During the holiday season, several Walt Disney World attractions receive a festive overlay with new décor, music, or plot elements. Some of these overlays can completely change the experience, like Jungle Cruise becoming Jingle Cruise with a new storyline, or Living With the Land filling its Glimmering Greenhouses with Christmas lights. Disney just announced more overlays debuting this year. This follows previous holiday season news.
3 Disney World rides will transform for the holidays for the first time during the 2026 season, including 2 popular roller coasters. We have details on what’s changing with the new versions of the rides, plus the opening and closing dates. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disney ticket price increases and guest scooter abuse allegations.
READ MORE – Disney World’s Cheapest Hotel is Affordable and Surprisingly Good For the Price
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT takes riders on a backward-launched indoor roller coaster with favorite Marvel misfits Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Groot, and Rocket.
Typically, the onboard audio for Cosmic Rewind blasts a throwback radio hit from 6 possible tracks. During the 2026 holiday season, the ride will become Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix. During their ride, guests will hear 1 of these 3 songs:
- “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Andy Williams
- “Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra 8
- “Christmas Wrapping” by The Waitresses
Disney World Ride Closure ALERTS, Major Park Changes, Secrets Revealed
Get alerts on closures, park changes, exclusive discounts, and free printables. Trusted by 100,000+ Disney fans & planners.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix will operate from November 25, 2026, through January 6, 2027.
Guests should note that these dates are slightly different from the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. That park-wide event, which includes the Candlelight Processional, will happen from November 27 through December 30.
During the Holiday Remix period, Cosmic Rewind’s usual set list will not be played. The following 6 songs will not be in the rotation during the Holiday Remix overlay:
- “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
- “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps
- “Conga” by Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
- “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears
- “I Ran (So Far Away)” by A Flock of Seagulls
- “One Way or Another” by Blondie
We expect the ride experience to be the same other than the soundtrack. In other words, we don’t expect the queue to be decked out with garland and trees.
The final day for the coaster’s usual set list before the overlay will be November 24, and it will return on January 7.
Cosmic Rewind had a holiday soundtrack once before, but it was a medley that every ride cycle experienced rather than a random selection of one song from multiple possibilities.
Last week, Disney changed a moment in the Cosmic Rewind pre-show to prevent bad guest behavior.
READ MORE – Disney World Pros Know Not to Ignore These 10 Overlooked Food Items at the Parks
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: Obligatory Holiday Overlay
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in May 2026 as a permanent replacement for the classic thrill ride’s former Aerosmith version.
As the holidays approach, the ride will transform into Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: Obligatory Holiday Overlay for the first time.
Unlike Cosmic Rewind’s Holiday Remix, which will only pertain to the onboard soundtrack, the Muppets’ Obligatory Holiday Overlay will span the entire attraction experience, changing the storyline with new media.
Within the story, the Electric Mayhem, the house band from The Muppet Show, is prepping for their performance at a holiday spectacular. During the pre-show, guests will still see the band rehearsing in their studio, along with an Audio-Animatronics figure of Scooter, their assistant. However, the new Obligatory Holiday Overlay version of the pre-show will also include appearances by Gonzo and Rizzo in their costumes from 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol!
Aside from the fact that Disney included the above photo in its announcement coverage, you can tell this is from new footage because the Gonzo puppet is the character’s current model, which is not the same as it was when the movie was filmed in the early ’90s.
Onboard the ride, guests will hear 1 of 4 newly recorded cover songs in a random rotation:
- “Holiday Road” – The Electric Mayhem ft. Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear
- “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by The Electric Mayhem featuring Jennifer Hudson
- “Silver Bells” by The Electric Mayhem featuring Cyndi Lauper
- “Little Saint Nick” by The Electric Mayhem
This marks Cyndi Lauper’s debut on the ride. She does not appear in the non-holiday mode.
A new background loop of holiday music will also play in the courtyard outside the attraction. The current playlist here contains rock radio hits from across the decades.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets: Obligatory Holiday Overlay will operate from November 4, 2026, through January 6, 2027. The ride will run its holiday version during regular park hours, not just during the Disney Jollywood Nights special event, which kicks off November 7.
During the Holiday Remix period, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s usual set list will not be played. The following 5 songs will not be in the rotation during the Obligatory Holiday Overlay:
- “Song 2” by Blur, covered by The Electric Mayhem
- “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf, covered by The Electric Mayhem and Camilla the chicken
- “Love Rollercoaster” by Ohio Players, covered by The Electric Mayhem, Jennifer Hudson, and Questlove
- “Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)” by Def Leppard, performed by The Electric Mayhem and Def Leppard
- “Walking on Sunshine” by Katrina and the Waves, performed by The Electric Mayhem and Kelly Clarkson
The final day for the coaster’s usual set list before the overlay will be November 3, and it will return on January 7.
Alien Swirling Saucers: Lilypad’s Jams Holiday Tunes
Alien Swirling Saucers, a family-friendly spinning ride in Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, recently debuted a permanent new addition and became Alien Swirling Saucers: Lilypad’s Jams. Lilypad, the tablet from Toy Story 5, has taken over the attraction and serves as its DJ, playing songs from the Toy Story movies adapted across different music genres.
For the holiday season, Alien Swirling Saucers: Lilypad’s Jams will instead play 1 of 4 holiday tunes on a rotation:
- “Toyland”
- “Deck the Halls”
- “Swirling, Swirling Saucers”
- “Joy to the Swirl”
We assume that this means the ride will not play its newly installed regular set list during this time, though Disney didn’t outright announce this. Among those Toy Story songs is an instrumental version of “I Knew It, I Knew You,” originally written and performed by Taylor Swift for Toy Story 5.
Don’t Miss the Latest Disney News
Don’t miss the latest Disneyland and Disney World news from Mickey Visit. Join the FREE Mickey Visit newsletter that over 100k readers receive every single week. Mickey Visit is here to help you save money and experience more during your Disney and Universal vacation. See the Mickey Visit guide to Disneyland and the Mickey Visit guide to Disney World for tips.
