Everyone has personal preferences to consider when planning the date of their Disneyland trip- each season will have its pros and cons and guests' choices will vary based on those.
Make sure to read our Disneyland crowd calendar to get an idea of what to expect when picking a date to visit Disneyland. Keep reading for everything you need to know about visiting Disneyland in December including current events, what weather to expect, crowd level predictions, and what to pack! Don't miss our travel hacks newsletter! The holiday season kicks off at Disneyland November 12th and runs until January 9th So for guests visiting Disneyland in December your visit is going to be filled with magic from the Holiday season celebrations.
The amount of things to see and experience during the Christmas celebration is overwhelming because of the abundance of great offerings! We recommend reading through our Christmas guide so you have an idea of what to expect and what you want to see. A Christmas Fantasy is the name of the Disneyland Christmas parade which follows the traditional parade route from it's a small world to Main Street. This parade is a favorite among Disneyland guests and shows a variety of Disney favorites along with holiday characters like snowmen, gingerbread men, reindeer, and Santa himself.
This nighttime fireworks show features Disneyland themed Christmas music, breathtaking fireworks, and scented gingerbread snowfall in front of the castle. Disneyland pulls out all the stops for two of its most classic rides it's a small world and Haunted Mansion. The facade for it's a small world is transformed with thousands of twinkling lights and the tune of the ride changes to a Jingle Bells melody. The Haunted Mansion receives a Tim Burton Night Before Christmas theme which is so well done that some guests prefer this version over the original!
Both of these rides get busier than usual this time of year due to the popularity of these themes. Other highlights of visiting this time of year include seeing both Disneyland and California Adventure decked out in its holiday finest.
There will be enormous Christmas trees in both parks filled with incredible detail and thousands of lights. Sleeping Beauty's Castle gets a holiday makeover and is adorned with twinkling icicles, lights, and wreaths. Cars Land in California Adventure gets fully decorated with immense detail focused on the Cars movie- don't miss out on seeing those great decorations!
The celebration that takes place inside California Adventure is the Festival of the Holidays with international food kiosks featuring holiday food from all over the world and delicious holiday treats. Downtown Disney also gets the special holiday treatment with holiday decor throughout the downtown and inside the Disney owned hotels! Most guests don't realize you don't actually have to be staying at this hotel to hang out in the lobby.
At Christmas time, this is especially fantastic as this deluxe hotel pulls out all the stops for the holidays with decor, treats, and a larger than life Gingerbread House in the lobby. Guests can also enjoy an abundance of holiday themed food at the bakeries, restaurants, and the candy shops! One Christmas treat favorite for guests is the hand dipped candy canes that Disney has been making for over 50 years. You can also meet Santa in both parks, see our favorite characters in their holiday finest, and enjoy a plethora of great holiday shopping.
Universal Studios Hollywood celebrates Christmas with a fantastic celebration in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter that includes gorgeous decorations, a nighttime show on Hogwarts castle, and live entertainment. They also have an annual Grinchmas celebration which features characters, entertainment, and food offerings from the Dr.
Seuss classic. Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today, offers the best Disneyland discount tickets around. Christmas at Disneyland December means holiday time at Disneyland, or as some would say, Christmas at Disneyland. The decorations go up in mid November and stay past New Years this year from November 12 through January 9 Many schools close for 2 weeks during the weeks of Christmas and New Years.
This is a special time of year to visit Disneyland with your family. Yes Is Disneyland open on Christmas Day? Yes Is Disneyland open on rainy days? Yes, although most days are sunny in Southern California. When it rains, the park stays open. The characters combined with the catchy tune will have the parade playing over in your head for weeks after viewing.
The Plaza Inn usually offers a dining package for this parade during Christmas time. Reservations are recommended for all dining packages. You can meet Santa at varying times throughout the day in Critter Country. You can check the character app for available times. Over at California Adventure, there is plenty to see and do in terms of Christmas themes on classic rides, entertainment, food, and plenty of holiday decor.
Bell ringers and carolers fill Buena Vista Street with holiday cheer. These attractions are decked out for the holidays with lights, new tunes, and a fun twist on the holiday spirit that kids will love. Make a stop at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in Disney California Adventure park where you can meet and greet with Santa Claus and partake in fun holiday activities.
We recommend meeting Santa here because the lines tend to be much shorter than over at Disneyland in Critter Country. California Adventure celebrates the holidays with the Festival of Holidays which includes dining booths with unique culinary creations from all corners of the world and holiday entertainment throughout the parade corridors of the park. Festive Food Marketplaces at Disney California Adventure park: As part of the Festival of Holidays, the delicious mix of holiday dishes and beverages found at the Festive Food Marketplaces celebrate diverse cuisines, cultures and traditions.
You can find last year's guide to all the food and beverages offered here. This unique show is a gem. Find a time to relax in the Paradise Garden area and experience this fun holiday offering. Unfortunately, World of Color-Season of Light will not return for the holiday season. This is a special Christmas version of World of Color that combines holiday music with classic moments from Disney films. This version of the show is much better than the former Olaf holiday show that used to play during the Disneyland Christmas season.
The new show features timeless Christmas moments and a fantastic score. Returning this year to the Palisades Stage will be the Holiday Sunset Concert series with bands on select nights including:.
Downtown Disney also joins in on the Christmas Time fun with lavish lights and decorations throughout the area. There are a few yearly seasonal events you can look forward to at the Downtown Disney Restaurants such as:.
Ralph Brennan's Jazz Kitchen hosts a Gingerbread workshop building event that includes a buffet brunch, carols, and interactions with the chefs.
So altogether, all from 11AM-2PM for this event. Guests can also enter their gingerbread houses in the Best of the Best Gingerbread contest! Be sure to get your tickets in advance so you don't miss out! This popular event returns every year to Downtown Disney and is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike.
Be sure to buy your tickets far in advance so you don't miss out! Many people don't know this, but one of the most quiet, beautiful locations inside the Disneyland Resort is Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and Spa. The Grand California has a beautifully decorated lobby and it is a great place to catch a quick rest.
You can also meet Santa in the lobby of each of these hotels throughout the day. Disney's Grand Californian Hotel offers a decorating workshop where guests can build their own gingerbread house with the help of the same team who helped create the giant one in the lobby! This year's event will be held November 30, December 1, 11, 15, 18, 21, and Each participant receives an apron, and a selection of snacks, cookies and hot cocoa are served during the minute workshop.
Last year's event was only offered to guests staying at the hotel, this year they have opened up to all park guests! Call to book your tickets. The most popular Disneyland Christmas treats are the homemade candy canes. Disney makes three batches of candy canes with 40 candy canes in each batch. Every batch is carefully crafted by a Disneyland Cast Member—many of whom have been making Disneyland candy for years. Special wristbands are handed out each morning in Disneyland and Disney California Adventure to people.
You can see last year's Foodie Guide to all the Disneyland holiday treats here. Upon arrival at the parks, head immediately to either the Candy Palace in Disneyland or Trolley Treats in Disney California Adventure to pick up your wristband to get your candy cane.
The distribution of wristbands will not begin until the park officially opens. While I don't recommend spending your Extra Magic Hour , be aware that many people will begin to line up during this time period on days when the Disneyland candy canes are released. The surge of people from the turnstiles to the candy shops is unexpected until you try a candy cane for the first time. They are worth it. Both the Candy Palace and Trolley Treats have specific alternating days that they make the candy canes.
Annual Pass discounts are not applicable for purchasing a Candy Cane. We will update with the candy cane dates when we have them but for your reference you can see the dates below! For more information on Disneyland Christmas Candy Canes you can call the Disneyland candy information phone line here: The Disneyland Candlelight Processional is an annual tradition that dates back to Walt Disney's time and kicked off in Each year a celebrity narrator is joined by a massive choir for a retelling of the biblical story of Jesus' birth in front of Main Street Station.
This special event has four performances over two days during the first weekend of December. There are reserved seats for this Disneyland Christmas show that are not available to the general public. If you are in the parks you can stand along the white rope along the edges and take in this marvelous performance. This show is far superior to the Walt Disney World version of the Candlelight Processional which takes place in an amphitheater in Epcot.
For a truly magical Disneyland experience I highly recommend that you check out our complete guide to visiting Disneyland. The best way to save money on your Disneyland vacation is to book through a certified Disney travel agent. We highly recommend you always request a travel quote because a travel agent will almost always give you the best deal for your vacation.
Universal Studios Hollywood can also be a great addition to any Disneyland vacation. It can be quite affordable. You can find info on Universal Studios discount tickets on our page here. What are you most excited about at Disneyland this Christmas? Our best planning guides, tips to save money, and exclusive subscriber discounts right when you join our newsletter.
Is the third week normally busy? We are thinking of going the week of December 15th. Any advice? For years we have taken our kids out of school and made an annual day trip to Disneyland the week before Christmas the last week of school for most public schools.
It will become progressively more crowded as the week goes on. In general T-W-Th are good days any other time of the year, but be mindful that park hours change based upon the day of the week, so check that out on the Disneyland website.
That definitely increases guest volume but it may not be taking place in Thank you for adding your commentary Lenda. There will be two shows on both evenings. I visit Disneyland regularly over the Holidays but an accident has kept me away for last 2 years.
One thing I have found is crowds on certain days are not predictable. Weekends are always busy but some years Thanksgiving and Black Friday are jammed, other years they are not. Best times are very early and late late. Throughout the morning on Christmas day, Disneyland is relatively quiet. The crowds will pick up later in the afternoon, but it is quite a nice place to spend the morning. We have booked dinner at the big ranch thunder BBQ for the 18th of December….
And do they usually close down the big thunder ranch BBQ to make way for Santa. So if we were able to book dinner their, does that mean Santa will be relocated? Hello Amanda. Santa only takes up a very small part of the large area that is the Big Thunder Ranch. Your reservation is totally valid. Have a great dinner! I read Billy Hill and the Hillbillies will be playing, is this true? I thought they were disbanded earlier this year.
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