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Disney World is a magical place any time of year. But, it is even more festive during the Christmas season. One of the highlights of Disney World’s holiday celebration is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about celebrating the holidays at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
We attended the Christmas party for the first time in November 2015. It was so much fun! We had a blast. I highly recommend it to anyone who is planning on visiting Disney World during the Christmas season.
The Details of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is held on select nights in November and December at the Magic Kingdom.
The party is held from 7 pm to midnight, but you can use your party ticket to get into the Magic Kingdom as early as 4 pm on the day of the party.
On party nights, the Magic Kingdom closes at 6 pm to regular park visitors. You will need to get a wristband for the party upon entering the park or before the party begins. Keep your wristband visible because Cast members will be checking for them throughout the night.
This is a hard ticket event, meaning that you must have a special ticket to attend the party. A general park admission ticket will not get you into the party. You can buy tickets to the party here.
Tickets range from $149-199 (excluding tax) per person for adults and $139-189 for children ages 3-9. The price varies depending on the date you attend.
Many of the parties (including almost every one in December) sell out. So, if you want to go on a particular night, you need to get your tickets early. They typically go on sale during the summer.
The Characters
The parties include event-exclusive entertainment, including special character appearances. Some of the characters can only be found at the parties. And some of them, like Mickey and Minnie, appear at the party in their Christmas outfits as opposed to their normal clothes.
Besides the characters listed below, you may see other characters at the party including Moana and the Country Bears.
For us, these special character meets are a big reason to attend the Christmas party.
Seven Dwarfs
The seven dwarfs only come out during the Christmas and Halloween parties.
The dwarfs are all together in one picture, and you definitely get to see their personalities. It’s very cute! But, don’t expect them to sign autographs though.
Even though the dwarfs don’t come out until the party starts at 7:00, you should get in line to see them early if you want to meet them. They are very popular, and their line gets long quick!
When we went in 2015, we got in line at about 5:30. By the time the dwarfs came out, the line was over 2 hours long!
Jack Skellington as Sandy Claws
Another very popular character appearing at the Christmas party is Jack Skellington dressed as Sandy Claws. His line tends to be pretty long too, so get in it early if you want to meet him.
He talks and is so funny! Sometimes, Jack is by himself and sometimes Sally is with him. This meet and greet is a lot of fun! Even if you are not a fan of Jack’s, I recommend meeting him at the party.
We waited for about 45 minutes to meet him. When we met him, my son was wearing a birthday button, and Jack discussed his favorite cake flavors with him.
Scrooge McDuck and Donald Duck/Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck
Another favorite character meet at the party is Scrooge McDuck and Donald. They share a line with Minnie and Daisy, who are in their Christmas dresses.
This is great because it allows you to meet four different characters while only waiting in one line.
The Fireworks
During Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the Magic Kingdom has special holiday-inspired fireworks. Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks is hosted by Minnie Mouse.
It combines fireworks that can be seen across the park set to classic Christmas music. It also features projections on Cinderella Castle.
One of the advantages of attending a party is smaller than normal crowds, making it easier to get a nice viewing spot for the fireworks on Main Street.
Normally, Main Street becomes a wall of people during the fireworks, so you would need to stake out a spot on Main Street at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the fireworks in order to find space. But during the parties, you have a little more room to watch them.
The Parade
Another highlight of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. The parade includes favorite Disney characters and Santa Clause, of course. It also includes toy wooden soldiers, playful reindeer, and dancing gingerbread men.
The parade is shown twice during the party, once before the fireworks and once after. The second parade is definitely less crowded than the first.
My favorite part of this parade is the wooden soldiers. I was so impressed with them! They march in formation, with some playing instruments. On their feet, they have taps, so you can actually hear them stepping in unison!
The gingerbread men are also cute.
Another fun part of the party is the snow which falls on Main Street USA during the parade and fireworks.
Ride Overlays
Another unique offering that you can experience during the Christmas party is some holiday ride overlays. There are currently four rides in the Magic Kingdom that get special holiday decorations.
The Tomorrowland Speedway gets tons of holiday lights and decorations, as well as special Christmas background music. It makes you feel like you are driving through a holiday light display.
Space Mountain also gets into the holiday spirit with Christmas lights and a holiday soundtrack. This one is really popular and gets long lines. So, try to hit it up right before the fireworks or parade.
Third, Monster’s Inc. Laugh Floor switches to a holiday show during the party.
Lastly, The Mad Tea Party gets a holiday overlay that includes special lighting and music.
Entertainment
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party also offers a variety of entertainment, including some stage shows, an a cappella concert, and some dance parties.
On the stage in front of the castle, you will find Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration where Mickey and friends enjoy the holidays.
In Tomorrowland, you will find Buzz and other Tomorrowland friends celebrating in the Totally Tomorrowland Christmas stage show or you can get your groove on at the Club Tinsel dance party.
There is a character dance party geared to smaller guests in Storybook Circus near Dumbo.
In Frontierland, you can listen to the Reindeer Wranglers, a country music band.
As night falls, Queen Elsa transforms the castle with icy lights.
Cookies and Cocoa
At various locations throughout the park, you can get complimentary cookies and cocoa to help your tummy get into the spirit of the season. This is a fun little way to add some extra holiday warmth to the party!
Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party
If you want to celebrate even more during your Christmas party, then Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party may be for you.
For $99 per person, in addition to the ticket for the party, you can attend this party within a party at Tony’s Town Square.
From 9:30 pm to 12:30 am, you can visit the restaurant as many times as you want to get savory hors d’oeuvres and sweet treats, as well as complementary beer, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks.
You also get access to a reserved viewing area for the 11:00 parade.
Conclusion
While 5 hours sounds like a lot, the party actually goes pretty fast. There isn’t enough time to do everything, especially if you plan to meet characters. So, you will need to carefully choose how you spend your time.
We chose to focus on the characters, parade, and fireworks. Because we attended the party on the first night of our trip, we decided to save the rides for later in our trip.
We really enjoyed Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The parade and fireworks alone were worth the price of admission. It was nice to experience the park with fewer crowds.
Anyone who is a fan of Disney and/or Christmas should experience it at least once. It is a great way to enjoy the season with your family.
For more information on celebrating Christmas at Disney, see my Christmas tips for Disney and gift ideas for Disney travelers.
For help planning your trip, see my step-by-step guide, my best resources for planning your trip, and my quick tips for planning.
For tips on meeting characters, see where to meet characters and tips on meeting them.
Happy travels!
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