THE TRAVEL GROWN GUIDE TO

MICKEY’S VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS PARTY

WHEN TO ARRIVE:

The party runs from 7 pm to midnight.

But party goers can gain access to Magic Kingdom starting at 4pm. Get there early! The lines to enter get very long! Non-Party guests will depart the park at 6pm.

This year, they are giving each guest this cute gingerbread house ornament upon arrival.

As you head into the party, you’ll be guided to the right side of Main Street to grab your wristband and pick up your ornament.

If you’re already in Magic Kingdom before 4 pm, you can stop by one of the wristband stations—Tortuga Tavern, across from Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, or Mickey’s PhilharMagic— to pick up your wristband.

Be sure to get your wristband before the party officially starts, because cast members will be checking for them as soon as 6 p.m.!

Make Your Priority List

There is so much to do at the Christmas party that you will not be able to do it all. I recommend creating a prioritized list of your "must-hit" events or attractions vs. those that are not a priority.

I recommend prioritizing:

Main party events:

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show, and Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration. Plus the Frozen Holiday Surprise!

Attractions:

Head to the attractions with Holiday twist and other priority attractions that have longer lines on regular park days (such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tron, and the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure).

Cookie Stroll and/or Characters:

You’ll find treat stations all over the park where you can pick up cookies and festive beverages for no extra charge. You’ll also find fun character meets al lover the park. Pick a couple cookies and maybe a couple characters. Don’t try to hit them all.

Make sure you pick up a copy of the paper map as you enter the party. This will show you the exact location of all the characters and holiday treat spots!

Main Event Schedule

  • Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

    8:30pm and 11pm

  • Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration Stage Show

    7:40pm, 9:25pm, 10:35pm, 11:55pm

  • Frozen Holiday Surprise

    6:15 pm and 8:15pm

  • Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show

    10pm

What you should know:

Parade

The parade is a Must-Do. If you watch from Main Street, it will start “snowing” making it an incredibly magical moment. The second parade usually has lighter crowds, which is great if you’re hoping for more space. A quick heads up on parade timing: it starts in Frontierland and makes its way to Main Street, so it’s about 15 minutes before it reaches the Castle.

Spots on Main Street fill up early. The further down Main Street you go, the fewer the crowds, since most people don’t want to walk all the way to the front. If you want a front row spot, you need to start looking for that about an hour before the parade starts.

If the spot doesn’t matter to you, head over to Liberty Square near the Hall of Presidents.

Frozen Holiday Surprise

Consider watching this before the party starts at 6:15 pm. This will help you save some of your precious party time!

Fireworks

The Christmas fireworks only happen once a night, so they’re will be a big crowd. For the best view that combines both the fireworks and the projections, Main Street USA is the place to be. If you’re up near the hub, you’ll have an amazing view, but fair warning: that area fills up fast. If you are watching Magic Kingdom fireworks another night, my controversial opinion is that the Christmas fireworks are skippable. I like to watch them from behind the castle. But if you aren’t spending another night at Magic Kingdom, you will want to prioritize them.


Dessert Parties

You can also book a dessert party during the fireworks.
If you want to add this to your night, let your Adventure Planner know.

You have two options:

Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Dessert Party at Tomorrowland Terrace
Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Dessert Party with Plaza Garden Viewing


More Entertainment

  • Club Tinsel

    Dance Party at Rockettower Plaza Stage

    7 pm - midnight

  • Disney Junior Jingle Jam

    Dance Party at At Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café

    7 pm - midnight

  • Santa's Christmas Carnival

    Visit Storybook Circus to meet Santa and play some fun games.

    7 pm - midnight

Attractions with a Holiday Twist

Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway, Mad Tea Party and Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor have a special holiday twist available only during the party.

What you should know:

The most popular rides like Peter Pan’s Flight, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Tron, Space Mountain, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, can see big surges at the start of the night, but generally, the lines settle down as the night goes on. The last hour of the party is usually your best bet for the shortest waits (or during the fireworks!)

The Space Mountain Holiday Twist is absolutely worth it.
I won’t say more because it is a fun surprise!

Jingle Cruise is a ride that takes up a lot of time and does not change for the party.
I like to ride this one during non-party hours to save precious party time.

Meeting Characters

Character lines at the party can be all over the map—some are a quick pop-in, while others, like Jack Skellington and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, can run up to 2-3 hours! These two are famously some of the longest waits, so be ready for a bit of patience if they’re on your must-meet list.

  • Town Square Theater

    • Mickey Mouse

    • Jack Skellington

    • Captain Jack Sparrow

    • Moana

    • Friends from Aladdin

    • Mary Poppins

    • Princess Tiana & Prince Naveen

  • Princess Fairytale Hall

    • Anna and Elsa

    • Cinderella and Prince Charming

    • Rapunzel and Flynn Rider

    Throughout Fantasyland

    • Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip

    • Snow White and The Prince

    • Belle

    • Ariel and Prince Eric

    • Friends from Winnie the Pooh

    • Friends from Alice in Wonderland

    • Mirabel and Bruno

    Pete’s Silly Sideshow

    • Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, Scrooge McDuck

    • Stitch

What you should know:

If meeting characters is really important to you, just skip over the rest of this paragraph. Because I don’t recommend meeting more than 2-3 characters. If you see a short line, please, jump in it. If you have a must-meet character, try to get that done early. But don’t waste to much of your time standing in line. This is your chance to ride all the rides with short waits. I suggest taking advantage of that and spotting a lot of those characters when you watch the parade!

Jack and Sally usually start meeting guests not long after the unofficial kick-off, typically around 4:30 to 5:00 p.m. Heads up, though: only guests with their party wristbands can get in line to meet them.

Cookies & Festive Beverages

You’ll find “cookies and cocoa” stations around the park, each with a different cookie and often choices like cocoa, cider, or eggnog. Every spot has its own treat combo, so it’s fun to check out a few!

Lines for these treats can get a bit long in the first couple of hours, though usually not more than 10 minutes. Personally, I’d wait until later when the lines calm down—by around 9:15 PM, most of them are nearly walk-through. You can go through these lines multiple times too.

Look for these candy canes all over the park to find your treats!

Treat Offerings:

  • Gaston’s Tavern - Frosted Gingerbread Cookie and Hot Cocoa

  • Cosmic Ray Starlight Cafe - Sugar Cookies and Hot Cocoa

  • The Lunching Pad - Sugar Cookies and Apple Cider

  • Tortuga Tavern - Red Velvet Cookie and Apple Cider

  • Columbia Harbor House - Carmel Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie and Hot Cocoa