Disneyland is a special place to visit any time of year, but during Christmas, it becomes extra magical as the parks are decorated for the holidays with several special offerings. Many consider Christmas at Disneyland their favorite time to visit, and for good reason. There are so many things to do and see between the holiday ride overlays, themed foods, special entertainment, dazzling decor, and more!
In this guide, we will cover the highlights of the Christmas celebration at Disneyland and everything you shouldn't miss. During the Christmas celebration, you can enjoy iconic offerings like A Christmas Fantasy Parade, snack on Mickey gingerbread and other festive treats, take a photo in front of the giant Christmas tree in Town Square, and much more.
While Christmas at Disneyland is a wonderful time to visit, it is also an extremely popular time of year and attracts large crowds to the parks, especially during the weeks when kids are out of school on winter break. We will share some of our tips for navigating the crowds and seeing all of the highlights during your visit!
Christmas at Disneyland starts in mid-November and typically runs through the first week of January. We will share the 2024 dates for Christmas at Disneyland below!
When Is 2024 Christmas at Disneyland?
Though we refer to this seasonal celebration as “Christmas at Disneyland” in this guide as it is commonly called, it is officially called the “Holidays at the Disneyland Resort.” At Disney California Adventure, there is a celebration called the “Disney Festival of Holidays” that celebrates various holidays including Christmas, Navidad, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day. The start date for this celebration is the same as for the festivities at Disneyland Park.
The Christmas celebration at Disneyland will start on November 15, 2024. The end date for the 2024 Christmas celebration has not yet been announced, but the celebration typically lasts through the first week of January. Last year, it ran through January 7.
Christmas at Disneyland Top Tips
Disneyland at Christmas is one of the best times of year to visit, but you'll want to be prepared with a solid strategy due to the crowd levels and popularity of special offerings. Here are our top tips for navigating Disneyland during Christmas!
- Visit early on in the celebration if you can. Crowds will get progressively bigger at the parks when kids are on school breaks. The holiday celebration in 2024 starts on November 15. If you can visit during November (avoiding Thanksgiving week) or the first couple of weeks of December, you can enjoy the parks without the massive crowds that will come when schools are on winter break. Take a look at the Disneyland crowd calendar prior to your visit and see if you can plan your trip during these less crowded times, as this will allow you to enjoy all of the holiday offerings without the added obstacle of huge crowds.
- Arrive at the parks early. If you are visiting during a particularly crowded time of the holiday celebration, one of the best things you can do to accomplish as much as possible during your day is to arrive bright and early at rope drop! In the mornings, Cast Members will begin letting guests in before park opening, and they will line up at the ropes blocking off the various lands. If you arrive early and are one of the first people in the parks, you can beat the crowds by riding several popular attractions with much shorter wait times before they start climbing in the afternoon. See our guide to Disneyland rope drop for everything you need to know!
- Prioritize Haunted Mansion Holiday at rope drop. The holiday overlay for the Haunted Mansion is very popular and the lines are always consistently long. We recommend heading straight there in the morning at rope drop so you can it ride again with Lighting Lane. You'll want to line up to rope drop in the direction of Adventureland and head straight towards New Orleans Square to ride Haunted Mansion Holiday. We recommend booking Lightning Lane entry for the other holiday overlay at Disneyland Park, “it's a small world” Holiday, after dark so that you can enjoy it while its facade is all lit up!
- Have a solid strategy for your day. While you may be able to wing it during certain times of year at Disneyland without a firm plan, you will definitely want to come prepared with a strategy if you're visiting during the holidays. Make note of everything you want to do during your trip ahead of time—entertainment, rides, foods, etc. so you have a clear sense of what you will need to prioritize. You'll get the most value of Lightning Lane Multi Pass throughout the morning into the early afternoon, as return times are quickly pushed out later into the day during peak times. You'll want to be very diligent about making the most of the service at the start of the day and avoiding booking far-out return times that will hinder your ability to make more reservations. Also, remember that you can keep refreshing the Tip Board to see if an earlier time opened up for your desired ride that you can switch to.
- Mobile order foods early. There are so many delicious holiday treats you can try during Christmas at Disneyland, and you'll find many of these at quick-service locations that offer mobile ordering. Mobile ordering, if used effectively, can be a huge timesaver during your park day as you can skip the long ordering lines at restaurants. When the parks are crowded, mobile order pickup windows can be pushed further and further out, so if you have your heart set on certain treats, we recommend setting up your mobile order pickup time early on in the day. You can always push your time back if another plan comes up during your pickup window. For some of the most popular holiday treats, we recommend prioritizing getting them early in the morning so that they don't sell out.
- At the Disney Festival of Holidays, order at one marketplace and pick up at another. The Disney Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure has multiple Festival Marketplaces around the park offering unique food items. Our top tip for saving time when enjoying these offerings is to take advantage of the ability to order all of the food items you want at one booth. Look ahead at the food guide and mark what looks of interest to you, then find the booth with the shortest line and order all of your items. You'll be given a receipt that you'll need to hold onto as this is what you'll take to each booth to get your food items. The Cast Members will cross out the item you picked up on your receipt and give it to you at each location. We also recommend looking at the map of the Festival Marketplaces first so that you can effectively plan your pickup route for items.
- Be prepared to stake out a spot for a few hours for a castle view of the holiday fireworks. Securing prime viewing for Disneyland entertainment always requires spending some time saving a spot, but this is even more the case during the holidays. If you want to get a castle view for the fireworks during this time of year, you'll need to be committed to spending around 2-3 hours saving a spot. For other entertainment like World of Color and the parade, there are options for dining packages that include access to a reserved viewing area, like the Plaza Inn Dining Package and the World of Color Dessert Party. These may be worth the splurge if you want guaranteed viewing for entertainment without needing to spend a great deal of park time holding a spot.
What to See at Disneyland Park During Christmas
There are so many things to see at Disneyland during Christmas between the special entertainment, decor, ride overlays, and more. Disneyland Park is where you'll find entertainment like A Christmas Fantasy Parade, special overlays like “it's a small world” Holiday, and more. Here are some of the highlights at Disneyland Park that you shouldn't miss!
Sleeping Beauty's Winter Castle
While Sleeping Beauty Castle is majestic year-round, it gets an extra special look during Christmas at Disneyland. Sleeping Beauty's castle features snow-capped turrets and a bit of extra winter magic with icicles, wreaths, and more festive decor. At night, the castle glows with thousands of beautiful twinkling lights.
During the evening, you can see a magical lighting ceremony in front of the castle that features snowfall! This usually takes place at 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm during the holiday season.
Disneyland Christmas Decor
All across the resort, you'll find Christmas decor adding to the spirit of the holiday season, with the most remarkable example being Main Street U.S.A. at Disneyland Park. In Town Square, you'll find a massive 60-foot-tall Christmas tree! This beautiful holiday icon is decorated with nearly 1,800 custom Victorian-inspired ornaments, 100 candles, and over 5,000 LED lights. As you walk down Main Street U.S.A., you'll be filled with Christmas cheer as you hear holiday tunes and admire the festive wreaths and garlands.
The entirety of the Disneyland Resort leans into the Christmas celebration with fun decor. During the holiday season, Resort Enhancement cast members will heighten the magic of the celebration by decorating with nearly 200 trees, 320 wreaths, and 8,000 feet of garland. To add some beautiful floral detail to the celebration, more than 25,000 poinsettias, cyclamen, and flowering plants are placed and planted around the resort as well.
Disneyland Park Christmas Ride Overlays
Disneyland Park has two very popular Christmas ride overlays for the Haunted Mansion and “it's a small world.” Both of these attractions come to life with some spectacular holiday-inspired magic!
Haunted Mansion Holiday is a Christmas overlay inspired by Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas that highlights what happens when “two holidays collide.” You'll spot characters like Jack Skellington, Sally, and Oogie Boogie as you explore this holiday version of the Haunted Mansion. There are several fun changes to the ride for its seasonal overlay, including a gingerbread house in the Grand Ballroom that gives off a gingerbread scent!
“it's a small world” Holiday is the other Christmas overlay at Disneyland. Perhaps the most spectacular part of this overlay is the facade, which is decorated with thousands of beautiful lights. You can check the Disneyland schedule for when the holiday lighting will take place, but it usually occurs at 5:15 pm each evening. It's truly a spectacular sight! Every 30 minutes, there is a light projection show on the facade. Inside the ride, you'll see dazzling holiday decor and the children from around the world singing the iconic “It’s a Small World (After All)” song along with traditional holiday tunes like “Deck the Halls” and “Jingle Bells.”
Disneyland Christmas Fireworks Spectacular
Disneyland Park has a couple of special entertainment offerings during Christmas at Disneyland. A highlight of the holiday season is the “Believe…In Holiday Magic” Fireworks Spectacular, a holiday-inspired nighttime spectacular at Disneyland Park. This fun show features holiday tunes, a dazzling display of fireworks, and snowfall on portions of Main Street U.S.A. and in front of “it's a small world” Holiday.
Disneyland Christmas Parade
Another fan-favorite holiday entertainment offering is A Christmas Fantasy Parade at Disneyland Park. This parade features Disney characters as well as toy soldiers, dancing snowmen, reindeer, and even Santa Claus himself in the grand finale! You'll see all of your favorite characters dressed up for the season on spectacular holiday floats.
This is a really special parade that is gorgeous both during the day and at night when the parade gets a bit of extra magic with stunning lighting. The song for the parade is particularly catchy and memorable, and the costumes and choreography are lots of fun. This is a can't-miss experience if you are visiting Disneyland during Christmas!
There is usually a dining package at Plaza Inn offered for the Disneyland parade that gives you a meal and access to a reserved viewing area. Details have not yet been shared for the 2024 holiday Plaza Inn packages, but you can see information from a past year below for reference:
- Meal Options: Holiday menu of turkey, macaroni and cheese, seasonal vegetables, stuffing and cranberry sauce with a holiday dessert. Vegetarian options are also available upon request. Kids’ meals combine chicken tenders and macaroni and cheese with a choice of side, holiday dessert and a beverage.
- Price: $39.99 per adult and $24.99 per child (ages 3-9) – tax not included; gratuity not required
Reservations made between 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM will receive a voucher for the day’s second performance of A Christmas Fantasy Parade. Reservations are recommended for all dining packages. You can make your reservation up to 60 days in advance on the Disneyland Dining site or by calling (714) 781-DINE or (714) 781-3463 between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM daily.
What to See at Disney California Adventure During Christmas
The Festival of the Holidays runs during the holiday season at Disney California Adventure, bringing special offerings like the high-energy street party Disney ¡Viva Navidad!, food marketplaces around the parks, the nighttime spectacular World of Color – Season of Light, and more. Here are some of the top highlights!
Holiday Decor for Buena Vista Street and Cars Land
Buena Vista Street is filled with festive decor during the holidays, including a giant 50-foot-tall Christmas tree which makes for a great photo! Cars Land is also all decked out in holiday decor like the cute Snow Car at the entrance, wreaths, garlands, and more Christmas fun. Be sure to stop by Cars Land during the holidays for some great photo ops!
Disney California Adventure Christmas Ride Overlays
Disney California Adventure has a couple of ride overlays for the holidays in Cars Land! These overlays add some fun holiday decor and music to these rides. Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters becomes Luigi's Joy to the Whirl, and Mater's Junkyard Jamboree becomes Mater's Jingle Jamboree. These overlays add an extra layer of fun to the festivities of Cars Land during the holidays!
Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure
A major offering at Disney California Adventure during this time of year is the Disney Festival of Holidays, featuring holiday entertainment and festive foods marketplaces around the parks.
The Festive Foods Marketplaces offer a variety of holiday foods inspired by different cultures. Dishes from last year include items like the Savory Kugel Mac & Cheese, Beef Brisket Slider, and Churro Toffee Cold Brew Latte. You'll find these marketplaces all around the park.
- You can purchase a Sip and Savor Pass that gives you eight coupons that you can redeem for select foods and nonalcoholic beverages at the Marketplaces. Recently, Disneyland also tested out a 4-coupon option as well for the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival earlier this year. Last year, this Sip and Savor Pass cost $59 for all guests and $54 for Magic Key holders. You can purchase these passes at multiple locations including the Sip and Savor Pass kiosks, Festival Marketplace Booths, Seaside Souvenirs, Kingswell Camera Shop, and Rushin' River Outfitters.
Disney ¡Viva Navidad Street Party!
An entertainment highlight of the Festival of Holidays is the Disney ¡Viva Navidad Street Party! It features several performers including authentic folklórico dancers, mariachis, Brazilian samba dancers, and drummers, as well as two giant mojiganga puppets of Santa and Mrs. Claus. You'll also see appearances from Mickey, Minnie, and The Three Caballeros! The stunning performances, vibrant visuals, and energy of the performance make it a must-see experience.
Mickey's Happy Holidays
At Disney California Adventure, you can also enjoy Mickey's Happy Holidays, a cavalcade featuring Disney and Pixar characters that includes a dance party with Mickey and friends as the Holiday Toy Drummers play. You can see the dance party at Paradise Gardens Park Obelisk and Carthay Circle.
Holiday Sunset Concerts
Another entertainment offering at Disney California Adventure during the holidays is the Holiday Sunset Concert series, featuring bands performing on the Palisades Stage on select nights. Last year, the lineup included:
- The Suffragettes- This festival cover band covers famous holiday songs on select nights.
- Phat Cat Swinger- The West Coast’s “Little-Big Band,” will showcase their swinging selection of irresistible holiday music.
- Blue13 Dance Company- This band presents a spirited tribute to Diwali through traditional Indian folk dances and Bollywood.
- Mostly Kosher- This band brings the spirit of Hanukkah in a concert that combines Klezmer, Jazz and Rock & Roll.
- The Sound- A cappella performance to celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa
- Mariachi Divas- The Grammy Award-winning Mariachi Divas bring the joy of Navidad to Disney's California Adventure.
World of Color – Season of Light
World of Color gets a special holiday theme during the Festival of Holidays called World of Color – Season of Light! This heartwarming version of the show features moments from Disney and Pixar films in a spectacular display bringing together classic films with newer additions, highlighting stories of friendship, family, and love. There are some really sweet moments in World of Color – Season of Light as well as some incredibly fun sequences like
Goofy's madcap musical light display! This is the perfect way to end the night after a day at the parks.
Meet Santa During Christmas at Disneyland
There are a few different places where you can meet Santa during Christmas at Disneyland! This can be one of the best photo ops during the holiday season for your kids.
Santa has a meeting spot at both parks. At Disneyland Park, you'll find him in Critter Country at Pooh's thotful spot. At Disney California Adventure, you can meet him at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. You can also meet Santa at the Disneyland Resort Hotels as well! You can see Santa at the Disneyland Hotel and Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa during the holiday season.
Disneyland Hand-Pulled Candy Canes
Each year, Disneyland continues its tradition of offering its famous hand-pulled candy canes. These candy canes are 18 inches long and weigh 5 oz! The Disneyland candy canes are extremely popular with guests, so we recommend prioritizing them first thing in the morning when you arrive early at the parks. Disneyland utilizes a mobile waitlist system where you can add your name and phone number at the location and then get a text back with a return time for your opportunity to purchase a candy cane. It's worth noting that guests have reported that it was easier to get candy canes later in the month and could do so into the middle of the day without a long wait.
Disneyland alternates between offering the candy canes at Candy Palace in Disneyland or Trolley Treats at Disney California Adventure, and a schedule is released each holiday season. You can see the schedule from last year below:
Candy Palace at Disneyland Park
December 3, 5, 10, 12, 17, 19, and 24
Trolley Treats at Disney California Adventure
December 4, 6, 11, 13, 18, 20, 25
Disneyland Christmas Food
Each year, Disneyland releases a food guide with a variety of holiday-themed treats that are available for a limited time during Christmas at Disneyland. These include a variety of fun treats like the famous Mickey Gingerbread! Special offerings will be available for multiple locations across the resort Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and the Disneyland Resort Hotels. Last year, Goofy's Kitchen offered a fun holiday-inspired Character Dining experience called Holidays at Goofy's Kitchen.
Grand Californian Lobby Gingerbread House
During the holiday season, the lobby of Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa becomes even more spectacular as it is decorated for the holidays with a giant Christmas tree! Each year, the Grand Californian upholds its tradition of displaying the “Grand” Gingerbread House. This masterpiece is 7 feet tall and 12 feet wide, created with more than 600 pounds of gingerbread, 600 pounds of powdered sugar, 250 pounds of fondant, and one pound of pixie dust, and features 25 hidden Mickeys!
The Grand Californian Great Hall Cart offers delicious holiday-inspired treats. You can also enjoy carolers performing in the Grand Californian lobby during the holiday season as well!
Disneyland Candlelight Processional
The Disneyland Candlelight Processional is a holiday tradition dating back to 1958. A celebrity narrator tells the biblical story of Jesus' birth with a large choir in front of Main Street Station. Past celebrity narrators have included names like Kurt Russell, Dick Van Dyke, Ginnifer Goodwin, James Earl Jones, and John Wayne.
There are four performances over two days during the first weekend of December. The reserved seats for the Candlelight Processional are not available to the general public, but you can stand along the white rope and watch.
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Wow that looks better than ever. I want to visit Buena Vista Street and Carsland this December.
Is the third week normally busy? I know most schools aren’t out until the week of Christmas. We are thinking of going the week of December 15th. Any advice?
For years we have taken our kids out of school and made an annual day trip to Disneyland the week before Christmas (the last week of school for most public schools). I would suggest Mon/Tues/Wed, Dec 14-16 as your best bets. It will become progressively more crowded as the week goes on. In general T-W-Th are good days any other time of the year, but be mindful that park hours change based upon the day of the week, so check that out on the Disneyland website. Also, I don’t know if the Candlelight Ceremony will be taking place on any of those dates. That definitely increases guest volume but it may not be taking place in 2015.
Thank you for adding your commentary Lenda. The podcast episode is from 2014 as we have not yet recorded this year’s Christmas planning episode. The 2015 Disneyland Candlelight Processional will take place on Saturday, December 5 and Sunday, December 6. There will be two shows on both evenings.
I visit Disneyland regularly over the Holidays but an accident has kept me away for last 2 years. One thing I have found is crowds on certain days are not predictable. Weekends are always busy but some years Thanksgiving and Black Friday are jammed, other years they are not. Best times are very early and late late.
Dear Christopher Joseph Disneyland Christmas
Does anyone have any information about visiting Disneyland on Christmas Day? Is it really busy?
Throughout the morning on Christmas day, Disneyland is relatively quiet. The crowds will pick up later in the afternoon, but it is quite a nice place to spend the morning.
We have booked dinner at the big ranch thunder BBQ for the 18th of December….so will they still have the Big Thunder Ranch Jingle Jangle Jamboree with Santa and his reindeer?…we were told that they wont have the reindeer this year. And do they usually close down the big thunder ranch BBQ to make way for Santa. So if we were able to book dinner their, does that mean Santa will be relocated?
Hello Amanda. Santa only takes up a very small part of the large area that is the Big Thunder Ranch. Your reservation is totally valid. Have a great dinner!
Are all these fun events still open during the time we are visiting the 24th of december-28th
Yes. Check the entertainment schedule upon arrival, but most performances should be operating.
I read Billy Hill and the Hillbillies will be playing, is this true ? I thought they were disbanded earlier this year.
As far as I know they are currently playing as Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies at Knott’s Berry Farm.
Please let me know how I can make the best out of this Christmas in Disney land for my granddaughters, thank you so much.
Hello Martha,
I highly recommend taking a look at our Disneyland planning guide for all of the information to have a fantastic trip with your granddaughters.
Enjoy!
Gavin
Hello,
We’re only a couple weeks away from experienceing Disneyland for the very first time with our daughter. We will be spending the week of Christmas at Disneyland. I haven’t began to create an itinerary. Our daughter is two years old and I want her to get the best experience possible. Do you have any recommendations on where to begin? I’ve looked at parade and firework show times and we have that squared away but what about during the day. What rides are age appropriate for toddlers in California Adventures and Disneyland? What would you recommend as far as an itinerary for those two parks over a course of three days? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you.
when do the christmas light shows end. do they go to the first of the year
I love Disneyland and hope to return in December 2016.
What are the Disneyland Christmas 2015 dates? Are decorations and Christmas parade etc. run to the beginning of January 2016?
The parade will run to the beginning of January, but there are no specific Christmas fireworks this year. The dates for Christmas are November 13-January 6.
We are taking our 6 year old granddaughter X-mas week. Which character breakfast and Christmas buffet would you recommend. Also best place to see the parade with her? Thank you in advance.
Take a look at our review page for info on all character meal reviews. My favorite place to watch the parade is in between the top of Main Street and the hub area. You can step into the crowd a few minutes before the parade and still have a good vantage point.
Does anyone know if getawaytoday.com is a legit disney ticket reseller?
Yes they are. I highly recommend them. Wonderful people with great customer service.
Oh ok thank you very much I just purchase my tickets with them!
Have a great trip!
Thank you Gavin for all of your attention and kind advice. During the Thanksgiving break are the Christmas decorations up, or is that December 1 or 4 or something? After your writing that Christmas weekends and week are the busiest of the year I’m trying to find a time to bring my 3 grandchildren so they aren’t overwhelmed with crowds. Many thanks!
Hello Nancy, the decorations are slowly being added to the parks. Everything will be up by mid November. Early Thanksgiving week is a nice time to visit because many of the Annual Passes are blocked out, so there will not be as many crowds. Have a great trip!
We are visiting Dec. 28-29 this year and can’t wait to see everthing. Thanks for your tips.
So glad to be helpful.
Hey Gavin!
Do you know if Sleeping Beauty’s Castle will definitely be decorated with all of the Christmas lights this year? I am visiting mid-December and I am worried that they won’t put the Christmas lights on the castle due to all of the 60th decorations. Do you have any idea? Thanks!!
The castle will remain decorated for the 60th Anniversary. Also, many of the other decoration pieces around the resort will feature diamonds in honor of the 60th DIAMOND Anniversary.
It was actually announced in the Disney Blog that the Castle will not have it’s Christmas Holiday overlay this year. It will have it’s 60th decor instead.
The castle is not going to be decorated this year for Christmas due to the 60th stuff. AT least that is what I have read.
Hi Gavin,
Great info! This may be of interest to your readers. I just updated my song “Going to Disneyland,” to reflect the holidays, “Going to Disneyland: Christmas Time.” The original song has been played all over the world and is a favorite in many homes and cars! You can stream it everywhere. Happy Holidays!
Please provide a link. I would love to listen, but was not able to locate your song.
Wondering if besides the popcorn containers for christmas do they have any giveaways in the restaurants with the desserts.
We have a group going Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday and Saturday. I am so excited. We are going for my 58th birthday (I was born in 1958 — Clever Huh?) One of my friends coming it will be her first time to Disneyland. I can hardly wait!! Thanks for all the info. Still trying to decide if we will make a mad dash for the candy canes!! LOL
I know I’m jumping the gun, but we plan on visiting in 2017 – and have never seen Disney decorated for Christmas!!
In terms of crowds – do you suggest trying to go as soon as the decorations are up in November? Or waiting a week or so after? We will be bringing our son who will only be two, so the less crowds the better! 🙂 thank you!
Thank you for this article! So helpful!
I’ve never been to Disneyland during December. We’re going first week of December. Any recommendations on what to wear clothing-wise? Not sure how cold it gets during day or night time.
Thanks! 🙂
It gets cold at night and can continue on to the morning. Bring a jacket everyday and dress in layers.
Hi, I sent an email before deciding to post a comment/question on here. Feel free to ignore one, but not both! 🙂 ha!
We are wanting to visit the park the Sunday-Tuesday right after Thanksgiving 2017. Trying to minimize # of days out of school/work. Going with both sides of family! I’m seeing conflicting information regarding the crowd size during our anticipated dates. Do you have any thoughts on the crowd size for those specific days? I’m sure Thanksgiving will be busy, but we also knew that weekdays would be less busy…not sure what to make of it. Thank you so much!
Ericka, Disneyland will be crowded during that time period, but less so on the weekdays. See the full when to visit Disneyland crowd calendar for more information. Any time during the week in the morning will be less crowded than during a weekend.
Thank you, Gavin! I will revisit that link again. A friend commented that at least we will have the most patience on our first day (Sunday after Thanksgiving, when it would the most crowded out of all our days) and then the next 2 days we will be able to enjoy it with a hopefully smaller crowd!
Thank you for all of the amazing information! This is a great site! We are wanting to visit sometime before Christmas, but want to have the Christmas experience that Disneyland offers. When does it start? We are thinking of visiting the week before Thanksgiving. Is this a good time to avoid crowds, but still experience the Christmas festivities? We also thought about the first week in December. What do you suggest? Thank you for any help you can give us!
Hi Gavin!
can you tell me what time of day the Christmas parade is at Disneyland? and where do you recommend viewing it?
The Christmas parade typically has two showings. One in the afternoon sometime around 3 pm and the other in the early evening. I like watching the parades either in Town Square or up by the hub. You can always see the floats well in these big turning areas.
Looking at booking a trip to take my boys for the first time over Christmas Holidays. If we did the park starting New Years Day through the beginning of January will it be so busy that we will regret it? Can we still have fun?
This is my absolute favorite time to visit Disneyland. You will keep your Christmas celebration going and will have a fantastic time.
I just got back from another weekend in the not so magic kingdom. The Candlelight Processional took over the park and made navigation impossible and ridiculous. Basically shuts down most of Main Street and there is very little information given to guests about all of the closures and inconveniences. Perhaps it looks pretty and they have a good message to spread to all, but it is billed as a private event. We didn’t see any of it. We walked back around it in disgust. Never again will I step into the park if this is going on. I would rather miss the whole season than have to deal with this mismanaged mess in the park.
Now for some better news…we got in line Saturday for Candy Canes in California Adventure. The gates opened about 7:35 and the line started right inside the gates. They then moved the line until it got to Trolley Treats where we were given the choice of getting one right then inside the store or a wrist band to get one by 2:30 at any register in all the stores along Trolley Treats side of the block. It looks like they had upped production and were still making them at 1 PM when we picked up ours. Happy about that!
Now about Small World Holiday. If you go in the morning, the line starts to grow. When we got there at 10 AM it was 15 minutes. 50 minutes later we got on. The kicker…if we had gone down to the Fast Pass distribution center we would have been able to get on about 10:30. In other words, the fast pass was quicker to pick up and get on the ride than just getting in line with out a fast pass. Check times carefully before waiting. They seem to give substantial priority to Fast Pass holders, unlike Holiday Mansion where they seem to let a lot of stand by people board along with the Fast Pass holders who are scanning their passes. And there wasn’t any second pass scan in the boarding area at Small World.
What is the date Disneyland has the entire park decorated for Christmas?
Christmas at Disneyland returns on November 9, 2018 this year. The Disneyland Christmas celebration ends on January 6, 2019.
Does anyone have any information about visiting Disneyland on thanksgiving day, Is it really busy?