The Holidays at the Disneyland Resort will be returning on November 10, 2023 and continue through January 7, 2024. This year’s festivities will include many favorite celebrations with some new offerings as well that will be able to be enjoyed by guests for two months. During this time, guests will once again get to enjoy Believe… in Holiday Magic, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, Disney Festival of Holidays, and World of Color – Season of Light, Mickey’s Happy Holidays, and the every popular Disney ¡Viva Navidad! The Disney Festival of Holidays will also be returning along with all of the food, beverage, and entertainment offerings that guests have come to know and love. At Disneyland, snow will also again be falling on Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle.
Disney released the following specific details about this year’s holiday celebration:
Cultural celebrations in Disney California Adventure Park with Disney Festival of Holidays
Disney Festival of Holidays in Disney California Adventure Park draws inspiration from the diverse dishes and cherished traditions of Christmas, Navidad, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Three Kings Day. Offering a feast for the senses, guests can expect to sample new and returning food and beverages such as southern mac and cheese and a beef brisket slider, accompanied by upbeat music at the Palisades Stage, Sonoma Terrace and for the first time, the Hollywood Backlot, where Disney Festival of Holidays will also be celebrated.
Festivalgoers may purchase a Sip and Savor Pass, which offers eight entitlement tabs that can be shared among friends and family. Valid for the entirety of Disney Festival of Holidays, foodies may redeem their tabs for select food and nonalcoholic beverages from several marketplaces and select dining locations in Disney California Adventure.*
Disney ¡Viva Navidad! will return to Paradise Gardens Park for its tenth season, and this year, guests will be able to taste their way through an all-new menu at Paradise Garden Grill. The Three Caballeros will host a joyous street party, featuring Mexican folklórico dancers and mariachis, Brazilian samba dancers and percussionists, giant mojiganga puppets and Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in their holiday best. Additional festivities will include live music and dancing, visits with beloved Disney characters and special appearances by Mirabel from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto.”
Festive décor throughout Disneyland Resort
Décor will make the season bright throughout Disneyland Resort, featuring grand Christmas trees decorated with uniquely themed ornaments in both theme parks, the Downtown Disney District, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disneyland Hotel. Icicles and snow-capped turrets will adorn Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle, and at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, a festive gingerbread house will inspire amateur gingerbread architects with its intricate design. With a bit of Disney magic, “snow” is scheduled to fall every night in select areas of Disneyland Park.
Ornaments, lights and more will also embellish beloved attractions. In Disneyland, a merry boat ride on the wintry waterway of “it’s a small world” Holiday will serenade guests with choruses of jolly tunes. In New Orleans Square, Jack Skellington from “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” redecorates the Haunted Mansion into the frightfully festive Haunted Mansion Holiday, complete with a hauntingly delightful gingerbread house. Guests can gear up for some cheer in Disney California Adventure on Luigi’s Joy to the Whirland Mater’s Jingle Jamboree, which will both undergo seasonal spins for the “haul-idays.”
Seasonal spectaculars and entertainment
Mickey Mouse and some of his friends will don all-new outfits in Disneyland, putting a spin on the classic red and green with midcentury modern-inspired looks. Through Dec. 24, Santa Claus will pose for jolly family photos, making stops in Critter Country in Disneyland, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in Disney California Adventure, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disneyland Hotel.
“A Christmas Fantasy Parade” will spread holiday cheer in Disneyland Park, starring characters from Disney Animation’s “Frozen,” Disney and Pixar’s “Toy Story” and more. The “Believe…In Holiday Magic” nighttime spectacular will illuminate the night sky over Disneyland Park with breathtaking fireworks and sprinklings of snow. For guests who want to add even more holiday magic to their trip, the Holiday Time at the Disneyland Resort Guided Tour will offer a hosted experience of select seasonal offerings and reserved viewing for “A Christmas Fantasy Parade.”**
Multiple times per day, Disney and Pixar characters will march to the festive beat of the Holiday Toy Drummers in “Mickey’s Happy Holidays” in Disney California Adventure. The spirit of togetherness and love will fill Paradise Bay as hundreds of fountains illustrate warm moments from Disney animated films in “World of Color – Season of Light” nighttime spectacular.
In addition to holiday shopping and dining in the Downtown Disney District, guests can groove to a variety of “mistle-toe-tapping” live musical performances select evenings at the Downtown Disney LIVE! stage. On some nights at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disneyland Hotel, live entertainment will create a wonderfully cozy atmosphere.
Below are videos that Daps Magic captured during the Holidays at Disneyland Resort during last year’s festivities. What are you most looking forward to this year? What are some of your favorite holiday memories from The Happiest Place on Earth? Share your thoughts, opinions, and memories in the comments below!
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