Disneyland at Christmas: A Guide to Disney Holiday Magic

Did you know that the happiest place on Earth becomes even more magical during the holidays? Disneyland at Christmas is probably the most decorated we’ve ever seen it – and we’ve been there for a lot of major holidays, including Halloween.

They somehow manage to transform the place into a magical world of twinkling lights, festive decorations, and holiday merriment. The attention to detail is truly unparalleled. From the towering Christmas tree on Main Street, USA, to the snow-capped castle, you’re fully immersed in Christmas.

One of the reasons we keep going back to Disneyland at Christmas time is that the attractions and entertainment are always changing. Throughout the park, there are treats at every turn. The characters are dressed in their holiday best, there are special parades and fireworks shows, and there’s a holiday slant to all the classic attractions. It’s like getting a new Disneyland every time.

This year we were even lucky enough to get tickets to KOST 103.5 Private Holiday Party at Disney California Adventure® Park. Let me tell you, a private party at Disneyland at Christmas is something quite spectacular.

Even if not for a private party, your experience at Disneyland during the holidays is one you won’t soon forget. If you’ve been considering it, you have from early November through the first week of January to experience it. Read on to see what you’re in store for.

Planning your trip? We’ve got tons of helpful Disney planning guides from our awesome list of 40 essential tips, to how to get to Disneyland, where to stay near Disney, what to pack, what to wear, where to park, and what to eat in both Disneyland and California Adventure.

Decorations You’ll Find in Each Park

Disneyland Decorations

• There’s a spectacularly decorated Christmas Tree on Main Street.
• Sleeping Beauty’s castle turns into a winter castle. You must stop for a photo opportunity! Every evening at 7:30pm and 8:30pm, you can catch the Wintertime Enchantment show where snow falls and the castle twinkles to life with lights. It’s a must-see.
• New Orleans Square is decked out with ornaments and holiday decorations.
• The iconic Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay adds a Christmas twist from Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
• “Its a small world” is decked out with festive lights and decorations. The façade of the attraction lights up every evening at 5:15pm, then every 30 minutes that is a holiday light show projected on the attraction.

California Adventure Decorations

• Buena Vista Street transforms into a winter wonderland filled with festive displays and twinkling lights. A 50-foot Christmas tree stands in the plaza outside of Elias & Co. There’s a Buena Vista Street Holiday Tree Lighting every evening at 4:50pm.
• The main street in Cars Land has car-themed holiday decorations.
• Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl will get you in the festive mood with a holiday swing around the dance floor.
• On Mater’s Jingle Jamboree in Cars Land you can listen to Mater sing holiday songs with his own person spin on the lyrics.

Events and Entertainment

A Christmas Fantasy Parade (Disneyland)

At Disneyland at Christmas time, there are a variety of parades and shows that the park has to offer. One of the main highlights is the A Christmas Fantasy Parade, where Mickey, Minnie, and the Gang, Santa Claus, beloved Disney characters from Frozen, Toy Story, as well as Disney Princesses on dazzling floats adorned with holiday decor, make their way along Main Street, U.S.A.

This 40-minute parade runs twice a day at 3:30pm and 6:30pm, though there is no guarantee. Make sure to check the Disney app for confirmation. I’d suggest arriving early to stake out a spot if you want to view it along Main Street because the area fills up fast. If it’s too crowded on Main Street, you can also see it from “It’s a Small World” or the Matterhorn Bobsleds.

“Believe…In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular (Disneyland)

You never want to miss a Disneyland fireworks show. They’re pretty amazing. At Christmas, the show is called “Believe…In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular. The fireworks are set off above the snow-covered Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle.

This 15-minute show starts at 9:30pm, though it can be cancelled for any reason – usually due to weather conditions. Make sure to check the Disney app to see if it’s on before you make your way there.

World of Color – Season of Light (Disney California Adventure)

At California Adventure, the show not to miss is the World of Color – Season of Light. It’s a nighttime water show with projections, water fountains, and holiday music. This is one of my favorites, because it happens in the most picturesque spot in CA (in my opinion, at least).

You have two chances to see this show each night. The first showing is at 9pm and is usually very packed. The second at 10:15pm has less crowds making it easier to get a good viewing place. Don’t worry that the park closes at 10, you won’t be kicked out.

How To See World of Color

There are multiple ways to see the show, but it takes a bit of planning.

• Easiest is to just arrive at the area early and stake out a spot (arrive at least an hour before the show). A good spot that doesn’t require a reservation is the bridge to San Fransokyo Square.
• There are reserved viewing areas for both shows. To get a spot, you have to reserve a spot through the virtual queue on the Disney app, which opens right at noon. Be ready to hit the button (spots go fast!). You will be assigned a show time and colored viewing area on the app.
• Get a dining package reservation. There’s a World of Color Dessert Package or you can eat at Wine Country Trattoria or Storyteller Café (for either lunch or dinner). You just tell your host that you want the dining package and you’ll get a voucher to enter a special viewing area for the show.

Note: The World of Color dining package isn’t available online or through the app. You have to mention it when you show up for your dining reservation. Dining packages aren’t guaranteed and are subject to availability.

Festival of Holidays (California Adventure)

This multicultural celebration takes place in Paradise Gardens Park. There’s live entertainment, festive food, and unique holiday crafts. This is where you can celebrate diverse seasonal traditions such as Christmas, Navidad, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa and Tree Kings Day.

The Festive Foods Marketplace celebrates many diverse cuisines. You can purchase a Sip and Savor Pass for $59 that gets you 8 tasting-size portions of the food and drink offerings, like braised pork belly adobo, savory kugel mac & cheese, togarashi karaage chicken sliders, and barbacoa tamal de res.

You can purchase the passes at the Sip and Savor Cart in Paradise Gardens Park, Seaside Souvenirs, and Festival Gifts within Disney’s California Adventure.

Disney ¡Viva Navidad! (California Adventure)

Disney ¡Viva Navidad! is a street party that celebrates the customs and traditions from Mexico and Brazil. You might even spot Mickey and Minnie dressed for the fiesta. It starts at 12:10, 1:10, 2:10, 3:45, 4:45, and 5:45 though it is not guaranteed. Make sure to check the Disney app for confirm showtimes.

Character Experiences

Of course no visit to Disneyland is complete without meeting the characters. It’s fun to see them wandering around in holiday attire. This holiday season Mirabel from Encanto is greeting guests along with Sally and Jack Skellington, Anna and Elsa from Frozen, and others. So keep your eye out for sightings.

A really fun feature of the Disney app is that you can find out where characters are in the park any time of day. From the home screen click the little location symbol next to the home symbol. Then from the down arrow, next to attractions, select characters. Look for the little Mickey on the screen and click on it to find out what character it is.

During the holiday season, Mickey Mouse and his friends host Mickey’s Happy Holidays. This is a cavalcade of some of your favorite Disney and Pixar pals dressed in their holiday best, winding their way around a parade route that goes from Paradise Gardens Park to Carthay Circle and around to Guardians of the Galaxy-Mission: BREAKOUT. It happens 3 times a day at 12:45, 2:30, and 4:30.

If you want to meet Santa himself, stop by Santa’s Holiday Visit in California Adventure. Look for Santa in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail at the Ahwahnee Camp Circle near the trails entrance through December 24th.

Downtown Disney

Downtown Disney also gets into the holiday spirit with beautiful decorations and lights. Along with all of the festive decorations there are events and performances to see.

You can listen to live music on the Downtown Disney LIVE! Stage located across from the Star Wars Trading Post. The lineup will offer a mix of Motown, rock, jazz and reggae. Check the Disney app for the entertainment scheduled that day.

Watch the snow fall every evening near Tortilla Jo’s and Black Tap Craft Burgers & Shakes. The snowfall will happen every half an hour between 6 pm and 10 pm.

To see a full list of events and special holiday food offerings check the Disney app or here.

Dining and Reservations

Holiday Food Options

During the Christmas season, Disneyland offers a variety of holiday food options throughout both parks. Many of the restaurants have special Christmas menus. You can do the Sip & Savor Passport to try lots of foods at the Festive Foods Marketplace. And at the Viva Navidad event, you can get authentic Mexican cuisine and Latin American-inspired dishes.

I strongly recommend that you take some time looking through the Disney app to see what holiday foods are offered. Every restaurant and food cart will offer some kind of holiday treat.

Mobile Order

This is one of our favorite tips. Mobile ordering is so fast and easy. From the park map in the Disneyland app, simply click the plus icon at the bottom of the screen and select “order food”. From there you can choose the restaurant and pick-up time, order your food, and pay.

If you’re looking for a quick bite or a full meal, there are lots of eateries available through Mobile Order. It is absolutely the way to go. No more standing in long lines to order.

You need to be aware that the pick-up time may be out an hour or two during busy times. It’s a good idea to check times in advance in case wait times are longer than you expect. You don’t want to wait until you are hangry to find this out.

Dining Reservations

To make the most of your visit, it’s essential to get dining reservations at some of the most popular restaurants in Disneyland Resort. This is especially important during the busy Christmas season.

Reservations open 60 days in advance at 6am pacific time. This is the best time to get the dining reservations that you are hoping for. If you miss the 60-day window, there are websites, such as mousewatcher.com you can subscribe to that will send you alerts when a reservation becomes available.

Hotel Reservations

If you’re looking to stay close to the magic, consider making a reservation at a hotel within walking distance of the park. This includes the 3 Disneyland Hotels, The Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, but also others that aren’t so expensive.

We’ve been many times to Disneyland and have stayed at many hotels both nearby and farther. We definitely recommend staying within walking distance. Believe me when I say that you won’t want to waste time.

Getting to Disneyland

These are the main airports to choose from to get to Disneyland: 

• John Wayne Airport in Orange County (SNA) – 15 Miles from the park. 
• Long Beach Airport (LGB) – 25 Miles from the park. 
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – 35 Miles from the park. 
• Hollywood Burbank Airport, Bob Hope Airport (BUR) – 45 Miles from the park.  

Drive times vary depending on the time of day. On-site car rental, taxis, and rideshares are available at all airports. Uber and Lyft are convenient options. Consider checking the price of both before deciding. Prices will vary depending on the time of day.

Shuttle services can be reserved in advance. Lansky shuttle car service has a complimentary 30 minute grocery/fast food stop on the way to the hotel and they provide car seats. Karmal Shuttle car service only goes to LAX and John Wayne Airport and they don’t provide car seats.

Planning Your Visit

Crowd Predictions

During the 2023 Disneyland Christmas Season, expect larger crowds at the parks. The holiday season is a popular time for families to visit Disneyland, especially during winter break. To help manage crowds, Disneyland implemented the theme park reservation system. Before your visit, check the available dates and make your park reservations at Disneyland.com/Updates.

To make the most of your time, arrive early in the morning before the parks reach peak capacity. Consider taking advantage of early entry if you are staying in a Disney resort hotel, or doing the rope drop. You can read all about rope drop here. Town Square, in particular, can be quite congested in the evenings, so plan to visit earlier in the day.

Ticketing Info

Purchasing tickets in advance is essential because you also have to make a reservation and sometimes there’s no availability left for the day you want to go. Get your tickets on the Disneyland website or app. Here’s a brief rundown of the process:

1. Visit Disneyland.com to access ticket options.
2. Choose the type of ticket that best suits your needs:
   • One park per day
   • Park Hopper (allowing access to both parks in one day)
3. Select the number of days for your visit.
4. Complete the purchase process.

Note: Make sure to check for any special promotions or limited-time offers.

Once you have your tickets, don’t forget to make your theme park reservations as they are required for entry during the 2023 holiday season.

Tips for Visiting Disneyland

Getting to and into Disneyland can be a challenge but not one that you can’t master with a few of our top tips. Here are some of the things we recommend everyone do to make their trip to Disneyland exciting and smooth. Read all of our 40+ Disneyland Tips.

1. Download the Disneyland App

You can and will do everything from the Disneyland app (Apple Store | Android store) before you leave, while you are there, and even when you get home. Mobile ordering snacks and meals is super easy. Check ride times, use the map to get around, and reserve lightening lane passes through Genie+.

2. Get acquainted with the park map

If you notice that a ride’s line time is short and it is in a land that is close to where you are, you should head there.

3. Use the lockers

Take advantage of the lockers that are in the park. There is one set in the cul-de-sac between Market House and Disney Clothiers and another to the left of the ticket turnstiles before you enter the park.

4. Go on the popular rides first

The first 2-3 hours the park is open are the golden hours when the lines will be the shortest. Go on the most popular rides early to avoid long lines later.

Frequently Asked Questions

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February 6, 2024