Where has this year gone? It’s almost September. Halloween stuff is already in all the stores. 2022 feels like it just started yesterday. Actually, 2002 feels like it just started yesterday; 2022 was like 15 minutes ago. Time is the greatest tragedy we’ll ever know.
Yes, I’m here to talk about Disneyland.
With the year rapidly coming to a close, it’s time to start thinking about Disneyland’s annual holiday celebration. Holidays at the Disneyland Resort start on Nov. 11, and will run at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Downtown Disney, and Disneyland’s three hotels through Jan. 8. Disneyland is more beautiful than ever during the holidays, and if you’ve never visited during that time, you might want to check it out.
Here’s what’s happening at Disneyland Resort during the holidays. The nighttime show World of Color—Season of Light returns to California Adventure, combining brilliant lights, tightly choreographed water, holiday songs, and music and scenes from Disney classics into a nightly spectacular. California Adventure will also be home to Disney Festival of Holidays, which features traditional food and drinks from various holiday celebrations (including Christmas, Hanukkah, Diwali, Navidad, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings’ Day), along with live musical performances, the Mickey’s Happy Holidays dance party, daily visits with Santa Clause, character meet and greets (including Mirabel from Encanto), and more.
Next door, at Disneyland Park, the “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade will march throughout the park, with Santa Clause making an appearance at the end. At night the show “Believe… in Holiday Magic” makes its return, with fireworks, projections on Sleeping Beauty Castle, and popular holiday and Disney songs. “It’s a Small World” Holiday will see that ride’s gorgeous show building covered in Christmas lights, with its unforgettable song performed as a medley with “Jingle Bells.” And Haunted Mansion Holiday, Haunted Mansion’s seasonal transformation into a Nightmare Before Christmas ride, will continue past Christmas and into early January, as it does every year.
Outside the parks, guests will be able to check out Christmas trees and other decorations at all three Disneyland Resort hotels: the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian, and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. Carolers will entertain at each hotel, and Santa will also be dropping by when his busy schedule permits. And Downtown Disney District, the shopping area next to the parks and the hotels, will also get a holiday makeover with decorations, music, and live performances, as well as special holiday-themed gifts and treats for sale at its various storefronts.
It’s been a few years since I’ve made it out to Disneyland during the holidays (blame that pesky coronavirus), but hopefully I’ll be able to fit in a trip this year. It’s truly my favorite time of year to visit Disneyland and the resort its grown into over the decades.
For more information on Holidays at the Disneyland Resort and its nighttime shows, check out the Disney Parks blog