Disneyland Resort celebrates the holiday season in a festive style bursting with holiday cheer. Between the Christmas and holiday décor, holiday fireworks, the Believe…in Holiday Magic light nighttime spectacular, the Christmas Fantasy Parade, and ¡Viva Navidad! street party, Disneyland Resort transforms into one of the best and truly enchanted holiday celebrations!
Don’t miss the popular holiday ride overlays with the Haunted Mansion Holiday, it’s a small world Holiday, Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl, and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree. All the festivities will run throughout the holiday season from November 15, 2024, through January 6, 2025.
New this year is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction in Disneyland Park (more of that below) and Mickey and friends will of course be wandering throughout the park, dressed in their winter best. So be on the lookout and check the Disneyland Holidays calendar to see what’s happening during your visit. Here is why a Disneyland Christmas celebration should be on your wish list during the holiday season.
See also: How to Buy Discounted Disneyland Tickets
1. Special Disneyland Holiday Desserts
Walking around Disneyland Resort and Downtown Disney all day burns a ton of calories (right?), so go ahead and treat yourself to the many holiday treats you will find during the wintertime enchantment that is Christmas time at Disneyland.
New treats include Christmas-themed beignets but rest assured that old favorites are returning, too. Park guests can enjoy a Peppermint Brownie Sundae, Mickey gingerbread, and holiday dinner pizza, to name a few holiday treats from a very long list.
Of course, don’t forget about the classic Gingerbread Shingles if you can find them during this holiday time.
Grab the recipe for Disneyland Resort’s gingerbread shingles.
2. Festive Disneyland Decorations
Every year, guests await the thousands upon thousands of holiday lights and festive decorations that make up the Disneyland Christmas decorations and create a wonderfully cozy atmosphere.
The 60-foot tall extra-large Christmas tree at the town square of Main Street, U.S.A. alone boasts 1,800 custom ornaments, 100 candles, and a whopping 5,000 LED lights. It’s the perfect spot for jolly family photos. As you walk along Main Street, you will also experience magical snowfall and colorful projections happening all around you.
Over 25,000 poinsettias, cyclamen and flowering plants are placed and planted around the Disneyland Resort for the holiday season giving the whole park a magical Christmas vibe.
Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle is also illuminated each night with more than 80,000 twinkling lights, wreaths, sparkling icicles, and shimmering snow-capped turrets decorating the front of the castle.
Every night, all the lights in Downtown Disney will also dazzle complete with holiday shopping, festive musical performances, and plenty of Insta-worthy photo opportunities.
To say they go big during the Christmas season with holiday decorations is an understatement—holiday spirit and Disney magic is real during the holidays at Disneyland!
Save with Our Discounted Disneyland Tickets
Use promo code SAVEMORE on already discounted 2-Day or longer tickets!
3. Favorite Rides With Holiday Overlays
Located in New Orleans Square at Disneyland Park is the Haunted Mansion Holiday.
The Haunted Mansion becomes a world where two holidays collide: Christmas and Halloween. It’s inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, and I thought the haunted mansion holiday overlay was much less “scary” than usual.
One of the most classic rides, “it’s a small world”, has children celebrating their own holiday traditions. Three immersive scents fill the air (cherry blossoms from Asia, cinnamon from South America, and coconut in the South Seas) in addition to pine and peppermint candy scents in the European scenes.
Located in Fantasyland at Disneyland Park, this ride is normally a feast for the senses. It incorporates holiday embellishment and music in a manner that pleases all ages during the holiday season at Disneyland.
4. “Believe… In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular
The holiday entertainment during Disneyland holidays is top-notch. End a festive evening at Disneyland with a pyrotechnical spectacle of holiday magic fireworks over Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle at 9 p.m. on select nights from November 15, 2024, to January 6, 2025 (weather permitting).
Catch a little winter wonderland snowfall just before the “Believe…in holiday magic” fireworks show at “it’s a small world” ” for even more seasonal magic while visiting Disneyland at Christmas.
5. Cars Land Holiday Transformation
Cars Land gets into the holiday spirit. Christmas decorations like snowflakes hang above Route 66, a “snow car” greets guests at the entrance of Route 66, and holiday attractions are decked out for the season. Mater’s Jingle Jamboree and Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl include some catchy holiday songs sung by both Disney characters.
6. Disney Festival of Holidays
Disney Festival of the Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park involves Christmas music, food, a 50-foot-tall holiday tree, and fun that celebrates meaningful traditions of Christmas, Navidad, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings’ Day.
Favorite Disney and Pixar characters join Mickey Mouse and other Disney friends to dance to the beats of holiday toy drummers. Of course, they’re all decked out in their holiday best of classic red and green for the Christmas festivities and ready to spread holiday cheer.
Festival Foods Marketplace has multiple marketplace locations offering holiday foods, diverse dishes, and seasonal flavors that span cultures and family traditions while you celebrate Christmas and the holiday season at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure. Follow your stomach to these festive food marketplaces at the stage near Palisades, Sonoma Terrace, and Hollywood Backlot, accompanied by live entertainment and upbeat music.
To get the most out of this event, guests can purchase the Sip and Savor Pass, which includes four or eight entitlement tabs that can be redeemed for select food and nonalcoholic drinks at the Festival Foods Marketplace. This holiday’s tasting passport can even be shared among friends.
Disney ¡Viva Navidad! is a joyous street party featuring live musicians and dancers hosted by the Three Caballeros featuring Mexican folklórico dancers, Brazillian Samba dancers, live music, and giant mojiganga puppets. Of course, a dance party isn’t complete without food, so check out the all-new menu at Paradise Garden Grill for select seasonal offerings. Located at Paradise Gardens Park, Disney ¡Viva Navidad! takes place from November 15, 2024 through January 6, 2025, and this is one holiday party you don’t want to miss!
“Encanto” fans will be delighted to visit Mirabel while visiting Disney California adventure during Christmas time.
7. World of Color – Season of Light Spectacular
This fantastic light spectacular returns to California Adventure and will envelop guests in a light show. This World of Color season nighttime spectacular light show is accompanied by holiday music as a festive beat fills Paradise Bay, and fountains illustrate warm moments from beloved Disney animated films. Let the holiday version of Disneyland light up your world of color this season.
8. Private Guided Tour
If you’re looking for even more holiday magic, you might want to add a Disneyland resort guided tour of both theme parks for an exclusive look at Disneyland Christmas decorations.
This hosted tour includes a selection of seasonal favorites such as the Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Haunted Mansion, and “it’s a small world,” plus reserved seating for prime viewing of the Disneyland Christmas parade.
9. A Christmas Fantasy Parade
The holiday season at Disneyland isn’t complete without a street parade! Twice a day at 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (but subject to change), everyone’s favorite characters dress for the season and ride floats from “it’s a small world” to Main Street, U.S.A. in the Christmas Fantasy parade.
The 40-minute parade is one of the longest-running parades at Disneyland, featuring over 100 performers and Disney favorites.
The highlight for my daughter when she was younger, was the Frozen float featuring Anna and Elsa. Other floats showcase Mickey and Minnie working with Chip ‘n Dale to get letters to Santa and the Disney Princesses dancing and curtsying at the Candlelight Ball.
The parade ends with everyone’s favorite jolly gift-bearer, Santa Claus, to cap off the magic. For the best viewing, be sure to arrive early to claim a seat along the parade route.
10 . Tiana’s Bayou Adventure – New Attraction!
An exciting addition this winter season is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure , which debuts on November 15 in Bayou Country in Disneyland Park. Guests wind their way through the bayou as Princess Tiana’s story unfolds in this attraction. She is joined by friends including jazzy alligator Louis and you’ll no doubt recognize music and details from the movie.
11. Santa’s Holiday Visit
For the 2024 holiday season, Santa and a few select Disney friends will visit the Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland Park to create some very special memories with guests. There will be plenty of photo ops, storytelling time, and also a chance to sign up for cookie decorating and crafts.
Santa will also make appearances at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in Disney California Adventure Park, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Disneyland Hotel and Pixar Place Hotel through Christmas Eve day.
Check the Disneyland app for all the details on these special appearances.
12. Buena Vista Street Tree Lighting
Visitors of Disney California Adventure can experience the magical Buena Vista Street Holiday Tree lighting every day from November 15, 2024, to January 6, 2025.
Head over to Elias & Co. on Buena Vista Street to watch as the monumental tree twinkles to life with hundreds of ornaments, glistening garlands, Christmas decorations, festive music, and colored lights. The holiday tree lighting will occur every day. Time TBD. It’s one of our favorite classical Disney moments.
13. Holiday Gifts
While Disney parks are always good places to buy gifts for the Disney fan in your life, the holiday season is particularly remarkable should you want a holiday keepsake when you visit Disneyland, California Adventure, and Downtown Disney during the holiday time.
Thousands of 2024 Christmas ornaments, holiday-themed Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears, and other options that can only be purchased during the holiday time stock the shelves (though they seem to have some ornaments year-round).
You can also check out their online store, which features many holiday goodies. But there’s a great holiday store on Main Street U.S.A. called Plaza Point. Its merchandise will change seasonally to showcase other holidays like Chinese New Year, Easter, and Halloween, to name a few.
14. The Disneyland Hotels Are Decked Out, Too
Book a Disneyland Resort hotel during the holiday season. Our top pick is Disney’s Grand Californian Resort and Spa, which has the most beautiful Christmas tree and a 7-foot-tall gingerbread house in the lobby, usually made from 600 lbs of powdered sugar, 250 lbs of fondant, and one pound of pixie dust!
Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa was created in a beautiful craftsman style and has its own entrance to Disney California Adventure Park and Downtown Disney. It takes about 5 minutes to walk to Disneyland Park.
Disneyland Hotel’s holiday decorations are themed to “it’s a small world” Holiday, while Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel features an underwater holiday season theme.
Plus, staying at the Disneyland resort hotels means it’s nice to have a nearby place to rest in the late afternoon when kids get tired.
15. You Can Buy Discount Disneyland Tickets
With the Christmas Fantasy Parade, Sleeping Beauty’s winter castle all decked out with seasonal decorations, holiday shows, towering Christmas trees, a haunted mansion, “it’s a small world holiday,” and more, Christmas at Disneyland will have you believe Christmas magic is alive in southern California—it is the happiest place on earth, after all!
If that’s not enough, head over to Disney California Adventure for Mickey’s Happy Holidays, iViva Navidad!, the Color Season of Light show, the Festival of Holidays, and take a spin on Mater’s jingle jamboree. Both Disney parks will be awash in holiday entertainment and all things holiday-related to add to your favorite moments from Disney!
While a 1-Day Disneyland theme park ticket during this season is best bought through Disneyland (don’t forget your park reservations!), those considering longer visits to Disneyland at Christmas can save money through authorized ticket sellers like aRes Travel, which always has discounted pricing on Park Hopper and 1-Park tickets.
What is your favorite thing about Disneyland Resort during the holidays
Top photo credit: Joshua Sudock/Disneyland Resort
Katie Dillon
Leave a Reply