Disneyland Resort‘s holiday season of elaborate décor and entertainment is not only enjoyed by guests visiting the park, but by millions of people from the comfort of their homes each year. Disney films its annual Christmas specials for ABC in the parks, and, as usual, this year’s production will bring a glimpse of the holidays to Disneyland even before Halloween is over. See other Disneyland holiday news.
Disneyland has set the dates for the filming of its annual holiday television special. We have details on the production and how its presence may affect the park on those days. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including Disneyland moving our favorite holiday season entertainment and Disneyland adding new Magic Key perks.
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TV Specials Filming at Disneyland
Since the ’80s, ABC has aired a 2-hour Disney theme park television special on Christmas, anchored by Christmas parades at both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California. Over the past decade, this programming has expanded to 2 separate specials: a nighttime special airing on Thanksgiving weekend and a daytime special airing on Christmas Day. The former focuses on musical performances, and the latter sprinkles additional performances between parade segments.
Although these specials give off the feeling of being live, both are pre-taped weeks in advance. Keeping with tradition, Disneyland will film its segments first, doing so the week before Halloween!
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Disney will film ABC holiday specials at Disneyland from October 23 through October 26, 2026. These dates are reflected in publicly filed permits with the City of Anaheim for production equipment installation in Disneyland Park’s central plaza.
Guests may be able to see activity happening or even some celebrity performances taking place from a distance during the daytime, but typically the main audience is arranged ahead of time and pooled from Disney cast members and their friends and family.
Nighttime filming may take place privately after the park has closed for the day. Last year, Disney opened up this opportunity to D23 members as the date got closer.
I’ve attended a few of these filmings before, and they’re lots of fun if you’re interested in the behind-the-scenes of a television production. Be aware that there will be a lot of starting and stopping, as with most film and TV projects. Disney doesn’t film the whole special all the way through, but one piece at a time, sometimes repeating takes.
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Disney usually sets up a temporary stage in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle for the filming. Keeping with the illusion for viewers watching from home on Christmas morning, Disney installs holiday décor in this area of the park earlier than other locations. In fact, Disney already covered the castle with its annual snowfall!
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This could serve as a fun opportunity to get an early start on family photos for guests already thinking ahead to Christmas cards.
Outside of the filming, don’t expect the castle lights to be turned on during the nighttime until Disneyland’s holiday season officially begins on November 13.
The castle location may also impact the park’s regular live entertainment on filming dates. As of October 15, Disneyland’s showtimes schedule still lists cavalcades and castle promenade band performances as usual on October 23, 24, 25, and 26, but that may change as the filming dates get closer.
Disney has not announced the celebrity lineup participating in this year’s specials. 2025’s filming also included a stage near “it’s a small world”.
These late October dates are consistent with Disney’s filming schedule in previous years. Typically, after wrapping at Disneyland, the film crew will head to Walt Disney World to film daytime parade segments and nighttime performances in mid-November. Those exact dates for 2026 have not yet been shared.
For more Disneyland holiday news, see one of our favorite entertainment offerings moving this year and changes coming across the parks as Halloween transitions to the holidays.
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