Will Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party Return to Disney World? What We Know.

The holidays are a VERY popular time to visit Disney World!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays! (Bonus points if you sang that in your head.)

When kids are out of school, the parks are typically busy, but add in those stunning decorations, limited-time snacks, and special offerings, and guests just seem to flock to the parks. One of the biggest draws for the holiday season is the holiday party — in 2019 and prior, it was Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, although it was replaced with Disney Very Merriest After Hours last year. Will the original party be coming back in 2022? Disney hasn’t announced yet, but we’ve got a pretty good guess.

First of all, let’s talk about last year. Due to the pandemic, Disney World offered “After Hours” events instead of the traditional holiday parties in 2021. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party became the Disney After Hours Boo Bash and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party became Disney Very Merriest After Hours.

Happy Holidays from Disney World!

These events were different than their predecessors in a number of ways. First of all, they started later in the evening and were a few hours shorter than the holiday parties typically were. They also had pared-down offerings compared to years past. Boo Bash in particular only offered cavalcades, character sightings from a distance, and trick-or-treating. However, by the time Very Merriest kicked off, Disney was back to offering the castle stage show, the Christmas fireworks, and a slightly shorter version of the holiday parade.

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

So what’s happening in 2022? Well, the celebrations for Halloween give us a pretty good hint at what’s to come. Disney announced a while ago that Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party is returning this year in its full form. The ticket prices are closer to what they were before (instead of the pricier After Hours tickets), the capacity limits are not as strict, and the entertainment is back in full force. Guests will be able to experience the Boo to You Parade and the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular (among other entertainment) for the first time since 2019.

It’s Coming BAAAAACK

Because of this announcement, it seems highly likely that Disney World will bring back the Christmas party as well. Disney Very Merriest After Hours was much more similar to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party than Boo Bash was to Not-So-Scary. So if Halloween is going back to normal, then it’s to be expected that Christmas festivities would do the same.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Entrance

The only problem we might foresee with this situation would be demand for the event. So far, none of the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary party nights have sold out, and if guests don’t buy tickets, there’s a small chance that it could tempt Disney to switch things up for Christmas. If there’s a low demand for the holiday parties, Disney could make up for that loss by offering the more expensive and more exclusive Very Merriest After Hours instead.

Disney Very Merriest After Hours

However, that argument could be completely debunked if more guests purchase Not-So-Scary tickets in the coming weeks. We’ve often seen these parties sell out for more dates AFTER the first one takes place and guests get a glimpse of the festivities online. (FOMO is a really good ticket seller!)

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Ultimately, we’ll have to wait until Disney makes their holiday announcements to find out, but we’ve definitely got our fingers crossed that Very Merry returns! That’ll be just one step closer to “normal” in Disney World.

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