Walt Disney World Resort has released details about the holiday season for 2025. This includes Christmas parties, EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth, and a whole lot more!
Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort begin on November 14 and continue through December 31, 2025. During this time, you can expect Christmas decorations, special food and beverage items, characters in festive outfits, holiday entertainment, new merchandise, and much more! Below is a look at the various offerings available throughout the Walt Disney World Resort during the holiday season.
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom is always extra magical during the holidays. With decorations that can be seen in the park from the moment guests enter it sets the stage for a happy holiday celebration. This year, there will be no shortage of holiday magic to be seen and enjoyed.
Entertainment
This year, guests will be able to join some of their favorite Frozen friends from Arendelle. Olaf and over 100 of his snowgie siblings are adding garlands, ornaments, wreaths, and more to Cinderella Castle during the Frozen Holiday Surprise. This includes appearances from Anna, Kristoff, and a magical moment with Elsa as she transforms Cinderella Castle into a beautiful shimmering crystallized palace. This show is a dazzling nighttime experience that won’t want to be missed!
The Disney Starlight parade will also be available twice each night during the holiday season at Magic Kingdom (subject to cancellation). This is another chance to see many Disney friends during a visit to this park during the holidays. The exception will be on nights that Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Holiday Decor
There will be no shortage of beautiful holiday views to be seen during the holidays at Magic Kingdom. There will be lots of opportunities to take a holiday photo.
There will be many decorations to grab photos of along Main Street, U.S.A., and beyond. Other places to take some beautiful photos include Cinderella Castle, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Space Mountain, and Haunted Mansion, to name a few.
Jingle Cruise Returns
The Jingle Cruise is returning in 2025. Guests will get to go on a holiday-themed version of the attraction with a trusty skipper (we hope) that navigates the most treacherous waters around the world.
The fun will begin as guests enter the queue for the attraction. Skippers will already have been hard at work decorating the loading area with plenty of lights and decorations for the holidays. There will also be some hidden details found throughout the queue. It will keep things interesting as one never knows what they’ll find thanks to the shenanigans that happen each day at the Jungle Navigation Company.
EPCOT
EPCOT is another place that is full of holiday magic for guests to enjoy. At EPCOT, fans can enjoy eating snacks from around the world while also enjoying festive entertainment from around the globe.
Festival of the Holidays
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will be running this year from November 28 through December 30th. During this time, at CommuniCore Plaza, guests will be able to experience JOYFUL! Celebration of the Season. This includes a combination of classic songs and updated arrangements with powerful vocalists. Over at the American Pavilion, guests will find the Voices of Liberty dressed as Dickens Carolers singing holiday tunes.
The Candlelight Processional will be returning to the America Gardens Theatre. This will be offered nightly at 5:00 PM, 6:45 PM, and 8:15 PM. Each performance will run approximately 50 minutes and include a celebrity narrator helping a mass choir tell the story of Christmas. Seating is first-come, first-served, and often will fill up, so if this is something you want to experience, plan ahead!
The Holiday Storytellers will also be sharing festive traditions and bringing holiday tales to life in their respective countries around World Showcase. Some of the storytellers who have been scheduled to return this year include:
- Mexico Pavilion – Las Posadas Celebration
- Norway Pavilion – A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa
- China Pavilion – Chinese Lion Dancer
- Italy Pavilion – La Befana
- Japan Pavilion – Daruma Storyteller
- Between the Morocco and France Pavilions – Hanukkah Storyteller
- France Pavilion – Père Noël
- United Kingdom Pavilion – Father Christmas
- Canada Pavilion – Canadian Holiday Voyageurs
Food
There will be no shortage of food and beverage items to enjoy during the holiday season at EPCOT. This year, the Holiday Kitchens across EPCOT will be returning for Festival of the Holidays with recipes that come from around the world. Currently, the final details and menus are still being nailed down. There will be specifics released at a later date.
While specifics about the menus are still coming, it was announced today that the Holiday Cookie Stroll will be returning this year. This will include favorites like the Coffee-Mocha Cookie topped with Coffee-infused Buttercream, Coco Nibs, and Chocolate-covered Espresso Beans.
Experiences
There are some fun experiences to be enjoyed throughout EPCOT this holiday season. At World Showcase, Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt will be returning. Guests will get to find Olaf in 13 different spots throughout EPCOT, along with the 13 holiday traditions that Olaf has discovered. There will be one in each pavilion around World Showcase to be found before returning to the Creations Shop or World Traveler at International Gateway to redeem a special holiday prize.
Living with the Land will come to life even more during the holiday season with beautiful Christmas lights and dazzling decor. This makes an already relaxing and educational tour even more magical as guests float through a glittering greenhouse. This is a beautiful way to enjoy the incredible work of the horticulturists at Walt Disney World Resort, along with their innovative growing techniques and technologies.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a beautiful place to enjoy a more cinematic approach to the holidays. It has classic decorations that bring a healthy dose of holiday charm to visits to Walt Disney World Resort during the holidays.
Sunset Seasons Greetings
In the evenings, Sunset Seasons Greetings will be returning to Disney’s Hollywood Studios with its magical nightly holiday projections.
During this special moment each evening, holiday magic transforms the Hollywood Tower Hotel into a Muppets gingerbread masterpiece, a Toy Story toy hotel, a snowy corner of Arendelle, or even a Dickensian village from Mickey’s Christmas Carol.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration
Inside the Hyperion Theater, guests can hear Royal Historians of Arendelle retell the story of their land. During For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, guests can watch moments of the film happen on the screen and cheer as Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff appear to sing along with the audience.
The show includes projected lyrics to help people sing along as they witness a flurry of stories, celebratory songs of the season, and a special holiday finale with Olaf!
Holiday Character Photos
While throughout the park, there will be some beautiful vintage decor to be found, in Toy Story Land, there will be larger-than-life seasonal decorations found in Andy’s backyard. Along with the decorations, some of Andy’s toys will be dressed in seasonal attire as well!
Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear will be dressed up in their holiday best throughout the season. Stop by to get a special holiday photo with some of your favorite toys!
Minnie’s Holiday Dine
Minnie Mouse and friends at Holiday & Vine will be celebrating the spirit of the season during Minnie’s Holiday Dine. This has some festive music, decor, and tantalizing menu items. It’s a great way to celebrate the holidays with additional Disney Characters dressed for the season, along with some delicious dishes.
The food will be spectacular and include oven-roasted herbed chicken, carved beef tenderloin, seared salmon, spice-rubbed pork loin, and a plant-based roasted mushroom-farro risotto. There will also be some fantastic desserts. This includes seasonal bread pudding, Mississippi mud pie, and more.
Disney suggests advance reservations for this holiday experience. There are same-day reservations that can be made on a limited basis (subject to availability). Be sure to book early if this is an experience that you want to have.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, there are other fun holiday activities to be enjoyed during the season. This includes the opportunity to meet and greet Disney characters in festive attire or race down the snow-capped Himalayan peaks of Expedition Everest.
Merry Menagerie
The Merry Menagerie is returning to Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Guests can see and meet artisan-sculpted puppets of artic animals that come to life around Discovery Island during the holidays. There will be penguins, reindeer, foxes, and polar bears found during the Merry Menagerie that make for memorable and magical experiences.
There will also be original artwork available from artist Rob Kaz at Island Mercantile in Discovery Island throughout the holiday season. From November 1 through November 20, Kaz will also be greeting guests inside Island Mercantile. Be sure to stop by and check out his beautiful Disney-themed artwork.
Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition
At night, the Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition will bring to life the Tree of Life in the evenings when the park remains open after dark. This is a beautiful moment to experience on Discovery Island.
Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition has a series of wintry tales and a heartwarming holiday-inspired music score that brings additional holiday magic to Disney’s Animal Kingdom after dark. The show is offered after dark each night, approximately every 10 minutes until the park closes.
Disney Characters in Adventurous Holiday Outfits
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will be dressed in their best holiday outfits for world traveling during the holiday season at Adventurers Outpost. This globetrotting couple is getting ready for their next big expedition. Stop by and get a holiday photo with this cute couple!
Disney Springs
Disney Springs is also a magical place to visit during the holiday season. It’s a great place to do some Christmas shopping with classic Disney merchandise, souvenirs, and trends from some of the world’s most popular brands available. It’s also a great place to enjoy incredible dining at world-class restaurants, casual eateries, or family-friendly activities, live entertainment, and even late-night fun for adults!
Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll
Throughout the holiday season, Disney Springs comes to life with seasonal decor to make for a magical holiday shopping experience. There is also the return of the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll. This offers a wide collection of extravagantly decorated Christmas trees throughout Disney Springs. This includes trees decorated with inspirations from Disney, Pixar, and Star Wars.
While many of the details about the Christmas Tree Stroll will remain a surprise for now, Disney did share that the Haunted Mansion-inspired tree will be returning. It will have musical instruments, candlesticks, and more!
In the Town Center of Disney Springs, snow will fall nightly. This makes for a magical winter wonderland experience in Central Florida.
Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar
According to the story of the joint, Indiana Jones and his easygoing pilot Jock Lindsay stumbled on Disney Springs in 1938. This is while they were chasing down a mythology-based tip in central Florida. This soon became a popular stopover and watering hole for world travelers and locals alike. Guests visiting during the holidays will find dusty moments of glorious holidays gone by. Today, guests can enjoy the rugged charm of Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar, with its spare airplane parts, salvaged equipment, and lots of holiday decorations!
This year for the holidays, the bar will be serving some seasonal bites, brews, and libations for guests looking for some extra holiday spirit (spirits?) between shopping and/or seeing a movie!
Music and More!
There will be music, entertainment, and more to be found during the holidays at Disney Springs. This includes a winter wonderland full of toy soldier stilt walkers, snowflake rollerbladers, a holiday drum line, and a brass band playing holiday tunes.
On select nights, there will also be a rotating lineup of regional and local bands performing on the Waterside Stage. This venue is first-come, first-served seating.
A wide range of cheerful holiday collections can also be found at Disney’s Days of Christmas and World of Disney.
Santa at Walt Disney World
Santa Claus will also be taking some breaks from getting ready for the big day to stop by all four Walt Disney World Resort theme parks to meet with guests. Santa will also be visiting Disney Springs through December 24th. Specific times and locations will be found in the My Disney Experience app.
Christmas Decorations and More at Select Disney Resort Hotels
There are plenty of different opportunities to celebrate the holiday season in special ways at the more than 25 Disney Resort hotels found at Walt Disney World. At each of the Disney Resort hotels during the holiday season, there is stunning decor to be found and magical moments of joy to be experienced.
Holiday Decor
The Disney Resort hotels are full of massive Christmas trees, joyful decorations, and incredible gingerbread displays. There are also places to exchange gifts with holiday music playing and the sweet smell of gingerbread floating in the air. There are many different experiences and decorations to be found at different Disney hotels during the holiday season. This includes some incredible gingerbread displays to be found at some of the hotels.
Several of the Disney Resort Hotels also offer themed food and beverage items during the holiday season. This includes special holiday gingerbread treats. More details about these will be coming as the holidays get closer.
Holiday Savings
For those who want to celebrate this merry time of year at the Most Magical Place on Earth, there are some savings to be had this year! This includes the opportunity to save up to 20% on rooms at select Disney Resort hotels. This includes receiving up to a $100 Walt Disney World Resort Dining & Shopping Card when adding four-day (or longer) standard theme park tickets to a stay.
This offer will be available to book starting on July 10th for stays most Sunday to Thursday nights from October 12 to November 20, 2025, and most nights from November 23 through December 25, 2025. The offer details will be available at DisneyWorld.com/SpecialOffers on July 10, 2025.
What do you think of all of the holiday offerings for the holidays at Walt Disney World Resort this year? What are you most excited about? What are you looking forward to experiencing? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
