The holiday season in Disneyland is truly magical! Though the Disneyland Resort theme parks and hotels were closed for the holiday season of 2020, the Resort reopened on April 30, 2021. And we are THRILLED to say that Holiday Celebrations are coming BACK to Disneyland! The festive fun will start on November 12, 2021 and will last well into the New Year, wrapping on January 9, 2022!

Here, we are sharing the unique festivities in both Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure, the shared parks tradition of the famous Disneyland Handmade Candy Canes, information on all the Holiday Treats, and MUCH more!

Read on, my merry friends!

Disneyland Park

Guests will be greeted by a 60-foot-tall Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A. setting the seasonal scene! This glistening beauty boasts almost 1,800 ornaments.

Several beloved traditions add to the magic of the Season in Disneyland park! Among them is “Believe…In Holiday Magic,” a special fireworks presentation over Sleeping Beauty Castle, which even features a dusting of snow!

Speaking of Sleeping Beauty Castle, the park’s signature landmark gets all dressed up with sparking icicles for extra evening enchantment as Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle!

“A Christmas Fantasy” Parade delivers beloved Disney characters joined by a very special guest: Santa Claus! Other festive friends included reindeer, Toy Soldiers, dancing gingerbread cookies, and more!

You’ll have several opportunities throughout the day to catch this memorable tradition!

Even a few Disneyland attractions receive holiday makeovers! Haunted Mansion Holiday presents nods to The Nightmare Before Christmas thanks to some extra decorations placed by the Pumpkin King himself, Jack Skellington!

This year delivers the 20th appearance of the iconic gingerbread house that is placed in the Haunted Mansion’s ballroom. The theme has been different every year, and has included themes like the “Stitched-Up-Patchwork House,” the “Oogie Boogie Bug-infested House,” and the “Giant Gingerbread Spider House.” For 2021, the Haunted Mansion Holiday Gingerbread House is a Frankenstein-style mash-up of all the other gingerbread house themes!

Haunted Mansion Holiday has already made its return for Halloween Time at Disneyland Resort, so you can see more of the holiday haunting here!

Want to take a Haunted TOUR? Click HERE for ride-through videos and MORE photos from Haunted Mansion Holiday!

And both the outside and inside of “it’s a small world” receive festive flair as the Happiest Cruise on Earth adds holiday tunes and glittering lights!

Over 300,000 lights adorn the iconic attraction during the holiday season. The official lighting is a Disneyland Resort tradition.

Characters, including Princesses, will don their festive best throughout the park, and Disney shared that there will even be “a few surprises” this season!

To cap off the merry day, there will be a magical “snowfall” and colorful projections on Main Street, U.S.A. AND on the façade of “it’s a small world” during the “Believe in Holiday Magic” fireworks!

And guess what? In 2021, you may spy several Disney characters dressed in their festive PJs to wave goodbye with a “kiss goodnight” from the Disneyland Railroad Train Station!

“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a GOOD NIGHT!”

Each year, hundreds of members of the local community, alongside the Disneyland Cast Member Choir, the Disneyland Orchestra and more celebrate the meaning of Christmas in a grand (and quite limited time!) display with the Disneyland Candlelight Processional. [PLEASE NOTE: The Disneyland Candlelight Processional has not yet been confirmed for 2021.]

In 2019, Disneyland’s Candlelight Processional took place over 2 nights, December 7th and 8th, with 2 showings each night at 5:20 and 7:35PM. The event is presented in front of the Disneyland Main Street Train Station and features an A-list celebrity narrator (Disneyland is near Hollywood, after all!). In 2019, for instance, the narrator was Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Disney Merriest Nites

Disney Merriest Nites at Disneyland Park is a new After Hours event coming to Disneyland for the 2021 Holiday Season! This Disneyland park event will require a separate ticket for entry, and will be offered on five nights in November and December 2021. 

Once inside, guests will enjoy plenty of festive fun including 6 separate holiday celebrations around the park’s various lands. 

The event will also feature special entertainment offerings, photo backdrops (with unlimited PhotoPass downloads for the evening), and character sightings all around the park, plus themed food and beverages as well as special Merriest Nites-themed merchandise. Click HERE for all of the information about Disney Merriest Nites at Disneyland Park!

Disney California Adventure

The centerpiece of the season at Disney California Adventure park is the Disney Festival of Holidays! 

This Festival — with celebrations for Christmas/Navidad, Diwali, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day — includes live entertainment, themed merchandise, and traditional cuisine from around the globe at Festival Foods Marketplaces (there will be 8 in 2021)!

There is so much Festival fun taking place that we’ve dedicated an entire section of the site to the event, and you can find ALL the information for the Disney California Adventure Festival of Holidays here!

Click here to learn more about Disney California Adventure Festival of Holidays!

“Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” will give guests the chance to enjoy a street party featuring Mexican folklórico dancers and Mariachis, Brazilian samba dancers and percussionists, giant mojiganga puppets, and Mickey, Minnie and friends in their fiesta best!

Stop by Paradise Gardens to find festive food and drinks — along with live music and performers — starting November 12th! Later in the holiday season, Disney will debut Mirabel from the Walt Disney Animation Studios upcoming film Encanto.

At Pacific Wharf, you’ll find even more holiday-themed menus with special food and drinks to enjoy while you listen to live musical entertainment! And for the kiddos, there will also be craft stations and cookie decorating kits in the area.

In Cars Land, guests can enjoy yuletide makeovers of two attractions: Mater’s Jingle Jamboree and Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl!

Look for touches like a snow-covered billboard at the entrance of Cars Land and a hubcap-studded tree in front of the courthouse. Festive automotive decorations will be found all along Route 66!

Santa Claus will be spending time in his rustic home at the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail! Guests can share their holiday wishes with Ol’ Saint Nick and take souvenir pictures at this location.

During this time, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail will also be transformed into a holiday-themed playground, with seasonal games and more. Be sure to pick up an activity map to locate the elfish games. You’ll also want to explore the trail to see how many toys and decorations have been hidden there!

Don’t miss the party, because Mickey Mouse and pals will be celebrating the season as they dance along to the Holiday Toy Drummers several times a day!

And, of course, taking center stage will be the Holiday Tree on Buena Vista Street.

Also, from January 3rd through the 9th, 2022, you can stop by Disney California Adventure Park to celebrate Three Kings’ Day. Head to Paradise Gardens for this special celebration, which will feature traditional decor and a photo opportunity.

But we’re not done with all the festive fun just yet…

Disneyland Candy Canes

A wonderful Disneyland tradition that takes place in BOTH parks is the creation of the famous Disneyland Hand-made Candy Canes!

[PLEASE NOTE: The return of Disneyland Candy Canes has not yet been confirmed for 2021. However, information for the Candy Canes is not typically released until November, so we will keep you posted if this beloved tradition returns in 2021!]

These are not your typical candy canes. Each one is hand-pulled and measures eighteen inches long. And they sell out QUICKLY, which is why you need to have a strategy…AND know exactly where to find them!

You can find all the details from the 2019 Candy Canes here to familiarize yourself with the process. But, for the basics, the Candy Canes are typically created on alternating days in the two parks throughout the season. The traditional locations are Candy Palace in Disneyland and Trolley Treats in Disney California Adventure.

When this beloved tradition returns, we will keep you posted here on the DFB! For now, learn more about the famous Disneyland Candy Canes here!

Downtown Disney District

In Downtown Disney, Catal Restaurant will once again host Breakfast With Santa! This ticketed event will take place on November 27th and 28th, and weekends in December including the 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 18th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, and even Christmas Eve morning on the 24th.

Breakfast With Santa includes photos with Santa and a meet-and-greet with Santa and his elves. Children 10 and under will receive a stuffed animal and personalized stockings. The family-style breakfast will include hot cocoa, and adults can enjoy bottomless mimosas. And you get cookies to take home with you!

The breakfast costs $109.95 per adult and 49.95 for children ages 3 to 10. Tickets are on sale now via the Patina Group website for this festive dining event!

And, of course, you’ll spy plenty of merry decorations in Downtown Disney, along with live entertainment!

And though we await more information, Disney has shared that the Hotels of Disneyland Resort will also offer plenty of traditional decorations and more for the celebration!

Disneyland Resort Holiday Treats

Of course, there’s more than just Candy Canes in store… from cookies to cupcakes to cocktails to those famous Disneyland Churros and MORE, we enjoy tasting all of the Season’s Eatings and bringing them to YOU.

We reviewed EVERY Holiday Treat around Disneyland Resort in 2019! You can check out ALL of our reviews to get an idea of the kinds of seasonal snacks that we’re looking forward to when THE HOLIDAYS RETURN to Disneyland Resort in 2021!!

We look forward to bring you ALL of the Holiday Cheer that the parks can hold (Hint: It’s A LOT!) when the Holiday Season returns to Disneyland Resort!

Disneyland Reviews and Information

Click HERE to Check Out Lots of DFB Posts About Disneyland

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• Check Out Our Disneyland Restaurants Guide

• See What Marvelous Stuff You’ll Find at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Park

• Check Out Details from the Historic Reopening of Disneyland Resort

• See What You Need to Know About the Theme Park Reservation System for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure

• Learn About the Disneyland Mobile App

• Get All the Details About Mobile Order in Disneyland

• See More About Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure

• What’s Going to Be Different About Your Next Disneyland Trip?

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