Is there anything more beautiful than twinkling lights over a sparkling, snowy Disneyland castle? Or snow falling around a 60-foot tall ornament-adorned Christmas tree on cozy Main Street, U.S.A.? In my froggy opinion, the holiday season is the best time of the year at Disneyland Resort. Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, the Downtown Disney District and all three Disneyland Hotels are carefully decorated with holiday magic. But when does the transformation from Halloween to Holidays begin? Keep reading to find out!
Right now, you can save up to 35% on select stays at a Disneyland Resort hotel from Jan. 7, 2025 through Sept. 26, 2025! All Disneyland® Resort hotels are fully refundable when canceled at least 7 days prior to check-in. Ribbit!
When Does Disneyland Decorate for Christmas?
Disneyland has been decorating for Christmas since 1955 when the park opened. What started as a modest tree and a few garlands lovingly placed upon Sleeping Beauty Castle has become one of the most extravagantly detailed holiday transformations of all. Let's go through exactly when you can expect to see what Christmas decorations are in the parks as the holidays approach at the Disneyland Resort.
Two Holidays Collide in October
Even in the midst of Halloween, Santa and his elves work hard to make Christmas special. That's why you might see a few holiday elements arrive at the parks before Hallows Eve does!
Toward the beginning of October, holiday merchandise begins to arrive in the bigger stores such as World of Disney in Downtown Disney, Elias & Co. in Disney California Adventure and Emporium on Main Street, U.S.A. Slowly, it starts to make its way into all stores by the end of October. In Fact, the whole Halloween section in World of Disney is taken over by holidays by the last week of the month. Christmas music starts to play in the store around the same time.
Snow falls upon the castle around mid-October. Small details such as garlands in New Orleans Square and other decor on the fringes of the park might start to pop up as well! The last week of October is usually when you can expect to start seeing lights and garlands in Toontown, which isn't decorated for Halloween Time.
If you plan to visit Disneyland for Halloween day, just know you might be getting more than one holiday!
Nighttime in November
Between Halloween and Christmas is when things really start to change. By some Christmas magic, wreaths and bows start to appear overnight while pumpkins seem to transform into carriages and ride away! Every morning leading up to Holiday Time, a new Christmas element appears as a Halloween one disappears. Pumpkin Mickey says his goodbyes right after Halloween to make space for the Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A.
Signs in Downtown Disney change from Halloween to Christmas and all the fall elements make way for holiday decorations. Disney Home's window display also changes overnight in the first week of November. Small trees, lights and other festive elements arrive during the first and second weeks of November.
The biggest transition is over in Disney California Adventure in Cars Land. The whole land gets intricately decorated for both Halloween and Christmas. Almost immediately after Halloween, the scary cones, ghosts, bats and Halloween lights disappear. Within the first week of November, Cars Land is decked out in holiday lights and car-themed ornamentation. Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters received small holiday overlays as well. Some decor within the rides and a changeover of music make for a quick transition but a toadally seasonally themed experience.
All the work hoppens during the night. Watch out for shorter theme park hours with early closures midweek in early November. But this is also one of the least expensive times to visit when it comes to 1-day tickets, if you are looking for ways to save money on Disneyland tickets. You can get some holiday photos in the parks without holiday prices before Holiday Time even kicks off.
By the second week of November, things in Disneyland Park really start to take shape — the shape of a ginormous Christmas tree that is! The 60-foot tree usually goes up the Monday before Holiday Time begins. Disney California Adventure's 50-foot tree usually comes a few days later. You can hear Christmas carols on Main Street U.S.A. as the holiday spirit starts to come to life. Although everything is in place, nothing is really lit up at night until holiday time officially starts.
Slowly but surely, both the lights on the castle and the facade of it's a small world accumulate. The hundreds of thousands of lights to install are perhaps the most time-consuming decorations. It takes about 35 days and almost three dozen cast members to transform the outside of "it's a small world!" Not to mention 18 days to decorate the interior. The ride is usually closed for a few weeks leading up to Holiday Time for this transition. Haunted Mansion Holiday is already in its Nightmare Before Christmas attire from spooky season. If you've never seen this toadal overlay, we highly recommend it.
Food booths start popping up in the first or second week of November to prepare for the Festival of Holidays in Disney California Adventure. The booths officially open with the start of Holiday Time, but they often have a soft opening for a day or two before the official start date. Holiday treats start showing up early in the candy shops early as well.
Over at the hotels, decorations start to go up as soon as Halloween is over. It usually takes a day or two after the official start of the holiday season to see the trees go up in all three of the Disneyland hotels. One of the best holiday decorations lies within Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, and it tastes just as good as it looks!
The Grand Gingerbread House is a replica of the hotel made of 600 pounds of gingerbread, 250 pounds of fondant and 600 pounds of powdered sugar. The gingerbread display is usually revealed right when the holidays officially begin, but sometimes it's later and sometimes you can even watch its progress during the beginning of the season!
Holidays at Disneyland
On Nov. 15, 2024, the Holiday season officially begins at Disneyland Resort. And Disneyland Christmas is unlike anything else! From parades to shows and ride overlays, treats and character meals to Santa himself, there are endless experiences for a Holiday Time Disneyland trip. This is when you can experience snowfall during the Wintertime Enchantment at Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle, see tree lightings, the "small world" lighting, projection shows and more magical fun.
Here are some fun facts about the decorations throughout the resort:
- There are nearly a million sparkling lights and thousands of holiday decorations around Disneyland Resort.
- There are 3,500 colored lights, 1,500 Victorian-inspired ornaments and 100 faux candles on the 60-foot-tall Disneyland Christmas tree!
- Disneyland pumps Christmas-y smells into a treat section of “it’s a small world” during the holidays, a gingerbread aroma in Haunted Mansion Holiday, and sweet bakery scents into Main Street, U.S.A.
- “it’s a small world” Holiday glows with over 50,000 lights and video projections.
- Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle is illuminated with over 126,000 twinkling LED lights and icicles.
- The Main Street, U.S.A. exterior is decorated with about 220 garlands, measuring more than four miles long! About 80 wreaths and 120 bows bring the seasonal charm to life.
- More than 80,000 ornaments are used to decorate Main Street!
- You can meet Santa in each theme park and in each hotel on select dates!
Hanukkah at Disneyland Resort
You can find a few Hanukkah decorations in both parks! Above the jewelry store on Main Street, U.S.A. you might see a menorah (typically during Hanukkah, which is Dec. 25, 2024, to Jan. 2, 2025). There is another in a window to the left of the fruit cart when facing the locker area. Listen for "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" during fireworks.
At Disney California Adventure, look for the menorah and Hanukkah decorations in the window of Julius Katz & Sons on Buena Vista Street. Enjoy Hanukkah music throughout the Festival of Holidays, as well as Mater’s take on the Dreidel Song. Enjoy musical performances from Mostly Kosher and try all the different holiday foods at the Festival of Holidays. For more holiday fun beyond Christmas, hop over to our guide on Where You Can Celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and More Global Holidays at the Theme Parks in SoCal and Orlando.
What are your favorite holiday decorations at Disneyland? Remember you can save some green on Disneyland Resort tickets and hotels with your favorite festive froggy friends here at Undercover Tourist.
Related: Guide to the ~Hoppiest~ Holidays at Disneyland 2024
Related: Hoppin' Good Guide to Disney Festival of Holidays 2024
Hoppy holidays!
