There is no shortage of fun and exciting adventures to take part in at Walt Disney World this upcoming holiday season. If you are a visitor, passholder, or local resident there is something for everyone. There are also events to meet every budget from Free to Oh My. We will walk you through all your amazing options and when each event will be running you so don’t miss it.

Animal Kingdom – Starting November 8, 2019

This year the Animal Kingdom is adding some new experiences to the line-up. There will be more holiday activities going on than ever before including decorations throughout Africa, Asia, and Pandora.

Discovery island

The island is featuring new holiday lanterns and an arctic animals show featuring life-sized puppets of arctic animals. This is a very new experience and so we do not know much about it, but we will provide updates as we get them. We hear this is going to be an experience not to miss. The Tree of Life Awakening show is getting holiday music and projection overlay as well all of this should bring life at night to the Discovery Island area of the park.

Dinoland

Another New Event is the Holiday Hoopla Dance Party. This will feature Donald, Chip n Dale and more of their friends. There will be dancing and games and loads of Festive Fun. The entire area will be decked out in eclectic Christmas decorations and the atmosphere is going to be very unique.

Asia

The Asia area will be celebrating Diwali which is the Indian Festival of Lights. There will be holiday-inspired lanterns, flowers, and unique lighting that will be a welcomed holiday celebration.

Africa

Harambe will feature updated holiday shows and Tusker House will feature a holiday overlay for the character dining experience.  The whole area will have a holiday overlay that merges holiday colors with traditional African textures.

Pandora

Christmas at Pongu Pongu will feature Pandora inspired Christmas décor with handcrafted items based on both Earth and Pandora culture. It will be a new addition that should delight us all.

Magic Kingdom

Christmas At the Disney Parks 2

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – Starting November 8th

This festive event is filled with special food offerings, character meet and greets, a holiday parade and special holiday fireworks. The event is known for being a great way to ride rides with very low wait times and to meet all the characters without huge lines. This is a separate ticketed event and tickets are already on sale now.

Christmas Décor is on point at the Magic Kingdom. It is classic décor with a Mickey touch. The wreaths and garland around the park are the perfect touches to put you in the Christmas spirit and the team does a great job transferring from Halloween to Christmas in under a week. It is an amazing process that wows me every year.

Epcot

Christmas At the Disney Parks 3

Festival of the Holidays – Starting November 29th

Yuletide around the World is a holiday celebration that pays tribute to all the holidays around the world showcase as part of Festival of the Holidays. Each country in the World Showcase has a storyteller that tells the holiday stories from their side of the world. It is an amazing opportunity to truly learn about holiday culture in other countries. There are food booths similar to food and wine as well, but it is all very traditional festive offerings from the countries. The combination of these two events is Festival of the Holidays core offerings. There are other fun things going on as well around Epcot such as the Holiday Kitchens and the Holiday Cookie Stroll that you won’t want to miss.

Candlelight Processional – Starting November 29th

There is one show all year I truly look forward to and that is the amazing Candlelight processional. This is the Christmas Story told by celebrity narrators and songs performed by The Voices of Liberty, Cast Member choir and a community choir. The choirs are chosen by audition and the show is very well done! It is the highlight of my holiday season and the narrators all make the show their own a little bit. The busiest show is Neil Patrick Harris every year and be prepared to wait in a long line if you don’t want to purchase the dining package to guarantee a seat.

Hollywood Studios

Jingle Bell Jingle Bam! – Starting November 8th

The holidays are not complete without a projection, laser, snow, and pyrotechnics show down Hollywood Blvd. This show features Christmas music, characters and brings the buildings to life in this one of a kind show. Other don’t miss Hollywood Studios offerings is Sunset Seasons Greetings a projection show on Tower of Terror and all the fun holiday snacks located around the park. Your taste buds will thank you for stopping in and trying these fun treats.

Disney has so much to offer for the holidays inside the parks, but outside the parks at the resorts and Disney Springs has some fun offerings too. More about the fun things to do around Disney resorts are coming in a future article.

Disney has a lot to offer in the way of fun for the holidays, but there are also fun things to do outside the Disney Bubble in Central Florida. Check out this article from Live Love Run Travel on some not so Disney local favorites.

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