Author's note: This article has been updated for 2011 Walt Disney World event information. Last update: Aug. 5, 2011.
Every year, Disney celebrates Christmas season in high style. Between mid-November and New Year’s Day, Walt Disney World (WDW) Resort is decked out in holiday finest to host its holiday-themed parades, ceremonies, and special events.
Magic Kingdom Events and 2011 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Magic Kingdom offers holiday treats such as the Main Street Christmas tree and the festive Cinderella Castle, covered with more than 200,000 lights and the centerpiece of the "Castle Dreams Lights" ceremony.
The Magic Kingdom also hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP). The holiday event, which requires a separate ticket, takes place on select nights between 7:00 a.m. – 12:00 a.m. Ticket-event holders enjoy a smaller, more intimate venue – relatively speaking – in which to enjoy the Magic Kingdom’s holiday parade, shows, fireworks, and major attractions.
MVMCP highlights include stage shows starring characters in holiday stories;"Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade," Disney’s Santa Claus parade; and "Holiday Wishes," a seasonal version of the fireworks show transformed with music and overlays.*
MVMCP for 2011
- Dates: Nov. 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 18, 27, 29, 30 and Dec. 2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 13, 14, 16 and 18, 2011
- Day-of-event pricing is $62.95 and $57.95 for ages 3 to 9. Savings of $6 per ticket are available if tickets are purchased in advance.
- Contact: 407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7539)
Epcot's "IllumiNations" and 2011 Candlelight Processional
World Showcase performers present holiday traditions and stories from their countries, and appear approximately every hour from noon until dusk. "IllumiNations," Epcot’s closing show adds a “Let There Be Peace on Earth” theme that is narrated by the late Walter Cronkite. Epcot’s showcase event is the nightly Candlelight Processional, a pageant retelling of the Christmas story. A celebrity narrator reads the Christmas story accompanied by a 50-piece orchestra and choir.
The Candlelight Processional at the America Gardens amphitheater takes place several times each night. Free with admission, this popular event offers limited seating. Guests who book a Candlelight Dinner package receive preferred seating and a special IllumiNations viewing area. Packages do not charge extra for the processional, but do require guests pay a flat rate for dining at select Epcot restaurants; there are three different price tiers based on the restaurant chosen.
Candlelight Processional for 2011
- Dates: Nov. 26 – Dec. 30, 2011
- Processional times in 2011: 5:45, 6:45, and 8:15 p.m., with specified dining times for the Candlelight Dinner package
- Costs for Processional: Varies with restaurant and diner’s age; see hyperlink for information
- Additional Information: Candlelight Dinner packages may be booked at 407-WDW-DINE (407-939-3463) and can be booked with a Magic Your Way Dining vacation.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights
Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) takes the spirit of the season into the streets with the help of its improvisational players. The citizens of Hollywood, as they are known, play old Hollywood types. Their holiday performances feature comic musical numbers. DHS’s afternoon parade, the Motor Cars Parade, becomes takes on a “Winter Wonderland” theme.
A DHS holiday highlight is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, sponsored by Jennings Osborne and his family (not Ozzie and Sharon Osbourne, as is sometimes believed). Five million lights decorate the Streets of America and flash to holiday music. Images include Santa Claus and his flying reindeer, a nativity scene, angels, stockings, and a rotating globe. Guests can tour the light displays and sip hot chocolate during a Disney “snow.”
Spectacle of Dancing Lights for 2011
- Dates: Nov. 10, 2011 – Jan. 3, 2012, beginning at 6 p.m.
- Additional Information: Free with park admission
Animal Kingdom Features Mickey’s Jingle Jungle Parade
Featuring Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Rafiki, the Animal Kingdom transforms its afternoon parade but keeps the safari theme. Guests can also have pictures taken with a red-suited Goofy at Santa Goofy’s Wild Wonderland.
- Dates: Nov. 8, 2011 – Jan. 4, 2012
- Additional Information: Free with park admission
Families traveling to Walt Disney World for vacation will find many signs of the holiday. Disney’s theme parks, hotel resorts, and Downtown Disney all participate in celebrating the season, so guests visiting Walt Disney World for the holidays have plenty of things to see and do.
Related Articles:
- Holidays at Disney World Resorts and Marketplace, for a look at what Disney offers during the holiday season at its hotels and Downtown Disney.
- Special Holiday Events and Tours at Disney World, which offers extended information on Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Wilderness Lodge Sleigh Rides, and the Yuletide Tour.
- New Year's Eve Events at Walt Disney World, for coverage of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Debra Peterson - A freelance writer and scholar, Debra Peterson specializes in Disney Studies, with particular interests in Walt Disney World and ...
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