Everyone loves the holidays, and Walt Disney World has an update on the festive fun coming this season. This year, it is clear that the holiday season will be a little different at Disney Parks. Walt Disney World has learned from their experiences since reopening in July and are ready to make magic in a new and safe way!
From November 6 through December 30, guests will be able to enjoy all the magic that the holidays have to offer at Walt Disney World Resort! From festive décor, themed merchandise, seasonal food & beverage offerings, and entertainment all across Walt Disney World Resort, holiday magic will be in full force at the four theme parks! This year, Santa Claus will make special appearances and pop up throughout the four parks and Disney Springs to make sure every guest feels a bit of magic for the holiday season.
Continuing in the tradition of contactless entertainment and characters, each park will take their current entertainment offering and give them a dash of holiday cheer! While there will be no Christmas parade this year, you can find the cavalcade featuring festive friends in their holiday finest, including Gingerbread Men, Elves, and Reindeer. The Toy Soldiers will take new life as they march through the Magic Kingdom with the Main Street Philharmonic as they bring holiday music to guests!
This year, Walt Disney World will unfortunately not have any Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle this holiday season. This doesn’t mean that the castle will be without any magic! When the night falls at Magic Kingdom park, festive projections will take over Cinderella Castle to give guests an extra dose of cheer! The projections will include a rotation of displays including a cozy holiday sweater and sweet ornaments. While we will miss the Castle Dream Lights, we are happy to see this replacement for the castle!
This holiday, any experience that draws a large crowd of guests will have to be put on hold for this year. That means that we will not see any Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kindom or any Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. While these activities will be missed, we hope to see them back at Walt Disney World Resort next year if allowed!
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Minnie Mouse will be hosting a special gathering of her friends to enjoy a holiday meal! Starting November 6, you can head to Hollywood & Vine and enjoy a special yuletide gathering! You may even get a chance to see Goofy in his Santa attire!
At Disney Springs, guests will be able to see themed Christmas trees that are spread all around the shopping and dining experiences of the shopping district. Guests that are shopping and dining can also experience magical snowfall each night to bring extra magic to this year’s holiday season. If you head over to Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, you will find that it has been transformed. once again to Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar!
Disney Resort hotels will also be decked out for the holidays, with their lobbies featuring iconic trees and other festive flourishes. One thing to keep in mind is that the gingerbread displays will not return to the Resort hotels this year. While they are a favorite of people taking in the holiday décor, these special displays cannot be offered due to physical distancing guidelines.
Starting a bit later in the season, on November 27, you can celebrate highlights from the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. Holiday kitchens will return around World Showcase promenade with favorites like American Holiday Table featuring Slow-roasted Turkey with Stuffing and Bavaria Holiday Kitchen with dishes like Cheese Fondue in a Bread Bowl.
Guests will be invited to step inside World ShowPlace to enjoy the returning group, JOYFUL!, who present a journey through R&B, Gospel, contemporary and traditional Christmas and holiday music. Also, the Voices of Liberty will bring their incredible 8-part harmonies to the America Gardens Theatre stage for a special concert of favorite carols and songs of the season. There are plenty more details about this festival to come, so stay tuned to DAPS MAGIC for more information.
While this holiday season will definitely be different at Walt Disney World, we have no doubt that the magic will create memories that will last a lifetime. What are you most excited to see at Walt Disney World this year? Be sure to connect with us on Twitter and Facebook to let us know what you think!
