Walt Disney World's Christmas Plans Are Here, And They're Mostly Spectacular

It's Christmas in July, as the saying goes, and that means it's a perfect time of year to wish it was the actual holiday season. Luckily enough, even though they just recently announced details of how they'll celebrate Halloween, the Walt Disney World Resort is revealing some important details about the first post-pandemic holiday season. It's not quite as extravagant as in the past, but after 2020, anything is better than nothing.

Even as Disney eases into a new normal, there are some changes to report. As the Disney Parks Blog announced, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party isn't coming back this year, nor is the Candlelight Processional event. But in their place, we'll get Disney Very Merriest After Hours (a title that presumes the event is somehow better than the Christmas Party, which had the temerity and sheer audacity to only be "very merry," not "very merriest") along with Minnie's Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks.

Disney's Very Merriest After Hours

Disney Very Merriest After Hours, aside from being a bit of a mouthful to say or type, is a new hard-ticket event (as ever, yes, that does mean you will have to buy a separate ticket from the basic admission), is a new way to enjoy the Magic Kingdom at the holiday season. The event won't just feature those fireworks, but plenty of holiday decor and treats, as well as decked-out characters. Over at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Sunset Seasons Greetings returns to offer guests plenty of holiday lights and theming. This event also allows you to see the Hollywood Tower Hotel turned into, among other locations, a Dickensian village inspired by Mickey's Christmas Carol and the land of Arendelle from Frozen, which is...well, it's going to be an interesting use of the Hollywood Tower Hotel, that much is sure.

Plus all of this, there will be special celebrations at Disney's Animal Kingdom, the International Festival of the Holidays returning to Epcot throughout the month of December, and plenty of ways to celebrate the season at the Disney hotels and Disney Springs.

Tickets for the Disney Very Merriest After Hours event will be available next month, but you can take heart for now: Walt Disney World is gearing up for as full-throated a return as possible to the holiday season for 2021.