If you’re anything like us, you’re a sucker for a little nostalgia when Christmastime rolls around. Fortunately, for folks heading to The Most Magical Place on Earth this winter, the holidays at Walt Disney World abound with classic yuletide vibes. And while you can’t beat the old-fashioned charm of Christmas at Magic Kingdom, if it’s a cool yule you’re looking for, then you won’t want to miss the holiday season at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
From vintage-inspired Christmas decorations to Santa sightings of the jolly old elf cruising down Hollywood Boulevard in his trademark red convertible, a visit to Hollywood Studios this Christmas season is sure to have you feeling merry and bright. So, if you’re celebrating the holidays at Walt Disney World this year, grab a mug of hot chocolate, put on your Santa hat (you do have one of those, right?) and read on, as we break down the list—we’ve checked it twice—of special Hollywood Studios Christmas offerings.
And since you’ve been extra good this year, be sure to stick around until the end for an early Christmas present from us to you: a festive photo tour of the Hollywood Studios Christmas decorations. (Or, if you’d rather be surprised, feel free to skip it.) Now, let’s get to it! (Updated October 25, 2023)
Winter at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – Christmas Decorations, Seasonal Entertainment, Holiday Treats & More
The holiday season is a holly-jolly time at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. With colorful Christmas decorations sprinkled in parts of the park, special entertainment, and restaurants dishing up merry meals and seasonal sweets, there’s a lot to offer those looking for festive fun.
This year, Christmas at Hollywood Studios officially runs at Disney World from November 11 to December 31, 2023, with all the yuletide trappings appearing as early as the beginning of November and remaining into the New Year. So, even if you can’t spend the holiday itself in the theme park, you still have plenty of opportunities to get in the Christmas spirit.
Hollywood Studios Holiday Entertainment & Character Experiences
Oozing retro-chic, Old Hollywood charm, Disney’s Hollywood Studios puts the “tinsel” in Tinseltown during the holiday season with its vintage-inspired decor, holly-jolly character experiences and much more. This year, the park even plays host to its very own holiday party, the brand-new Disney Jollywood Nights.
Disney Jollywood Nights
Joining Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom and Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays in 2023 is Disney Jollywood Nights, an all-new after-hours Christmas party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that runs on select evenings from November 11 through December 20. Just like the rest of Hollywood Studios, Disney Jollywood Nights takes inspiration from the Golden Age of Hollywood, infusing the glitz and glam of Tinseltown into festive character encounters, star-studded shows and themed entertainment venues. This sophisticated soiree with grown-up appeal is sure to leave partygoers feeling merry with its holiday hot spots offering elevated seasonal snacks and sips, including a selection of craft cocktails, as well as a spirited soundtrack of jazzy, swingin’ or Latin-inspired Christmas tunes.
No Walt Disney World Christmas party is complete without some exclusive entertainment. Celebrate the season in spectacularly spooky fashion with “What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along” starring Jack Skellington. Or for a show with true star power, don’t miss Disney Holidays in Hollywood. Starring Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, Mickey and Minnie, and Disney Princesses like Tiana and Belle, this yuletide variety show evokes the glamour of Hollywood award shows, complete with musical acts, dancers, special guest appearances and witty banter courtesy of the show’s hosts.
And we must have been extra good this year because returning especially for the festive fête is the “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” fireworks spectacular and projection show. Inspired by the Christmas movie Prep & Landing, “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” also features merry scenes from other Disney films, including Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Beauty and the Beast, and The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Santa Claus Merry Motorcade on Hollywood Boulevard
While ‘Santa Baby’ may be bringing a light-blue ’54 convertible to the likes of Eartha Kitt, Madonna and Taylor Swift for Christmas, this year, you can also see Old St. Nick cruise around in a candy-apple red convertible for his very own merry motorcade up Hollywood Boulevard.
Complete with dancing elves, prancing reindeer, yuletide tunes and a magical snowfall, this pint-sized parade is lots of fun. (Keep an eye out for his ho-ho-holiday vanity plate.) Best of all, since it’s short but sweet, it’s a great way to get a jolly jolt of Christmas cheer without wasting too much precious time. Showtimes are offered several times a day at 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:40 PM, 2:50 PM, 3:50 PM and 5:10 PM.
Wish you could give Santa Claus your Christmas list in person? While you can’t actually meet Saint Nicholas at Hollywood Studios, except for Santa Goofy, meet-and-greets with Santa Claus are offered in other parts of Walt Disney World, including Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney Springs and Blizzard Beach Water Park.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration Holiday Edition
Ready to make a joyful noise? Located in Echo Lake at the Hyperion Theater, For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration is a popular year-round offering, especially for those with young kids. However, during the holidays, the wintry show gets an extra dose of yuletide spirit with the addition of a festive finale.
Guests of all ages are sure to melt over tales of Arendelle, each recounted by the land’s Royal Historians and accompanied by singable showstoppers like “Let It Go” and special appearances by Frozen characters, including Anna, Elsa and Kristoff. And just in time for the holiday season, Olaf also stops by the Frozen Sing-Along for a surprise appearance, complete with songs from Olaf’s Frozen Adventure and a faux flurry of snow.
Sunset Seasons Greetings Projection Show on The Hollywood Tower Hotel
Although you can’t see Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! this year, another Hollywood Studios Christmas show lights up the night over at The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. Transforming The Hollywood Tower Hotel into The Hollywood Tower of Toys Hotel, and other merry scenes, the Sunset Seasons Greetings projection show makes for a fittingly festive ending to your (holi)day.
Add a seasonal soundtrack and a Hollywood-worthy snowfall (it’s soap!) to the wintry mix, and you’ve got a can’t-miss Hollywood Studios Christmas offering. The dazzling display takes place throughout the evening on select nights during the holiday season and can be experienced through much of Sunset Boulevard.
Sleigh
Making its Disney World debut in 2022, Sleigh, a contemporary pop a capella group, is a relatively new Hollywood Studios Christmas offering. This merry band of yuletide troubadours is sure to have you rockin’ around the Christmas tree with their spirited spins on classic holiday tunes. Showtimes are held throughout the day at 10:00 AM, 11:10 AM, 11:55 AM, 12:55 PM, 2:25 PM, 3:10 PM, 4:15 PM and 5:40 PM with pop-up appearances across the park.
Holiday-themed Disney Character Meet-and-Greets
Although we love them any time of year, we especially love doing Disney character meet-and-greets during the Christmas season. With many of Disney World characters all decked out in fun, holiday-themed attire, it’s a great time to take photos with your favorites.
Although not all Disney characters get dressed up for the holidays, you can spot Pixar characters like Woody and Jessie donning Christmassy vests in Toy Story Land. (Woody has even armed himself with something sweet: a candy cane in his holster.) Chip and Dale also get in on the fun with red and green hats and scarves in front of The Hollywood Brown Derby.
Disney Magic Shots with Festive Flair
Just like pictures during your family vacation, for many, holiday photos are a beloved Christmas tradition. Whether you’re looking for the perfect shot for your family’s Christmas card or something you can frame and display every year, the Disney PhotoPass photographers can help you out.
Using whimsical props and a bit of pixie dust, these festive photos are a great souvenir for the holiday season. PhotoPass photographers are typically posted up along Hollywood Boulevard, around Echo Lake and near Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
Festive Food at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
No holiday season is complete without a spirited smorgasbord of cozy classics and sweet seasonal treats. Luckily, from homey holiday favorites made for Christmas dinner to decadent desserts like Reindeer Mousse to a boozy hot chocolate flight, you’ll find it all at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine and Other Seasonal Dining
For a Christmas dinner at Disney World you won’t soon forget, make a reservation for Minnie’s Holiday Dine at Hollywood & Vine, which is offered from November 8, 2023, to January 5, 2024. Featuring all-you-care-to-eat helpings of holiday favorites like herb-crusted tenderloin steak, velvety mashed potatoes and caramelized Brussels sprouts, as well as appearances by Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Pluto and even Santa Goofy, this seasonal character dining experience is sure to leave you full of both food and good cheer.
As you can probably imagine, Minnie’s Holiday Dine is incredibly popular with Disney World guests. So, be sure to book an advance dining reservation if you don’t want to miss out. However, don’t be a Scrooge if you are left empty-handed. While you won’t be able to see Disney characters like Minnie, other restaurants at Hollywood Studios also cook up festive fare and wholesome vibes worthy of your holiday feast, including 50’s Prime Time Café and Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.
Hollywood Studios Holiday Treats
Naturally, it wouldn’t be the holidays without some yuletide treats. Available from November 8, 2023, to January 1, 2024, these sweets and sips are sure to have you feeling jolly.
Hollywood Boulevard
The Hollywood Brown Derby
- Winter Signature Dessert – Pumpkin Mousse, Milk Chocolate Cremeux, Chocolate Pecan Cookie, Vanilla Sauce, Chantilly Cream and a Pecan Crumble (New!)
The Trolley Car Café
Mobile Order available
- Mickey Mouse Gingerbread Cookie (New!)
- Red Velvet Whoopie Pie – Red Velvet Cake, Candy Cane Buttercream and Holiday Sprinkles
Commissary Lane
ABC Commissary
Mobile Order available
- Holiday Minnie Mouse Bundt Cake – Spice Cake rolled in Cinnamon-Sugar with Apple Pie Filling and topped with Spiced Maple Buttercream and Salted Caramel Icing (New!)
- Reindeer Mousse – Spiced Cherry-Orange Dark Chocolate Mousse, Chocolate Cake and Gold Chocolate Cookie Base with Dark Chocolate Glaze and Milk Chocolate Buttercream (New!)
- Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa topped with Mini Marshmallows and Chocolate Sauce
Echo Lake
Backlot Express
Mobile Order available
- Red Velvet Whoopie Pie – Red Velvet Cake, Candy Cane Buttercream and Holiday Sprinkles
- Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa topped with Mini Marshmallows and Chocolate Sauce
Dockside Diner
Mobile Order available
- Holiday Tree Marshmallow – Vanilla Bean Marshmallow and Raspberry Jam dipped in Chocolate on top of a Vanilla Cookie (New!)
- Hot Cocoa Flight – Flight of Three Hot Cocoa with Stoli Vanil Vodka, Red Stag Cherry Whiskey and Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
Grand Avenue
PizzeRizzo
Mobile Order available
- Melted Snowman Sugar Cookie – Sugar Cookie with Red and Green Sugar, White Chocolate, Marshmallow, Dark Chocolate Top Hat, Raspberry-Chocolate Twigs, Orange Sprinkle and Chocolate Covered Cocoa Nibs (New!)
- Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa topped with Mini Marshmallows and Chocolate Sauce
Toy Story Land
Woody’s Lunchbox
Mobile Order available
- Hot Chocolate Lunch Box Tart – Chocolate Fudge Filling, Hot Chocolate Marshmallow Fondant and Mini Marshmallows (New!)
Sunset Boulevard
Fairfax Fare
Mobile Order available
- Hot Cocoa Flight – Flight of Three Hot Cocoa with Stoli Vanil Vodka, Red Stag Cherry Whiskey and Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
Hollywood Scoops
- Candy Cane Milkshake – Peppermint Ice Cream Shake topped with Whipped Cream, Chocolate Cake Doughnut and Candy Cane Sprinkles
Rosie’s All-American Café
Mobile Order available
- Santa Mickey Cupcake – Chocolate Cake filled with Mocha Fudge and topped with Red Almond Buttercream, White Chocolate and Dark Chocolate Mickey Mouse Ears (New!)
- Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate – Frozen Salted Caramel Hot Cocoa topped with Mini Marshmallows and Chocolate Sauce
Parkwide
Available November 11, 2022 to January 1, 2023
- Mickey Mouse Brownie – Chocolate Brownie with Holiday Sprinkles
- Holiday Popcorn Mix – Caramel Corn with White Chocolate, Red and Green M&M’s Chocolate Candies and Candy Cane Peppermint Pieces
- In Holiday Fashion – Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Rosemary Syrup, Cranberry, Lime and Cinnamon (New!)
- Animation Courtyard Bar
- The Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge
- Hollywood & Vine
- Oasis Canteen
- Tune-In Lounge
- Sunshine Day Bar
- 50’s Prime Time Café
Walt Disney World Christmas Decorations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
You can’t say Tinseltown without tinsel, and you’ll find a stockingful of the shiny stuff around Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That’s right—except for Toy Story Land, which transports guests to Andy’s Christmas light-bedecked backyard, the holidays at Hollywood Studios are an ode to all things retro. Talk about merry and bright! In fact, when it comes to the holidays at Disney World, Hollywood Studios Christmas’ trappings are some of our favorites.
To make your visit even more magical, we highly recommend you try to stick it out until after sunset (like we did!) when the winter wonderland lights up like a Christmas tree. Or, consider dressing up in fun holiday apparel so you fit into the jolly scene for any photos you might take. With the exception of a few colorful tinsel trees and the depressingly empty yet incredibly adorable Christmas store in Grand Avenue, It’s a Wonderful Shop, the area around Muppet*Vision 3D doesn’t really have any holiday decorations to speak of.
So, stop for photos in front of the Miss Piggy fountain and the snow-kissed storefront of It’s a Wonderful Shop. On the bright side, this part of the park doesn’t get too much traffic, meaning largely crowd-free backgrounds. Sadly, although the majority of Hollywood Studios is decorated for Christmas, you won’t see any holiday decorations in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Why not? Let’s just say that Christmas isn’t exactly reached intergalactic levels of popularity.
After your visit, continue your yuletide tour and keep the festive fun going with a visit to the Hollywood Studios area hotels, which are also all spruced up for the season.
Entrance
Bedecked with silvery garland studded with colorful baubles and red ribbons to match the park’s sign, Hollywood Studios’ Christmas décor at the entrance hints at the merry atmosphere inside, as well as the park’s retro-chic styling.
Hollywood Boulevard
The lighthearted, vintage-inspired atmosphere continues inside, with silver and gold decorations befitting the glitz and glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age and red and green ornaments and ribbons adding an element of fun. If you’re lucky, you might even experience a surprise snowfall as Santa goes on a jolly joyride down Hollywood Boulevard.
At the top of this star-studded street, larger-than-life versions of old-school Christmas collectibles are nestled around the outside of Center Stage. These whimsical holiday figurines of pink poodles and peppermint maids make for a unique photo background.
Echo Lake
The classic Christmas vibes can also be found in nearby Echo Lake. Although you’ll also see metallic trimmings and trappings on the buildings in the area, the festive centerpiece of Echo Lake is, you guessed it, the lake. On one side, Dinosaur Gertie holds court over the seasonal scene, gazing out over floating red and green baubles with a Christmas ornament dangling from her mouth.
On the other side, the Hollywood Studios Christmas tree towers over the lake, while the boat-shaped Dockside Diner glitters merrily with strings of lights. Vintage-inspired decorations emblazoned with Santa Claus, bells and holly lining the lake lend further retro charm.
Toy Story Land
While the rest of Hollywood Studios (with the exception of nearby Galaxy’s Edge) is a vision in Shiny Brite ornaments and tinsel, Toy Story Land brings a more playful, homespun touch to Hollywood Studios’ Christmas décor. With colorful Christmas lights strung throughout the area all year long, this fanciful area, which is designed to resemble Andy’s backyard through the eyes of a toy, looks pretty festive no matter when you visit.
However, you’ll also find a few seasonal decorations that look as if they could have been created and placed there by Andy himself, like a cranberry and popcorn garland at Andy’s Lunch Box, a sugar cookie shaped like Hamm with a Santa hat, and “paper” reindeer antlers on Rex. You can even see green alien ornaments near Alien Swirling Saucers.
Sunset Boulevard
Over on the opposite side of the park, Sunset Boulevard returns to the retro-inspired holiday styling of the rest of the park. Red-and-white tinsel stars hang from the light poles, while each of the storefronts is decorated with uniquely themed ornaments and garlands.
Don’t forget to stop by this part of Hollywood Studios once it’s dark for Sunset Seasons Greetings, when dazzling projections give the Tower of Terror a temporarily merry makeover. Between the projection show and jolly jams and faux snow that accompany it, it’s a truly magical way to finish off your day at Hollywood Studios.
Well, that concludes our yuletide tour of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. What special holiday offering are you most looking forward to? Are you ready for the return of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM? Let us know in the comments! Then, find out how to stretch your budget (and save more for gifts) with our discount Disney World tickets.
