Considering a family vacation to Orlando for the holidays? If you love everything Disney, then you’re in for an extra special treat this year! The 50th Anniversary celebration will be coinciding with all of your favorite annual Disney World Christmas festivities. There will be endless entertainment for everyone of all ages, delicious food to indulge in, and plenty of shopping opportunities for those who love retail therapy!
With a Disney vacation this holiday season, you won’t need to worry about finding ways to stay busy and full of holiday cheer every day of your trip. Let’s look at some of the exciting family entertainment you can look forward to this year from November 8 through December 21:
Christmastime Events
While it’s great to go to the Disney World parks any time of year, you get the most enchanting experience when you go around the holidays! Many of the shows and parades are replaced or altered with a holiday theme that truly inspires and excites everyone, including parents and the youngest of kids.
From parades to concerts, sing-alongs, and shows, there’s bound to be an event that you won’t want to miss at one or all of the parks.
Disney Very Merriest After Hours
For the ultimate holiday theme park experience, you’ll want to purchase extra tickets to Disney Very Merriest After Hours. On select dates in November and December, the Magic Kingdom will only be open to ticket holders beginning at 9 pm.
This exclusive event includes a unique holiday parade featuring Santa Claus and a Fireworks Show featuring Minnie Mouse aka Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. If you’re looking for a holiday party, look no further than the Club Tinsel Dance Party, where you and the kids will be able to dance all night long with residents of the North Pole.
There will also be plenty of opportunities for character sightings, family photos, and an exceptional musical performance by the Reindeer Wranglers in Frontierland.
Projections & Fireworks
There are three locations in Disney World where you can enjoy an awe-inspiring holiday projection display! The first is in the Magic Kingdom, where you can catch a projection show on the castle. You don’t even need to participate in the Very Merriest After Hours to see this impressive masterpiece that blends technology and storytelling.
In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can see Sunset Seasons Greetings projected onto the Hollywood Tower Hotel. It’s a jolly, colorful show that you and your family won’t want to miss.
Last but not least, Disney’s Animal Kingdom offers a nighttime show accompanied by music where the Tree of Life glimmers and sparkles. Although this show takes place all year round, the winter months bring a special Holiday Edition.
Musical Performances
What is the holiday season without powerful and fun music? In all of the parks, you’ll be able to experience a constant stream of holiday music through the park soundtracks, but why not add a live musical performance to your park experience as well?
Head to Epcot to catch the Voices of Liberty in the American Pavilion sing beautiful holiday tunes. If you stay late enough, you’ll also be able to experience the famous Candlelight Processional.
A celebrity narrator will guide you through the story of the very first Christmas while a choir and 50-piece orchestra entertain and enlighten with beautifully arranged hymns of glory and praise.
If you and your family can’t help but sing along, you’ll want to head over to Hollywood Studios for the First Time in Forever Musical Sing-Along featuring Olaf. Here you can celebrate Disney’s most wintery-themed movie with all your favorite songs from the film.
Epcot International Festival of the Holidays
This annual festival hosted at Epcot will introduce you to Christmas traditions from around the world with sights, sounds, and flavors from every country in the World’s Showcase nations! There are holiday crafts, performances, foods, and decorations on display. If you want to participate in this event, it begins on November 26 and runs through December 30.
Santa Claus Motorcade
Who knew that Santa Claus could be so cool? Don’t miss him in his special Hollywood Studios Motorcade parade! You’ll be able to see holiday characters march down the Boulevard and, of course, the man himself in a shiny red convertible.
Flotillas
The Animal Kingdom offers a unique kind of parade on the water! There are 3 holiday flotillas that you won’t want to miss at the Discovery — the Santa Claus Flotilla, Donald’s Dino Bash Festive Flotilla, and the Discovery Island Drummers Festive Flotilla. All three offer a different kind of entertainment for each member of the family!
Snow in Orlando
Just because you’re spending the holidays in Florida doesn’t mean that you have to sacrifice beautiful snowy scenes! Every night in both the Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs, the air is filled with magical (fake) snow to delight parkgoers and shoppers. The beautiful flurries transport you into a winter wonderland and are accompanied by inspiring music that adds just a touch of magic to the experience.
Holiday Treats
Special holiday treats will be available in all the parks as well. Though all the details are not out yet, you can be sure that they’ll inspire warm feelings for the season and truly delight the tastebuds!
Epcot is known for its food festivals year-round, and the holidays are no different. In particular, it serves treats made in their holiday kitchens that reflect countries’ food traditions from around the world.
You can even make eating an adventure in Epcot with the Holiday Cookie Stroll. There will be five unique cookie locations throughout Epcot where you can taste different varieties of cookies and get a stamp on your Festival Passport.
Seasonal Decor In Every Park
Every park and Disney Springs offers a unique, massive, and beautiful Christmas tree right at the entrance to the park! You’ve never seen Christmas trees like these with their vast holiday decorations. Think about the themes of each park as you gaze upon the trees. You’ll even be able to find fun Disney Easter eggs in the ornaments.
The rest of the parks will also be decorated with wreaths, faux snow, baubles, candy canes, and anything else that you can think of that reminds you of the holiday season! It’s so fun to see how they transform each area to reflect the holidays and play on the themes already present in the parks.
Plus, many of the cast members have fun winter costumes! If you’re a Disney World pro, you’ve got to start going at the holidays to see if you can pick out all the magical and exciting differences.
Christmas Shopping in Orlando
What would the holidays be without gift-giving from the heart? Everyone knows that Disney makes some of the most fun and unique gifts you can get while on vacation. And they only ramp things up for the holidays!
Whether you’re looking for something holiday-themed, something based on a loved one’s favorite Disney character, or both, you’ll be able to find the perfect gift in Disney World!
The Magic Kingdom
The Magic Kingdom is the best place to shop for classic Disney gifts. In the shops on Mainstreet alone, you’ll be able to find accessories and gifts related to every Disney movie, character, and ride you can imagine. For more rare gifts, go to more specialized areas.
Don’t forget; there’s a shop dedicated to Christmas tree ornaments in Liberty Square! It’s one of our favorite stores to visit, and the ornaments make great gifts for every member of the family.
Epcot
Epcot’s World Showcase offers goods made from all around the world in a variety of price ranges. You can, of course, find more fabulous Disney-themed gifts in Epcot, but if you’re looking for something a little more sophisticated or rare, this is a great place to do your shopping.
You can find unique treats to share in every country: warm sweaters in Norway, adorable kitchen gadgets in France, the most kawaii pop culture items in Japan, hand-painted goods in Mexico, crystal memorabilia in Germany, and so much more!
Disney Springs
You don’t even need to visit a Disney park to get some Disney holiday shopping done! Just pop on over to Disney Springs for a day of fabulous shopping, tasty food, charming decorations, and even performances from various musical and dance groups from around the country! There’s no shortage of fun in this Disney curated downtown.
Disney World Christmas 2021
Are you ready to enjoy a magical Disney World Christmas in 2021? Our team would love to help you in planning your holiday getaway to Orlando! We have a wide selection of vacation rentals that are near Disney — some that even have phenomenal themed bedrooms for the kiddos.
Feel free to browse your preferred dates online or contact us for more information! We’re available 24/7 by phone and email to help you start planning your Disney World vacation. Not to mention, we’re an authorized Walt Disney World ticket reseller and can provide you with a one-stop-shop to purchase all of your attraction tickets.
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