventure
• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Star Tours: The Adventure Continues
• Toy Story Mania!

Dining During the Party

To date, we don’t know many details about dining options at Jollywood Nights. We’ll add dining details as soon as they’re announced. The following options were available at last year’s event.

Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby

If you love The Hollywood Brown Derby, you’ll probably enjoy Jazzy Holidays. This reservation-recommended event allows guests to relax and enjoy craft cocktails and small plates from an exclusive menu. A live pianist sets the mood as you enjoy festive flavors in an elegant setting. Reservations will open in mid-September. (This is similar to a regular dining reservation where you order off a menu and pay for your order at the end of your meal period.)

Specialty Food and Beverage

Disney will announce a food and beverage guide for Jollywood Nights at a later date.

Merchandise

Expect to see an exclusive merchandise collection for this year’s Jollywood Nights. Here is a preview of last year’s collection featuring Ollie, the mascot of Jollywood Nights.

Final Thoughts

At nearly four years in, Jollywood Nights is still a young event that’s not anywhere near as set in stone as Mickey’s Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. That said, the party offers an opportunity to enjoy a charming evening in a park that we believe should always stay open late, especially at Christmas. With the glowing neon lights, jazzy holiday tunes, and nostalgic Christmas vibes, you can definitely have a good time. The rides, characters, and entertainment are a bonus. That is, if you love Hollywood Studios as we do.

If you’re going for the attractions, you can likely do well. We personally haven’t ridden anything on the evenings we’ve attended the party to date. Those who love characters will be delighted to find rare fan-favorites like Max Goof, Phineas and Ferb, and Santa Duffy, among others. You might not be delighted to find long lines. Our experience has been extreme, but I think that’s common when you always go to the first night of an event. I’ve seen plenty of reports where guests met characters with minimal waits. Your experience may vary, depending on the evening you attend.

If you’re trying to decide between Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights, that’s going to be a tough call. I would have a hard time missing the Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. As I touched on above, Jollywood Nights is more about the vibe with extras, while the event entertainment at the Christmas Party truly commands the ticket price. I’m not saying that the entertainment at Jollywood Nights isn’t great. But you’re not going to get an incredible parade or heart-warming holiday fireworks that are easy for everyone to enjoy.

That said, if you’ve done the party plenty of times over the years, Jollywood Nights might be a fresh change. Who knows? You might enjoy the evening, but end up with a wistful longing that leaves you missing the Christmas Party. Sometimes it’s good to take a break and enjoy something with a fresh perspective later on.

Overall, both seasonal events offer great characters and the opportunity to experience attractions with shorter-than-average waits. If those are your “big things,” then you might compare the two and go with the event that offers the most bang for your travel party. Regardless of what you choose, we hope you have fun!

For more Disney World planning tips, hotel guides, and holiday coverage, visit Resorts Gal again soon.

In the Comments

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