Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is coming back: Unwrapping Disney holiday plans

Eve Chen, USA TODAY
·3 min read
8

It's going to be a very merry Christmas at Walt Disney World and Disneyland.

Disney World is bringing back its popular Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party for the first time since the pandemic. The after-hours event was skipped in 2020 and last year, the Florida resort hosted a modified event, Mickey's Very Merriest After Hours – which cost more than Mickey's Very Merry Christmas parties of years past.

Disneyland's holiday celebrations will include the pandemic return of "World of Color – Season of Light" at Disney California Adventure Park as well as "Believe ... In Holiday Magic" fireworks, which made their pandemic return last year.

Here's what guests planning ahead should know now.

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“Believe … In Holiday Magic” fireworks lights up the night at Disneyland Park during the holiday season.
“Believe … In Holiday Magic” fireworks lights up the night at Disneyland Park during the holiday season.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party dates

This year's event will be held on 24 nights at Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

November 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, 22, 27 and 29.

December 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20 and 22.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party is not included with regular theme park admission. The specially ticketed, limited capacity event starts after Magic Kingdom closes to regular guests.

Perks include event-specific entertainment like the beloved Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks and Disney Junior Jingle Jam featuring Disney Junior characters. Guests also get free cookies and hot cocoa across the park, an unspecified holiday-themed 50th Anniversary commemorative keepsake, and shorter lines for attractions like Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor and Mad Tea Party, which are getting special holiday twists just for the party.

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How much does Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party cost?

Tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party 2022 range from $149 to $199, depending on the day. That's significantly less than the $169 to $229 range of last year's Mickey's Very Merriest After Hours. But it's markedly more than the $94 starting price of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party in 2019.

Other holiday happenings across Disney World

Guests who don't buy tickets to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party can still enjoy seasonal foods, decorations and activities across Walt Disney World. Here's what's coming back.

  • Magic Kingdom: Jingle Cruise.

  • EPCOT: Candlelight Processional, International Festival of the Holidays with Holiday Cookie Stroll.

  • Disney's Hollywood Studios: For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration, Santa Claus Merry Motorcade.

  • Disney's Animal Kingdom: Merry Menagerie puppet show, flotillas carrying Santa Claus, Goofy, Chip 'n' Dale and other Disney characters in their holiday best down Discovery River.

  • Disney Springs: Disney Christmas Tree Stroll, snowfall in Town Center, Jock Lindsey’s Holiday Bar.

Additionally, EPCOT's new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride will get a holiday soundtrack. Holiday-themed Magic Shots will be available with Disney PhotoPass Service, which requires a fee. And the Beacons of Magic that have illuminated park icons nightly throughout Disney World's 50th anniversary will have festive displays mixed in for the season.

“World of Color - Season of Light” paints a wall of mist with memorable Disney and Pixar movie moments as holiday music fills the air at Disney California Adventure Park's Paradise Bay.
“World of Color - Season of Light” paints a wall of mist with memorable Disney and Pixar movie moments as holiday music fills the air at Disney California Adventure Park's Paradise Bay.

Disneyland's holiday celebrations

Disney California Adventure Park: Holidays at the Disneyland Resort will return from Nov. 11 through Jan. 8, with a range of festivities.

Disney Festival of Holidays will celebrate a number of holidays including Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Diwali, through food, live music, and more, according to a news release.

"Mickey's Happy Holidays" features the musical stylings of the Holiday Toy Drummers and a host of dancing Disney and Pixar characters. There will also be a 50-foot Christmas tree standing on Buena Vista Street, among other seasonal attractions.

Disneyland Park:  The daily "Christmas Fantasy" Parade" features Santa Claus, characters from "Frozen," and Mickey and Minnie, along with floats, dancing gingerbread cookies and more. The Haunted Mansion will also once again become Haunted Mansion Holiday, inspired by "The Nightmare Before Christmas."  Travelers can find more details on the Disneyland website.

Contributing: Nathan Diller, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney World is bringing Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party back