Magic Kingdom | Epcot | Disney-MGM Studios | Disney's Animal Kingdom | Around the Resort | More Information
Walt Disney World celebrates the holidays in many ways all around the resort. With 150 tractor-trailer truckloads of decorations spread around the property, including 65-foot-tall, 14-ton Christmas trees in each theme park, Disney's Holiday Services department has a year-round job setting up, fixing up, taking down, repairing and preparing the décor. On top of that are loads of special holiday events for all to enjoy. Let's take a look at the various events and entertainment.
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party | After the Party Ends | Live Entertainment | New Year's Eve
The park takes on a special holiday feel with garlands across Main Street, U.S.A and decorative touches around the park. The park's Christmas tree is first erected in the upper Rose Garden, where it sits until after the filming of the Very Merry Christmas Parade with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa (to take place from December 1 to 3 this year), at which point it moves to Town Square.
Viewed from a specific angle when the park's tree is in the upper Rose Garden, it looks as if Walt himself is trimming the Christmas tree. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
The very popular Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party has so much going on that it has its own special park guide page dedicated to it. It includes special stage shows and character appearances, a parade, special fireworks and free refreshments.
From mid-November until a few days before Christmas, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is the only time to see the special holiday entertainment in the Magic Kingdom. On the day following the last Christmas Party, though, the entertainment becomes available to all park guests. If you're going to be in the Magic Kingdom on December 23 or later, you'd probably be better served to skip attending the Christmas Party in the earlier days of your visit and to see the special entertainment for free later on.
The Christmas Parade always includes an appearance by the toy soldiers' marching band. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
During the holiday season, various bands from around the country perform at the Magic Kingdom, most often as pre-parade entertainment, with as many as three marching bands preceding each afternoon parade. Other special performance locations include Cosmic Ray's Starlight Cafe, the Galaxy Palace Theater and in front of the Hall of Presidents.
The Magic Kingdom is open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m. on New Year's Eve, with Holiday Wishes fireworks in the evening and a special showing of the old Fantasy in the Sky fireworks at midnight. There are also two showings each of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade and SpectroMagic. There is no extra charge for the special events.
Mickey's Tree Lighting Treat | Lights of Winter | Holidays Around the World | Candlelight Processional | Illuminations Holiday Tag | Live Entertainment | New Year's Eve
Epcot's special holiday events all run from the night after Thanksgiving through December 30 (unless otherwise noted), with a special New Year's Eve celebration the following night.
Decorations around World Showcase are themed to match each country's local traditions and native flora. In addition, the Liberty Inn at the American Adventure features Santa's Gingerbread Bake Shop, a giant gingerbread structure out of which you can buy Christmas cookies, hot and cold beverages and souvenir gingerbread recipe cards
The Italy pavilion is decked out with garlands for the season. Photo by Brian Bennett.
Each night at 6 p.m. in World Showcase Plaza, Mickey and his friends host a special ceremony to light the park's 65-foot Christmas tree. The 10-minute show features Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip & Dale, along with other cast members, and ends with the lighting of the tree and the Lights of Winter arch.
The Lights of Winter are a series of lit arches along the walkway from Future World to World Showcase Plaza, ending just before the Epcot Christmas tree. Every 15 minutes, the arches dance in synchronization with holiday music. Between the choreographed shows, the lights slowly change color. The arches are lit from the conclusion of Mickey's Tree Lighting Treat until the beginning of Illuminations, and again while guests are exiting the park. The lights will continue to run through January 7.
The Lights of Winter surround the walkway leading to the Epcot Christmas tree. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Each of the international pavilions in World Showcase features special holiday storytellers, with each relating holiday tales from their country. Storytellers include Nowell the lumberjack in Canada, Father Christmas in the United Kingdom, Pere Noël in France, La Befana in Italy and Julenissen in Norway. The Three Kings tell the story of La Posada in Mexico, while the stories of the first Christmas tree, the first Nutcracker and the Christmas pickle are told in Germany.
Countries that do not generally celebrate Christmas tell tales of that country's myths, such as The Monkey King in China, the Daruma Vendor in Japan and the Taarji telling the story of the Festival of Ashura in Morocco. At the American Adventure, multiculturalism is the order of the day, as a meet-and-greet with Santa and Mrs. Claus is supplemented by Hanukkah and Kwanzaa storytellers. Last year, the Hanukkah and Kwanzaa storytellers were always scheduled to perform at the same time, making it difficult to schedule seeing them both. This year, their performance times are offset by five minutes, again making it difficult to see both consecutively.
La Befana tells her Christmas story. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
One of the most popular holiday events at Epcot, and perhaps the most overtly religious, is the Candlelight Processional. Three times each night at the America Gardens Theater, backed by a 50-piece orchestra and a massed choir of over 350 participating choirs and cast members, as well as members of the Voices of Liberty, a guest narrator tells the story of the Nativity.
A popular way to get guaranteed seating at this event is by use of the Candlelight Dining Package (available by calling 407-939-3463), where a reservation for a price fixe dinner at one of the Epcot restaurants will get you a ticket for a guaranteed seat at the event (as long as you're there by a certain time).
In a change for 2006, all meal times are during set windows based on the time of the performance to be seen. All seating times are now prior to showtime.
Those viewing the 5:00 p.m. performance will actually have their meal during "lunch" hours, with seatings between 1:45 p.m. and 2:45 p.m. This seating will carry a lower price tag than the two "dinner" seatings (see pricing below).
Those wishing to attend the 6:45 p.m. performance will need to be willing to eat dinner with seating times between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The 8:30 p.m. performance (moved back from 8:15) is the only one with close to "normal" meal times, with reservations between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tier 1 seatings at the Biergarten and Garden Grill restaurants (full buffet, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage) runs $27.99 for adults and $11.99 for children at lunch, and $29.99 for adults and $12.99 for children at dinner.
Tier 2 seatings at Nine Dragons, Rose & Crown, Restaurant Marrakesh and San Angel Inn (appetizer, entree, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage) runs $34.99 for adults and $11.99 for children at lunch, and $39.99 for adults and $12.99 for children at dinner.
Tier 3 seatings at Chefs de France, Coral Reef, L'Originale Alfredo di Roma Ristorante, Le Cellier Steakhouse and Mitsukoshi Teppanyaki Dining Room (appetizer, entree, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage) runs $39.99 for adults and $11.99 for children at lunch, and $45.99 for adults and $12.99 for children at dinner. Lobster entrees are specifically not included.
This year's narrators are as follows:
The ever-popular Illuminations: Reflections of Earth will feature the "holiday tag," a special ending taken from the finale of the old Holiday Illuminations show, which features the song "Let There Be Peace On Earth," narration by Walter Cronkite and 800 fireworks shells launched in four minutes. In actuality, the first three and a half minutes feature about 150 shells, allowing the narration and song to be heard. The final 25-30 seconds of music are drowned out by the remaining 650 shells, a finale amazing enough to astound even the most jaded of pyrotechnics fans, with the concussions tangibly beating against the spectators' bodies, even when viewed from as far away as the bridge between the Beach Club and BoardWalk Resorts.
As noted in an earlier article, the tag was so well done that, despite the sheer number of the blasts, it all still worked together. Of course, only Disney could get away with blasting that much gunpowder and creating that much light and noise to the tune of "Let There Be Peace On Earth."
Even the Voices of Liberty get into the seasonal spirit, performing in Victorian holiday garb. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
With all of those events, you'd think that it would be enough, but there are other live performances, including handbell ringers and choirs in the American Adventure rotunda.
Epcot is open from 8 a.m. until 1 a.m. on New Year's Eve, with an early evening showing of Illuminations and another showing at 11:40 with a special midnight finale. Dance parties will also be held at various locations around World Showcase. There is no extra charge for the special events.
Hollywood Holly-Day Parade | Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights | New Year's Eve
Aside from a parade overlay, the Osborne Lights and some décor, there is much less of a holiday feel at the Studios than at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, the resorts or even Disney's Animal Kingdom.
The Studios' Christmas tree sits in the open plaza outside the park's entrance. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
From mid-November until New Year's Day, the Disney Stars and Motor Cars parade receives a holiday overlay. The narrator voices talk about the holidays, the floats are decorated with season additions, and the parade becomes the Hollywood Holly-Day Parade.
Originally installed on property owned by Arkansas businessman Jennings Osborne as a way to delight his daughter, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights was moved to Walt Disney World in 1995 after the display proved too disruptive for his residential neighborhood. Installed on the Residential Street portion of the Backlot Tour, the lights were a popular seasonal attraction for park guests. When Residential Street was torn down to make way for the new Lights, Motors, Action! stunt show in 2003, the lights sat in storage for a year while work was underway to transform that area of the park. In 2004, they returned, this time on the Streets of America Backlot, installed on all of the building facades of all of the cities represented.
That first year in the new location, lights were packed so closely that street-level standing displays were almost invisible against the bright backdrop. In 2005, the displays were spread beyond the main streets and into the back alleys behind the MuppetVision theater, making it a bit more palatable, though still very overwhelming.
Perhaps inspired by all of the dancing Christmas light videos making the rounds of the Internet the previous year, the 2006 incarnation of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights has become the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights, with the addition of 400 computerized dimmers that allow groups of lights to turn on, turn off and dim in synchronization with Christmas music by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. A tremendous crowd-pleaser that brought roars of approval after each show, the lights are on nightly from 6 p.m. until park close (8 p.m., except for December 24-31). The new shows appear to be gaining a following large enough to compete with the fans of the dancing Lights of Winter in Epcot. We are making video of one of the various shows available (link). The video (in WMV format) is 320 x 240 pixels in resolution. Please note that the file is approximately 8 MB in size and may take a while to download.
The Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights is bigger and brighter than ever this year. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
The Disney-MGM Studios are open until midnight on New Year's Eve, with three showings of Fantasmic! and the Lights! Camera! Happy New Year! fireworks at midnight. The Osborne Lights will be on from 6 p.m. until midnight. There is no extra charge for the special events.
Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade | Live Entertainment
The park celebrates the season with a special holiday version of The Awakening park opening show, plus some holiday-themed entertainment.
The Animal Kingdom's Christmas tree, located in the open plaza outside the park's entrance, features animal-themed ornaments. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
The popular Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade gets a holiday overlay and special seasonal music with an international beat to become Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade.
Carolers perform thoughout the day on a stage near the character greeting trails in Camp Minnie-Mickey. They also make appearances in the Oasis. Santa Goofy's Wild Wonderland lets you visit with the big dog in his holiday garb. Other acts around the park perform holiday sets as well, including the Beatniks on Discovery Island.
Festival of the Seasons | Holiday Decorations | Live Entertainment | New Year's Eve
The parks aren't the only place dressed up for the holidays. The resorts and Downtown Disney get into the act, as well. With 11.3 miles of garland, 7 million lights, 300,000 yards of ribbons and bows and 1,360 Christmas trees across the property, it takes quite a long time to get it all set up.
And yes, all of the Christmas trees (except for those that are planted there year-round) are artificial. With the need to pre-decorate all of them, plus the need for them to be standing in locations without true planters for upwards of seven weeks, there is really no way to use live trees without them becoming bare of their needles well before they are taken down at the beginning of January.
The Holiday Services crew puts up the lobby's tree at the Saratoga Springs Resort the day before Thanksgiving in a last-minute push to complete the year's decorations. Photo by Mark Goldhaber.
Special holiday décor lights up the Downtown Disney Marketplace from mid-November through the end of the year. Santa will be available for meet-and-greets and photo opportunities. (Follow the red-and-green reindeer hoofprints from Santa's location to Guest Relations, where you can get your photos.) Of course, since the holidays are approaching and this is a shopping district, it's a perfect time and place to do your holiday shopping.
In addition to themed trees at each resort (such as sailing-themed ornaments on the Yacht Club tree), there are other holiday decorations at the resorts, and many Deluxe resorts get even more to display. Thanks to Disney pastry chefs, gingerbread architecture springs up to decorate many resorts.
The largest and most noticeable of the resort gingerbread structures is the 16-foot-tall Victorian mansion in the lobby of the Grand Floridian Resort, which serves as a point of sale for gingerbread cookies, miniature gingerbread houses and other fresh-baked goodness.
Other edible resort décor includes a working toddler-sized carousel at the Beach Club (but don't try to ride it), a candy-coated model village on a sugary rock mountain surrounded by a model train at the Yacht Club, a chocolate and candy toy shop at the Contemporary Resort (tended by an edible Pinocchio) and Santa's Workshop at the BoardWalk Resort (with a special BoardWalk train).
The 16-foot-tall gingerbread Victorian mansion at the Grand Floridian Resort took Disney chefs 400 hours to bake and 160 hours to decorate. Photo by Brian Bennett.
School bands, choirs and handbell choruses perform in resort lobby areas throughout the holiday season, with the Grand Floridian having the most extensive schedule from late November through Christmas Eve. Other resorts have performances beginning in mid-December, while others may only see a handful or even one performance.
In addition, more bands, choirs and choruses perform at the Dock Stage at Downtown Disney Marketplace.
Pleasure Island no longer has the big-name acts that it used to for the New Year's Eve festivities. Instead, DJs will spin various tunes island-wide and live bands will perform during the special event, which runs from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Special foods such as lime-marinated chicken, grilled mahi mahi tacos and petite steak sandwiches are included in the event's ticket price. There will also be a champagne toast at midnight and a fireworks display. Cost is $89 per person, and the event is restricted to those 21 and older.
Cirque du Soleil will again hold two performances on New Year's Eve, at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. From tuxedo-wearing ushers to special programs with limited-edition inserts to a special finalé with all audience members lighting glow sticks, the Cirque will present a special experience for guests.
A live band will entertain patrons at Atlantic Dance at the BoardWalk Resort. The event includes snacks and a champagne toast at midnight. Tickets go on sale at noon on New Year's Eve.
For more information on Holiday Celebrations at Walt Disney World, check out Mark Goldhaber's article from 2004 (link) and Mike Scopa's articles from 2003 (link), 2004 (link), 2005 (link) and 2006 (link).
