Disneyland's holiday season runs 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027.
It was not always going to. Disney originally announced an 18 November start and then moved it up — five extra days of Christmas, according to WDWMAGIC and other outlets covering the announcement.
Five days is not a rounding error on a season this short. It is a deliberate decision to open the most lucrative weeks of the year earlier.
Disney California Adventure gets the food festival
Disney Festival of Holidays runs the full season, 13 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, and is included with park admission.
The food is the draw. There is a Festive Foods Marketplace of seasonal eats and drinks from different cultures and celebrations, and a Sip and Savor Pass if you intend to work through several of them.
The entertainment rotates daily and is more varied than people expect:
- Mickey's Happy Holidays — Mickey and friends with the Holiday Toy Drummers
- Holiday Toy Drummers — in Paradise Gardens Park
- Mirabel's Gifts of the Season — stories and songs from Encanto
- A Musical Christmas with Mariachi Alegría de Disneyland & Miguel — bilingual songs with Miguel from Coco
- Santa's Holiday Visit! — at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail
Disney ¡Viva Navidad! also runs the full season, 13 November to 6 January.
Disneyland park, and the overlays
This is where the ride overlays live, and they are the reason a lot of people book this window specifically.
"it's a small world" Holiday — the ride closed on 30 October for the changeover and is reported to reopen in its holiday form on 13 November. Disney has not published an end date for the overlay; in recent years it has run well into January.
Haunted Mansion Holiday — the Nightmare Before Christmas overlay is already running, as it does across both Halloween and Christmas. Reports note it is marking its 25th anniversary this year with a merchandise collection.
Believe… In Holiday Magic — the holiday fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle, returning alongside A Christmas Fantasy Parade.
Cars Land — its holiday versions are reported to debut on 13 November.
If you're staying on property
Disney is running up to 20% off select stays of three or more nights at a Disneyland Resort hotel, for stays from 11 October through 18 December 2026 — so the discount window closes a week before Christmas and does not cover the busiest days of the season.
The short version
- 30 Oct — "it's a small world" closes for the changeover
- 13 Nov — the season opens; Festival of Holidays, ¡Viva Navidad!, the overlays and the fireworks
- 18 Dec — last night covered by the hotel discount
- 6 Jan — season ends
Haunted Mansion Holiday is the exception to all of it — that one has been running since the Halloween season and simply continues.
Season dates, the Disney California Adventure line-up, the Sip and Savor Pass and the hotel offer all come from Disneyland's own Festival of Holidays page, read on 31 October 2026. The items marked as reported — the date move, the "it's a small world" closure and reopening, Haunted Mansion Holiday's 25th anniversary, Believe… In Holiday Magic, A Christmas Fantasy Parade and the Cars Land overlays — are attributed to the outlets that covered them and were not confirmed on Disney's site.
Hero photo: "Christmas for Sleeping Beauty Castle" by HarshLight, licensed CC BY 2.0, cropped. It is a file photo from an earlier season, not this year's decorations.