UPDATED JULY 2025: we now have party details! Disney confirmed that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is officially returning to Magic Kingdom this holiday season. From dates to ticket prices and confirmed entertainment, here’s everything we know so far, plus your guide to this fan favorite party.
🗓️ Party Dates & 🎟️ How to Get a Ticket
The party kicks off on November 7 and runs on select nights through December 21. Tickets are now on sale for guests with Disney World hotel reservations during party dates. Tickets go on sale for everyone else on July 22. Prices range from $169-$229, with prices rising the closer we get to Christmas. (Note the price increase from last year—this event is turning into quite the expense for families.) Here is a full list of the dates:
Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members can save up to $10 on certain nights, so double check when selecting a night that works for you.
Resorts eligible for the earlier purchase date are all for the Disney World collection hotels, Walt Disney World Swan Hotel, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, Walt Disney World Swan Reserve, and Shades of Green.
🎁 What to Expect in 2025?
Disney has confirmed much of the same experiences we see each year, so not many new things to expect. Here’s a rundown:
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade — I haven’t seen Disney Starlight yet, so for now, this is probably my favorite parade at the Disney theme parks. (The Halloween party may get the edge on other days.) Line up early as people will be doing the same. Get ready for the snow!
Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks — expect a holiday themed fireworks show that features holiday standards and fun projections. Note that on party nights, neither Happily Ever After, nor the new Disney Starlight parade will run. KEEP THIS IN MIND WHEN VISITING THIS SEASON!
Snow on Main Street, U.S.A. — it’s not real but that doesn’t many it any less magical.
Cookies, cocoa, and holiday treats — look for the candy cane signs and collect as many treats as you can! These are included with your ticket.
Dance parties and character meet-and-greets — fun characters, dance parties, and live music are scattered around the various lands, a great way to just let the kids dance out their energy. Head to Storybook Circus for Santa’s Christmas Carnival, Club Tinsel in Tomorrowland, and Disney Jr. Jingle Jam at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe.
Stage Shows — at 8:15, tune in for the Frozen Holiday Surprise to watch Elsa, Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff as the castle transforms into a Frozen wonderland (via laser projections), and also Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration, a festive stage show staring Mickey & Friends.
Attractions — expect slightly (emphasis on slightly) lower wait times and a few holiday overlays for Space Mountain, Tomorrowland Speedway – Race Through the Holidays, Mad Tea Party, Jingle Cruise (a personal favorite), and Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor.
Food —- while we don’t have a confirmed menu for special event items (subscribe to my newsletter for updates), we do have a list of quick service options that will help open during the party:
You can also try a few table service restaurants, including: The Plaza Restaurant, Cinderella’s Royal Table, and Be Our Guest Restaurant. Finally, you can book the Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Dessert Party, which is at Tomorrowland Terrace (the latter requires advance reservations and is an additional ticket on top of your holiday party ticket. Just FYI.)
👀 Is it Worth It?
This is a personal decision, as is every Disney decision. In past years, we’ve enjoyed the holiday festivities and the snow and the parade and honestly just being there during the holidays. MVMCP tends to feel less frenetic than Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party (my thoughts on whether that event is worth it with kids is here), but that could be attributed to the holiday buzz. While we haven’t attended yet this year (yet) we are excited to go again and take in even more as my kids begin to enjoy even more rides and attractions.
📺 Watch Our Breakdown
I made a full video breaking down what to expect, what’s included with your ticket, how to buy tickets early, and my past experiences: https://youtu.be/F15klUO70vc?si=lF4Uy4WGs-SUjWoN.
✅ Quick Tips:
Buy early — popular nights closer to Christmas do sell out, but they also tend to be more expensive. Weekday parties can be slightly less crowded.
Arrive at 4:00 PM — skip buying a regular ticket that day and with your MVMCP enter right at 4:00 PM. Though the event doesn’t start until 7:00 PM, you can eat, ride a few favorite rides, and knock out other things so that you can focus on the party events when it starts.
Make a Plan — note your musts, and bake in time to do them. Disney touts lower attendance on party nights, but in my opinion, it still feels crowded, especially considering everyone is trying to do the limited offerings. If the parade is important to you, line up early. Likewise for the fireworks. If you want to ride certain rides with overlays, consider doing so towards the end of the night as crowds dwindle. Focus on your favorite characters who may have longer waits (Jack & Sally tend to have low waits at the very end of the night.) If you can, split up with your spouse/friends to divide and conquer (e.g., I’ll take our older kids on rides as my wife shops and secures parade spots with our youngest).
Stay tuned for my in-person review later this season! See ya real soon.
When Can We Expect Christmas Party News (published before we had details confirmed)
What’s going on with the Mouse House? I realized we just passed the halfway mark to the holidays — a marketing event Disney usually heavily advertises — and yet no release of dates or other info about the holiday season. So, I couldn’t help but wonder: when are the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates? And when should we expect announcements?
In case you didn’t know, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP) is an after hours, specialty ticketed holiday themed event at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World (meaning the ticket is distinct from a normal “day” ticket). Guests with a ticket can enter the Magic Kingdom at 4PM of their party date (it takes place on select evenings in November and a December) for an evening with a stage show, festive parade, characters, fireworks, and specialty foods and treats. The event officially starts at 7PM and lasts till midnight. It’s a fan favorite for its holiday charm and lower ride wait times.
Looking back, we shouldn’t be surprised at the lack of information about this year’s event: Disney also didn’t announce Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates at the “halfway to Halloween.” Such a marketing ploy has proved popular in recent years across social media—so what gives? With MVMCP undoubtedly returning this fall, what can we do as we wait? Speculate!
For whatever reason, I thought we we would get an announcement this week, but I’m not so sure since it’s the major Fourth of July Holiday and people will be shifting to out of office mode soon as the Friday holiday nears.
Further, Disney socials are currently heavily occupied with the Hong Kong Disneyland 20th anniversary celebration, and Lilo & Stitch live action related news (it was recently 6/26, after all), with other food and EPCOT festival related information and Test Track 3.0 reopening info thrown in.
My guess? Next week we will get dates for the MCVMCP and know when guests with resort reservations during party dates can buy tickets, and then when everyone else can. And hopefully not too long after that, as usual, we will get information about the party details (characters, parade and show times, food, and popcorn buckets, etc).
And don’t forget Jollywood Nights (the holiday after hours event at Disney’s Hollywood Studios)! Last year was a rousing success (here is my video review) and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I expect it to come back for a third year.
Thinking on it now, July 6 is the last date the Liberty Belle and Tom Sawyer Island will be operating before shuttering to make way for Piston Peak, the new area themed land coming to the Magic Kingdom (learn all about it here) Some news about MVCMP could be the silver, snoap (#iykyk) filled lining we need during these hot summer months.
I’ll let you know as soon as we get the news! Stay tuned.
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