Our ultimate guide to Christmas 2025 at Disneyland & Disney California Adventure offers tips & tricks for visiting during the holiday season. This provides info about seasonal ride overlays, fireworks, parades, entertainment, parties, decorations, and dates.
Christmas at Disneyland is now officially underway, and runs through January 7, 2026. We’ve already spent the first couple of days of the holiday season in the parks, braving a bit of rain and staying at Disneyland Hotel (which is already decked out for the season) for the Christmas kick-off.
We’re locals who normally visit the parks weekly, and Christmas is our favorite time of year at Disneyland. We’ll be making several visits to the parks throughout November and December 2025 (and probably another final visit in January 2026), and we’ll have updates throughout the holiday season. If you want to be notified when Christmas posts are published or other Disneyland news is announced, subscribe to our FREE email newsletter!
For those who are seasoned pros at visiting during the holidays, let’s start with what’s new and different for Christmas 2025 at Disneyland. If you’re hoping for a new parade, nighttime spectacular, or really any marquee entertainment debuting during the holiday season, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Honestly, we aren’t expecting much of anything new–even though it’s badly needed–for Christmas 2025 at Disneyland.
The reason for this is relatively simple: Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration is sucking up all of the oxygen through 2026. More importantly, it’s sucking up entertainment budgets. Since this celebration remains ongoing, let’s start with changes that Disney has announced for Christmas 2025.
Disneyland 70th Anniversary Changes
Select entertainment from the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration will continue during the holiday season. You’ll still be able to enjoy the “World of Color Happiness!” nighttime spectacular at Disney California Adventure and “Tapestry of Happiness” projection show on the facade of “it’s a small world” at Disneyland. The 70th enhancements will also continue on Toy Story Mania.
Previously, Disneyland announced that “Mickey and Friends Celebrate Happy!” cavalcade, “Wondrous Journeys” nighttime spectacular and “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” parade would temporarily pause at the start of Halloween to make way for seasonal Halloween entertainment offerings, then resume at a later time. These pauses will continue through Christmas and into early 2026.
Unfortunately, Paint the Night parade is on holiday hiatus and will resume sometime in 2026. This is a big blow, as Paint the Night is the marquee evening entertainment at Disneyland right now. It had previously been our understanding that Paint the Night would not pause, as Disney indicated it would run throughout the 70th celebration. (It previously was performed in addition to ‘A Christmas Fantasy’ Parade during past holiday seasons.)
Also note that “World of Color – Happiness” continuing at Christmas means that “World of Color – Season of Light” will not be presented for Christmas 2025. We’ll miss Season of Light, which is a sentimental favorite, but Happiness is a great version of the nighttime spectacular.
Finally, areas and attractions around Disneyland Resort will retain special touches, including decorative accents and the colorful castle photo opportunity in the esplanade. Interactive MagicBand+ locations and the Key to Disneyland lock stations will remain available through the season.
There’s much more to enjoy during this celebration, from special entertainment to the all-new Walt Disney – A Magical Life and more. Head over to our Guide to the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration to read even more detail about what’s to come for the big celebration.
New Christmas 2025 Character Costumes
As for what else will be new for Christmas 2025, the only confirmed addition is Minnie & Mickey Mouse plus some of their friends in sparkling new outfits. These designs are a “holiday spin” on their clothing from the Disneyland 70th Anniversary Celebration. Shimmering greens, reds and golds steal the show, with anniversary nods throughout. Beyond the mice, these characters include Goofy, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, and Clarabelle.
These costumes change every year and are a huge hit with fans, and make for fun merchandising tie-ins. Meeting the characters for Christmas can be a tad tricky. All of these meet & greets are in Town Square, but the locations aren’t clearly marked, the characters rotate, and most do not have PhotoPass. If you want to meet them, your best bet is being in Town Square between 9:45 am and 2 pm, which is when most of them appear.
Failing that, some of them are back out in the evenings. Those appearances are more sporadic, and characters are not out during the fireworks or parade. Another option is seeing them at the very beginning of the day, shortly after Disneyland opens and they appear at the Train Station; they also do the same thing at the end of the night. This is not a meet & greet, but you can get selfies and see them much more easily.
When it comes to what’s new for this holiday season, the character costumes are really the highlight. There’s also merchandise, food and novelty items–but that always changes seasonally. Otherwise, here’s a rundown of other recent highlights from last year that return again for Christmas 2025…
“Mickey’s Happy Holidays” and Holiday Toy Drummers
Families and kids will want to dance along to holiday rhythms as iconic Disney characters march along the Disney California Adventure park parade route to the beat of the Holiday Toy Drummers during “Mickey’s Happy Holidays.”
In addition, the playfully percussive precision of the Holiday Toy Drummers will delightfully drum up seasonal cheer for all to hear. The Holiday Toy Drummers perform multiple times daily at DCA during Festival of the Holidays, usually in front of the obelisk in Paradise Gardens Park.
“Mirabel’s Gifts of the Season”
On select days, Mirabel from “Encanto” and her friends rejoice in the spirit of the holidays, bringing everyone together during their very own Fiesta de Navidad celebration. Kids of all ages and families will enjoy singing along in this heartfelt musical presentation. Mirabel is also among the characters rotating at the Paradise Gardens Park gazebo, sharing holiday greetings and posing for photo opportunities.
‘The Story Time with Deadpool Holiday Special’ at DCA
After making his Disneyland Resort debut last year, Deadpool is back for more holiday hilarity and super special seasonal stories. You can see him during “The Story Time with Deadpool Holiday Special” near Avengers Campus.
This limited-time entertainment offering celebrates the season in the way only Deadpool can. At select performances, Wolverine may also stop by. Story Time with Deadpool at DCA is really good. I was skeptical at first and Deadpool isn’t exactly my jam, but I love it.
The Story Time with Deadpool Holiday Special is a toned down version of the character’s signature humor suitable for general audiences in a Disney theme park. There’s some innuendo, but the show is mostly sarcastic and self-referential, with a type of hyperawareness that resonates with “plugged-in” diehard Disney fans. He pokes a lot of fun at the company and its leadership, theme parks, and more. Basically, the Story Time with Deadpool Holiday Special is appropriate for anyone who is comfortable with the Simpsons’ level of humor.
“A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel!”
Also on select days, this nighttime show gathers friends and families to listen to heartfelt stories and timeless songs in an enchanting celebration of the holidays. Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland, accompanied by graceful dancers, delivers intimate, bilingual performances of beloved Christmas songs.
The celebration closes with a special appearance by Miguel from Pixar Animation Studios’ “Coco” for a beautiful rendition of “Silent Night.” (Last year, both of these shows occurred Monday through Friday evenings. No word yet on the 2025 schedule, but there’s a decent chance it’s the same.)
Both of these new entertainment acts were really well done. Neither measure up to Viva Navidad for us, but at least it wasn’t purely a budget cut. Instead, Disneyland was trying something new. These are just a few components of Festival of the Holidays at Disney California Adventure.
“Holiday Fun with Santa and Friends!” at Fantasyland Theatre
This family-friendly area returns for Christmas 2025 after debuting last year. Throughout the day, Santa Claus and select Disney characters will make appearances and pose for holiday photos at “Holiday Fun with Santa and Friends!” at the Fantasyland Theatre.
Families can also enjoy craft making, sing-alongs of holiday classics and atmospheric music. This is scheduled daily at Disneyland, and has various permutations throughout the year. If there’s a version of this happening during your visit, it’s worth checking out if you have small children. It isn’t well publicized so crowds are often low back here–it’s a good reprieve from the heat and crowds, although only the latter should be applicable at Christmas.
Holiday Time Guided Tour
Guests wanting to hear holiday stories about Walt and the Disney family can do so during the Holiday Time at the Disneyland Resort Guided Tour, which makes its return. This paid tour offers highlights such as holiday themed treats and reserved viewing for “A Christmas Fantasy Parade.”
All three Hotels of the Disneyland Resort will feature festive fun, including a massive gingerbread house inspired by pastries and candies on display at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and all-new décor at Pixar Place Hotel. The hotels will also have special activities and entertainment during the holidays.
In addition to holiday shopping and dining in the Downtown Disney District, guests can groove to a variety of “mistle-toe-tapping” live musical performances select evenings at the Downtown Disney LIVE! stage. On some nights at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disneyland Hotel, live entertainment will create a wonderfully cozy atmosphere.
Christmas Character Dining
There are also several Christmas character dining experiences to choose from this holiday season, including a brand-new character dinner experience called Mickey’s Christmas Carol Feast at Storytellers Cafe at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, as well as Daisy’s Holiday Pajama Party, where Daisy Duck and Donald Duck join the character lineup for breakfast and brunch at Storytellers Cafe.
You can also make memories at Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates the Holidays! at the Disneyland Hotel or partake in Holiday Tea with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Hearthstone Lounge at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. Advance Dining Reservations will be available soon!
Get into the spirit with a returning holiday-themed beverage menu at Broken Spell Lounge in the Disneyland Hotel, featuring creative twists on classics like hot chocolate and eggnog, paired with live jazz music on select days.
Now let’s turn to the tried and true planning advice for holiday time! Our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Disneyland Resort provides comprehensive info and tips & tricks we’ve learned over the course of the last several years for best experiencing the holiday season at Disney California Adventure, Disneyland, Downtown Disney, and beyond. It may not normally feel like Christmas in sunny Southern California, but Disney gets the parks into the true yuletide spirit!
This covers tips for everything: Haunted Mansion Holiday, ‘it’s a small world’ holiday, A Christmas Fantasy Parade, Candlelight Processional, Festival of Holidays, Disney California Adventure’s decorations and offerings, and everything else Disneyland has to offer at Christmas! We hope this thorough guide will prove helpful for everyone from first-time guests to yearly visitors.
Alright, now let’s get down to some of the things you need to know about Christmas at Disneyland…
When To Visit
Before we dig into this Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Disneyland, we should admit that we’re biased: November and December are our favorite months of year at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and the hotels. As Annual Passholders, we make an effort to visit Disneyland numerous times at Christmas every year. As much we love the holiday season, we have to concede that it comes with a big downside: crowds.
Unfortunately, Christmas started later than normal at Disneyland in 2025, which means crowds are going to be compressed a bit. This comes as a surprise, especially since Halloween at Disneyland was extended by two weeks, with a start date in August for the first time ever. For years, we’ve been advocating for both seasonal events to begin earlier, as demand and crowds are high for both and longer durations would help dilute that. So this is great news for Halloween. Not so much for Christmas, which will begin ~10 days later than normal, instead.
There are times when the parks are so slammed that you’ll think it’s spring break all over again. Luckily, Christmas lasts for nearly two full months at Disneyland, so you have plenty of options and days to choose. Not every single day is insanely crowded, though. To avoid crowds, consult our 2025-2026 Disneyland Crowd Calendars.
Regardless, you should definitely try to visit Disneyland at Christmas-time strategically to avoid crowds to the greatest extent possible. Earlier in the season is better than closer to Christmas. Weekdays have lighter attendance than weekends. If you are visiting Christmas week or the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, expect crazy crowds, as these are two of the busiest weeks of the year.
Speaking of NYE, if you do opt to attend on that holiday, see our Survival Guide for New Year’s Eve at Disneyland & California Adventure. It’s mostly the same as a (very) busy day during the Christmas season, but with a few twists about which you’ll want to know!
Christmas at Disneyland
Disneyland (park) is the most heavily decorated of all the US Disney theme parks. Main Street is unquestionably the most decorated of the lands, with New Orleans Square being second, and Frontierland and Critter Country having the next greatest number of decorations. Fantasyland and Toontown also get in the spirit.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Tomorrowland don’t get into the spirit of the season, as there will be no Christmas in the future or in outer space. Every other land does participate (to varying degrees) in the holiday season. Adventureland also doesn’t do much, but the rest of Disneyland features a variety of lights, garland, flowers, and other festive decorations.
In addition to Christmas decorations, there are several Christmas attraction overlays at Disneyland that are huge seasonal draws.
Haunted Mansion Holiday – Haunted Mansion Holiday is what happens when two holidays collide. Since October 2001, Disneyland has transformed its Haunted Mansion into an attraction inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas for the fall and winter, with this overlay that works as both a Halloween and Christmas attraction.
Jack Skellington plays Sandy Claws as he makes a good-faith, but wholly misguided, attempt at presenting his version of a Christmas celebration. His efforts are a fully-fledged “takeover” of the Haunted Mansion, complete with a giant cake in the Haunted Mansion’s ballroom that is custom-made each year (we consider this the highlight of the attraction).
Haunted Mansion Holiday is incredibly popular with guests (Haunted Mansion purists typically are about the only people who aren’t fans of it) and we think it’s a lot of fun and incredibly well done. Besides using the infrastructure of the existing Haunted Mansion attraction, it bears very little resemblance to the classic attraction. For all intents and purposes, it’s a brand new attraction. It gets popular later in the day, so we highly recommend doing it early in the morning.
Visit our dedicated ‘Haunted Mansion Holiday page for more information, photos, and our video ride-through of Haunted Mansion Holiday.
‘it’s a small world’ holiday – The classic children of the world attraction is transformed for the holidays, with the substance of the attraction itself receiving a shift to a peace on earth/happy holidays one. Everything from the attraction’s title song to large set-piece props in the attraction are changed.
Guests will experience three immersive scents during ‘it’s a small world’ holiday. In Asia, the beautiful fragrance of the cherry blossom will wash over guests. South America adds a classic holiday cinnamon scent, while the South Seas bring tropical flair with the smell of coconut to go along with the hundreds of iridescent bubbles floating through the air. These new scents are in addition to the fresh pine and peppermint candy that have been in the European scenes for years.
Overall, the most substantial addition to the attraction is the lighting added to the facade on the exterior of the attraction. Words don’t do it justice nor does the photo above. It’s truly something you have to see in person to fully appreciate. Because of these lights, ‘it’s a small world’ holiday can attraction much longer lines at night.
Normally, we would advise that you experience it earlier in the day to avoid these crowds. And we do advise you to do that. However, you’ll want to experience ‘it’s a small world’ holiday more than once, and you should make at least one of those rides at night. Floating into the lit facade is a great experience, and waiting in line isn’t all that bad because you have such a beautiful sight in front of you!
Visit our dedicated ‘it’s a small world’ holiday page for more information, photos, and our video ride-through of ‘it’s a small world’ holiday.
“A Christmas Fantasy” Parade — This parade includes six units, around a dozen floats, and approximately 100 performers. As far as entertainment goes, this is probably one of the biggest productions of the year at either Walt Disney World or Disneyland. From Fab Five characters to princesses to reindeer, toy soldiers, and even Santa Claus–it’s all there.
However, A Christmas Fantasy Parade has been around for over two decades, and it shows. The parade is good, but it does not even begin to compete with Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade at Walt Disney World. We still recommend seeing it as it is worthwhile, just in need of an update. Crowds for this parade can be an issue, especially on weekends. Try to see it during the week if you can.
There are usually two showings of A Christmas Fantasy Parade per day, and which you should see is a tough call. Viewing the earlier parade on a weekday means you’ll avoid the post-work rush of locals for the second parade, and will have lower crowds.
The first parade runs with the afternoon sun high overhead, whereas the second parade usually runs at dusk. It’s a long parade, so avoiding that sun can be a big advantage to seeing the second showing. Moreover, A Christmas Fantasy Parade is far more enjoyable at night (between lack of sun and the illuminated floats), so if you can handle slightly elevated crowds, the second parade would be our recommendation.
Believe… in Holiday Magic! Fireworks — Believe… In Holiday Magic! contains instrumental versions of many traditional Christmas songs after “Can You Remember,” with some pyro and effects on Sleeping Beauty Castle to match the tempo of the music.
As with all Disneyland fireworks shows, ‘Believe’ is routinely cancelled due to strong winds at higher elevations. Due to the show being cancelled so frequently, Disneyland has introduced an alternate version of the show with projections and other effects in place of pyro. If the full version cannot run, that will.
Due to the frequency of cancellations, we do not recommend camping out for hours in advance to watch the fireworks. Additionally, Main Street gets very crowded, so we recommend viewing the fireworks from the area around ‘it’s a small world’ holiday. You can see almost all of the pyro from back here (the launch zone is behind and to the left of ‘it’s a small world’), and it’s a good location for jumping into line for the ride as soon as it reopens after the fireworks.
Visit our dedicated ‘Believe… In Holiday Magic!’ page for more information and photos.
Candlelight Processional – Disneyland’s Candlelight Processional has been a tradition since 1958, with celebrities like Cary Grant, John Wayne, Dick Van Dyke, Gary Sinise, Kurt Russell and James Earl Jones narrating the Christmas story at the Main Street Train Station while the Candlelight mass choir is sings beautiful holiday songs. The Disneyland Candlelight Processional is expected to be performed only 2 nights at Disneyland, the first weekend in December, with two performances each night.
We did Candlelight Processional at Disneyland with Kurt Russell as the narrator, and we enjoyed it very much. It’s a much more intimate experience performed at the Main Street USA Train Station, and we far preferred the Disneyland version to the way it’s down at Epcot.
For more on this, including viewing tips and additional information, check out our full Candlelight Processional at Disneyland Tips post.
Plaza Point – Located at the end of Main Street, Plaza Point is a Victorian-era boutique envelops guests with the warmth of the holidays, decorated with garlands, nutcrackers and festive décor and offering Christmas-themed treasures year-round.
The small shop reflects seasonal holidays around the world with ornaments, housewares, linens and accessories. At times throughout the year, Plaza Point will feature other holidays such as Hanukkah, Lunar New Year, spring and Easter, and fall and Halloween. Due to its intimate size, this is best for browsing to see the decorations–you’ll find more Christmas merchandise this time of year in the Emporium and World of Disney in Downtown Disney.
With that, let’s head across the Esplanade to Disney California Adventure to see its Christmas offerings!
Disney California Adventure
Disney California Adventure has some great Christmas decorations, which have seemed to expand with each year since the park’s big overhaul wrapped up. At this point, the decorations at DCA are every bit as good as Disneyland’s decorations–some of them are even better!
Upon entering the park, Buena Vista Street dazzles with vintage-style ornaments, garland, and other displays, all of which are inspired by Los Angeles as it appeared when Walt Disney arrived in the 1920s. The 50-foot Christmas tree adorning Carthay Circle is absolutely gorgeous, as are the interiors of the shops, which evoke a bygone era of department stores.
Hollywood Land continues this same style, with decorations that are accurate to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles from that same era. Other lands, including Pacific Wharf, Paradise Pier & Pixar Pier, Cars Land, and Grizzly Peak also look resplendent with their holiday decor.
My personal favorites are the last two on that list–Cars Land and Grizzly Peak. For the latter, there’s snowfall, mason jars filled with lights, and other rustic decorations. Grizzly Peak and its adjacent airfield always look great, but the land is at its true peak during the holiday season.
Oh, and who could forget Big Marc (the gigantic bear outside Grizzly River Run) and his other bear homies around Grizzly Peak all sporting ugly Christmas sweaters?! Bears are so stylish that they can make even the ugliest Christmas sweater look like haute couture that belongs on the runway at Paris Fashion Week.
Grizzly Peak also has Santa’s Holiday Visit in the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, which offers a variety of special holiday-themed activities, plus a meet & greet with Santa and his sleigh full of mischievous elves.
Cars Land Christmas – Radiator Springs twinkles with the spirit of the holiday season as its locals have decorated their businesses along Route 66, in keeping with the personality of each car.
This is a disservice to the quality of these decorations–they’re really clever and totally “on-brand” for each character from Cars. Cars Land Christmas is fantastic. There’s even a whimsical Snowcar and “Season’s Speedings” Christmas billboard greeting guests as they head down Route 66 towards Radiator Springs Racers.
In addition to the (normal) Radiator Springs Racers, Cars Land receives two Christmas attraction overlays: Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree. Both of these are basically the normal attractions, but with Christmas music and some light decorating. Fun, but nothing like Haunted Mansion Holiday or ‘it’s a small world’ holiday over in Disneyland.
Festival of Holidays Entertainment – Festival of the Holidays at DCA celebrates Christmas, Navidad, Hanukkah, Diwali, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day. This year’s festival features an expanded rotation of live bands and cultural performance groups – bringing a variety of high-energy seasonal fun each day for all ages to enjoy.
This is DCA’s flagship holiday event, and it offers a ton: live entertainment, special traditions, craft stations, and more. The live entertainment across Disney California Adventure displays an extensive range of genres, including mariachi, jazz, klezmer, Latin pop, fusion, reggae, polka and more. Several new live bands and cultural performance groups will perform at the festival, with the exact schedule and lineup to be announced.
The Holiday Sunset Concert series features groups performing on different nights in Paradise Gardens Park. Additional Festival of Holidays entertainment includes musical and dance performances by Mostly Kosher, Blue13 Dance Company, The Sound, and the GRAMMY Award-winning Mariachi Divas.
Food Marketplaces at Festival of Holidays – In addition to live entertainment, Festival of Holidays also features numerous marketplace booths, each with seasonal snacks. When it comes to food, Festival of Holidays is a lot like the Disney California Adventure Food & Wine Festival, but with a yuletide twist. This is an excellent event that gives DCA a palpable energy during the Christmas season.
If you’re interested in snack recommendations, menus, entertainment info, and more, check out our Tips for Festival of Holidays at Disney California Adventure post. As covered there, we strongly recommend purchasing the “Sip & Savor Pass” (pictured above in Sarah’s hands) and snacking strategically!
Disney ¡Viva Navidad! – Disney ¡Viva Navidad! is a celebration of Latino holiday culture taking place in the Paradise Garden area of Disney California Adventure, which will be specially decorated for the holidays. The daily festivities include dancing and live music, crafts and face-painting for children, holiday foods at Paradise Garden Grill and BoardWalk Pizza & Pasta (and nearby carts), and meet & greets with Disney characters in special costumes.
On select days, the “Disney ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party” lights up the area with folklórico dancers, mariachis, samba performers and more, led by The Three Caballeros in a vibrant display of rhythm and color. (For reference, the Viva Navidad Street Party was scheduled Saturdays and Sundays last year.)
The street party is awesome, featuring the Three Caballeros on a holiday float, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse on street tricycles, flag-bearers carrying papel picado banners, Mexican folklorico dancers, samba dancers and drummers, plus giant “Mojiganga” puppets, including Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.
This is the sleeper hit of Christmas at Disneyland Resort, and is something every guest should see. Find time to fit it into your schedule, because it’s full of fun cultural offerings. For those Walt Disney World fans out there, it’s the kind of thing you’d expect EPCOT Center (the old Epcot) to deliver. Plan to spend a couple hours enjoying Viva Navidad…you won’t be sorry!
Where to Find Santa Claus at Disneyland
Direct from the North Pole, Santa Claus himself makes stops around Disneyland Resort for photo opportunities and to hear families’ holiday wishes. Say ho-ho-hello to St. Nick from November 14 through December 24, 2025.
As mentioned above, guests may find Santa Claus at the Fantasyland Theatre in Disneyland through Christmas Eve. At this venue, you can enjoy entertainment and activities during “Holiday Fun with Santa and Friends!” before he returns to the North Pole.
Likewise, Redwood Creek Challenge Trail at Disney California Adventure transforms into a jolly playground with games, festive activities, and a fun search for brightly colored presents along the trail. You can also meet Santa Claus here (this is our favorite Santa spot at Disneyland Resort).
From November 27 through December 24, 2025, Santa adds the Disneyland Hotel, Pixar Place Hotel and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa to his route around the resort.
Resort Hotels & Downtown Disney
Each of the Disneyland Resort hotels (Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel, Disneyland Hotel, and Paradise Pier Hotel), get in the Christmas spirit with decorations and entertainment. If you have some extra time during your Disneyland Christmas vacation, we highly recommend following the Disneyland Tinsel Trail Tour for our half-day plan to see the best of this decor via a free self-guided tour.
The Grand Californian typically receives the most decor, with a giant Christmas tree in its lobby many ‘woodsy’ decorations. In addition to the decor, there’s Christmas entertainment at each of the hotels. We can’t provide a specific schedule for this as it seems sort of random, but this ranges from Dickens Christmas Carolers to a holiday band to the traditional piano player in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel.
Then, of course, there’s the best Christmas “entertainment” of all, and that’s the Very Boozy Christmas at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar, at Disneyland Hotel.
The Disney Winter Village, which is a mix of decorations, live entertainment, dance parties, and ice skating is the main draw for Christmas at Downtown Disney. The skating occurs on “Olaf’s Frozen Ice Rink,” and has an added cost (plus skate rental, etc.).
Aside from this, Downtown Disney has its own holiday decorations, live entertainment on weekends and assorted nights, and many restaurants with their own holiday treats. With refurbishments ongoing at Downtown Disney throughout the next year, it’s unclear whether this Christmas season will be scaled back at Downtown Disney.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the Disneyland handmade candy canes that are made on various days throughout the holiday season. I’m not a huge candy cane fan, so I have no desire to wait in a long line 45 minutes before the park opens to get a ticket for a candy cane that cost $13+, but your mileage may vary. Our take is that these candy canes are probably more about hype and tradition than they are about taste. Is any candy cane really that good?
That’s it for our highlights of Disneyland Resort during the holidays. As Disney says, the Happiest Place on Earth, “Just Got Merrier” for the holiday season, and we totally agree. Christmas is the best time to visit Disneyland. If you’re taking your first Christmas visit to Disneyland, we hope you agree!
read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and tons of other places!
Your Thoughts
Do you enjoy Christmas Time at Disneyland? What do you like most about it? Any favorite holiday treats, attraction overlays, or other aspects of the season you enjoy the most? Do you have any questions we can answer about experiencing Christmas at Disneyland Resort? Hearing from you is half the fun, so if you have additional Christmas tips for Disneyland or any questions, please share them in the comments!