Walt Disney World goes all out for the holiday season, with expansive decorations and large Christmas trees at every theme park and resort hotel, plus a flurry of exclusive events that only happen during the most wonderful time of the year. Disney revealed its 2026 holiday slate, which will follow a packed autumn of Halloween parties and EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival.
Disney World holiday festivities returning for 2026 include Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Disney Jollywood Nights, and the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, featuring the Candlelight Processional. We have dates and details for these annual traditions and more. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a Disney World hotel perk changing and one of Disney World’s best adult experiences.
READ MORE – Disney World Dates to Avoid If You Hate Crowds! – 2026 WORST Times to Visit
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2026 Dates
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party returns to Magic Kingdom this holiday season. This separately ticketed classic event takes place after the park has closed for the day. See our party tips here.
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.
Signature highlights of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party include Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, the Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show, snow flurries on Main Street, U.S.A., holiday overlays of favorite rides, and the showstopping Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, one of the most elaborate processions Disney puts on all year, complete with the iconic marching toy soldiers.
READ MORE – Disney World Pros Know Not to Ignore These 10 Overlooked Food Items at the Parks
Here are the 2026 dates for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party:
- November 8, 9, 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 24, 25, 27, & 29, 2026
- December 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 20, & 22, 2026
The event takes place from 7 PM to 12 AM, and guests can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4 PM without daytime park admission.
Ticket prices for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2026 range from $189 to $229. This is a slight increase from 2025’s prices, which started at $169. Tickets launch July 9 for guests staying at Disney World hotels and July 16 for all other guests.
Disney Jollywood Nights 2026 Dates
Disney Jollywood Nights returns to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for its fourth year of cheer. This relatively new event requires a separate ticket and happens after Hollywood Studios closes to the public. See our Jollywood Nights review with tips.
Jollywood Nights has made a name for itself with themed party zones and lounges throughout the park, rare character appearances, an ice-skating show, a fireworks spectacular called Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, and a musical revue hosted by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy.
For the first time, Jollywood Nights will continue beyond Christmas week and into January.
Here are this year’s dates for Disney Jollywood Nights:
- November 7, 14, 16, 21, 23, & 28, 2026
- December 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, & 23, 2026
- January 3 & 5, 2027
The event takes place from 7:30 PM to 12:30 AM, and guests can enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios as early as 5:30 PM without daytime park admission.
Ticket prices for Disney Jollywood Nights 2026 range from $169 to $199. This is a slight increase from 2025’s prices, which started at $159. Tickets launch July 9 for guests staying at Disney World hotels and July 16 for all other guests.
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays and Candlelight Processional Dates
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays focuses on the unique holiday traditions of cultures from around the world. The festival takes place during EPCOT’s regular operating hours and is included with park admission.
We expect Disney to announce the 2026 dates for the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays very soon. Typically, the festival runs from the Friday after Thanksgiving through December 30.
The centerpiece of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays is the Candlelight Processional, during which a celebrity narrator tells the traditional Nativity story accompanied by a live orchestra and a massive choir of several hundred cast members. The Candlelight Processional performs several times every night of the festival. Pictured above is a previous performance narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Brendan Fraser.
Disney will reveal the celebrity narrator list for the 2026 Candlelight Processional, as well as the menus of its popular “holiday kitchens,” aka food booths, at a later date.
Overall Disney World Holiday Season Dates
Including the above three events and encompassing many other experiences, the overall holiday season at Walt Disney World will be celebrated from November 13, 2026, through January 6, 2027.
All four parks and every resort hotel will be decked out for the season.
At Magic Kingdom, separate from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and included with park admission, guests can enjoy the Jingle Cruise, a madcap holiday version of the classic Jungle Cruise boat ride, and A Frozen Holiday Surprise, a stage show in front of Cinderella Castle featuring characters and high-tech projection mapping.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, separate from Disney Jollywood Nights and included with park admission, Sunset Seasons Greetings bring snow flurries to Sunset Boulevard, along with projection mapping onto The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Additionally, For the First Time in Forever – A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration features songs from the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure holiday special.
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the Merry Menagerie troupe of puppeteers and musicians will once again roam Discovery Island. This is one of the most overlooked Disney World holiday traditions, and one of our favorite things to see during the season.
The Disney Springs Christmas Tree Trail will fill Disney World’s shopping and dining district with trees belonging to different Disney characters, and decorated to match each character’s style.
The beginning of Disney World’s holiday season overlaps with the conclusion of the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival, happening from August 27 through November 21, 2026.
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.
