Walt Disney World Reveals 2023 Holiday Lineup

After teasing fans for several days, The Walt Disney Company finally announced its 2023 holiday events at Walt Disney World. Don’t let the calendar fool you, folks! The date may be June, but it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at Disney! Here’s what Disney just announced.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Returns 

One of the best after-hours ticketed events will return this year! Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will debut on November 9th and run through December 2022.

This year’s event will include tickets priced from $159-$199 per person plus tax. Disney will host 12 of these parties in November, followed by 13 in December. Here are the official dates: 

• November 9th-10th
• November 13th-14th
• November 16th-17th
• November 19th
• November 21st-22nd
• November 26th
• November 28th
• November 30th
• December 1st
• December 3rd
• December 5th
• December 7th-8th
• December 10th
• December 12th
• December 14th-15th
• December 17th
• December 19th
• December 21st-22nd 

As usual, Disney won’t host the event during Christmas Week. However, some of the parades and fireworks still operate. They’re free to all guests with valid park admission during this timeframe of Christmas through New Year’s. 

Tickets for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party go on sale to most fans on July 6th. However, anyone with Disney hotel reservations during the holidays – like Disney Vacation Club members! — will enjoy an early booking window. You can purchase your party tickets starting on June 29th. 

Disney has confirmed the return of several favorite events, including Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration and Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks. Also, Tron Lightcycle / Run will employ a virtual queue during the party, giving attendants a great chance at riding Magic Kingdom’s hottest roller coaster!

Disney has confirmed a new event this year as well. The previous lighting of Cinderella Castle won’t return in 2023. In its place, Magic Kingdom will introduce Frozen Holiday Surprise.

Yes, that sounds like the previous A Frozen Holiday Wish, but it’s apparently new, different, and better. The press release claims it “will illuminate the castle in a whole new way.”

Disney Reveals Jollywood Nights 

At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, I’m happy to report that Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM nighttime presentation will return this year. Based on the popular, wonderful Prep & Landing franchise, this show has become a holiday favorite at the park.

However, Hollywood Studios has upped the ante for 2023. This park will host its own after-hours ticketed event on ten different nights! 

Called Jollywood Nights, this event is available on the following dates:

• November 11th
• November 18th
• November 20th
• November 27th
• November 29th
• December 4th
• December 6th
• December 16th
• December 18th 
• December 20th

Tickets for this after-hours party range from $159 to $179 per person plus tax. The purchase window remains the same as Magic Kingdom’s event. Jollywood Nights tickets are available to guests staying at official Disney resorts on June 29th. For everyone else, the booking window starts on July 6th. 

The official announcement suggests that this party will operate from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. So, the park will close a bit early to regular guests on these dates. The paid attendants will enjoy a rare opportunity to explore Hollywood Studios and its E-ticket attractions at a time when the place is closed to regular guests. 

Jollywood Nights will host some other new offerings as well. At the Theater of the Stars, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will host a stage show during the party. At the Hyperion Theater, Disney promised a “spirited sing-along” but provided no additional details.

Disney confirmed that the Hollywood Tower Hotel lights projections would still take place as well. It sounds like business as usual everywhere that’s not doing something special for the party.

Like Tron, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will employ a virtual queue during this event. For this reason, on this date, you can safely skip the Lightning Lane and use that money toward the purchase of Jollywood Nights tickets!

Disney Confirms Other Holiday Offerings 

Disney offered a blizzard of updates this morning. Among them, park officials acknowledged that the Christmas Tree Stroll will return at Disney Springs. At EPCOT, the Candlelight Processional is coming back as well.

Speaking of this park, the 2023 version of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will run from November 24th through December 30th. The beloved storytellers and holiday musicians will return this year as well.

Fans of Jolly St. Nick are also in luck! Disney promises that Santa Claus will meet guests at all four Disney parks plus Disney Springs and one of the water parks! 

Notably, Disney avoided discussion of hotel gingerbread offerings today. The plethora of other announcements, some of them legitimate shockers, would have overwhelmed such details. 

We’ll keep you updated as we learn more about what Disney has planned for the holidays. After all, we’re technically only halfway to the holidays right now! Disney simply wanted to let us know that 2023 is shaping up to be the greatest celebration in Walt Disney World history. 

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