Hi Amanda! Thanks for dropping by planDisney with your great question! The short answer to your question is, “It depends on the special event.” I’m happy to provide some clarity!
Special events such as
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom Park require a special ticket that is not included as part of your general admission. Guests with general admission tickets can remain in Magic Kingdom Park until 6:00 PM on Christmas party evenings. Your general admission theme park ticket will not allow you to remain in the park for the Christmas party.
On the other hand, other special events such as the
Candlelight Processional in EPCOT do not require a special ticket. The Candlelight Processional is part of the daily theme park operations of EPCOT during the holiday season. Guests wishing to experience the Candlelight Processional (which I highly recommend) can wait in the standby line for seating to open in the America Gardens Theatre.
Special events that require a unique ticket can usually be identified by a "Purchase Tickets" icon on the webpage. For example, if you visit the webpage for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, you'll see the "Purchase Tickets" icon. If you're curious about a specific special event, feel free to send us another question. We can clarify if you’ll need a special ticket or a general admission theme park ticket.
Dreams do come true!
Jonathan