With regards to the vacations at Walt Disney World, there are three questions we obtain greater than any others. A kind of is “when will Christmas decorations go up within the parks & resorts?” That’s what we’ll reply on this submit. (Up to date October 20, 2024.)
Simply in case you’re curious, the opposite commonest query is: “How do you get tickets to see the ABC Christmas Day Parade stay in individual at Walt Disney World?” (Sorry, we’ve got some unhealthy information on that one.) Rounding out the highest three, “when are Christmas decorations taken down? (Answered in our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World.)
As folks plan their Christmas journeys months prematurely, it is smart that this may be necessary data. This yr, Walt Disney World formally kicks off Christmas on November 12, 2024. Nonetheless, there are a few exceptions to this. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion in Magic Kingdom begins on November 8 and Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios begins on November 9. In contrast, the EPCOT Worldwide Competition of the Holidays begins after Thanksgiving.
In a standard yr, Walt Disney World’s Vacation Providers group all the time will get a bounce begin on Halloween by placing up the extra ambiguous decor in late October, and we’d anticipate that to proceed in late October 2024.
The groundwork is already quietly being laid for this at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the place infrastructure is now up for Sundown Seasons Greeting, snow on Sundown Boulevard, and extra. Throughout the subsequent few days, we’d anticipate to see correct decorations go up across the park. (To not be outdone, there’s already snow on the fort out at Disneyland!)
Later this week, anticipate to see tinsel stars in Hollywood Studios, luminaries in Animal Kingdom, and gingerbread home development at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, amongst different issues. A few of this–like gingerbread home development–essentially happens in October, because it must be prepared for the beginning of the vacation season and takes per week or longer to finish.
Should you’re hoping to see fully-fledged Christmas decorations at Walt Disney World, the excellent news is that they go up sooner than you may anticipate. No, not as early as the vacation aisles at Goal or Walmart, however adorning normally begins instantly after Halloween has ended. Like, actually in a single day proper as the autumn decorations go down.
One of many frequent misconceptions about Walt Disney World and the vacation season is that the entire decorations seem in a single day, suddenly. There are a number of explanation why it is a persistent city legend. For one factor, it was once true. Again when Walt Disney World was simply two theme parks and some resorts, the Vacation Providers group did virtually every part in a single day.
Second, as a result of Walt Disney World nonetheless releases time-lapse movies exhibiting the transformation of Principal Road USA from Halloween to Christmas. Largely, that does happen in a single day–however even that now normally takes two nights, not only one.
Lastly, it’s a matter of visitor notion. You possibly can go away Magic Kingdom one night time and see Halloween decorations in your approach out and enter the subsequent morning to see the scene magically reworked to Christmas. It’s a powerful sight to behold, and one that you simply is likely to be satisfied occurs “suddenly.” Nonetheless, not the entire particulars are there at that time, nor are the opposite parks completely embellished.
Anyway, notion apart, the fact is that Christmas decorations go up fairly early within the parks.
Regardless of the Christmas 2024 season not formally beginning at Walt Disney World till November 12, the fact is that decorations will go up earlier than then.
Final yr, Diwali occurred early and Walt Disney World put in lanterns and marigold flowers within the Asia space of Animal Kingdom, in entrance of the Andapur Theater District, to light up this area for the particular season. Referred to as the Competition of Lights, Diwali is well known for five or 6 days in several areas of India.
Whereas these have been the primary decorations to go up for the vacation season at Walt Disney World final yr, they weren’t the one ones put in in late October. Discovery Island Luminaries are additionally beginning to go up on the entrance of the park, and there’s no actual world vacation coinciding with their set up to clarify why that’s occurring. For the sake of reference, these have been put in on October 24 final yr.
This yr, you’ll be able to anticipate Magic Kingdom to be largely embellished by November 1, 2024 and totally embellished by November 3, 2024.
This can be a protected assumption as a result of many decorations will go up as Halloween decorations come down. It’s additionally essential to get Magic Kingdom executed rapidly as a result of the primary Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Occasion might be held round November 8, 2024. Usually, the park is totally embellished by then.
Even earlier than the primary MVMCP, it’s seemingly that the primary ‘Frozen Vacation Shock’ will debut. In earlier years, Magic Kingdom was totally embellished by the point that debuted. That ought to additional slender down the vary that decorations will seem within the park, however we’d anticipate adorning to be executed nicely earlier than November 7, 2024.
(It was once the case that the Christmas tree didn’t go up till after the ABC Christmas Day Parade was filmed, as cameras have been positioned in City Sq.. That hasn’t been the case for years; now, the Christmas tree goes up in early November and crews handle to shoot round it.)
One other factor that’ll happen early is Jungle Cruise’s transformation into Jingle Cruise! This occurs in a single day, which means that the trip is not closed for the overlay. It merely ends at some point as Jungle Cruise and magically begins the subsequent as Jingle Cruise.
Walt Disney World has already confirmed that Jingle Cruise will begin on November 2, 2024. Starting on that date, friends can expertise this wild attraction wrapped with festive jokes and much more enjoyable recollections, one thing friends of all ages look ahead to each single yr.
Jingle Cruise beginning on Nov. 2 additional reinforces our above prediction that Magic Kingdom’s vacation transformation will happen in a single day in two evenings after Halloween ends. Jingle Cruise is a part of that–so it’s all however sure that the remainder of the adorning will likewise be executed by the second day of November.
Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios might be subsequent up after Magic Kingdom.
The timeline with each of those parks is rather less sure. Animal Kingdom and DHS have been identified to place up extra ‘ambiguous’ vacation decorations in late October (see above). The truth is, the tinsel stars at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are normally the very first decorations to go up at Walt Disney World, typically showing by the second to final week of October.
There are quite a lot of decorations that might be seen through the daytime hours, however the completed product gained’t be prepared and the lights seemingly won’t be lit up at night time till nearer to the official begin date of Christmas 2024.
Disney Springs additionally begins its Christmas choices in early November. Typically that occurs step by step, so anticipate some objects to not be up till the next week. That’s the excellent news.
Epcot is the final park to get in on the vacation time enjoyable, and that’s as a result of the profitable Epcot Worldwide Meals & Wine Competition runs till late November. Consequently, adorning for Epcot will start earlier than Thanksgiving and end by November 24.
On account of the entire development at Epcot, don’t anticipate the entrance of the park to obtain intensive decorations this yr. The Epcot Worldwide Competition of the Holidays ought to be sure that World Showcase receives its regular decor for every pavilion.
The resort resorts are the true wildcard. Final yr, decorations went up a couple of week sooner than regular all through the resorts. We’re anticipating that this pattern will proceed, with virtually all main resorts (Deluxe and Average Resorts) having their Christmas bushes, gingerbread shows, and so forth. up by mid-November.
Gingerbread shows are normally prioritized, seemingly as a result of these are accompanied by snack stand kiosks that generate income promoting snacks. The dates for these are extremely variable. The groups that do a few of the fabrication and set up work normally begin at Grand Floridian in late October or early November, then transfer on to the Modern, adopted by the Crescent Lake resorts. This can be a course of, and takes longer than the remainder of the decorations–regardless that there are far fewer resorts that get the gingerbread homes.
Often, Vacation Providers can do a complete resort in a single night time, with groups deployed to a number of resorts concurrently. Which means, for example, Wilderness Lodge (normally executed in mid-November) might be fully reworked into the Christmas spirit in a single day–in the identical night that Coronado Springs, for instance, receives its vacation decor.
Nonetheless, because of the sheer variety of resorts all through Walt Disney World, even when Vacation Providers decorates two resorts in a single night time, the method would nonetheless take over two weeks to finish. Furthermore, there are not any onerous and quick guidelines as to the order that resorts obtain their decorations. It varies from yr to yr.
With all of that stated, in case you’re visiting on or after November 1, you’ll begin to see some decorations at Walt Disney World. By that weekend, you’ll see much more objects put in–the method must be about half-finished.
By November 4, you can find that the three of the 4 Walt Disney World theme parks are both partially or totally embellished and a few of the resorts are embellished. Should you go to per week after that, you’ll have the identical quantity of in-park decorations, however now half of the resorts may also be embellished. One other week and the resorts might be completely embellished. Go to for Thanksgiving week or at any level in December, and every part at Walt Disney World might be decked out for Christmas!
For complete suggestions for planning your Christmas-time journey to Walt Disney World, try our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For Walt Disney World journey planning suggestions and complete recommendation, make sure that to learn our Walt Disney World Journey Planning Information and associated articles.
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Walt Disney World’s ‘course of’ for getting decked out for the vacations? Is November 4 too early for Christmas decorations? Are you excited to expertise the vacations at WDW? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
