Our tadpoles' wish lists for Santa always start with "VACATION TO DISNEYLAND!" We can't blame them, and we certainly won't complain. It's a gift that the whole family can enjoy. Falling right on the heels of Halloween Time, Disneyland Resort transforms from a fall festival to a winter wonderland for the holiday festivities. After reading this guide to the hoppiest Christmas at Disneyland, you'll want to add Disneyland tickets (and theme park reservations) to your holiday wish list too! Holiday Time kicks off Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2026, and runs through early January 2027.
Hop To
FAQs
- When is Holiday Time at Disneyland? Holiday Time and Festival of Holidays start Nov. 18, 2026, through early Jan. 2027. Save up to $58 on your Disneyland tickets by purchasing through Undercover Tourist!
- What Disneyland Holiday entertainment is offered in 2026? Believe...In Holiday Magic fireworks, Wintertime Enchantment at Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle and A Christmas Fantasy Parade return to Disneyland.
- Will the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration run through the Holidays? The 70th entertainment runs through Aug. 9, 2026, so there won't be any 70th entertainment for the holidays in 2026.
- How can I find out about holiday food and beverage? There is so much to eat and drink during Holiday Time that we have created three main food guides based on location: Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure Park and outside the parks at the Hotels/Downtown Disney.
Overview of the Disneyland Christmas Celebration
Disneyland at Christmas is truly the most magical time of the year. Every day is full of entertainment, decor and holiday fun. Just note that theme park reservations are still required to visit, which means you'll need to plan ahead, purchase tickets and reserve your days to visit early.
Otherwise, the good news is that the holidays at Disneyland in 2026 include most of the holiday favorites, such as Believe ... in Holiday Magic fireworks, snowfall, A Christmas Fantasy Parade and World of Color — Season of Light! During the holiday season, all entertainment is offered every day and night. It's such a great time to visit! All of the holiday shows, parade and entertainment are available daily during normal park hours. One of the most popular rides of the season is "it's a small world" Holiday.
Disneyland Kids' Summer Ticket Deal! Save up to $368 on Kids' Summer Tickets at Disneyland® Resort, including a FREE Park Hopper ticket upgrade on select tickets. Plus, get a FREE $20 Dining Dollars credit with each ticket purchase, which can be used to save 15% on Disney Gift Cards!
All the Holiday Dining Experiences at Disneyland Hotels & Downtown Disney
There is SO MUCH to do at Disneyland Resort this merry season. If you want to experience all the holiday hoppenings there is no way to do it all in one day or even two days. If you want to hit it all and go on rides and enjoy other park experiences besides the holidays, you'll need about four days to really feel like you got the full experience. We always hop about Disneyland and Disney California Adventure on the opening day of the holiday season, and we barely scratch the surface when it comes to characters, food and holiday entertainment available with your admission. Usually, our only ride of the day is "it's a small world" Holiday, and we are there almost from open to close! So set priorities when you visit and give yourself enough time to hit your must-do items.
There is so much to see and do, we cannot fit it all in one post. Here are a few other Disneyland holiday posts you might want to check out:
- Hoppin' Good Guide to Disney’s Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure
- Our Guide to the Yummiest Holiday Treats & Foods in Disneyland Park
- All the Disney California Adventure Holiday Food and Beverages
- All the Holiday Dining Experiences at Disneyland Hotels & Downtown Disney
- Tips for Spending New Year's Eve at Disneyland
- Where to Meet Santa at Disneyland Resort
- 10 Tips for the Holidays at Disneyland
- 10 Merry Must-Dos for the Holidays at Disneyland
- How to Get a Hand-Pulled Candy Cane at Disneyland
What's New at Disneyland for Christmas?
Sleeping Beauty Castle combined the holidays with the Disneyland 70th in 2025, but the 2026 season will be full holiday decor. Mickey, Minnie and pals appear in new holiday outfits in Town Square this year!
You can usually catch Mickey and Minnie in their regular clothes in Toontown if you want a timeless character photo.
Speaking of Toontown ... it is decked out for Disneyland Christmas too! See special trees in front of Mickey's House and Minnie's House. All the buildings and houses have unique themed decorations and garland.
At the Disneyland hotels, enjoy some new and returning holiday meals and mixology seminars. Find all the details in our post on All the Holiday Dining Experiences at Disneyland Hotels & Downtown Disney.
We look forward to the return of World of Color — Season of Light in 2026.
Best Time to Visit Disneyland During the Holidays in 2026
The Frog Family loves hoppin’ around the many Christmas trees at the Merriest Place on Earth. We know the best times to visit Disneyland and beat the crowds without missing any of the fun.
Most of November and the beginning of December are quiet in the parks. Expect the highest crowds during Thanksgiving week and on Veterans Day, which is the start of the season. But we have found the holidays to be quite manageable up until it gets closer to Christmas. Don your holiday spirit early with visits before Thanksgiving week or during the first two weeks of December for the lowest anticipated crowds. Expect Friday nights and weekends to be busier than Tuesday through Thursday. That being said, the less expensive weekdays also sell out, so crowds are more evenly dispersed with the new theme park reservation system. Those Tier 0 days, when a visit to Disneyland is only $104 per day, become more crowded.
In January 2026, there were several $104 days at the end of the holiday season, and those sold out quickly. If those cheapest days to visit return in 2027, book early and expect full crowds.
The weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and the New Year are usually very busy. New Year's Eve, in particular, is one of the busiest days of the entire year! Don't let fear of crowds scare you away — just make sure to adjust expectations for your time in the parks and expect longer delays in parking, security and lines when visiting at peak times.
Reserve your days early this year! Regular 1-day through 5-day ticket holders can reserve up to 240 days in advance. Magic Key holders can reserve up to 90 days in advance. If you're traveling from afar and purchasing tickets, we recommend buying and reserving as early as possible for the best selection, especially if you're visiting on peak days (when kids are off from school) and holidays. Get your theme park tickets and reservations before you get flights and hotels. Here's a hop tip: If you do stay on-site at the Disneyland hotels, link your hotel reservation to your app or Disney account and you may see a better pool of park reservation choices. If you normally spend three days at Disneyland, add an extra day so you can get it all in.
Even if you need to visit during more crowded weeks, you're in for a merry good time. The great news is that during busy times, the parks are open for longer hours and offer more entertainment. You can see Disneyland Park hours and showtimes on our crowd calendar.
It's possible that holiday filming could take place in November for holiday specials and New Year's Eve programming. Much of the filming has moved to October, the middle of the night or early morning, so it may not hoppen during park operating hours.
In 2025 much of it hoppened Oct. 24 after hours for D23 members who signed up.
Weather
Wear your layers during holiday time. You might need a jacket or sweater in the morning and at night.
Last year, the holidays kicked off with rain. What hoppens to holiday entertainment in the rain? We were there to find out. The characters do their best to come out. Look for them under overhangs and even inside the Main Street Opera House. You can see a lot of characters in the Fantasyland Theatre.
Any outdoor entertainment gets canceled in the rain. Snowfall has the audio and maybe projection, but snow does not fall in the rain. Fireworks can be canceled due to wind, and the show gets replaced with snowfall if the conditions are dry.
The parade and Mickey's Happy Holidays Cavalcade do not run in the rain. At Disneyland Park, there is a Rainy Day Cavalcade instead. In it, you'll see many of the parade characters and even Santa!
You can still enjoy all of the holiday food in the rain. Many rides are open. Our Disneyland rainy day tips post is a good read if you are going to visit in the rain. The bright side of rain is that there are beautiful reflections of holiday lights at night.
Tips to Maximize Time and Avoid Crowds During Disneyland Christmas
Here are a few ways to make your day easier and avoid the crowds at holiday time:
- Use a MagicBand+ to stay off your phone, save time and be able to interact with nighttime entertainment, certain rides, smaller shows and even snowfall! It makes park hopping quick and easy too!
- Look at the park hours before your visit (Disney California Adventure may close at 5 p.m. on select dates for special events).
- Arrive before park opening to get a head start on rides with short wait times. If staying on-site, take advantage of Early Entry.
- Dress for the weather. Layers are key this time of year with cold mornings and nights but possibly warm sunny days.
- Get a locker to store warm clothes or umbrellas when you aren't using them. A locker is also handy for storing bulky purchases such as popcorn buckets and sippers you don't want to carry.
- Pack hats, scarves, thin gloves and extra layers instead of bulky items like coats.
- Utilize Lightning Lanes to skip ride lines.
- Use Mobile Order to skip the lines at restaurants.
- Make dining reservations 60 days in advance, or use the Walk-Up list.
- Check the showtimes to identify must-see entertainment.
- Join the virtual queue at noon for World of Color.
- Visit during the week in November or early December.
- Add an extra day to your visit so you can enjoy all the extra food and entertainment along with the rides.
- Take a break midday so you can stay until closing. The park is beautiful at night and the crowds drop after the fireworks.
- Visit the Haunted Mansion Holiday or "it's a small world" Holiday early in the day (or use Lightning Lane Multi Pass).
I'll let you in on a Frog Family secret: The period between Halloween Time and Disneyland Christmas is one of the best times to visit the Disneyland Resort. The crowds are lower (except for those Tier 0 days, when a ticket is only $104), and the weather is usually mild. It's exciting to see the transition between Halloween Time and the holidays! Keep in mind, there may be less entertainment and earlier closing hours to watch out for. Usually, the four days leading up to Holiday Time have a lot of holiday decorations in place, including the tall Christmas Tree on Main Street U.S.A. Our post on when Disneyland decorates for Christmas will fill you in on what to expect.
Because a lot is going on during the holiday season, we recommend at least a full day at each park for the best chance of experiencing everything on your wish list. We've also created a checklist (and separate blog post that goes into a little more detail) of our top 10 holiday must-dos to consider if you're crunched for time.
When Does Disneyland Decorate for Christmas?
All of Disneyland Resort is beautifully decorated for the holidays. The holiday decorations start going up in October, even before Halloween. The snow on Sleeping Beauty Castle is the first thing to arrive in mid-October (we saw the start of snow Oct. 14, 2025). The fringes of the park get decorated before Halloween, so we see decorations going up in Bayou Country, New Orleans Square and Toontown in October. As soon as Halloween ends, the Halloween decorations begin to come down and a flurry of Christmas decorations begins to appear, day by day.
Each park has a large Christmas tree, and each hotel lobby gets one too! The Mickey Garland is strung across Main Street, U.S.A. Sleeping Beauty Castle is decked out in icicles and shimmering lights.
When does Disneyland Christmas start? The holiday season at Disneyland is usually about the second or third weekend in November, but it can vary slightly. The festive foods and ride overlays become available on the official first day of the season, except for the Haunted Mansion Holiday, which will already be open. It runs through both Halloween Time and the Christmas season.
Disney California Adventure Park is the place to be during the holiday season. There are decorations throughout the park, including Buena Vista Street and Cars Land. Every address along Route 66, including Flo's V8 Cafe, Fillmore's Taste-In, Cozy Cone Motel and Luigi's Casa della Tires, gets a holiday makeover. Garland and poinsettias appear around the park and festival booths line the parade route.
For more info and fun facts about holiday decorations, hop over to our Disneyland Christmas decorations post.
Disneyland Park Christmas Festivities & Entertainment
You’ll find holiday decorations all around Disneyland. The characters in Town Square or Buena Vista Street are all dressed in their holiday attire for special seasonal photo opportunities. Holiday music will entertain you, and certain attractions will be especially festive or even covered in snow! Foodie froggies will love that there are so many yummy holiday treats and foods at Disneyland parks during the holidays — we certainly can’t resist! There's a nightly Christmas tree lighting at about 5 p.m. Holiday Time also brings seasonally themed items into the stores (merchandise is usually available in late October), making shopping merrier. Perhaps ‘tis the season to get some holiday shopping done!
Holiday Fun with Santa and Friends! at the Fantasyland Theatre (only through Christmas)
Santa visits and creates special memories with guests at the Fantasyland Theatre in his very own wintery wonderland. Visit from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Christmas.
Other characters meet right across from the man himself. You can meet Chip, Dale, Goofy and Pluto! The characters do rotate, so make sure your tadpoles know they might not be meeting the character who is there when you first get in line. It's always a fun surprise when someone new shows up.
We also saw Jiminy Cricket, Geppetto, Pinocchio, Elsa and Clarabelle Cow. It's a great place to catch a bunch of characters. Look for the raised area behind Santa to see Jiminy Cricket and Elsa! Geppetto and Clarabelle roam around.
You can color and make a house craft, write a letter to Santa (and mail it) listen to storytelling and enjoy music/holiday cartoons throughout the day.
We are so hoppy that all of the usual holiday entertainment has returned! Let's first look at the holidays at Disneyland Park. This is where you will find big entertainment, such as fireworks, a parade, ride overlays and characters in special holiday outfits.
Life Day
You can meet Chewbacca in his red robe, celebrating Life Day in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. He appears in the early dark hours of the evening. There are also Life Day foods and beverages at the restaurants.
Special Ride Overlays During the Holidays at Disneyland
Some of our favorite parts of Disneyland at Christmas time are the special holiday attraction experiences. Certain rides receive a festive makeover to really get your frog family into the spirit of the season! You can enjoy special holiday versions of "it's a small world" and Haunted Mansion. They are very popular, so you'll want to visit early in the day or book a Lightning Lane.
"It's a small world" added the holiday version in 1997. That means "it's a small world" Holiday is celebrating 29 years in 2026. Keep in mind that some nights the ride closes an hour before the fireworks and reopens about 15 to 20 minutes after the fireworks end. We were able to hop on with a short wait after it reopened following fireworks. This is a good time of year to skip the line with Lightning Lane Multi Pass. The last day to enjoy "it's a small world" Holiday is usually late January but it could be right after the holidays end. Then the ride closes for several weeks to remove the overlay. In 2026, "it's a small world' holiday ran through Jan. 25, 2026.
Jack Skellington and his crew take over the Haunted Mansion throughout the Halloween and holiday seasons. The Nightmare Before Christmas Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay usually takes about two weeks to deck the spooky halls of the Haunted Mansion. Haunted Mansion Holiday runs through the Halloween and the Holiday season. It also closes at some point in January for a few weeks to remove the overlay. Sometimes Haunted Mansion closes first and sometimes "it's a small world" closes first. Haunted Mansion closed first in 2026, a few days after Holiday Time ended.
The holiday overlay is brimming with scary Tim Burton-esque Christmas spirit. Check out the gingerbread house featured in the ride; it’s different each year!
"it's a small world" Lighting and Projection Show
Don't miss the sparkling lights in the facade of "it’s a small world." You'll definitely want to take time to bask in the glow of the festively lit exterior at night and catch one of the projection shows. Be in front of "it's a small world" for the awe-inspiring nightly lighting of the exterior lights with a projection show and music — check the entertainment calendar or ask a cast member for the time, but expect the lighting of the façade at 5 p.m. Normally, holiday projections appear about every 30 minutes throughout the evening. You can sometimes view show times in the entertainment calendar.
You can ride anytime except during fireworks. And don’t worry — the inside is the same, day or night. This is also an amazing spot to catch snowfall with the lit-up façade of "small world" on one side and the icy slopes of The Matterhorn on the other.
Characters During Disneyland Christmas
Mickey, Minnie and pals are dressed in holiday clothes around Town Square (and usually Toon Town, when it is open). Jack and Sally greet guests in New Orleans Square all through the holiday season. Sometimes Jack dons his Sandy Claws attire for certain days. It’s a joy meeting these unique characters! Jack is delightfully “horrible.” At dusk, keep an eye and ear out for the Haunted Mansion lighting each evening. The Bayou Country characters wear Santa hats.
A Christmas Fantasy Parade
A Christmas Fantasy parade takes place in the afternoon and evening with Mickey, Minnie and a variety of Disney characters. They celebrate the holidays alongside Santa Claus (or Santa Goofy after Christmas). Showtimes are typically 3:00. and 5:15 p.m. but can vary as the season goes on, the week of Christmas and during the Candlelight Ceremony days (which are a Saturday and Sunday in early December), so double-check the entertainment calendar.
If you don't want to spend time camping out for the parade, Plaza Inn offers a dining package that has a voucher for a reserved viewing area (although if you want a good spot in the viewing area, you'll still have to camp out). More on that in the food section. We love sitting in front of Market House/Main Street Cinema for the second parade with the tree in the background of our photos.
WWe sat in front of the tree and watched the first parade come down Main Street. That was a great view too, with the castle in the background! There are so many great viewing areas! Note that the second parade travels in the opposite direction.
Even though the parade is at Disneyland, you can catch a short holiday cavalcade at Disney California Adventure. Mickey's Happy Holidays is short and sweet, with a cheerful song that will stay with you. Catch one of the three cavalcades per day by checking the times in the app day of.
Fireworks and Snowfall
Enjoy a special nightly fireworks show: Believe ... In Holiday Magic. You can view the fireworks and enjoy the snowfall that follows at three locations: the castle (snowfall is a bit farther back and to the sides), Main Street, U.S.A. and “it’s a small world." You can also experience snowfall at Rivers of America. Not in the park? Enjoy snowfall on the west end of Downtown Disney!
Fireworks are generally at 9:30 p.m., but check the calendar when you visit. Pro tip: Snow does not fall right in front of the castle, but it does usually fall to the sides and on Main Street, U.S.A. We recommend hanging back near the Jolly Holiday Bakery and Plaza Inn or in the middle of Main Street, U.S.A., which offers projections on the buildings during snowfall and the fireworks, as well as a view of the castle. Pick a spot with a nice castle view.
We recommend Main Street, U.S.A. (for extra projections) or the hub to view the dramatic castle lighting, as well as the snowfall, but Rivers of America can be a nice and less crowded area to watch the show.
There are typically special fireworks on New Year's Eve, with not one but two fireworks shows. Our New Year's Eve post has the details. There is also a New Year's Eve parade viewing package available at Plaza Inn.
Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle is the perfect backdrop for your annual holiday card with over 80,000 twinkling lights! Ask a PhotoPass photographer to add a little magic to some of your photos. They once put us in a snow globe!
Catch snowfall during the Wintertime Enchantment at Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle and on Main Street U.S.A., usually at 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. each night (but check the entertainment calendar). Snow will also fall immediately following the "Believe … in Holiday Magic" fireworks show over portions of Main Street, U.S.A. Take a big whiff. Is that a gingerbread smell wafting in the snowy air? We have seen snowfall at Rivers of America after the fireworks (plus there is a New Orleans projection show there in the evenings this year). Also, we got a bonus snowfall on Main Street at 11 p.m. when we visited. If the fireworks cannot go off due to the weather, you'll get snowfall instead.
One of our favorite places to experience snowfall is by "it's a small world." The snow falls there at the same times as on Main Street, but the audio is a little different. After the fireworks, the snow comes down. We caught snowfall at 8:30 p.m., and we were treated to the projection show immediately after, so that's one way to hit two experiences at once. You do not get the castle view, but the "small world" lights and snowy Matterhorn in the background have a nice vibe.
Musical Entertainment
You may expect other musical entertainment around Disneyland. The Dickens Yuletide Band usually performs throughout the day along Main Street, U.S.A. The Dapper Dans are likely to include holiday songs in their barbershop quartet selections.
Holiday Character Dance Party
Some years, you can put on your dancing shoes and join your Disney pals in Tomorrowland at the Disney Holiday Dance Party from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on select nights. We had such a great time dancing with Goofy and Pluto, and then with the Aristocats on a different night! Make sure to check the app for exact days and times.
Candlelight Ceremony
The Candlelight Ceremony, a musical retelling of the story of Christmas, is held twice nightly on a weekend in early December. It is likely Dec. 5-6., 2026. It was Dec. 6-7, 2025, with narrator Benjamin Bratt. It was Dec. 7 and 8 in 2024 with Marvel's own, Kathryn Hahn, as the surprise narrator.
The show can put parades and other events on a special schedule, so plan accordingly! The parade may run early at 12:45 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. on those days. Past recent narrators have included Chris Pratt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sterling K. Brown, Viola Davis and Brie Larson. The narrator is usually a surprise until the first show each year. The Candlelight Ceremony began in 1958 as a way for Walt Disney to thank the Orange County community.
Disneyland keeps quiet about the details (unlike its EPCOT counterpart) because the event is more intimate at Disneyland. The seats are for invited guests, such as Club 33 members, Disney partners, VIPs and some high-profile guests. You can usually see the setup for the event in Town Square during the day. You might be able to find some standing room on the fringes or catch sight of the ceremony as you walk by. Some park guests camp out early in the day for standby viewing. Sometimes, cast members let people queue for it and fill in empty seats. The process may vary each year, so ask a cast member about it that day if you're interested in catching it. The later ceremony is much easier to see with lighter crowds.
Holiday Tour
If you want to know more about the holidays at Disneyland, the The Disneyland Resort Home for the Holidays Guided Tour returns! This 2-hour walking tour shares holiday traditions and includes a ride on Haunted Mansion Holiday, treats, a keepsake and reserved viewing for A Christmas Fantasy Parade. Reservations are open now.
Free pin!
If you buy a select gift card with a pin attached, you get a free holiday pin when you add $125 to the card! Use the gift card for other merchandise and dining across the resort (or give it as a gift). There were four designs last year: Olaf, Stitch, Mickey and Minnie.
Disney California Adventure Park Christmas Festivities & Entertainment
There is so much holiday fun to be had at California Adventure. There are several musical acts that represent other cultures and holiday celebrations. You can look forward to special character outfits and interactions, ride overlays and more.
Holiday Ride Overlays and Lightings
Two Cars Land rides get seasonal overlays — Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree! At dusk, check out the Cars Land lighting. There is a nightly Christmas tree lighting on Buena Vista Street at about 4:50 p.m. It hoppens pretty quickly. There's also a lighting in Cars Land.
World of Color — Season of Light
On nights the park closes at 9 p.m. there is one show. When the park closes at 10 p.m., there are two shows.
Experience heartwarming moments from Disney and Pixar films set to a score of holiday music as the scenes illuminate a giant screen of mist. See colorful fountains dance in time to festive music as shimmering snowflakes fill the scene. This show weaves classic films such as "Cinderella," "Lady and the Tramp," "Beauty and the Beast," "Toy Story" and "Fantasia" with modern classics such as "Frozen" and "Inside Out."
Our favorite electrifying scene involves Goofy! This breathtaking display is the perfect ending to your day at Disneyland. To see the show, join the virtual queue in the Disneyland app at noon. If you will not have entered a park by noon, consider a dining package. Follow our tips for viewing World of Color.
¡Viva Navidad! (Saturdays and Sundays only)
This can't-miss celebration will delight you with diverse cultural celebrations, including the popular ¡Viva Navidad! Holiday Street Fiesta. Disney ¡Viva Navidad! at California Adventure is an authentic Latino street fiesta, featuring musicians, dancers and storytellers.
Enjoy lively Mexican music, crafts, festive foods, photo-ops with favorite characters and tasty Mexican specialties. Three Kings' Day, a traditional festival celebrated in Mexico, Central and South America, runs near the end of Holiday Time.
Our holiday tip for this park is to know where to stand to watch the ¡Viva Navidad! dancers, along with the Three Caballeros, Mickey and Minnie. For a front-row, straight-on view of the float, you'll want to stand near the Paradise Gardens area, halfway between the Jumping Jellyfish ride and the Silly Symphony swings on the waterside of the street (across from the middle entrance to Paradise Gardens). Consult the Entertainment Guide for showtimes and get in place about 15 minutes early.
The ¡Viva Navidad! street party takes place on Saturdays and Sundays, so check the entertainment calendar to plan your park reservations accordingly. On days when the Disney ¡Viva Navidad! street party is not scheduled, guests may encounter Mirabel from “Encanto” in "Mirabel's Gifts of the Season" outside the entrance to Paradise Gardens Park.
You can also find Miguel from “Coco” in a festive street performance that celebrates the holidays and the gift of familia. "A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel" takes place on weekday evenings in front of Carthay Circle.
Paradise Gardens has more ¡Viva Navidad! festivities, live music, festive foods and décor inspired by Latin American traditions. You may encounter Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, The Three Caballeros and Mirabel.
You can pick up a holiday activity placement and crayons from the restaurants in Paradise Gardens (and Smokejumpers Grill).
Redwood Creek
During the Festival of Holidays, you can meet Santa. You can also embark on a free holiday scavenger hunt in Redwood Creek through Dec. 24.
Holiday Toy Drummers
Keep a lookout for one of our favorite acts, the highly entertaining Toy Drummers. Their show is short, sweet and definitely worth catching. This year, they are back at the spot in front of the Obelisk by Pixar Pier. They also join Mickey's Happy Holidays.
Mickey's Happy Holidays
In addition to their regular performances, the Toy Drummers join up with Disney and Pixar characters for a cavalcade procession. Catch Mickey's Happy Holidays about four times daily. The cavalcade travels from The Little Mermaid to Hollywood Land. Many characters are dressed to impress in their holiday best and Santa hats, and they dance in the streets. A great place to watch is Hollywood Land in front of Off the Page.
Characters During the Holidays
There are some interesting character sightings to find throughout the parks, as well. Mirabel from "Encanto" returns to Paradise Gardens Park. Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and the Three Caballeros also greet guests in that area (in their holiday attire). Chip 'n' Dale may be near the Redwood Creek area. Around Carthay Circle Fountain, the Disney characters show off their holiday clothes. Even the cars in Cars Land get into the holiday spirit with Mater in a Santa hat!
Keep an eye out for Carl, Russel and Dug at Grizzly Peak in Disney California Adventure. In Avengers Campus, sit down with Santa Deadpool for The Story Time with Deadpool Holiday Special.
Musical Acts
You'll find favorite new and returning cultural acts at various small stages around the park (in Hollywood Land and Paradise Gardens Park). Listen for live entertainment from such acts as Mostly Kosher, The Mistletoes as well as other smaller acts on various stages. Live bands and cultural performance groups such as Joy, Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts, Keali’I O Nālani & Daniel Ho and more will perform at the Festival! The Festival of Holidays bands page has all the performers, locations and dates in one spot.
Christmas Festivities & Entertainment at Downtown Disney and Disneyland Hotels
There is even more holiday fun to experience outside of the parks for Disneyland Christmas 2026! We created a whole holiday dining guide for the hotels and Downtown Disney.
Downtown Disney
- The Downtown Disney LIVE! stage and lawn will have nightly live performances! Seasonal music crossing genres such as jazz, rock and classic caroling.
- Embark on a Chip and Dale's Ornament trail pursuit (for purchase) in Downtown Disney District.
- Enjoy snowfall Nov. 14 through Jan. 7 in Downtown Disney's west end every 40 minutes from 6 to 10 p.m.
- Find seasonal foods at select dining locations and carts around the district.
- Enjoy breakfast with Santa at Naples Ristorante! On select dates, experience family-style breakfast, a visit and photo with Santa, a stuffed animal and personalized stocking (kids 10 and under), take home treats, carolers and bottomless mimosas (21+).
All Disneyland Hotels
If you're staying at one of the Disneyland Resort hotels, you can plan ahead for personalized holiday in-room celebrations and decorations to make your trip extra special. All three Disneyland Hotels will host holiday carolers on select days (usually mid-November through mid-December), as well as daily visits from Santa from late Nov. 26 through Dec. 24, 2026.
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa
- Bask in the glow of the beautiful Christmas tree in the lobby along with some delicious cookies, treats and beverages near the crackling fire.
- Disney's Grand Californian Hotel lobby hosts a giant gingerbread replica of the hotel, created over 720 hours with over 500 pounds of gingerbread, 480 pounds of powdered sugar and 60 pounds of fondant (not to mention dark and white chocolate and rice cereal treats). It was a Mickey's Christmas Carol theme in 2025. Can you spot 25 hidden Mickeys? Be sure to view both sides! It takes about a week into Holiday Time before it is complete each year.
- Daisy’s Holiday Pajama Party breakfast and brunch at Storytellers Cafe replaces Mickey and Minnie with Daisy Duck and Donald Duck. Chip, Dale and Pluto remain. It serves holiday-themed meals, accompanied by seasonal décor and select characters donning their pajamas. The breakfast and brunch run mid-November through early January. The dining experiences are not available on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas.
- At Storytellers Cafe, there is a character dinner experience called Mickey’s Christmas Carol Feast at Storytellers Cafe. We love Jacob Marley's ghost Goofy and Scrooge McDuck! The dinner runs mid-November through early January. The dining experiences are not available on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas.
Character dining reservations at Storyterllers Cafe opened Oct. 2, 2025, so keep an eye out for those in early October 2026. Character themes are subject to change each year.
Disneyland Hotel
- Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates the Holidays (breakfast, brunch and dinner) at Disneyland Hotel. Meet Goofy and his friends in their new holiday attire as you dig into delicious holiday foods, from mid-November through early January. Reservations for this one became available as of Sept. 25, 2025. There are special holiday meals on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Meeting Santa During the Disneyland Christmas Celebration
You can find the big man himself at two park locations through Dec. 24. Santa Claus takes over the Fantasyland Theatre for "Holiday Fun with Santa and Friends." Santa and select Disney characters can be found throughout the day for holiday photos, craft making, sing-alongs and classic music.
Over in Disney California Adventure Park, Santa Claus and his mischievous elves can be found at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail area. Santa also visits each of the hotels daily from Nov. 26 to Dec. 24, 2026. Enjoy breakfast with Santa at Naples Ristorante in Downtown Disney during the season.
Our post on where to meet Santa has all the details.
Festive Foods and Seasonal Flavors at Disneyland
Foodie froggies will love that there are so many yummy holiday treats and foods at Disneyland during the holidays — we certainly can’t resist! We always end our Disneyland Christmas visits feeling a little bit like Santa. Our frog bellies are stuffed with so many cookies, holiday treats and festive foods from the Disney's Festival of the Holidays. The festival marketplaces offer delish dishes and delectable desserts from around the world. There are so many treats at the candy shops, special menu items at restaurants and tastes from the festival booths that we created Guide to the Yummiest Holiday Treats & Foods in Disneyland Park, All the Disney California Adventure Holiday Food and Beverages and a post for Holiday Dining Experiences at Disneyland Hotels & Downtown Disney.
As for table-service dining, set a reminder for 60 days before your visit to book dining reservations. Reservations generally open at about 6 a.m. but it can vary. When visiting Disneyland around Thanksgiving or the school winter break, expect heavier crowds. If you plan to eat at any table-service restaurants in the parks, Downtown Disney or the Disneyland Resort hotels, we recommend making reservations up to 60 days in advance through the Disney Dining Reservation System. If it's too late to reserve, keep checking for cancellations that pop up or try checking for walk-up availability in the Disneyland app once you arrive.
Reservations for Thanksgiving Day at Goofy's kitchen and Storytellers Cafe opened on Oct. 9, 2025. Practically every Disneyland restaurant offers a special seasonal dish, and some present a full spread.
Dining Packages
Plaza Inn offers a dining package that includes a voucher for a reserved parade-viewing area. The dining package isn't offered on holidays, such as Thanksgiving Day (and the day before), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, or early December for Candlelight Ceremony. Reservations are unavailable the first week of December. Dining time is between 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The 2025 package included herb-roasted chicken with mashed potatoes (chicken tenders for kids), creamy potato leek soup garnished with fried leeks, chives and citrus cream, buttered haricots verts served with a caramelized onion sauce, a holiday yule log dessert and a beverage. There are plant-based options available. After your meal, you can enjoy prime viewing for the merry mayhem of the second “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade. The package is $58 per adult and $32 per child. (Prices subject to change.) You must cancel the day prior to avoid a $10 per person fee.
The food is good, but keep in mind that if the package meal is not to your taste, you may be able to substitute the fried chicken dinner instead. (It's a Frog Family favorite!) You'll receive a parade voucher lanyard and a ticket, which they will collect, so hold onto that. Continue to wear the lanyard while in the viewing area.
Where is the viewing area? It's usually across the street from the Main Street train station. We hopped by early to get a curb spot, so it did not really save us time compared to finding our own spot. The parade starts at Town Square for the second parade, so we were near the beginning of the parade.
The dining package is not cheap. And you'll still want to arrive early for a curb or bench, so it does not really save time. You can find your own parade spot for free and get in place about 90 minutes (depending on crowds) early if you want a good spot. We also like the raised area near "it's a small world" or seeing the afternoon parade near the castle's churro stand with the sun to our back and the Matterhorn in the background. We also love being on Main Street U.S.A., in a spot that allows us to see the parade coming toward us for a while.
You might also consider dining packages for shows such as Fantasmic! and World of Color — Season of Light. They are not specific to the holidays, but they can save you time and help you secure a good viewing area.
No matter how you choose to celebrate Christmas at Disneyland, expect to make magical holiday memories. What questions do you have for us about Disneyland Christmas events this year?
Related: Yummiest Holiday Treats at Disneyland
Related: Tips for Spending New Year's Eve at Disneyland
Hoppy holidays!
