Orlando is ready to “sleigh” the holiday season with two months of enchanting celebrations. Ranked among the top holiday destinations for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Eve by Google Flights, visitors to Orlando can expect exclusive holiday parties, millions of sparkling lights, star-studded performances, a teddy bear teatime and even a pop-up retro roller rink. This year’s festivities promise unforgettable experiences for all ages.
“Orlando is a unique destination for travelers over the holidays because of our extensive range of festive offerings – from breathtaking fireworks to grand lighting displays at our theme parks and beyond – all with the backdrop of warm sunny skies and palm trees,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando. “We expect another bustling week between Christmas and New Year’s Day and welcome travelers to Orlando to get a jumpstart on the holiday season with our festive events starting as early as mid-November.”
THEME PARKS
Walt Disney World Resort | Nov. 8 – Dec. 31
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, a separate-ticketed event at Magic Kingdom Park, runs select nights (Nov. 8 – Dec. 20) with a storybook holiday atmosphere, including “Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Parade,” “Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show,” complimentary cookies, festive beverages, snowfall on Main Street, U.S.A. and more.
- Disney Jollywood Nights (select nights, Nov. 9 – Dec. 21), another separate-ticketed evening party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, combines Hollywood and holiday glamour with holiday magic, featuring dapper décor, merry mashups, unique tastes and sips, special appearances from classic characters and live entertainment.
- EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth (Nov. 29 – Dec. 30), invites guests to a global celebration with a candlelight processional featuring celebrity narrators, holiday storytellers, performances, and several Holiday Kitchens throughout the World Showcase nations.
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Nov.12 – Dec. 31) offers a holiday twist on the magic of nature with a variety of seasonal delights, including artisan-sculpted puppets of arctic animals like penguins, reindeer, polar bears, and more during the Merry Menagerie. In the evenings, a holiday edition of the Tree of Life Awakening will begin, accompanied by a heartwarming musical score.
Universal Orlando Resort | Nov. 22 – Dec. 31
- Universal Orlando Resort celebrates the holidays with a series of festive offerings across the resort including Grinchmas at Universal’s Islands of Adventure with The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular, a live retelling of the classic tale starring the Grinch; Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter featuring seasonal holiday shows and festive decor in both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley; and Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s, featuring characters along with larger-than-life balloons, dozens of holiday floats, hundreds of festive performers and Santa at Universal Studios Florida.
SeaWorld Orlando | Select dates, Nov. 8 – Jan. 2
- SeaWorld Orlando transforms into a winter wonderland with its Christmas Celebration featuring millions of lights, live performances, character dining add-on options and the Holiday Reflections: Fireworks Finale.
LEGOLAND Florida | Select dates, Nov. 29 – Dec. 31
- LEGOLAND Florida Resort will deck the halls with dazzling lights and Lego sculptures, featuring a giant LEGO Christmas tree, seasonal shows, holiday characters, LEGO activities and an early kid’s New Year’s Eve with a fireworks display on select dates and more.
FAMILY FRIENDLY FUN AND LIVE PERFORMANCES BEYOND THE PARKS
- Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild, presented by Publix, will return for its fifth year at the Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens select nights (Nov. 15 – Jan. 19) and feature larger-than-life handcrafted lanterns lit by more than 10,000 LED lights. Situated on a quarter-mile loop around the zoo, the event combines color, light and sound to deliver an authentic experience celebrating traditional Asian lantern festivals.
- The Orlando Museum of Art hosts the 38th annual Festival of Trees: “Let the Joy of the Season Shine” (Nov. 16 – 24) with more than 50 designer-inspired trees and wreaths, all of which are available for purchase, artisanal gingerbread creations, pop-up shops, holiday vignettes and more.
- At the I-Drive District Holiday Tree Lighting (Nov. 22) guests can watch as International Drive dazzles with a glittering lighting ceremony of a 50-foot Holiday Tree and enjoy special performances and characters throughout the night.
- Ivanhoe Village kicks off the holiday season with Jingle Eve (Nov. 23), a free family-friendly event featuring a variety of yuletide festivities, including beer gardens, live music, arts and crafts vendors, food trucks, a children’s holiday village, a fireworks finale and more.
- Crayola Experience’s Colorful Christmas (Nov. 23 – Jan. 5) returns with SNOWtastic adventures including a life-sized snow globe, complete with falling snow, a light show starring Scarlet and her singing reindeer, scavenger hunts, live entertainment, crafts, holiday treats and more.
- Harry P. Leu Gardens blooms into a winter wonderland with a million sparkling lights, shining forests, music and beautiful sculptures during “Dazzling Nights” (Nov. 29 – Jan. 5). The three-quarter mile, family-friendly interactive holiday experience features new immersive elements, including a nighttime show with 100 10-foot-tall beacons of light and a 30-foot-tall tree of thousands of shimmering, gold sequins. During the day, “Holiday Blooms” showcases a collection of beautiful floral and holiday-themed displays throughout the garden.
- The Orange County Regional History Center hosts The Historic Holiday Experience (select dates Dec. 3-18), offering caroling, storytelling, festive craftmaking, milk and cookies, and a private visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus. The one-hour ticketed experience is $30 per person.
- Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts showcases a series of events, from star-studded concerts to joy-sparking events including the beloved holiday classic Elf in Concert, Nov. 29; The Nutcracker presented by the Orlando Ballet, Dec. 6-22; Home for the Holidays presented by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Nov. 30; a new Winter Wonder Shoppe, featuring world-renowned aerial and acrobatic artists of Cirque Mechanics, Dec.12-29; and more.
- Wekiva Island is bringing back its seventh annual Winter Wonderland event (Dec. 2 – 25) offering families daily “snow” flurries, a Christmas tree forest, Santa’s workshop and interactions with famous holiday characters, including Santa and Mrs. Claus.
- Original Orlando Tours is offering a Winter Park Old Fashioned Christmas Cruise starting on Dec. 2 and taking place on select evenings throughout the month of December that journeys along the Winter Park Chain of Lakes to view incredible holiday light displays and décor of private homes along the waterfront.
- The 6th annual Oh, What Fun! Holiday Festival (select weekends Dec. 6-22) transforms the Lake Nona Town Center into Peppermint Square, a winter wonderland with nightly snowfalls, live entertainment, festive photo ops and more.
- Celebrating its 72nd year, Winter Park’s annual Ye Olde Hometown Christmas Parade (Dec. 7), the oldest continuous holiday parade in Central Florida, will feature over 80 participating organizations, including marching bands, an appearance by Santa and more.
- Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex hosts Holidays in Space (Dec. 20-30), a festive holiday celebration included with admission, featuring Starflake’s Holiday Voyage, a nightly projected show on the exterior of Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex, where visitors can embark on a journey with Starflake as she travels through the stars, Earth and beyond; festive holiday décor, including a 50-foot tree with more than 61,000 pixels of light; the returning Rocket Tree Trail; astronaut nutcrackers and more.
- Historic Downtown Winter Garden will be home to several holiday happenings this season, including the Main Street Holiday Stroll (Dec. 5 – Jan. 5), all-new immersive festive experience; the Holiday Night Market (Dec. 7), offering festive treats, décor, holiday-themed live entertainment and festive activities; A Merry Winter Garden Light Show (select nights Dec. 6-22) at the Winter Garden City Hall; and more.
Visitors can also sign up for Visit Orlando’s free, personalized one-on-one Vacation Planning Service with destination experts for advice on building the perfect itinerary in Orlando.
