Christmas at Disney is the most magical! There are so many fun things to do. Here I will attach a PDF that you can print of all of our Must Do’s! I will go into more detail about each Must Do in this blog post.
Disneyland
Wintertime Enchantment at Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle
During Christmas time Sleeping Beauty’s castle is decked out in lights, icicles, wreaths and so much more! Every evening gather to see this beautiful castle be lit! Be sure to check the app for the time. Snow will fall and music fill the air, you will for sure feel the magic with this beautiful site!
Holiday Tree Lighting
This tree is unlike any other Christmas tree you have seen! It is ginormous and beautiful! Don’t forget to snap a picture in front of this beauty! Be sure to check the app for what time they will light the tree, you don’t want to miss it!
it’s a small world Holiday Lighting
As dusk begins to fall (around 5:15, check app for times) gather around it’s a small world as it plays its classic song mixed with Christmas songs and thousands of lights will be illuminated! THEN, every 30 minutes throughout the night, watch in wonder as a joyous light projection show animates the façade with a kaleidoscope of charming holiday colors and images.
“A Christmas Fantasy” Parade
We are SOOO happy parades are back at Disney! This is the first parade back since the shutdown. You do not want to miss this magical parade! It will happen twice a day at 3:00 (day parade) and 5:30 (night parade). The first parade starts by small world and heads towards Main Street. Then the second parade will do the opposite, start by Main Street and heads towards small world. If you like a good seat make sure to be there early! In this parade you will see:
- Mickey and Minnie work with Chip ‘n Dale to organize an avalanche of letters to Santa.
- Anna, Elsa and Olaf bid you a warm winter welcome from their fantastic Frozen float.
- Woody and Buzz give a playful wave from atop giant wooden building blocks.
- The Disney Princesses dance at the Candlelight Ball.
In the grand finale, wave hello to Santa Claus himself. It’s a Christmas fantasy you’ll never forget!
“Believe…In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular
Grab some hot chocolate and a seat, you will not want to miss this Christmas firework show! They do this show every night which is such a treat because fireworks are usually only on the weekends! The show is at 9:00, double check the app to make sure nothing has changed. If you watch near small world or Main Street you will be able to experience the snowfall, talk about magical!
Holiday Attractions
At Disneyland there are two attractions that are decorated for Christmas. We have Haunted Mansion Holiday which has transformed to The Nightmare Before Christmas and it’s a small world decked out in Christmas lights!
Characters
Our friends Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Chip, Dale and Goofy can often (at various times) be spotted when you are entering the park on Main Street. You will also randomly spot characters. Sadly there are no times or lists of where to find characters currently.
Santa
You can see Santa in both Disneyland and CA Adventure. At Disneyland you can find him in Critter Country at Pooh’s thotful spot over by the exit of Splash Mountain. At CA Adventure you can find him in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail over by Grizzly River Run ride. We love this location but there it is more than just meeting Santa! You can sign Santa’s NICE list, join the elves in games, fly with the reindeer on the zipline, play on the Jingle bridge, and so much more! The kids will LOVE it (and let’s be real, the adults will too)!
California Adventure
Cars Land
Cars Land is full of Christmas decor. There are two holiday overlays, Maters Jingle Jamboree and Luigi’s Joy to the World. Also spotted here is Santa Mater! Find him over by the Cozy Cone Motel for a fun photo op!
Holiday Toy Drummers
These drummers are so fun to watch! These guys perform daily at 10:30, 11:30, 2:30, 3:30 (double check the app for the day you are there!). You can find this fun little show in front of The Little Mermaid ride.
Viva Navidad Street Party
Join in on a celebration of holiday traditions from Mexico and Brazil, brought to life by cultural performers. Here you can spot Mickey, Minnie, The Three Caballeros, Jose Carioca, giant mojiganga puppets, musicians and more! To see this fun street show head over by Goofy’s Sky School in Paradise Garden Park. Showtimes are 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 5:15, 6:15 and 7:15 (double check the app for the day you’re there!). Also there are arts and crafts toward the Little Mermaid ride including cards, make a dreidel, make a lantern, ornaments and more!
Mickey’s Happy Holidays show
This is a newer show! It is a celebration with some of your favorite Disney and Pixar characters! It’s like a small parade that includes the Holiday Toy Drummers. This route goes along from Paradise Gardens Park down to Carthay Circle. Be sure to check the app for times!
Festive Food
Now this deserves a blog post all of its own so I won’t be talking about that here. Stay tuned!