Hi Ariadne! Welcome to planDisney!
Oh boy! Your Walt Disney World vacation is only a day away! I'm sure you are excited to arrive and begin experiencing the magic that awaits.
Ariadne, you are correct. The Magic Kingdom is slated to close at 6 PM on December 22nd to host the final
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party of the season. Guests with regular day tickets will be allowed to enjoy the park until this time. Unfortunately, Happily Ever After (the nighttime fireworks spectacular) will not take place on this night. However, the
Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade is slated to be held twice on this day, first at noon and again at 3 PM. If the nighttime show is important to you, I suggest switching your park days around and visiting EPCOT on the 22nd and the Magic Kingdom on the 23rd. You'll still get the same experience at EPCOT on either day but have more park time at the Magic Kingdom on the second day.
If you want to make a complete change and visit Disney's Hollywood Studios instead,
Fantasmic! is scheduled to be held twice on December 22nd. The first showtime will be at 7:30 PM while the second takes place at 9 PM. This show has it all, including fantastic music, pyrotechnics, and many of your favorite characters. There is also a brief show that takes place in front of the Chinese Theatre at 8:30 PM called the
Wonderful World of Animation. It's a fun and colorful presentation that takes you through the years of Disney animation.
Lastly, if you purchased
Park Hopper tickets, you can start your day at the Magic Kingdom and then hop over to Disney's Hollywood Studios for the evening. This way, you may get the best of both worlds and enjoy more than you were originally anticipating.
I hope you have a magical visit, Ariadne!
See ya real soon!
Greg