Summertime is barely in the rearview mirror, but it’s full speed ahead toward the holiday season at Disneyland Resort in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. Guests visiting the theme parks during this time of year can enjoy special parades, festive food, and elaborate decorations as Disney pulls out all the stops. After previously revealing this season’s overviews for Disneyland and Disney World, the parks shared more news.
Disney made 8 announcements about the 2026 holiday season in its theme parks. We have a breakdown of every announcement for this busy and exciting time of year. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including big changes coming to favorite Disney World hotel rooms and a rope drop mistake to avoid at Disneyland.
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Holiday Season at Disney Theme Parks
Before we get into the individual new announcements, let’s recap the previously revealed dates and details for the holidays in California and Florida.
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The holiday season at Disneyland Resort is back from November 13, 2026, through January 6, 2027. At Disneyland Park, seasonal overlays of classic rides and signature Christmas entertainment will all return. At Disney California Adventure, the Disney Festival of Holidays brings international cuisine and traditions.
The holiday season at Walt Disney World will officially take place from November 13, 2026, through January 6, 2027, but most of the resort’s tentpole holiday offerings have their own sets of fluctuating dates. These include the separately ticketed after-hours events Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom (select nights from November 8 through December 22) and Disney Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (select nights from November 7 through January 5). At EPCOT, the International Festival of the Holidays is included with park admission (daily from November 27 through December 30).
Beyond these basics, Disney made 8 more announcements about the 2026 holiday season for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
EPCOT Candlelight Processional Narrators
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will return from November 27 through December 30, 2026, with its Holiday Kitchen food booths, cultural storytellers, and the popular Candlelight Processional.
The Candlelight Processional is a Christmas pageant featuring a 60-piece orchestra, dozens of choir vocalists, and a celebrity narrator reading the traditional Nativity story of Jesus’s birth.
Disney announced most of the narrators for the Candlelight Processional 2026:
- November 27 & 28: Auli’i Cravalho
- November 29 & 30 and December 1: Gary Sinise
- December 2 & 3: TBA
- December 4 & 5: Whoopi Goldberg
- December 6 & 7: Robin Roberts (NEW)
- December 8 & 9: Jason Kelce (NEW)
- December 10, 11, & 12: Neil Patrick Harris
- December 13 & 14: TBA
- December 15 & 16: Lauren Daigle
- December 17, 18, & 19: Ralph Macchio
- December 20 & 21: Henry Winkler
- December 22 & 23: Lacey Chabert (NEW)
- December 24 & 25: Jodi Benson
- December 26 & 27: Simu Liu
- December 28, 29, & 30: Eva Longoria
Read more about the Candlelight Processional in our separate coverage.
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First Wave of Holiday Merchandise
Holiday-themed toys, ornaments, apparel, and home décor fill the shelves of Disneyland and Disney World gift shops each season, and Disney launched this year’s first round of holiday merchandise on September 14. They’re available online at DisneyStore.com, and you might start seeing them in the parks. Usually, holiday merchandise collections can be found at the Emporium at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, and at World of Disney at Downtown Disney and Disney Springs.
Among the stand-outs from this first batch of merchandise is a train set from Lionel and a cute Christmas tree skirt. See more holiday merchandise here.
Discount Disneyland Tickets During Holiday Season
Disneyland emailed select guests a special offer for $149 park hopper tickets, valid through December 18, 2026. This is a huge savings from the regular price of a park hopper, which fluctuates from $174 to $314 on those same dates. Check your email in case this discount is waiting for you!
See more details about this deal and how to still save money if you didn’t receive the email here.
Backstage Tour of Glimmering Greenhouses
Living With the Land – Glimmering Greenhouses will return to EPCOT at Walt Disney World from November 27 through December 30, 2026. This special version of the Living With the Land boat ride overlays the attraction’s greenhouse spaces with Christmas lights.
Behind the Seeds, the accompanying backstage tour of Living With the Land, offers a special holiday version for guests wanting to experience the tour after dark with the full effect of the Christmas lights.
Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses will be offered at 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 8:00 PM daily from November 27 through December 30 for $59 per guest. Reservations will launch on September 24.
Holiday-Themed Character Dining on Both Coasts
Restaurants at Disneyland and Walt Disney World feature themed meals with characters dressed in fun Christmas costumes.
Disneyland Resort’s holiday character dining will take place from November 16, 2026, through January 3, 2027. This is slightly different from the resort’s overall holiday season schedule.
Storytellers Café at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel at Disneyland Resort hosts Daisy’s Pajama Party for breakfast with Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, Pluto, Chip, and Dale dressed in adorable PJs! Later in the day, Storytellers Café features Mickey’s Christmas Carol Feast, a dinner with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Scrooge McDuck, Goofy, and Clarabelle Cow all dressed as they appeared in the classic 1983 holiday special.
Also at Disneyland Resort, Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates the Holidays! will host brunch and dinner with Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Chip, and Dale in festive attire.
Over on the East Coast, Walt Disney World also has a dedicated holiday character dining location. At Hollywood & Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Minnie’s Holiday Dine will take place during breakfast, lunch, and dinner from November 4, 2026, through January 6, 2027. Guests can join Minnie, Mickey, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy, all dressed in holiday Hollywood fashions.
Holiday Fireworks Dessert Parties
Two different dessert parties are offered as add-on experiences during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom. Both provide reserved viewing for Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks and a buffet spread of sweet treats.
The difference in the dessert parties comes down to the viewing location. One provides seated viewing from the Tomorrowland Terrace restaurant, while another grants access to the closed-off Plaza Garden, aka the “hub grass” astroturf courtyard.
Reservations for both dessert parties are now open.
Santa Moving at Disneyland
Santa Claus will greet guests in a new location at Disneyland Park. In the past few years, families have been able to find him inside Fantasyland Theatre. The venue has been without any live productions for some time, and Disneyland started using it as a flex space for seasonal offerings, including Santa’s meet-and-greet.
Earlier this year, Fantasyland Theatre debuted Bluey’s Best Day Ever!, a new live show. With the production continuing into the holiday season, Santa will instead meet guests inside the former trolley barn in Mickey’s Toontown, next to Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin.
Discount Disney World Hotel Bookings During Holiday Season
Disney+ subscribers receive access to exclusive perks, including occasional discounts on Disney theme park vacations. One of the offers currently available is 25% savings on select Disney World hotel rooms, along with a free park hopper benefit on purchased theme park tickets when booking select 4-night, 4-day vacation packages during certain dates this holiday season.
If you’re a Disney+ subscriber, log in to Disney+ Perks to activate this deal. See all 15 perks currently available to Disney+ subscribers.
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