When Does Disney World Start Putting Up Its Christmas Decorations?

The year is not even halfway over but we are already thinking about the holiday season in Disney World.

Cinderella Castle all lit up during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party!

And it seems like many of you readers have the holidays on your minds TOO, because we get the same question all the time: “When does Disney decorate for Christmas?” (And whether you want the year to be flying by so fast or not, you can make those Advance Dining Reservations for Christmas day NEXT MONTH.)

So today we’re laying out a timeline of when you can expect to see Christmas decor popping up all throughout the Most Magical Place on Earth just in case it helps your planning!

Now, it’s rumored that ALL of Disney’s Christmas decorations go up in one night. And while a lot goes up over the course of a night, Disney World likes to get a bit of a head start when it comes to holiday decorating.

October

In October, Halloween and Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party are happening in full swing around Disney World. But Disney is usually prepping for holidays early in October as they start to hang Christmas lights on Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom. You can usually spot cranes midday stringing Christmas lights on the castle while pumpkins are everywhere and spooky treats are being served down below!

Christmas Lights on Cinderella Castle

Last year, we also saw Christmas decor popping up throughout the parks like Disney’s Animal Kingdom during the month of October (we would want to get a head start too if we had THAT many lights to string!).

DinoLand U.S.A. Christmas Lights

We also caught whiffs of fresh gingerbread as the Disney World Resort Gingerbread Displays start to take shape!

Grand Floridian Gingerbread House

Last year, the Cinderella Castle Gingerbread Display at Disney’s Contemporary Resort was already well underway in October, followed by Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Gingerbread House in early November! Note they are not FINISHED during October, but the structures are being put into place.

Click here to see all of last year’s Gingerbread Displays!

Early November

The first week in November usually hosts both the last Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. So Disney has VERY little time to turn the Magic Kingdom from spooky to jolly.

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party

Last year, the final Halloween party was scheduled for November 1st and the first A Frozen Holiday Wish Cinderella Castle lighting was just two days later!

Cinderella Castle

If the castle lighting wasn’t magical enough, that was the same day the Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A appeared!

Magic Kingdom Christmas Tree

Main Street, City Hall, and the Train Station were also all decked out in their finest holiday decor. And even though Halloween was just days before, it was already beginning to look a LOT like Christmas!

Hanging Wreaths

In 2019, the weekend following the last Halloween party was one small leap for elves, but one GIANT leap for holiday kind throughout Disney World. Friday marked the day that all parks would officially kick off the Christmas season! The first Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party kicked off on November 8th!

Main Street at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

In Disney’s Animal Kingdom, arctic puppets appeared and the Holiday Tree of Life Awakenings projection show started running every 10 minutes in the evening.

Santa Goofy in DinoLand USA

In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the holiday celebration began and they featured holiday projections on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, SNOAP (AKA, Disney’s fake snow), and the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! projection and fireworks show!

Sunset Seasons Greetings

On Saturday, the Christmas Tree Trail in Disney Springs opened, featuring 23 trees inspired by Disney characters, movies, and attractions! Oh, and did we mention churro bites, frozen Eggnog, and SANTA?!

Haunted Mansion Tree

This little maze of trees and snacks opened up even earlier in 2018, so stay tuned here at DFB and we’ll let you know when we hear dates for this year’s festivities!

Check out our ultimate guide to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party here!

Late November

Epcot is usually one of the last parks to fully dive into the holiday season because the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival typically runs until late November. The park puts up decor in the middle of the month, but they really amp things up by the time the International Festival of the Holidays starts.

Epcot International Festival of the Holidays

Last year, the Food and Wine Festival ran until November 23rd and the Festival of the Holidays began November 29th, so Epcot had to do a major turn around in just under a week. The festival features food booths, holiday storytellers, and the Candlelight Processional (featuring celebrity narrators), festive entertainment, and special merchandise.

Epcot’s Candlelight Processional

Even though you have to time your visit close to Christmas, the Festival of the Holidays is a wonderful way to celebrate holiday traditions from around the world.

Check out more info on Epcot’s Festival of the Holidays here!

The Christmas decor remains up throughout the season and several elements even stick around for a few days (or sometimes weeks) after New Year’s Day. But by the time the runDisney marathon weekend takes place in early January, most of the holiday decor has made its way back into safekeeping.

We already think Disney is incredibly magical on its own but seeing that castle lit up in Christmas lights is truly mesmerizing. And if you want a closer look at how Disney transforms the Magic Kingdom into a winter wonderland “overnight,” check out this video:

Check out some of our favorite ways to celebrate Christmas in Disney World here!

Disney has announced the dates and they have started selling tickets for Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. But dates and ticket info for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party have not been released yet. We will let you know as soon as they are!

Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!

Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun!

Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today!

With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs!

With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet.

Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today!