Christmas at Disneyland. Does it get any better? My family doesn’t consider our holidays complete without a visit to the parks to enjoy the festive Disneyland Christmas season.
From fabulous seasonal food to vibrant holiday decor and spectacular shows, it simply can’t be beat. I attended a preview of the Christmas season and the debut of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure so Trekaroo could bring all the details on the happenings during Disneyland Christmas 2024 to you!
Use this guide to make the most of your holiday season visit to the Disneyland Resort this year.
Is this your first trip to Disneyland (or the first time in a long time)? Here are our best Disneyland tips and the best rides at Disneyland Resort.
Disneyland Christmas 2024- Everything You Need to Know
When Does Disneyland Decorate for Christmas?
The official Disneyland Christmas 2024 season runs November 15 – January 6. As usual, Disneyland will be decked out in its holiday best with a massive, 60-foot Christmas tree in Town Square on Main Street. The tree has 3,500 lights, 1,800 Victorian-style ornaments, and 100 oversized faux candles. Holiday music is piped in, making the atmosphere cheery and fun.
Expect to see 80 wreaths, 120 bows, and 220 garlands measuring four miles in length on Main Street!
10,000 poinsettia and 10,000 cyclamen plants have been planted around the Disneyland Resort to keep the gardens festive as well. 300 additional trees are brought into the resort during this time of year to keep things extra festive.
The atmosphere is festive during the day but when the sun sets and the lights turn on, it becomes downright magical.
More than 25,000 sparkling lights drip down Sleeping Beauty’s Castle like icicles, and vibrant holiday decorations trim nearly every nook and cranny of the park. The ever-popular “Christmas Fantasy” Parade starring Santa Claus returns to put us all in the Christmas Spirit. Disney traditions continue with Disneyland’s “Believe… in Holiday Magic” fireworks show which is capped off with a snowfall finale.
Tip: Head to Disneyland mid-week during early to mid-December when the park is lower on crowds but high on holiday magic. Disneyland tickets are typically less expensive during these times as well. If you do visit Disneyland during weekends or busy holiday periods, take advantage of the extended park hours and Disney Genie + and Lightning Lanes to get the most out of your family’s Disneyland experience.
Tiana’’s Bayou Adventure and the Debut of Bayou Country
This year’s holiday season at Disneyland Resort also coincides with the grand opening of the long-awaited Tiana’s Bayou Adventure attraction at Disneyland as well as the new land- Bayou Country.
In addition to the new attraction, there are two new shops- Ray’s Berets and Louis’ Critter Club, as well as the new reimagined Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree quick-service restaurant.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
I’m not going to lie, my expectations were very high for this ride which replaced Splash Mountain. New Orleans is one of my favorite cities and The Princess and the Frog is one of my all-time favorite DIsney movies, so I was expecting DIsney to get this one right. Thankfully, they did what they always do and exceeded my expectations!
The ride has an immersive queue with photos of Tiana’s family, a scene from her kitchen, and other goodies to keep your eyes entertained as you wait to ride. Grammy Award-winning musician Terence Blanchard produced the music for the queue which includes new renditions of “down in New Orleans’ and Gonna Take You There” as well as “Do you Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans” sung by Leah Chase.
The ride is filled with Zydeco, Rara, and Afro-Cuban music as well as all your favorite characters from Princess and the Frog including Mama Odie, Louis the Alligator, Ray the Firefly, Prince Naveen, and Princess Tiana. There are 19 new critters on the ride which utilize the most advanced Audio-Animatronics seen in a ride.
There is still the famed 50-foot drop that riders look forward to, as well as several smaller drops along the way to keep things splashy. The finale scene is perfect and includes a new song, “Special Spice” sung by Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana.
Since the ride is new and will surely be very popular, Disney has set up a virtual queue that can be accessed via the Disneyland app. As of now there will be no standby line for this attraction.
There will be virtual queue enrollment times at 7am, 12pm, and 4pm daily. You can also purchase the Lightning Lane Multi Pass and likely gain quicker entry. The ride does have a 40-inch minimum height requirement but they also have Rider Switch available if you have a little one in your group and all the taller folks want to ride.
Hungry Bear Barbecue Jamboree
Those of us who aren’t still completely over the closing of Country Bear Jamboree in 2001 will be happy to now have a taste (literally) of the attraction at this new restaurant. Some of the Country Bears’ greatest musical hits are pumped into the seating area at the restaurant which is a complete delight for us Disney super fans.
This new restaurant has some great entrees like the Barbecue Pulled Pork Sandwich, Smoked Beef Brisket Sandwich, and Pork Spareribs. There is also a Smoked Barbecue Combo Platter with baked beans and coleslaw and my personal favorite- the Loaded Fries with pulled pork, queso, pickled onions and jalapenos, and topped with cilantro and scallions.
Their Funnel Cake Fries are sure to become a favorite, especially when they are amped up for this holiday season with Cinnamon Sugar-dusted with Caramel Drizzle, Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Topping, Holiday Sprinkles and crushed TWIX® cookie bar pieces.
Want more Country Bears? Keep your eyes out for a little tribute to the Country Bear Jamboree on The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride inside of Bayou Country.
Christmas at Disneyland Park 2024
It’s a Small World Holiday
For over 20 years, the ride we all know and love has transformed into a holiday wonderland with “it’s a small world” Holiday. The ride’s 300+ audio-animatronic dolls take a break from singing the namesake song and instead belt out Christmas music- Deck the Halls and Jingle Bells in 10 different scenes throughout the ride.
Guests will have a “scentsational” experience on this ride. There will be cherry blossoms in Asia, cinnamon in South America, coconut in South Seas, and pine and peppermint in Europe.
The attraction is especially worth visiting at night when the front facade is illuminated with 50,000 lights and 350,000 mini-lights light up the surrounding trees and topiaries. Every quarter hour, the facade also features a brilliantly-colored projection show. It is so cute to watch the clock open and see wooden dolls from various nations do their little parade.
This attraction is very popular to be sure to utilize the Lightning Lane to avoid long waits in the queue.
Fun fact: It takes two dozen cast members 35 days to install the facade outside and 18 days to decorate the interior!
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Haunted Mansion Holiday continues to enchant visitors with its seasonal tribute to Christmas as celebrated in Jack Skellington’s Halloweentown from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The ride is quite different from what you experience during the rest of the year and many regulars, my family included, think that the holiday version is even better than the original.
There are over 400 flickering candles and 100 jack-o-lanterns throughout the attraction. 7,500 square feet of snow covers the graveyard scene, and 1,000 tiny orange lights illuminate the trees. In all, more than two dozen additional animated figures are added to the ride during the holiday season.
For over 20 years a giant homemade gingerbread house has been in the Haunted Mansion ballroom and checking out the new house each year is something us regulars enjoy. This year’s gingerbread display took Disneyland Resort chef’s over 240 hours to create. The design features a Giant Gingerbread Zombie named Lil’ Franky, created by Dr. Finkelstein and his assistant Igor. It is five feet tall and six feet wide!
A Christmas Fantasy Parade
To celebrate the season, all your favorite Disney characters dance about during A Christmas Fantasy Parade. This parade first debuted in 1995 and has become an annual tradition. As a matter of fact, it is the longest running parade in Disneyland history!
Disney princesses, along with Mickey and his gang, make appearances alongside the guest of honor, Santa Claus. Marching tin soldiers, life-size gingerbread cookies, and rollerblading snowflakes join in the fun as well. There are 16 different parades in this festive parade, as well as two Christmas trees.
The parade usually runs a couple times per day but I prefer to watch it at night with the 25,000 lights adorning Sleeping Beauty castle in the background.
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Holiday Fun with Santa and Friends!
A new experience has been added to Disneyland Park for this holiday season. At the Fantasyland Theatre guests can meet Santa Claus and a few other favorite Disney characters. There will also be craft making and holiday sing-alongs to enjoy in this area.
Disney Christmas Food
An important part of any Disneyland holiday experience is enjoying some of the special treats which are only available during the holiday season. Every year specially selected desserts are available for purchase at several eateries around Disneyland. We tried our best to eat our way around the resort and barely scratched the surface!
Tasty treasures include the peppermint cake at Plaza Inn, peppermint holiday sundae and the peppermint cold brew float at Gibson Girl, holiday ornament macarons and Mickey gingerbread at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe, peppermint Mickey-shaped beignets with peppermint bark dipping sauce at the Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square, holiday wreath funnel cake at Stage Door Cafe, and a gingerbread sundae at The Golden Horseshoe.
For a full list of the holiday food offerings at DIsneyland, check out the Disney Parks Blog.
There are also a variety of gingerbread Mickeys, cookies, candy pops, cupcakes, holiday caramel apples, marshmallow snowmen, macarons, and festive churros that can be found throughout the parks.
Holiday Time at Disneyland Guided Tour
If you still can’t get enough of Disney during the holidays, consider taking the Holiday Time at Disneyland Guided Tour which will give you an up-close look at what goes in to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure’s holiday transformation.
In addition to the tour guests will receive reserved seating at the parade and holiday-themed treats. Reservations for this tour can be made online, at Disneyland City Hall on Main street or by calling (714) 781-8687.
Disneyland Holiday Merchandise
Another one of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is check out all the new merchandise. There are some extremely cute Christmas sweaters and jammies this year, and I couldn’t resist picking up a new Santa Mickey sweatshirt. I also found a Disneyland Christmas platter that I couldn’t resist and a Mickey snowman mug which had my name on it.
Loungefly backpack fans will love this year’s holiday gear and the holiday Mickey and Minnie plush are exceptionally adorable.
Ornaments are probably the most popular holiday items and you can get select holiday ornaments hand-personalized at the Plaza Point holiday shop on Main Street. You can also get ornaments personalized inside of Julius Katz & Sons in Disney California Adventure. These make for excellent gifts.
Holidays at Disney California Adventure Park
Disney California Adventure won’t take a backseat to its sister park during the Christmas season! Every year, DCA ups its game, creating its own winter wonderland full of fun! Santa can be found at the Redwood Creek Challenge as he has been in year’s past, but there is somuch more to get excited about!
Disney California Adventure Holiday Decor
Buena Vista Street is trimmed in its holiday best, complete with vintage-style ornaments. At the center of Carthay Circle is a 50-foot Christmas tree. Over on newly imagined San Fransokyo Square, themed garlands adorn the fronts of the restaurants. My favorite is the Chinese takeout-themed garland in front of Lucky Fortune Cookery.
Mickey’s Happy Holidays
“Mickey’s Happy Holidays” is a dance and sing along that has quickly become a DCA holiday tradition. Mickey, as well as various other Disney and Pixar characters, rock our to high energy music which is led by Holiday Toy Drummers.
Expect to see Mickey, Minnie, Chip n’ Dale, and even the Country Bears! The show runs twice daily as it makes its way through the park, stopping at Paradise Gardens and Carthay Circle for special show moments.
Christmas in Cars Land
Cars Land has been transformed into holiday wonderland- Radiator Springs style! Where else will you see trees trimmed with hub caps, bright orange tinsel encircling a tower of bright orange road cones, a snowcar, and a tow truck donning a Santa hat? Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters gets in the spirit as Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree is Mater’s Jingle Jamboree for the duration of the season.
The Cozy Cone Motel food stands have plenty of great holiday food offerings. Cozy Cone Motel 1 has a coffee chip churro. Cozy Cone Motel 2 is offering the Christmas Tree Cone which has peppermint soft-serve decorated with holiday sprinkles.
Cozy Cone Motel is offering a savory Chicken Pesto Cone filled with creamy pesto alfredo pasta, marinated chicken, balsamic glaze, bruschetta tomatoes, and Romano cheese. And finally, Cozy Cone Motel 4 has the Gingerbread Mule which is made with cinnamon whiskey, ginger beer, lemon juice, and gingerbread syrup.
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World of Color- Season of Light
Back for another year, World of Color-Season of Light is THE evening entertainment event of the holiday season in DCA. This water projection show features 120 characters from 30 Disney and Pixar films, including the ever-popular Frozen sisters, Anna and Elsa.
Over 800 lights and 1200 fountains bring this show to life. Several popular holiday songs accompany the production, including Feliz Navidad, Blue Christmas, Baby It’s Cold Outside, and Let It Snow.
Viva Navidad
We love Viva Navidad which celebrates the Hispanic culture that such a big part of life in Southern California. The Three Caballeros host a street party in front of Paradise Gardens. There are featuring Mexican folklórico dancers, mariachis, Brazilian samba dancers, and giant mojiganga puppets as well as appearances by Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse on bikes!
On Monday through Friday evenings head to Buena Vista Street to enjoy A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel. It includes an appearance by Miguell from Coco and a singing of “Silent Night”.
Mirabel’s Gifts of the Season
New for 2024 is this all-new street performance starring many of your favorite characters from Encanto including Mirabel, her sisters, and Bruno! There are several songs and lots of dancing to keep everyone entertained. You can catch this show Monday through Friday during the holiday season outside of the Paradise Gardens Arch.
Disney Festival of Holidays
One of our favorite parts of the holiday fun being offered at Disney California Adventure is the Festival of Holidays that celebrates the diversity of the season and cultural traditions from around the world.
There are some new performing groups to keep things fun as well as returning favorites like Phat Cat Swinger and The Mistletoes. They will be performing all over the park at spots like Sonoma Terrace, Paradise Gardens Park, and the Hollywood Sound Stage.
Several food, drink, craft, and merchandise marketplace kiosks line the main drag from the entrance to Cars Land to Paradise Gardens. Be sure to grab a Festival of Holidays booklet from one of the park kiosks so you don’t miss a thing.
There is so much to eat (and drink!) at the Festival of Holidays. We suggest purchasing a Sip and Savor Pass at any of the Festival Marketplace carts. It will come on a lanyard and can be used to redeem eight food and non-alcoholic beverages at the festival. This year instead of pull tabs your lanyard will come with a barcode and pin key to use at the cash registers.
Some of my favorites this year include the Sticky Toffee Pudding Macaron and Braised Pork Belly Adobo from Favorite Things, Barbacoa Tamal de Res and Cafe de Olla Cold Brew from Grandma’s Recipes, Savory Kugel Mac & Cheese from Holiday Duets, Al Pastor & Pineapple slider and Hot Butter Pecan Bourbon Cocktail from Winter Sliderland, Holiday Mash Bowl and M&M’s Peanut Butter Fudge Cake from Merry Mashups, and the Barbecue Pulled Pork Cornbread Bake from A Twist on Tradition.
Check out the Disney Parks blog for a full list of Disney Festival of Holidays offerings for 2024.
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Holidays at the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort
Be sure to stop by the gingerbread house in the lobby of Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa. The exterior of the gingerbread house resembles the outside of the hotel and stands nine feet tall! This year it will also feature Chip ‘n’ Dale in the same pjs theywear to the Mickey’s Holiday Pajama Party Breakfast at Storytellers Cafe inside of the hotel.
Hot chocolate and holiday-themed snacks will be offered at the nearby Grand California Hotel Lobby Cart.
Pixar Place hotel has 331 decorated trees celebrating 10 different Pixar films. There are over 6,500 ornaments on these tree and several were created by resort enhancement computer artists and glittered by hand.
If you are staying at any of the Disneyland Resort properties this season take time to check out their holiday displays, entertainment offerings, and special holiday menus. Disneyland Hotel features a retro theme with silver trees and bright colors.
Downtown Disney also gets into the holiday spirit with seasonal food and shopping as well as a capella carolers strolling and singing at night. They also have 12 decorated ornaments hidden throughout the district as part of the the new Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail experience which can be enjoyed November 22nd through Janaury 1st.
Guests can purchase an activity map at select shopping locations in Downtown Disney or one of the Disneyland Resort hotels to help their search and then redeem it at World of Disney or Disney’s Pin Traders for a holiday keepsake.
Lead photo by Disneyland Resort.
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