Walt Disney World has updated the calendar for Christmas 2025, revealing that Magic Kingdom day guests during the heart of the holiday season can see “free” fireworks, parade, and stage show from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party without buying tickets to the sold out event. This post shares dates & details, plus our commentary.
The air quotes around free are due to the practical reality that you’re paying a significant premium to visit the park on these days, which are far and away the most expensive of the year. Walt Disney World ticket prices hit a new record during those dates, breaking the $200 barrier at three of the four parks. (Spoiler alert: Magic Kingdom has the most expensive admission of all, peaking at $209!)
It’s not just tickets. If you’re visiting the next couple of weeks, you’ll be paying the highest prices of the year for hotels, Lightning Lanes, and everything else that has date-based pricing. I’d hazard a guess that you’ll pay more for airfare, rental cars, and other trip components that aren’t booking directed via Disney.
There’s a very good chance that you would’ve come out ahead booking a trip in mid-November or our favorite week of the year at Walt Disney World, paying lower ticket prices and hotel rates, while adding on tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. But that ship has sailed, unless you’re already planning ahead for 2026.
There’s also the reality that many guests can’t choose quieter weeks in November and December because they’re part of Walt Disney World’s bread and butter demographics that can only visit during school breaks. Which is precisely why these weeks are busier and more expensive in the first place. So it’s pretty much either Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, or the first week in January. But I digress.
Let’s start by addressing the bigger picture entertainment schedule for Magic Kingdom in the coming weeks, as it has a few quirks…
Magic Kingdom Evening Entertainment Schedule
- December 22-29, 2025:
- Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks replaces Happily Ever After and will be shown nightly at 8:30 pm for all Magic Kingdom guests.
- Disney Starlight Night Parade presented at 7 pm and 9:45 pm
- December 30-31, 2025
- Fantasy in the Sky fireworks presented at 7:30 pm and 11:50 pm for all Magic Kingdom guests.
- Disney Starlight Night Parade presented at 6:30 pm and 9 pm
- Starting January 1, 2026
- Happily Ever After at 9:00 pm
- Starlight at 7:45 pm and 10 pm
That’s the schedule as of today. There’s been another late-breaking addition to the calendar…
Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration
According to the updated Walt Disney World entertainment schedule as of midday on December 22nd, Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is set to run tonight (again, December 22, 2025) at 7:50 pm, 9 pm, and 10:35 pm.
As of publication, Walt Disney World has only posted showtimes for December 22, 2025. Based on past precedent, we’d normally expect Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration to be shown at these times through December 29, 2025 and possibly at other hours through New Year’s Eve.
However, it’s possible that won’t be the case. These hours were not listed at all until today, with the belief that there simply was an insufficient buffer to accommodate all of the normal nighttime Christmas entertainment plus Starlight Night Parade, which is new and has not been presented in previous years.
As we’ve seen throughout the Party Season, congestion in the Central Plaza is a serious concern. This is something we covered in Avoiding Magic Kingdom’s Evening Exodus, following multiple reports of chaotic conditions in the Central Plaza between Happily Ever After and Starlight. It’s also something we’ve experienced, albeit to a lesser extent than those reports, ourselves.
Accordingly, it’s possible that Walt Disney World is only scheduling one night of Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration for now to see if this is feasible or safe from a crowd flow perspective. Today is likely to be the busiest day of Christmas week, so if it works tonight, it’ll be fine for the remainder of this week. But next week will be even busier.
We love Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration and highly recommend seeing it. The show’s premise is that it’s days before Christmas, and Mickey throws a Christmas party at his house, inviting all of his friends, who sing a medley of Christmas Carols before the show is “is Christmas-wrapped up in one sensational, snowy, show-stopping finale.”
Two of the musical numbers are among our favorites, and there’s also a weird one that was slightly odd and off-putting at first, but has grown on me since. I won’t spoil it for you, though. Suffice to say, Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is a must-see.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade
From December 22 through December 31, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade will also be shown for “free” to Magic Kingdom day guests. This is happening consistent with the normal schedule, which has MOUACP performed twice daily during regular park hours, at 12:00 pm and 3 pm, once Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party ends (the final event was last night).
Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade should need no introduction. It is the iconic piece of Christmas programming, and even if you’ve never seen it in person, you’ve probably seen it on TV as part of the annual ABC Christmas Day Parade.
Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade features dancing gingerbread men, ballroom dancers, marching toy soldiers, catchy holiday music, and scents to put you in the festive spirit. MOUACP also showcases many Disney characters dressed in their holiday attire before the parade concludes with a special appearance by Santa Claus as he wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
You’ve already missed it, but for future reference, the best time for seeing “free” MVMCP entertainment is usually over Jersey Week/Veterans Day weekend. (See My Favorite Days at Magic Kingdom: See Mickey’s Christmas Parade & More Entertainment for Free!) Although the “secret” is getting out about that, and it’s gotten progressively busier over the last few years.
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade starts in Frontierland, stepping off near Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. After passing through the mean streets of the wild west, it travels through Liberty Square, winds through the Central Plaza in front of Cinderella Castle, and then goes down Main Street, USA.
Crowds are usually lowest in Frontierland or Liberty Square, but the view is more iconic with Cinderella Castle and/or Main Street in the background. Our favorite ‘best of both worlds’ spot is in Town Square, near the park entrance. It’s less busy than Main Street and having the parade round corners makes for nice viewing angles and easier/better photos.
Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks
As noted above, this is also performed nightly now through December 29, 2025. This is a new-ish nighttime spectacular (it’s over 5 years old, but still the most recent addition to Magic Kingdom’s seldom-changing holiday entertainment programming) that replaced fan-favorite Holiday Wishes.
The newer fireworks feature “Wonderful Christmas Time” by Paul McCartney and also includes “Joy to the World,” “Deck the Halls,” “Up on the House Top,” “We Wish You A Merry Christmas,” and other favorites. Projection mapping also features heavily, with the end result being that Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks evokes heartfelt moments of home and family, and the spirit of the season before an incredible finale.
While longtime fans might argue that this show is inferior to Holiday Wishes in some ways, it’s good enough. Like the song “Wonderful Christmastime,” it’s schmaltzy and silly. My unpopular opinion about both the fireworks and the song is that they’re good, actually. But I know there are plenty of haters out there.
Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks has grown on me with each passing year. I’d still take a modernized Holiday Wishes over it without hesitation, but I’m developing nostalgia and sentimentality for the show, which is precisely the point. Give it another few years, and Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks will be a beloved favorite that the current generation of fans won’t want to let go.
When it comes to viewing the Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, Main Street is always going to be the most popular choice. As someone who has seen this fireworks show many times from MSUSA, that’s not as necessary for Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime as it is for other fireworks. There are projections, sure, but they’re not essential. There’s also no low-level element like Jack Skellington in the Halloween show.
Consult our Best Magic Kingdom Fireworks Viewing Locations when it comes to picking a spot for watching Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime. Given the crowds, we’d recommend opting for Fantasyland. To each their own, but that’s the lower-stakes, lower-stress viewing option during this peak week, and there’s something to be said for being immersed in the fireworks, especially if the perimeter pyro is included.
Speaking of crowds, we already noted above that this is the most expensive two weeks of the year. Adding insult to injury, these are also the busiest few weeks of the entire year, every single year. And by a wide margin. The crowd calendar should go to 11/10 specifically for the week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, because that period is so far above a normal 10/10 that it skews the scale.
If you plan on trying to see Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration, Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks or Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade, we’d recommend staking out spots early (or better yet, being comfortable seeing the entertainment from more ‘relaxed’ locations as opposed to prime ones) and packing your patience. (For more, see our lists of the 10 Best and 10 Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2025, 2026 & 2027.)
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you be trying to catch Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration, Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade or Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks for “free” starting today? Have you watched the Christmas parade, stage show or fireworks during daily ops in the lead-up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve? What was your experience? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
