On November 11th 2023, the holiday season began at Disney’s Hollywood Studios with the very first Disney Jollywood Nights. This ticketed event is set to give you that festive holiday feeling while amongst the glitz and the glamour of old Hollywood! This is a brand new event and many of our agents were sure to hit the ground on opening night to get us the scoop on everything offered at this exciting new party! If you are headed to Walt Disney World between November 11th and December 20th be sure to join in on all the glitz and glam at this old Hollywood style soiree!

This event occurs on select nights and here is the basics of what you need to know:

• This is a separate ticketed event meaning, you will not be able to use your Walt Disney World theme park tickets to enjoy the party. If you are at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during an event date the park will close at 8pm and cast members will be checking to ensure you have a party ticket in addition to your day ticket to be able to stay in the park.

• With a Disney Jollywood Nights ticket you will be able to enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios beginning at 7pm even though the party does not start until 8:30pm. Take this time to enjoy dinner or experience attractions!

Pure Magic Vacations Tip: If you are already inside the park from the use of a day pass, you can choose to pick up your wristband from one of the distribution locations around the park such as Star Wars Launch Bay or Muppet Vision 3D!

• This event has limited availability which means you can enjoy a lot of attractions and party offerings with less crowds and shorter waits. However, because it is limited, tickets do tend to sell out so be sure to get yours well ahead of time.

• Due to the heavy theming of glitz and glamour, many guests decide to join in on the fun and dress in their holiday best! You may find gentlemen in bow ties and fedoras and ladies in fringe dresses and gloves. It is encouraged but absolutely not necessary to dress up. If that sounds like something you would enjoy - start planning your outfit!

Now that you know the basics, let’s dive into what you can expect at this inaugural year of Disney Jollywood Nights:

Entertainment Shows

Disney Holidays in Hollywood: Join Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy as they co-host a brand new TV special for the holidays. During this all new stage show you will find yourself singing along to classic Christmas tunes while watching the talented dancers and performers in awe! The show will feature beloved Disney characters including Mickey & Minnie, Belle in her iconic Christmas dress and Princess Tiana who will be performing an original Christmas song!
Be sure to listen to the “commercial breaks” for fun nods to other Disney characters such as the ad for the Goofy’s Candy Company!
Showtimes: 8:45pm, 9:45pm, 10:45pm & 11:45pm

 

What's This? Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along: Visit the Hyperion Theatre to get a glimpse of what it is like in Christmastown as you follow the two friends as they make their way through a dreamland of peculiar magic. Sing along to the songs from the classic film while watching a theatrical Tim Burton style stage production featuring the pumpkin king himself as well as that no good Oogie Boogie.
Showtimes: 8:30pm, 9:30pm, 10:30pm & 11:30pm

 

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!: This stunning display of fireworks and projections alongside holiday clips from your favorite Disney films as well as classic festive tunes is the perfect way to end off your glamorous evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Look to the Chinese Theatre for familiar faces and up to the skies for the beautiful display of fireworks!
Showtimes: 12:30am

Sunset Seasons Greetings: Watch as dazzling projections light up the Hollywood Tower Hotel turning it into the very centrepiece of holiday decor! You may encounter the toys from Andy’s backyard, Muppets making gingerbread houses and more!
Showtimes: Intermittently throughout the night

 

Festive Entertainment

Holiday Fiesta en la Calle: Head down Commissary Lane with your dancing shoes on as the sounds of festive latin tunes fill the air. This section of the park is filled with delicious sips and bites, colourful decor and musicians lining the streets!

Twilight Soirée at the Tip Top Club: Step back into the 1930’s at the Tip Top Club. Here you will find a live band playing classic holiday hits in true early Hollywood fashion. Grab your dance partner and hit the dance floor for a swinging good time. While you visit you can choose to stop by the exclusive party photo spot or grab one of the featured cocktails. The Twilight Daiquiri (Parrot Bay Coconut Rum, ube, lime juice, and a splash of shimmer) has quickly become a fan favorite!

 

Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby: This iconic Hollywood restaurant has joined in on the holiday festivities with Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby! Dine from an exclusive holiday menu with specialty cocktails while enjoying the sounds of smooth jazz holiday favorites with a live piano player. Out of a menu made up of specialty cocktails and eight exclusive small bite dishes - we have to say that the Derby Slider (Bison and pork belly blend, taleggio cheese sauce, and fig stout jam) comes out on top as the best one to try! What is important to note about this experience is that you may only experience it by joining the Walk Up List from your My Disney Experience app.

Pure Magic Vacations Tip: Join the walk up list as soon as it opens up at 8:15pm. By doing this you have the best chances of being able to join but also if you do find it is a longer wait you can plan your night accordingly to enjoy the other offerings at this event!

DJ Holiday Mix: As you enter the park you will find that Hollywood Boulevard is filled with the sounds of your favorite Christmas and Holiday classics. The atmosphere of a beautifully lit up park, retro holiday decor and “snoap” (soap that makes the snow effect) in addition to the music that makes you want to sing along, makes for a perfect entrance into this brand new after hours event.

Specialty Dining
As with any Disney event you can expect the culinary teams have gone all out to provide delicious festive food and beverage options all throughout the park! One aspect of this event that really gets people excited is the extensive list of holiday themed offerings you will find. You can find a full list of offerings with the Disney’s Jollywood Nights Foodie Guide here.

To highlight a few, take a look at what can be found:

Christmas Gertie Cookie (Gertie’s Ice Cream of Extinction): Sugar cookie with mint icing (Also available with mint soft-serve)

Holiday Turkey Popover (Fairfax Fare): Roasted turkey and creamy mashed potatoes topped with gravy, cranberry chutney, and chives in a house-made popover

 

Sugar Cookie Martini (Bar Locations): Stoli Vanil Vodka, Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur, and DISARONNO Originale Liqueur mixed with milk and sugar in a sprinkle-rimmed glass with a sugar cookie garnish

Pure Magic Vacations Tip: The lines for select locations (such as Fairfax Fare) can get quite long so be sure you are allocating enough time to grab yourself some bites if it is a priority to you! If possible, have one person wait to grab your food while the rest of your party either waits for another offering such as a show or character line!

Character Meetings

A few of our Disney friends heard that there was a brand new event taking place at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and wanted to check it out too! Over in Animation Courtyard you will find Mickey and the gang in their brand new old Hollywood looks ready to welcome you to the party! Here you will find: Mickey OR Minnie, Donald OR Daisy, Goofy OR Pluto. It is important to note that the characters do swap out approximately every 40 minutes so although the line is continuously moving you will not get to choose which friend out of each pair you meet!

You will find more Disney pals over at the Echo Lake Holiday Celebration. This is where you will see a few throwback characters that everyone loves! This includes Max dressed as Powerline standing by his Powerline inspired Christmas tree, Phineas and Ferb by their own decorated Christmas tree and Chip and Dale as the Rescue Rangers by their matching Christmas tree!

If you are heading into Toy Story Land, be sure to stop by Holidays a la Mode at Pixar Place! This is where you will find Edna Mode meeting inside the Edna Mode experience. Frozone will also be meeting with his adoring fans in Pixar Place during this event!

In addition to the characters listed in your event map, you may be lucky enough to catch some familiar favs wandering around or at pop up meet and greet locations. We have seen Santa Duffy, Jiminey Cricket, Pinocchio, Snow White & Dopey and more!

Attractions

As Disney Jollywood Nights is a limited ticket event, you can expect the wait times for rides to be much shorter than they would be throughout the day. In fact, we did not experience a wait time more than 10 minutes all night long! If your family loves to hit the rides then you are going to love this aspect of the party. Slinky Dog Dash which can be seen with a posted wait time up to 135 minutes on some days can be enjoyed over and over and over again with no extended waits!

One attraction we want to mention is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. If you are attending Disney Jollywood Nights you will have the opportunity to join this virtual queue at 8pm via the My Disney Experience app. This ride does not offer a standby queue and therefore, if you do not receive a boarding group via the app you will not be able to ride.

Event Photos

Included with your ticket to this event are your Photopass downloads! This means that any photos taken by Disney Photopass Photographers are linked to your account will appear with no watermark, ready to download and use right away for no additional cost! We were so excited to hear this news as I am sure many of you can relate - taking that perfect photo at night with the beautiful Christmas lights and decor can be very hit or miss! However, with those professional Disney cameras snapping your moments and memories, they are sure to come out great each time! In addition to getting the perfect shot, Disney Photopass Photographers will also offer exclusive magic shots for this event! You may find Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog have joined you for a photo when you look at them on your app!

Here is a list of Magic shots you won’t want to miss:
1. Jazz with Ollie (the event Gingerbread man icon) - in front of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

2. Muppets Holidays in Hollywood - near Hollywood Tower Hotel on Sunset Boulevard

3. Jollywood Nights Glowing Gift Box - Hollywood Boulevard

4. Life Day - X-Wing in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

5. Black and White Twilight Soirée - exit of Hollywood Tower Hotel

Throughout the park you will notice photographers in iconic locations such as in front of the Hollywood Tower Hotel or the giant Christmas tree at Echo Lake but you will also find them at event exclusive photo op locations such as the Disney Jollywood Nights neon sign you encounter as soon as you walk into the park!

Merchandise
What goes more hand in hand with Christmas than Christmas shopping! You can do plenty of Christmas shopping at the shops along Sunset Boulevard and Hollywood Boulevard. Shop the most recent additions to this year's holiday line such as spirit jerseys, Loungefly bags, Minnie Ears and more! If you are looking for party exclusive merchandise you are going to want to head to Once Upon a Time located on Sunset Boulevard by the exit of the Disney Holidays in Hollywood show. This is where you will find the event exclusive shirt that notes “Inaugural Year 2023.” Additionally, when you head out of the park at the end of the evening you will be given some complimentary Disney Jollywood Nights coasters!

It is clear that Disney Jollywood Nights has plenty to offer within a 4 hour time span which is why the biggest tip we could offer you is, plan ahead! Make a list of what really interests you whether it is the shows (our biggest recommendation!), characters, food, attractions or other! There really is no better retro Christmas vibe than Disney’s Hollywood Studios so we definitely recommend if not participating in the event to ensure you plan for an evening at the park during the holiday season! Remember, it’s never too early to begin thinking about your Christmas vacation in 2024. Nothing looks better wrapped under the tree than a Walt Disney World vacation! 

Our Pure Magic Vacations agents are ready to help make your next vacation magical and memorable. The magic is calling you, so reach out to an agent today  for a no-obligation quote.

 

Planning magical vacations for families since 2011, Pure Magic Vacations is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Travel Agency - EarMarked Platinum Producer.