Disney introducing jolly new event this holiday season amid returning fan favorites
Walt Disney World is introducing a brand new event for the holidays.
Disney Jollywood Nights will be a specially ticketed, limited capacity, after-hours event like Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, but held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
“It’s a holiday vibe like you’ve never felt before,” Disney Parks Blog announced in June. “Get ready to dress in your holiday glam best or festive flair, dance the night away to merry mashups, indulge in divine treats and bubbling spirits, and snap selfies with iconic characters during this new festive event.”
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party fans need not worry. It'll be back at Magic Kingdom, like other beloved seasonal traditions across the Florida resort and California's Disneyland.
Here’s what visitors can expect this holiday season.
What are Disney Jollywood Nights?
The new after-hours holiday event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios will feature:
A live holiday special hosted by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy at Theater of the Stars
The return of the nighttime spectacular Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!
A jazz lounge at The Hollywood Brown Derby
An “other-worldy soiree” at The Hollywood Tower Hotel Courtyard
A "Latin street fair" along Commissary Lane
A “spirited sing-along” at Hyperion Theater
Festive photo opps with Mickey Mouse and his friends as well as blasts from the past like Phineas and Ferb and Powerline Max
Free Disney PhotoPass downloads are included with admission to Disney Jollywood Nights. As with other limited capacity events, guests may enjoy shorter lines for popular attractions like Slinky Dog Dash, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock N’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will have a virtual queue during the event.
What are the dates for Disney Jollywood Nights?
Disney Jollywood Nights will be held on 10 different nights, starting in November.
Nov. 11, 18, 20, 27, 29
Dec. 4, 6, 16, 18, 20
The event officially runs from 8:30 p.m. until 12:30 a.m., but attendees may enter Disney's Hollywood Studios starting at 7 p.m.
How much are Disney Jollywood Nights tickets?
Tickets range from $159 to $179 for guests ages 10 and up.
As with Mickey’s Very Christmas Party, Disney Jollywood Nights are not included with standard admission and guests with regular tickets will need to leave the park before the event starts.
What are the dates for Mickey's Christmas party 2023?
This year's event will be held across 25 nights at Disney World's Magic Kingdom:
Nov. 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, 30
Dec. 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22
Last year’s event spanned 24 nights.
How much does Disney World’s Christmas party cost?
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2023 tickets vary by date and range from $159 to $199 for guests ages 10 and up.
The starting price is slightly higher than last year, when tickets ranged from $149 to $199.
Does Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party cost extra?
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party requires its own ticket, separate from a standard theme park admission.
Think of it as watching two movies at the same theater. You would pay for both, even though they’re in the same venue, buy you don't really need both.
The party runs from 7 p.m. until midnight, but attendees may enter Magic Kingdom starting at 4 p.m., so many attendees just enter then and do something else during the day.
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What’s included with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party?
Popular experiences at Mickey’s Christmas Party include “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade,” the nighttime spectacular “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks” and the stage show “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration.”
Guests may also experience shorter waits for popular attractions across Magic Kingdom. The park’s newest ride, TRON Lightcycle / Run will have a virtual queue during the event. And both Space Mountain and Jungle Cruise will get holiday twists.
Do I need to make a park reservation for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party?
Guests do not need to make a park reservation for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Starting Jan. 9, most guests won’t need to make any park reservations at all.
Other holiday happenings across Disney World
Guests who don't buy tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party or Disney Jollywood Nights can still enjoy seasonal food, decor and entertainment across Walt Disney World.
Magic Kingdom: “Frozen” fans can look forward to a new “entertainment experience” with Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff at Cinderella Castle. Details are still to come but, the Disney Parks Blog said Frozen Holiday Surprise will “illuminate the castle in a whole new way” on regular park days and during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
EPCOT: The celebrity-narrated Candlelight Processional will run Nov. 24 through Dec. 30 during EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays.
Disney's Hollywood Studios: Yuletide projections will return to The Hollywood Tower Hotel, and Toy Story characters will dress in their holiday best.
Disney's Animal Kingdom: Merry Menagerie winter animals puppets will return.
Disney Springs: Visitors can take the Disney Christmas Tree Stroll and experience “snowfall” in Town Center.
Disney resort hotels: All of Disney World’s hotels get all decked out for the holidays, according to their unique themes. Several hotels, like Disney’s Grand Floridian, feature massive gingerbread displays. This holiday season, Disney resort hotels are offering 25% off select rooms and up to 35% off for Disney+ subscribers.
What else is Disney doing for the holidays?
Disneyland Resort is celebrating the holidays from Nov. 10 through Jan. 7 with returning fan-favorite festivities and new “mid-century modern holiday outfits” for Mickey Mouse and Mickey Mouse. Disneyland Park will bring back "A Christmas Fantasy Parade", the "Believe...In Holiday Magic" fireworks spectacular, and holiday overlays on "it's a small world" and Haunted Mansion. Disney California Adventure will welcome back the Disney Festival of Holidays, the Disney ¡Viva Navidad! street party, the nighttime spectacular “World of Color – Season of Light" and holiday overlays at Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree. Guests will find festive decorations, food and entertainment all across the resort.
Disney Cruise Line will debut two new entertainment experiences for the holidays. “On the first night of all Very Merrytime sailings, guests will gather around the three-deck-tall tree in the ship’s atrium for a new tree lighting ceremony,” the cruise line revealed Wednesday. “Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Goofy will invite guests to sing along to classic holiday tunes, followed by a countdown that will not only make the tree merry and bright, but will also introduce the guest of honor for the cruise, Santa Claus.” There will also be a new deck party, Mickey and Minnie’s Holiday Party, which “will feature favorite Disney friends as they celebrate friendship, love and family with a fresh mix of classic and original holiday songs during this special time of year.”
Characters will also debut new holiday outfits, and as always, there will be themed activities for guests of all ages.
RunDisney will host new Virtual 12Ks of Christmas Races. “The first-of-its-kind virtual event features three 4K running events and a challenge, all hosted by favorite Disney friends,” according to the Disney Parks Blog.
Participants will get a commemorative medal that doubles as an ornament, a long-sleeve hooded shirt, a CORKCICLE mug and hot cocoa kit, a digital race tool kit, digital race bib and finisher certificate. Registration costs $267.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney World, Disneyland unwrap 2023 holiday plans
