Does Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park have a Christmas holiday party?
Yes and no. Disneyland Resort does not have an after-hours Christmas party in the style of Oogie Boogie Bash—A Disney Halloween Party. However, special seasonal Holiday Time offerings are incorporated across the whole resort. So, while there is no separately ticketed Christmas party at Disneyland, the whole resort becomes a kind of Christmas party, and you get to enjoy it for the price of general admission. In some cases, you can experience Christmas offerings with no ticket at all! Keep reading for a quick overview of what is happening at Disneyland Resort for the holidays.
But wait… what about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or Disney Jollywood Nights? Yes, those are hard ticket Disney Christmas parties, but they actually take place at Walt Disney World in Florida and not at Disneyland Resort in California. Disneyland Resort does not have a special event Christmas party, but it does have a whole lot of special holiday offerings. That can actually make Disneyland Resort a great value during the holiday season, so let’s take a look at what is happening for the 2025-2026 holiday season at Disneyland.
When does Disneyland Resort celebrate Christmas and other winter holidays?
Disneyland Resort’s holiday time festivities officially last from November 14 to January 7 in the 2025-2026 holiday season.
However… some holiday offerings may leak beyond these dates. You may notice festive holiday decor going up before November 14, 2025 or lingering a bit after January 7, 2026. It makes sense when you see the vast volume of holiday decorations at Disneyland: it must take a lot of time to put those up and take them down!
It is also worth pointing out that Disneyland does not close for Christmas, Thanksgiving or other holidays.
Note that for the 2025-2026 holiday season some of the 70th Celebration in honor of Disneyland’s 70th anniversary is also mixed-in with holiday offerings.
Disneyland Christmas Fun Without a Ticket
The grandest holiday offerings at Disneyland Resort are-of course—inside Disney California Adventure Park and Disneyland Park. We are going to get to those, but we think it is worth highlighting that you can still find some pretty great stuff in the Downtown Disney District and in the Disneyland Resort Hotels. And the best part is that you do not need a ticket to access the festive finery and fun of the Downtown Disney District or Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa and Pixar Place Hotel.
We would not suggest cutting-short your time in the Disney parks to experience any of the ticket-free offerings, but they are great options for arrival and departure days during your Disneyland visit. We also think they work well for our highly recommended rest days. Additionally, if you happen to be in Anaheim for something like a conference, these could be nice diversions and easy ways to embrace the holiday spirit.
Admire Festive Decor All Around Downtown Disney District
The shopping and dining area west of the parks—the Downtown Disney District—gets all decked-out for the holidays. If you are someone who enjoys festive shop windows and lots of twinkling lights, you may enjoy just strolling around this area during the holidays.
Downtown Disney District also offers live entertainment. We suggest that you check-out the entertainment schedule to see who is playing while you are there. We are seeing some seasonal live music offerings from groups like The Sleigh Belles and The Sugarplums. Keep in mind that the Downtown Disney portion of the entertainment guide is not always fully filled in advance, and it is worth taking a look as your visit draws closer.
Not currently on the schedule at the time of writing is the nightly “snowfall” that has happened at Downtown Disney District during past holiday seasons. But, we would suggest keeping an eye out for that, because the Disney Parks Blog has indicated it will be happening again this season.
Pop Into the Disneyland Resort Hotels for More Christmas Decor
Each of the Disneyland Resort Hotels have holiday decor in keeping with their specific themes, and it can be really fun to check this out. Unlike Walt Disney World, all three Disneyland Resort Hotels are within easy distance of the parks and one another. You could take yourself on a nice little holiday tour of all three and catch some carolers if you are lucky. In particular, be sure to check-out the annual gingerbread house in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa (you can look for another gingerbread house when you visit Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland Park).
In addition to his scheduled time in both parks at Disneyland Resort, you can also find Santa at all three Disneyland Resort Hotels at various times between November 27 and Christmas Eve, 2025.
Have a Christmas Dinner (or Breakfast or Lunch) Party with Characters
Also in the hotels at Disneyland Resort, you can book a character meal, and for the holiday season, these meals are themed.
At Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, you can attend “Daisy’s Holiday Pajama Party” and eat breakfast or brunch at the Storytellers Cafe. In the evening, the same restaurant hosts “Mickey’s Christmas Carol Feast.” All of these meals feature characters in costumes fitting the themes. You get to visit with them—wave, take photos together, enjoy some mimed conversation—while you eat.
At Disneyland Hotel, Goofy’s Kitchen also has seasonal character meals for holiday breakfast, brunch and dinner. Chef Goofy and his pals show-up in vibrant holiday costumes while you partake of the holiday buffet.
Each of these limited-time holiday meals are offered between November 17, 2025 and January 6, 2026. We suggest visiting the restaurant websites in advance; both to make reservations and to understand the cost of these meals for the dishes being offered.
While the price of these character meals are relatively high, they do provide the chance to visit with classic Disney characters outside of the parks. You will pay for your meal, but you do not need a park ticket to attend these Disneyland Christmas character meals. Actually, you do not even need to be a guest of the hotels.
You Do Not Need a Ticket for Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail
For the 2025-2026 holiday season (again, that is November 14, 2025 through January 7, 2026) you can do a festive little scavenger hunt called “Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail.” You purchase a map and stickers and use them as a guide to finding hidden character ornaments all around Downtown Disney District. When you are done, you bring your complete (or incomplete) map to a redemption location for a holiday keepsake.
While this experience does cost money, the neat thing is that you can do it without buying a ticket to the parks. You just need to have access to the Downtown Disney District, and this is a great way to explore how that area has been decorated for the holidays.
Experience Rides That Have Dressed-up for the Holidays
If you are visiting Disneyland Resort from November 14, 2025 to January 7, 2026, you get to see lots and lots of festive decor. We especially appreciate that each land in Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park has on-theme holiday decor. So, Frontierland has a rustic Christmas feel while Cars Land has clever decor made from car parts and Buena Vista Street will welcome you into a 1930s new year.
Even attractions have special holiday decorations, and if you visit during the holidays, you will actually have the chance to experience the holiday version of several attractions.
2 Massive Holiday Ride Transformations in Disneyland Park
The two most elaborate holiday make-overs in Disneyland belong to “it’s a small world” and Haunted Mansion, which become “it’s a small world” Holiday and Haunted Mansion Holiday respectively.
Disneyland enhances the already stunning facade of “it’s a small world” with holiday lights and adds holiday music and decor to the ride experience itself. This is a must-do during your visit (but then I might be biased, as I love “it’s a small world” anytime of year).
In the same way that Jack Skellington and his friends commandeer Christmas in the film Nightmare Before Christmas, they take-over the classic Haunted Mansion attraction for both the Halloween and Christmas seasons. This is a complete overhaul, and the story, character, music and decor all change. Haunted Mansion holiday is a truly impressive transformation.
2 Fun Disney California Adventure Park Holiday Attractions
Disney California Adventure Park transforms two rides for the winter holidays: Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters, which turn into Mater’s Jingle Jamboree and Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl.
Both of the these rides are in Cars Land, and both have very light storylines. So, the holiday make-overs take the form of special seasonal music and decor. That may not seem like much of a reason to ride these two attractions for the holidays, but these rides are delightful. Cars Land does an absolutely spectacular job of decorating for the holidays with jolly and clever decor, and the songs on these rides are just good silly fun. The pun-ny names should give you an idea about what you are in for with these rides. We think they are worth doing. Incidentally, these two rides also have limited-time Halloween iterations.
Parade, Fireworks and Other Entertainment at Disneyland Resort
As I have gown older, I find my self appreciating the Disney parks entertainment more and more. The first time I saw Finding Nemo the Musical at Animal Kingdom, I could not get it out of my head, and now as an adult, parades actually bring me to tears. And, Disneyland Resort really presents some of their entertainment during the holidays.
Limited-Time Holiday Fireworks at Disneyland
”Believe… In Holiday Magic” is the special fireworks show happening on certain days from November 14, 2025 to January 7, 2026 at Disneyland Park. And unique to the winter holiday season, the show culminates in some “magical snowfall” along the Rivers of America, on parts of Main Street U.S.A. and near “it’s a small world.” I have lived in places where it never snows and in places that are famous for their snow, and there is still something wonderful about the “snoap” they use at Disneyland.
Keep in mind that Disneyland fireworks can and do get canceled because of adverse weather conditions. On these days, you can usually watch a modified projection show without the fireworks.
A Christmas Fantasy Parade and a Character Procession
A Christmas Fantasy Parade is special for the winter holiday season and features marching reindeer, toy soldiers and gingerbread cookies you do not see any other time of year. The Disney Christmas parade is just really really fun. Plus there are the classic Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie and the more recent additions of Elsa, Anna, Woody and Buzz on unique Christmas floats. And even though it is Mickey’s park, the grand finale belongs to Santa Claus.
This parade follow the standard parade route in Disneyland Park: down Main Street U.S.A. and around the east side of the castle by Matterhorn Bobsleds and on to “it’s a small world.” It runs between November 14, 2025 and January 7, 2026, but that does not necessarily mean it will run all of those days. We suggest checking the entertainment guide for updated parade times during your visit.
In Disney California Adventure Park, there is no parade, but there is a character procession with Mickey and Minnie plus popular Pixar characters. The Holiday Toy Drummers provide the marching music.
“it’s a small world” Holiday and Sleeping Beauty Castle Lighting
At dusk there is a special “lighting” of the “it’s a small world” holiday facade set to music, and the decor on Sleeping Beauty Castle “shimmer[s] to life,” also accompanied by music and “snow”. These are just little moments, but we think its these little things that set a Disneyland visit apart.
Extra Entertainment at Fantasyland Theatre
While Fantasyland Theatre at Disneyland Park is not hosting a traditional show, it does have a lot of other smaller-scale opportunities for holiday fun including: storytime, crafts, sing alongside and live music. Plus, you should also be able to catch some special holiday-themed character appearances.
Again, we suggest checking the entertainment guide or the Disneyland app to figure out how to fit these extra offerings into your holiday time Disneyland visit.
¡Viva Navidad! Street Party at Disneyland Resort
Now heading across the way to Disney California Adventure Park, you can join the ¡Viva Navidad! Street Party on Saturdays and Sundays. That means live music, dancers, puppets and some characters, including Mirabel from Encanto. Like everywhere else at Disneyland Resort, there is also themed food options nearby.
This is a popular offering that has become a tradition at Disney California Adventure Park, and is located mainly in the Paradise Gardens Park area. This is a unique offering that includes Disney characters, but also goes beyond Disney fare to draw upon rich traditions. We love it for that reason. Again, check that entertainment guide.
There is No Nighttime Holiday Show at Disney California Adventure Park This Year
One thing to note for the 2025-2026 holiday season at Disneyland Resort is the absence of a holiday specific nighttime spectacular at Disney California Adventure Park. You will be able to view the wonderful World of Color Happiness! show. However, the show is not modified for the holidays, so this is the same version that has been showing for the 70th celebration.
Disney Festival of Holidays
What is happening at Disney California Adventure Park from November 14, 2025 to January 7, 2026 is Disney Festival of Holidays. Disney calls this “a diverse season of celebrations with multicultural performances, festive food and fun for all.” So its not just a Disneyland Christmas party; it is a holidays festival.
Effectively, this means live music and opportunities for dancing, Santa at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and lots of food and merchandise available for purchase.
The centerpiece of the festival is probably the Festive Foods Marketplace where you can purchase food inspired by a range of cultural traditions. The marketplace usually consist of food booths with small plates and signature beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic.
As in the past, you can buy a Sip and Savor Pass to use at these booths. The pass has six digital coupons you can redeem for food and nonalcoholic beverages. The value you get out of the pass will depend on the food you order.
Disneyland Characters in Their Festive Duds
We already mentioned the opportunity to see characters in the parade and at character meals. But those are not the only places you can find characters at Disneyland during the holidays. If you love encountering rare characters or taking photos of characters in seasonal clothing, this is a great time to visit.
California Characters in Christmas Costumes
We have written about Mickey and Goofy hosting character meals. You can also find the Fab 5 (plus 2) in retro holiday outfits on Buena Vista Street in Disney California Adventure Park. Plus, Mickey and Minnie wear Christmas renditions of their 70th Celebration outfits on Main Street U.S.A. in Disneyland Park.
Also in Disneyland Park, you can find more festive characters in Fantasyland Theatre and in A Christmas Fantasy Parade.
Back in Disney California Adventure park, Mater dons a huge Santa hat in Cars Land, and nextdoor Marvel’s Deadpool hosts a storytime steeped in sarcasm. And, Miguel from Coco , Mirabel from Encanto and The Three Caballeros are all scheduled to make musical performances at Paradise Gardens Park.
That’s a lot of character and a lot of variables, so we really encourage you to use the Disneyland app to research their appearance locations and times. It’s just too much to guess or keep track of otherwise.
An Exclusive Holiday Event at Disneyland
And finally, if you are disappointed by the lack of a Christmas party at Disneyland and really just want to snag an exclusive ticket, you could consider the Disneyland Resort Home of the Holidays Guided Tour.
This is a two hour guided walking tour of Disneyland Park that includes a reserved viewing space for A Christmas Fantasy Parade, Lightning Lane access to Haunted Mansion Holiday plus treats and a tour keepsake.
This tour requires park admission in addition to a tour ticket.
Thanks for reading our post answering the question: “Is there a Christmas party at Disneyland?”
Yes, this post was much (much) longer than a simple yes or no, but we hope it gave a helpful nuanced answer to that question. No, there is no separately-ticket after-hours Christmas party at Disneyland Resort. But, the whole resort really turns into one big Christmas party from November 14, 2025 to January 7, 2026 this season.
We hope you have found this article helpful. For general Disneyland planning advice, we offer our free and complete Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep. If you are gifting your loved ones a Disney trip, we suggest our 12 Creative Ways to Gift a Disney Trip. And for other Disney gift ideas, see Disney Stocking Stuffers for Fans and Disneyland Visitors. Thanks again for reading, and please consider subscribing to our newsletter below.
