NEWS: Everything Coming for the 2023 Holiday Season at Disney World
It’s June, I have Christmas carols stuck in my head, and it’s all Disney’s fault. It’s Disney’s Halfway to the Holidays celebration!
This is the time of year when we momentarily trade in our sunscreen for sleighbells because we’ve been finding out a ton of news about the upcoming holiday season at the Disney parks!
So, to help you wrap your mind around every single thing that will be happening, we’re breaking it all down for you! Let’s talk about everything happening at Disney World for the 2023 holiday season.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be returning again this year to Disney World! This is a separately-ticketed event that allows you into Magic Kingdom after it closes to regular guests for all kinds of holiday fun.
Like in previous years, we can expect to see festive ride overlays, food, entertainment, merchandise, and more. Things that have been confirmed for the party are Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show, and Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration stage show.
This event only happens on select nights in November and December, and the tickets can sell out! Tickets will go on sale on July 6th for everyone and June 29th for guests staying at select Disney hotels. You can find out more here.
Disney Jollywood Nights
There is an all-new event coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the holiday season — Disney Jollywood Nights! This will be a separately ticketed event from 8:30PM to 12:30AM on 10 select nights from November 11th through December 20th, 2023.
The party will include things like exclusive food, a street fair, a sing-along, a jazz lounge, and more. The night will end with the return of the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM nighttime spectacular!
And, of course, select rides will be available throughout the event. Rise of the Resistance will even return to a virtual queue for the event!
The dates for the event are:
- November: 11,18, 20, 27, 29
- December: 4, 6,16,18, 20
Tickets will range from $159 – $179 per person. You can read way more about the festivities during the event right here!
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will be back once again bringing you all the holiday cheer! This festival will run from November 24th through December 30th.
Like other EPCOT festivals, there are special food booths set up around the park with a variety of themes. There is also fun entertainment like the Candlelight Processional (which features celebrity narrators), the Holiday Storytellers, and more.
We will find out more as the festival approaches, like the exact menus, merchandise, and celebrity guests. Read more about the festival right here!
Frozen Castle Show
Well, we thought the Dream Lights might be returning this year, but instead, we’re getting a new castle show in Magic Kingdom! The Frozen Holiday Surprise is a brand new Frozen-inspired entertainment experience that will illuminate the castle in a whole new way, according to Disney.
This will be available during regular park hours AND during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party! Read more right here.
Merchandise
Disney shared a special sneak peek of some of the holiday merchandise coming this year! We’ve got some matching sweaters…
…new Mickey ears, a Spirt Jersey, and a tote…
…and some fun sweatshirts!
You can see all of the merchandise revealed so far right here.
Special Discounts
There will also be some special discounts on Disney hotel rooms this holiday season! Guests can save from 25-30% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays this fall and winter.
If you’re a Disney+ subscriber, you can save up to 35% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels for stays select nights this holiday season
Florida Residents can save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resort Hotels this holiday season as well. Finally, Annual Passholders can save up to 40% on rooms this holiday season!
Read more about the discount details right here!
Other Offerings
We learned about several other festivities returning to Disney World this year as well! Here’s what’s going on:
- The Merry Menagerie of winter animals returns to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios will return the yuletide projection show on The Hollywood Tower Hotel.
- You can see Woody, Jessie and Buzz sporting their holiday best in Toy Story Land.
- The Christmas Tree Stroll returns to Disney Springs.
- Snow will be falling in the Town Center of Disney Springs
- Santa Claus will be in all four parks, Disney Springs, and at a Disney Water Park (wearing his tropical holiday beachwear!).
Stay tuned for more Disney holiday news and updates!