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How Walt Disney World theme park and resort transform for Christmas

How Walt Disney World theme park and resort transform for Christmas

Kenneth Niemeyer

Disney characters Mickey and Minnie perform 'Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration' during the 'Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party' at Walt Disney World on November 09, 2018 in Orlando, Florida.Getty Images

By early November 11, the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida had all four of its theme parks decorated and ready for Christmas.
Parkgoers can see holiday-themed decorations and eat holiday-themed food.

The Christmas tree on Main Street, USA is installed in pieces with a crane.

General view of the Main Street, USA during 'Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party' at Walt Disney World on November 09, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Getty Images

The park changes much of its decorations from Halloween to Christmas-themed overnight. Employees plant flowers, put ornaments on gigantic Christmas trees, string up twinkling lights, and install tinsel and wreaths.

A large Christmas tree is raised in the center of Main Street in Magic Kingdom, installed in multiple parts with a crane. Several large Christmas trees throughout the park are installed piece by piece.

The park also changes the Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life's "awakening" light show to be holiday themed.

Disney Resorts puts up 29 "Icon Trees" that are between 15 and 70 feet tall and another 596 smaller Christmas trees that range from two to 14 feet tall.

—Matt Schraeder (@MattWithDBD) December 7, 2022

Source: Walt Disney World News

Disney Resorts Christmas trees are decorated with more than 15,000 ornaments.

—Matt Schraeder (@MattWithDBD) December 7, 2022

Christmas trees in the Disney Resorts have more than 12,000 branches and are made out of more than 110 tons of steel. The trees are decorated with more than 15,000 oversized ornaments and 260,000 lights, the company says.

Disney's Contemporary Resort has a 17-foot tall gingerbread Cinderella Castle.

—The Kingdom Report (@TheKingdomRPT) December 11, 2022

Disney's Contemporary Resort has a 17-foot tall gingerbread replica of Cinderella's Castle in Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The castle was built with more than 4,000 gingerbread bricks, according to the company.

Magic Kingdom is home to some of the park's biggest holiday shows.

—Landon McReynolds (@LandonProducer) November 15, 2022

Visitors can also catch Disney World's largest Christmas celebration, "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party," at the Cinderella Castle in Magic Kingdom on selected dates from November 8 to December 22, 2022.

Featured in the Animal Kingdom is the "Merry Menagerie," a group of actors in "artisan sculpted puppets of arctic animals."

—To Disney and Beyond (@todisneybeyond) December 20, 2022

The "Merry Menagerie" includes puppets of winter animals like reindeer, penguins, and polar bears along with musicians who serenade guests at Animal Kingdom.

Source: Walt Disney

Magic Kingdom holds other shows such as "Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show."

—DisneyDoItAll! (@HippyDisneyGuy) December 19, 2022

Magic Kingdom is also home to several other Christmas-themed shows throughout the holiday season such as "Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show," "A Totally Tomorrowland Christmas," and "Disney Junior Jingle Jam," a children's party where kids can dance with characters like Doc McStuffins, among others.

Park-goers around the holidays enjoy holiday-themed foods from around the world.

—Disney Parks (@DisneyParks) November 17, 2022

EPCOT host the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays which features holiday-themed foods from around the world.

The Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade airs on Christmas morning.

THE DISNEY PARKS MAGICAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION Getty Images

The 2022 Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade will air on December 25 on ABC at 10 am ET and 9 am CT. The parade will be available for streaming the next day on Hulu.