by Beth Keating
News
DisneyBizJournal.com
June 17, 2023
We are – in Disney parlance – “halfway to the holidays” and Disney has dropped some teasers for what the holidays at the Florida parks will look like this year. Santa himself will be popping in at all four locales in his bright red holiday duds, and even making an extra visit to a Disney water park, where he’ll sport tropical beachwear instead!
Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
For our family, we are most excited about the new Hollywood Studios offering, Disney Jollywood Nights, since we are of the opinion that the Christmas decorations at that park are the most beautiful during the holidays. Colorful ornaments float on the lake, Gertie wears a Santa hat, and even the Toy Story characters are dressed in special holiday outfits in Toy Story Land.
The retro feel of the décor might remind you of celebrations at your grandma’s house, but it especially works for that “Old Hollywood” vibe that Hollywood Studios exudes. So, the surprises that Disney party planners and Imagineers have dreamed up for this year’s new holiday gathering at Hollywood Studios seem right on-brand.
There are, however, holiday teasers for each of Disney World’s parks, so let’s take a look, starting at Hollywood Studios!
Hollywood Studios
Disney Jollywood Nights is a brand new, separately ticketed event that will run from 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on 10 select nights. Prices range from $159 – $179 per person, and prices are date dependent. Party dates are:
• November: 11,18, 20, 27, 29
• December: 4, 6,16,18, 20
Returning to Hollywood Studios during Jollywood Nights will be the fan-favorite “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” The nighttime spectacular has been missing from the park since the pandemic, and the fireworks, projections and story antics of the elves from Prep & Landing notch up the fun.
There will also be lots of music at this event, from a DJ spinning a mix of holiday tunes; a Latin Street Fair on Commissary Lane with several Latin bands; specialty foods and beverages; and even a sing-along at the Hyperion Theater. This isn’t just an ordinary sing-along, though. By day, the Hyperion Theater is home to Elsa and the cast of the Frozen sing-along, but at night, the theater will host “What’s This? Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along!” Jack Skellington will be bringing the tunes and the snow to guests in a theater redecorated to the movie’s aesthetics.
Most thematically on-point for the old time ambiance, and an addition that is really exciting, is a new jazz lounge at The Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant - how cool is that?? A live piano player will be sharing the old standard tunes from the 20’s, 30s, 40s and 50s for you to sing-along to with a fun, speakeasy kind of energy. An “other-worldly soiree” at The Hollywood Tower Hotel Courtyard rounds out the two limited-capacity entertainment experiences being added to the festivities. In true Twilight Zone fashion, “The Tip Top Club” will be recreated in the Tower’s Courtyard, with a ghostly 1920s band, craft cocktails and custom food!
Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Another option that has great promise is the performance being headlined at Theater of the Stars by Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, who will be bringing some of their Disney friends for an all-singing, all-dancing holiday show with a live band.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a party without the snacks and specialty drinks, and Hollywood Studios will be serving up a bunch of new treats for purchase, including a Spicy Korean Chicken on a Mini Funnel Cake and a Christmas Tree Cookie Stack.
Photo opportunities abound throughout the night, including a few holiday-themed Magic Shots and two new Disney PhotoPass experiences. Digital downloads of your PhotoPass event photos are included with the price of your ticket.
Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the rest of the gang will be meeting and greeting guests in Animation Courtyard in new costumes with holiday props to spruce up your photos, themed as if the gang has just finished shooting a holiday TV special. Powerline Max, Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers, and Phineas and Ferb will take their places near Echo Lake in front of Christmas trees they’ve decorated themselves, and Edna Mode will be among the Incredible Supers at Pixar Place, bringing you back to the 1950s, in holidays à la Mode-style. Look out for themed snacks, and especially for the Frozone Snowzone!
And, as usual for the after-hours parties, you’ll have lower crowd access to many of the Hollywood Studios rides. (Expect a virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance.)
Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels, and Shades of Green can buy tickets starting June 29. All guests can purchase tickets starting July 6 on the Walt Disney World website.
The nightly “Sunset Seasons Greetings” projection show on the sides of The Hollywood Tower Hotel will continue this season, and you don’t need a party ticket to see them. They’ll be available each night.
Magic Kingdom
Most guests are familiar with the holiday events at Magic Kingdom, where Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, another separately ticketed event, brings the winter wonderland magic to the park with snow falling on Main Street and lots of free cookies and cocoa. Wooden soldiers, dancing reindeer and the appearance of Santa are all highlights of the nightly “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade,” which circles past the enormous Christmas tree at the park’s entrance.
Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party takes place on 25 nights, from 7:00 p.m. to midnight, from November 9-December 22, including:
• November: 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 26, 28, 30
• December: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22
Ticket prices range from $159-$199 per person, and go on sale for guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels, and Shades of Green as early as June 29, and beginning July 6 for other guests.
The “Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration” stage show and “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks” will be returning to the party. You can also make this your opportunity to hit up TRON Lightcycle / Run, which will use a virtual queue during the event. It will be just one of the many rides and attractions available during party nights. Or, head over to “Club Tinsel” to dance the night away.
Magic Kingdom will be adding a “Frozen Holiday Surprise” to the park this year, with a special show featuring Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and the Snowgies in front of Cinderella Castle. This addition “will illuminate the castle in a whole new way,” and will be available to guests during regular park hours, as well as during the Christmas party.
Courtesy of Disney Parks Blog
Oh, and be sure to get your “pun” quota in while the Jungle Cruise becomes the “Jingle Cruise.”
Animal Kingdom
The oh-so-adorable Merry Menagerie of artisan-sculpted puppets will be roaming Discovery Island again this year, bringing the interactive cuteness of the winter animals to Animal Kingdom.
The Tree of Life will also come alive at night with a special holiday edition of the Awakenings show.
EPCOT
If Hollywood Studios brings the energy to the holidays, then EPCOT surely brings the soul. EPCOT will once again be celebrating with the return of the beloved “Candlelight Processional” during EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. The festival begins November 24 and runs through December 30.
The Candlelight Processional is a massed-choir, celebrity narrator-led retelling of the nativity story, interspersed with your favorite hymns and holiday carols. (The celebrity narrator list is still to come.) Filled with hundreds of voices, directed by professional visiting conductors and supported by a phenomenal orchestra filled with bright brass instruments and resounding drums, the Candlelight Processional is an incredibly inspiring evening. Dining packages typically sell out quickly, as everyone scrambles to assure themselves of a seat for these cherished performances, especially for popular narrators.
The Festival of the Holidays also offers storytellers in the country pavilions, sharing holiday tales from the various lands; joyful musical acts and performers; and the Holiday Kitchens (food booths) on the World Showcase promenade to fuel your visit with traditional treats from around the world.
Disney Springs
Of course, you can shop till you drop, gathering up all your holiday gifts from the many stores at the Springs, but make sure you take the time to visit the themed Christmas trees scattered throughout the complex as well, since the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll will once again be back. Plus, nightly snow showers will give the Town Center section of Disney Springs an extra air of holiday magic, and you might just be able to spot the Jolly Old Elf himself making a stop along the way.
These are just a few of the tidbits Disney has shared for the 2023 holiday season – they’ve said there’s more to come, including the offerings for the goodies to be created at this year’s holiday kitchens. If you are interested in attending the nighttime parties, though, don’t sleep on buying your tickets, because many of those dates will sell out fast, and they will be going on sale very soon.
__________
Beth Keating is a theme parks, restaurant and entertainment reporter for DisneyBizJournal.
