In this post, we cover everything you need to know about Christmas season at Magic Kingdom, the flagship park at Walt Disney World Resort. Below, you’ll find information on rides, decorations, merchandise, and entertainment for one of the most magical times of the year! We also cover Magic Kingdom during Christmas week, which comes with different offerings than the rest of the season!
About This Post
This post is meant to give an overview of Christmas at Magic Kingdom. Some photos from previous years may be used and while the decorations mostly stay the same, slight changes occur year after year. We hope to update the post with 2023 photos around the first week of November.
If you’re looking for information about the other theme parks, Disney resort hotel decorations, or Disney Springs, we have some links at the bottom of this post.
Basics of Christmas Season at Magic Kingdom
Over the first week of November, Magic Kingdom transforms from fall to holiday season. This includes new decorations, snacks, merchandise, a new show, and even a ride overlay.
Christmas week itself typically brings even more changes, with entertainment typically reserved for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party coming to the park during regular hours.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
It’s important to understand this post is not about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the ticketed event held on select nights in November and December. That party comes with unique entertainment, ride overlays, snacks, merchandise, Photopass opportunities, and atmosphere that (for the most part) you won’t get at Magic Kingdom outside the event.
If you’re looking for information on the Christmas party, check out our Guide to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party of 2023 is on November 9.
Magic Kingdom Christmas Decorations
Decorations are probably the core part of the holiday experience at the park.
When will Disney put up Christmas Decorations in Magic Kingdom?
The first Christmas decorations at Magic Kingdom typically go up overnight after the last Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. In 2023 that date is November 1, so we’d expect the first decorations to be up by the morning of November 2. This typically includes the tree at the front of the park. Over the next few days, touches are added and most everything is up by about November 5.
For the most part, only Main Street U.S.A. and the area around the castle are decorated. This is a constant source of disappointment to guests. You’ll find scattered decorations in other areas, but not a ton. Here’s a gallery of some decorations from years past. Most close-ups are from 2021, when the traditional red theming was replaced with more of a focus on gold, probably as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations:
And here are a pair of nighttime photos. In the past, the castle was decorated with lights, but those have been dropped in recent years.
Holiday Snacks at Magic Kingdom
The go-to resource for snack information is the official Disney Parks Blog Foodie Guide (2022 Edition). There you’ll find a list of the snacks available at all the parks, along with the locations and dates they’re available.
Besides the Foodie Guide, we recommend browsing through the mobile order menus and keeping your eyes open on signs throughout the park. It can happen that a snack stand gets something small (but delightful) that doesn’t make the guide.
New for 2023 - Frozen Holiday Surprise
Disney is debuting a new Frozen-themed holiday stage show in 2023:
For the first time in forever, guests will be able to join Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and the Snowgies in front of Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom for “Frozen Holiday Surprise,” a brand new “Frozen”-inspired entertainment experience that will illuminate the castle in a whole new way. This delightful new offering can be seen during regular park hours and during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Stay tuned to the Disney Parks Blog for more details on this exciting holiday addition.
Magic Kingdom Christmas - Jingle Cruise
The annual overlay of Jungle Cruise typically debuts with holiday decorations November 1 or 2. The sign and maybe the app will change to reflect the name of the ride as “Jingle Cruise” when the overlay begins. I don’t much enjoy the Jingle Cruise jokes—certainly not compared to Jungle Cruise—but it is nice to hear something different, and the decorations are great.
Once onboard the ride, your Cast Member skipper (guide) will tell some traditional Jungle Cruise jokes and some holiday-themed ones! Because the Jingle Cruise delivery hasn’t as much time to be perfected, it’s most of a hit-or-miss experience on the humor front. Here’s a look at some of the changes:
Magic Kingdom Holiday Merchandise
One thing you can count on is a huge selection of holiday merchandise. It feels like everything the park sells—clothes, toys, housewares, and so on—gets some sort of holiday treatment. Here’s a look at some of the 2022 merchandise:
Christmas Week at Magic Kingdom
Christmas week at Magic Kingdom is different from the rest of the season. During this week, Disney brings some of the entertainment usually reserved for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party to the regular experience at the park.
In 2022, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks replaced Disney Enchantment as the nightly firework show from December 23 through December 29. Then New Year’s Eve fireworks replaced Enchantment December 30 and December 31. Disney Enchantment then returned January 1, 2023.
Magic Kingdom also typically has extended hours during this week. This is the only chance to see most of the major Christmas entertainment with only regular park tickets.
Learn More About The Holidays at Walt Disney World
Want to learn more about Christmastime at Walt Disney World? For starters, we've got a Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World, which introduces you to everything you need to know.
Need more specifics? You'll want to read about the park that gets the most Magical decorations in our post on Christmas at Magic Kingdom. You'll also want to read about Flurry of Fun—the Christmas celebration at Hollywood Studios, the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, and the Holiday Celebrations at Animal Kingdom.
But the flagship event of the season is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party—and our guide has you covered with everything you need to know. Or check out the quick version in our 12 Tips for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
Last but not least, let's not forget that the celebrations don't stop at the parks! You can visit our post on Christmas decorations at the Disney World hotels to see how even the hotels get into the spirit!
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.