Seasons greetings, David!
Welcome to planDisney, and thank you so much for stopping by to ask us this very merry question! I am so excited that you are planning to visit the Walt Disney World Resort during the holiday season, as there is truly nothing quite as magical as the view of snow falling on Main Street, USA. Plus, as Minnie would say, "that's the kinda magic that only happens when we're all together," and there's no better place to get the family together!
Now, let's talk about some important dates! The last
Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party will be held on December 22nd, 2022. Still, there have been some instances in the past where Disney sprinkled some extra holiday magic and made the holiday parade available during regular park hours. However, there is no way to know in advance whether this exception will be made, so I highly recommend you keep an eye on the
Disney Parks Blog for all Disney Parks news! As for the decorations, they are usually taken down progressively throughout the first week of January. If you plan on visiting the theme parks during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, make sure that you purchase your special event tickets in advance, as they are required to attend the party and are subject to availability.
Similarly, other holiday offerings throughout the theme parks have different end dates. For example, the
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will be starting on November 25th, 2022. While end dates were not announced, this festival typically lasted through the end of December in the past years. Similarly, the
Candlelight Processional usually had showtimes on most nights in December, including Christmas day, but the official showtimes will be announced later in the year. However, the Holiday fun does not have to stop once you exit the theme parks! One of my favourite things to do at the Walt Disney World Resort during the holiday season is to visit the
gingerbread displays at select Disney Resort hotels. My personal favourite is always the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa's, as they sell gingerbread cookies inside their gingerbread house! If you want to learn more about how they make these displays, I highly recommend checking out "Decorating Disney - Holiday Magic" on Disney+.
I hope this was helpful, David, and that you and your Ohana will have the best day ever on your next Disney vacation. If you have any other questions in the time leading up to your visit, please don't hesitate to reach out. Answering your questions also helps me count down the days until the holiday season!
Have a happy, merry, holly, jolly day!
Ariane