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| Jollywood Nights Lanyard and Map |
Christmastime at Walt Disney World is my favorite season to visit the theme parks! You'll find Christmas decorations throughout the parks and resorts, holiday snacks and music to really get you in the mood for the holidays. Last year, Disney announced a brand new, nighttime party at Disney's Hollywood Studios called Disney Jollywood Nights that added some Hollywood glamour and holiday cheer to the festive season.
This separately ticketed event features glitz and glitter, merry mashups, attractions, characters, event-exclusive shows and themed entertainment.
Know Before You Go
Disney Jollywood Nights is back in 2024, on 13 select nights from November 9th through December 21st and ticket prices vary by date. Prices range from $159-$179 per ticket, plus tax. Note there is no separate pricing for children's tickets. If you're an Annual Passholder or Disney Vacation Club Member, you can save $10 per ticket, valid for all event nights.
It's very important to know before arriving at Disney's Hollywood Studios that this is a separately ticketed event which means that your general admission ticket does not include admission to this nighttime party. Each party night, Disney's Hollywood Studios will close at 7pm to day guests and the party officially takes place from 7:30pm to 12:30am. However, party ticket holders will be admitted to Disney's Hollywood Studios park as early as 6pm. That means party ticket holders get even more time to enjoy the park before the official party begins. It's also important to know that your Disney Jollywood Nights ticket does not require an additional theme park ticket or park pass reservation to attend.
If you are planning to attend Disney Jollywood Nights this year, tickets are currently on sale and some of the event dates last year did sell out.
Now, let's review the 2023 event and what you can expect at the event this year.
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| Christmas Tree on Echo Lake |
Holly Jolly Entertainment
One of my favorite parts of Disney Jollywood Nights is the entertainment offerings! The event includes three event-exclusive shows and several themed entertainment offerings throughout the park.
What's This? Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along is one of the event-exclusive shows located at the Hyperion Theater. The show is approximately 30 minutes long and shown once every hour during the event. This is a must-do experience at this event! I'm not even a Nightmare Before Christmas fan (blasphemy, I know!) and I really enjoyed this sing-along. The Jack Skellington puppet and Oogie Boogie scene were so well done. Make sure not to miss this one!
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| What's This? Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along |
Disney Holidays in Hollywood is another event-exclusive show that takes place at the Theater of the Stars (usually home to Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage). This show is also around 30 minutes and is shown once every hour during the event. The show is filled with the glitz and glamour of a vintage Hollywood television Christmas special, complete with musical numbers and commercial breaks. It's a really cute show and in my opinion, is another must-see during Disney Jollywood Nights!
Be dazzled by the nighttime spectacular, Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!, a holiday nighttime show with stunning fireworks, lasers, lights, projections, music and clips from favorite Disney films. There's also snow on Hollywood Boulevard which adds a final touch of magic to a very festive evening.
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| Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! Nighttime Firework Show |
In addition to the three shows, there are additional entertainment offerings available intermittently throughout the night. You'll find the Twilight Soiree at the Tip Top Club located in the Courtyard of The Hollywood Tower Hotel with swoon worthy music from a live band. It's a very vintage vibe that fits perfectly with the Tower of Terror. The Courtyard was fairly congested when I visited so I didn't stay long but I did enjoy some of the holiday tunes before I continued on my way.
If you're looking for a more lively vibe (see what I did there?!), look no further than Holiday Fiesta en la Calle on Commissary Lane. The Latin band brought a really fun energy that it was hard not to dance my way down Commissary Lane.
New in 2024, you'll see a dazzling skating spectacular on Hollywood Boulevard, set to your favorite holiday tunes. International champion skaters will perform their skills in an awe-inspiring twist on the traditional ice show with performances throughout the night.
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| Twilight Soiree at the Tip Top Club |
Specialty Dining and Snacks
Unlike Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Disney Jollywood Nights doesn't offer any snacks or holiday treats included with your admission ticket. There are no free cookies or hot chocolate at this event which is a slight bummer. There are, however, plenty of holiday snacks and festive drinks available for purchase.
Last year, I tried a few snacks and drinks at the event and some were better than others. I had read good reviews of the Beer Margarita from BaseLine Tap House so I was really looking forward to trying this drink. Sadly, I did not enjoy it and I usually love beer and margaritas. I guess I just don't love them combined.
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| Beer Margarita from BaseLine Tap House |
ABC Commissary had so many items to choose from that it was hard to decide on just one so I ordered three! The cuisine was Latin Fare and I ordered the Chicken Empanadas with Street Corn, Mexican Hot Cocoa Cheesecake and the Oaxaca Old Fashioned. The chicken empanadas were very enjoyable. The street corn was a very nice element and I thought it tasted best when eaten with the empanadas. The Mexican Cocoa Cheesecake was also very yummy. It was a really nice, light dessert. The Oaxaca Old Fashioned was where I chose poorly. It was a really strong drink, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but just wasn't my favorite.
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| Chicken Empanadas with Street Corn, Mexican Hot Cocoa Cheesecake, and Oaxaca Old Fashioned from ABC Commissary |
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| Frozone's Snowball Macaroons |
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| Buffalo Chicken Spring Rolls |
If you're looking for something more than quick service options, there is also Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby. This specialty dining option was only available via a walk-up list in the My Disney Experience app in 2023 but will be taking reservations in 2024. Stay tuned for more information on when those reservations will be available for booking. Jazzy Holidays serves up an exclusive menu of light bites and craft cocktails while you listen to jazzy holiday tunes. I'm bummed I didn't get to experience Jazzy Holidays but there just wasn't enough time to do everything.
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| Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby |
Character Greetings
Character meet and greets is another area where Disney Jollywood Nights really shines. (The lines for the characters weren't so wonderful in 2023 but the characters that were available to meet were awesome!) Echo Lake Holiday Celebration is a throwback of Disney Channel favorites Chip 'n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Phineas & Ferb and Max as Powerline. I was SO excited to see Max as Powerline! I absolutely loved A Goofy Movie and the Powerline songs are STILL my jam. New in 2024, Talespin characters will join the fun!
Additional new characters will be Jose Carioza or Panchito from The Three Caballeros, appearing at Animation Courtyard, and Bo Peep or Lotso from Toy Story movies, appearing at the entrance to Toy Story Land.
Returning characters in 2024 include Santa Stitch, Santa Duffy, Edna Mode, Frozone, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Minnie Mouse and more!
Event Photos
Your admission ticket to Disney Jollywood Nights includes complimentary downloads of your Disney PhotoPass digital photos and videos from the event. It was really nice that something complimentary was included with our admission tickets. I love photos so I was very happy to be able to get our PhotoPass photos and other videos from the evening. My regret was that we didn't take more photos however, I did get some good ones that I used on my family's Christmas card this year.
In addition to the regular PhotoPass photos, there are also Magic Shots throughout the park and Specialty Image Captures. We did the special photo experience located inside the Disney Junior Play and Dance. We had the choice between doing Slo-Glo, a slo-mo video, or Celebration, a chance to dance in the video. My family out voted me and picked Slo-Glo so that's what we went with. The end result was actually really cute!
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| Photo of our Slo-Glo video |
Tips & Tricks
There's simply not enough time at the event to see and do everything in one night so make sure to read our tips and tricks to help you in your event planning:
- The event is way too short to fit everything in so have everyone in your party pick their top "must-do" activities to help you prioritize your evening.
- Arrive at the turnstiles prior to 6pm so you can enter the park before the party officially begins at 7:30pm. This will give you an hour and a half to ride some attractions, eat dinner and finalize your game plan to maximize your time at the event.
- If the event exclusive shows are at the top of your "must-do" list, then make sure to see those shows earlier in the evening so you don't miss them. That way if timing doesn't work out for one of the earlier shows, you will still have time to see one of the later showings.
- Take advantage of the complimentary photos included with your admission and make time for Disney PhotoPass photos.
- Embrace the holiday spirit and dress up! Whether you want to go full glitz in an old Hollywood evening gown or just put on your favorite holiday sweatshirt, have some fun and dress up for the event.
Review
Overall, we really enjoyed Disney Jollywood Nights! When we attended it was the first year of the event so we weren't sure what to expect and after a not so stellar first night, I was worried. I kept reading reviews and tried to lower my expectations so I wouldn't be disappointed. Luckily, Disney made some small changes to help alleviate some of the issues with that first night of the party. I also made sure to prioritize what things I wanted to do the most and had my family do the same so we all could enjoy the party.
For my children, their priority was riding some of the attractions and the event really came through with low wait times! We rode Slinky Dog Dash with about a 20 minute wait around 11pm and all of the other attractions were a 5 minute wait or walk on for most of the evening. The event was mainly advertised as a more adult focused event but my 7 and 4 year old had lots of fun.
One issue that Disney couldn't fix in 2023 was that the event was just too short. Luckily, Disney listened to guest feedback and has extended the party by one hour for 2024! The event is now 5 hours long and that extra hour should help you fit in more of the holiday festivities.
Although complimentary cookies and hot chocolate aren't included in the event, a Wondermade sweet treat is included with your event ticket and will be provided when exiting the event.
Planning a Walt Disney World vacation this holiday season? We are here to help! Contact your Kingdom Konsultant travel professional or submit a request form for a free quote today. Make sure to check out our Planning for Walt Disney World Vacations page for more posts.
We Want to Hear From You
Did you attend Disney Jollywood Nights last year? And if not, is attending this special event on your must-do list? Let us know in the comments.
Ashley has been a Disney Parks fan from an early age and loves anything vintage Disney. You can email Ashley at ashley@kingdomkonsultant.com.
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