Many consider the holidays the most magical time of year to visit Disneyland, and for good reason! There is simply much to do and see, both inside and outside of the parks.
While there is something so special about watching A Christmas Fantasy Parade or riding “it’s a small world” Holiday after dark during the Christmas celebration at Disneyland, there are so many memorable holiday activities that don’t even require park admission. You could easily spend a day or more enjoying the festivities across the Disneyland Resort Hotels, Downtown Disney, and beyond. This is a reason to add an extra night at the great hotels near Disneyland in Anaheim, California.
We will take you through 8 family-friendly holiday activities at or near the Disneyland Resort that don’t require park admission! These are all great to consider for either your arrival or departure day, or a general day off from the parks.
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Resort Hopping to Enjoy Holiday Entertainment
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While “resort hopping” isn’t really a thing at Disneyland, as much as it is at Disney World (see our Disney World holiday resort hopping itinerary here), I would argue that there is an exception during the holidays. There are some really cute and fun seasonal activities at each of the three Disneyland Resort Hotels that you should take the time to explore.
Since Disneyland is a pedestrian resort with all three of the hotels within a roughly 10-minute walk of one another, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t spend some time visiting each to enjoy what they have to offer. Each of the Disneyland Resort Hotels is decorated uniquely for the holidays.
It is absolutely worth spending some time in Disney’s Grand Californian lobby during the holidays. The festive garlands, Christmas tree, and giant gingerbread house make this space particularly special during the holidays. You can grab a Mickey Gingerbread or other treat from the Great Californian Hall Cart, listen to the holiday music on the piano, and cozy up next to the fireplace, or listen to holiday groups like the Good Time Carolers, Vox Frost, and jazz performers.
This year, the lineup of live performance groups at the Disneyland Hotel includes Vocal Flash, Holiday Harmony, and Sparkletones. In the evenings, you can enjoy special screenings of Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol and A Very Jonas Christmas Movie on select nights at the Frontier Lawn at the Disneyland Hotel. There is also a very cool holiday confectionery display at the Disneyland Hotel made of 140 pounds of fondant, 60 pounds of chocolate, 30 pounds of powdered sugar, and 10 hidden Mickeys.
Over at the Pixar Place Hotel, you can enjoy ornament decorating at The Sketch Pad Café at Pixar Place Hotel and live entertainment like the Holiday Hipsters and Moon Rays.
Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail Scavenger Hunt
A fun activity in Downtown Disney is Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail, where you’ll search for ornaments hidden on holiday trees.
You can buy a map and stickers for $11.99, then search for various Disney character-themed ornaments and mark them with a sticker on your map once you’ve spotted them. Whether or not you complete your search, you can redeem your map to receive a holiday keepsake. This can be a fun activity for younger kids in particular!
Holiday Character Dining
The seasonal character dining experiences at Goofy’s Kitchen and Storytellers Cafe can be great activities to get into the holiday during your day off from the parks. We love character dining because it’s a great way to spend quality time with characters without having to battle long lines and rushed interactions inside the parks. The seasonal theming is really the icing on the cake for an already great experience.
Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates the Holidays! features characters in festive outfits, themed decor and music, special seasonal food items, an expanded menu for brunch and dinner, Disney PhotoPass digital downloads, and a special button. You can enjoy breakfast, brunch, and dinner at this location.
Storytellers Cafe offers Daisy’s Holiday Pajama Party for breakfast and brunch, and Mickey’s Christmas Carol Feast for Dinner. The pajama party is an especially fun concept for kids who may love the chance to show up in their holiday pajamas, while the dinner offering features some pretty fun outfits inspired by characters from A Christmas Carol. See all details about these character dining experiences here. We loved the holiday ambiance and food at the dinner buffet even before they added characters.
Foodie Tour Through the Resort Hotels and Downtown Disney
There are so many amazing Disneyland Christmas foods available throughout the resort, and a good number of these are located outside of the parks. If you’re a foodie, you could easily spend a day just enjoying all of these offerings.
Several throughout Downtown Disney have special food and drink offerings. You’ll find everything from a limited-time Prime Rib Feast at Ballast Point Brewing Co. to a Candy Cane Twist Glazed Beignet at Beignets Expressed and holiday cocktails at Vista Parkside Market.
At the Disneyland Resort Hotels, you’ll find a wide array of special holiday offerings at Broken Spell Lounge, The Coffee House, and Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel, the Grand Californian Great Hall Cart at Disney’s Grand Californian, and the Great Maple and Sketch Pad Café at Pixar Place Hotel.
Grabbing a coffee and a holiday treat at The Coffee House or Sketch Pad Café is a great way to kick off your morning, but if you do nothing else, I’d recommend getting a treat at the Grand Californian Great Hall Cart to snack on as you enjoy the holiday decorations.
Enjoy the Lights and Snow in Downtown Disney
Downtown Disney is magical at night during the holidays! It’s worth taking some time to stroll through and enjoy the holiday trees, lights, and Christmas displays in the shop windows. In the evenings, you can enjoy nightly show moments several times throughout the night. Snowfall happens at 6:00 pm, 6:40 pm, 7:20 pm, 8:00 pm, 8:40 pm, 9:20 pm, and 10:00 pm daily.
You can see the snowfall moment in our video below. This moment is delightful to experience, whether you have small kids or all adults in your group.
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During the day, as you’re exploring the decorations in Downtown Disney, keep an eye out for Douglas Fir in the early afternoon. Douglas is a little Christmas tree that rolls around, interacting with guests and spreading holiday joy. The interactions are so cute!
Meet Santa or Enjoy Breakfast With Santa
Kids will love meeting Santa during the holidays at Disneyland! He appears at several places outside of the parks, so this is a perfect activity for your day off.
You can find Santa in the main lobby of the Pixar Place Hotel, the Great Hall of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and the main lobby of the Disneyland Hotel through December 24, 2025. There is a special Storytime With Santa experience that takes place at each of the three resort hotels throughout the day.
If you’d prefer to enjoy a more extensive holiday-themed experience, Breakfast With Santa at Naples Ristorante e Bar is a great option to consider. This includes a family-style breakfast, carolers, a meet-and-greet with Santa, and more. You can see all details about this year’s Breakfast With Santa here.
Holiday Shopping In Downtown Disney
There are a lot of great holiday shopping opportunities in Downtown Disney! A day off from the parks is a great time to do some holiday shopping and buy gifts for any Disney-loving friends and family.
Each year, Disney brings a huge collection of Christmas merchandise to World of Disney. You’ll find everything from apparel to accessories, home decor, Loungeflys, ornaments, and more. You’ll also find some special holiday offerings at other stores like The LEGO Store, Lovepop, Din Tai Fung, and Nectar Life.
Holiday Offerings at Anaheim Packing District
While there is plenty to do on Disneyland property during the holidays, there are also some fun offerings beyond the resort that we wanted to highlight! At just about a 10-minute drive from Disneyland, the Anaheim Packing District has a wide variety of great restaurants. It’s worth taking a quick Uber/Lyft if you want to explore the dining options in this area during a day off from the parks.
You’ll find special holiday offerings at locations like Le Parfait Paris, Hammer Bar, Rady’s Donuts, Georgia’s Restaurant, and more. For example, Le Parfait Paris has special items like Santa Crookie Roll, Peppermint mocha, Gingerbread latte, Toasted marshmallow mocha, and Toasted marshmallow hot chocolate.
One of our favorite dessert shops, House of Chimney Cakes, is located nearby. This location also has some really cute desserts during the holidays. Check out how adorable these seasonal treats are!
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