The 2021 holiday season at Walt Disney World will bring back some of the resort’s pre-pandemic traditions — but not Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
Similar to how Disney altered its Magic Kingdom Halloween event, the separately-ticketed nighttime event for the holidays will be Disney’s Very Merriest After Hours. Use of the “After Hours” branding signals to longtime guests that this event won’t offer everything that the Very Merry Christmas Party did, including shorter hours and the possibility of no seasonal parade.
What Disney’s Very Merriest After Hours will offer is:
- More than 20 attractions with the promise of smaller crowds
- Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks
- Seasonal characters throughout the park
- Holiday music and decor
- Holiday treats, ice cream, popcorn and bottled beverages—all included with the cost of admission
The event will run on select nights at Magic Kingdom from Nov. 8 through Dec. 21 from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Guests will be able to enter the park as early as 7 p.m.
Elsewhere in Disney World, Disney’s Hollywood Studios will see the return of Sunset Seasons Greetings. The event will feature projections on the Tower of Terror, as well as a special finale for “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration” and a holiday character meal with Minnie Mouse at Hollywood & Vine.
For 2021, Epcot will host the International Festival of the Holidays from Nov. 26 to Dec. 30. While Disney’s official Parks Blog mentioned holiday kitchens around the park, there was no word on whether the Candlelight Processional will return this year.
Animal Kingdom will have a holiday edition of the Tree of Life Awakenings projection for the holidays. However, there was no mention of the return of the life-size puppets featured in 2019.