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Christmas in Orlando 2026: A Guide for Families With Kids
- Daniel Harper
- 2026-10-12
Quick answer: Christmas in Orlando runs from early November into early January in 2026, with Disney's holiday season from November 13 to January 6, Universal's holidays from November 14 to January 3 and SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration starting in early November and Gaylord Palms on November 13. For families with babies, toddlers and young kids, the best plan is one daytime holiday festival, one evening of lights and a nap every day. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and some light shows sell out, so book those first.
We checked each fact below against the official pages on October 12, 2026. Dates and hours change, and some places had not posted 2026 details yet, so confirm before you go.
Key Takeaways
- Disney lists its holiday season as November 13 to January 6. EPCOT's Festival of the Holidays (November 27 to December 30) is included with admission, while Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (25 nights, November 8 to December 22) needs its own ticket.
- Universal Orlando's holidays (November 14 to January 3) and SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration (select nights) are included with theme park admission.
- Free evening events start on December 4: the Lake Eola tree lighting, Light Up Winter Garden and Winter on the Avenue. Sunset Walk's Holiday Nights are free on select nights from November 19.
- December in Orlando is mild: NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give an average high of 73.8 degrees and a low of 52.9 degrees at the airport, with measurable rain on about 7 days.
- Honest Sherpa says it operates every day of the year but Christmas, and its checkout date picker shows it is closed on December 25, so plan delivery and pickup days around it.
- Little ones do best with one big thing per day, a real nap and an early dinner.
Christmas in Orlando at a glance
| Event | 2026 dates | Cost or included | Best ages (our suggestion) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party (Magic Kingdom) | 25 select nights, Nov 8 to Dec 22, 7 pm to midnight | Separate ticket, $189 to $229 plus tax; under 3 needs no ticket | Preschool and up; toddlers with a nap plan |
| EPCOT Festival of the Holidays | Nov 27 to Dec 30 | Included with admission | All ages |
| Disney Jollywood Nights (Hollywood Studios) | 15 select nights, Nov 7 to Jan 5, 7:30 pm to 12:30 am | Separate ticket, $169 to $199 plus tax | School age |
| Holidays at Universal Orlando | Nov 14 to Jan 3 | Included with theme park ticket | Toddlers and up |
| SeaWorld Christmas Celebration | Select nights, about Nov 6 to Jan 4 | Included with admission | Babies to age 8 |
| Christmas at Gaylord Palms | Nov 13 to Jan 3 | ice! is a separate timed ticket | All ages; infant-size parkas |
| LEGOLAND Christmas Bricktacular | Select dates, Nov 21 to Jan 3 | Included with admission | Preschool and up |
| Dazzling Nights (Leu Gardens) | Select nights, Nov 20 to Jan 3 | Ticket; ages 3 and under free | Walkers and stroller riders |
| Free city lights and tree lightings | Sunset Walk from Nov 19; Dec 4 for Lake Eola, Winter Garden and Winter Park | Free | All ages |
Walt Disney World at Christmas with little kids
Disney's holidays page says the season runs from November 13 to January 6, with decorations in all four parks.
- Magic Kingdom: Main Street decor, Jingle Cruise and the Frozen Holiday Surprise castle show. The evening party is the main event, and our toddler guide to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party has the dates, ticket rules and a nap-friendly timeline. Disney says children younger than 3 do not need a ticket.
- EPCOT: The Festival of the Holidays has storytellers, Santa, Goofy as Santa, Candlelight Processional and the Glimmering Greenhouses boat ride. See our EPCOT Festival of the Holidays with kids guide.
- Hollywood Studios: Holiday projections on the Hollywood Tower Hotel nightly, holidays at Toy Story Land and a Frozen sing-along. Disney Jollywood Nights is a separate evening event on 15 select nights.
- Animal Kingdom: A 55-foot Christmas tree at the entrance, Merry Menagerie puppets and the Tree of Life Awakenings Holiday Edition each evening.
- Disney Springs: Disney's page says the 2025 holiday offering concluded and 2026 information was not posted when we checked.
Disney's hours calendar had not reached December 25 when we checked, so confirm the day's hours on Disney's official calendar. Disney's property rules also prohibit strollers larger than 31 inches wide and 52 inches long, and wagons are prohibited at any theme park.
Universal Orlando at Christmas
Universal's holidays page lists November 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027, included with a theme park ticket. Highlights include Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter across three theme parks, Grinchmas in Seuss Landing, Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy's at Universal Studios Florida each night, Snoggletog at How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk and festive decor at Super Nintendo World. Our Universal Orlando Christmas with kids guide goes deeper, and our Universal stroller guide covers gear.
SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration
SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration is on select nights and is included with admission. The page gives November 6 to January 4 in its headline and November 7 to January 5 in its FAQ, so confirm the night you want. It lists millions of lights, a sea of trees, snow flurries, ice-skating shows, Santa, Rudolph and nightly fireworks. SeaWorld's pages give both December 31 and January 1 as the last fireworks night, so confirm before you go. The Sesame Street Christmas Parade takes place in Sesame Street Land. Our SeaWorld Christmas Celebration toddler guide has the toddler plan.
Other holiday attractions for families
- Christmas at Gaylord Palms: November 13, 2026 to January 3, 2027, with more than 3 million lights. ice! featuring The Polar Express is a separate timed ticket, kept at 9 degrees Fahrenheit, and every guest gets a free parka in sizes from infants up. Self-parking is $38 daily.
- LEGOLAND Christmas Bricktacular: select dates from November 21 to January 3, included with admission, with a 30-foot LEGO tree and a new light trail.
- Dazzling Nights at Leu Gardens: a 3/4-mile walk-through from November 20 to January 3. Children 3 and under are free.
- Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild at the Central Florida Zoo: a timed-entry evening walk-through of illuminated displays on select nights from November 13 to January 17. The zoo says you will not see animals, because they are in their night habitats.
Free city events and lights
Several cities host free evenings, and most start on Friday, December 4.
- Lake Eola: The City of Orlando's tree lighting runs 5:30 to 9:30 pm with snowfall, Santa and a market.
- Winter Garden: A Merry Winter Garden Light Show runs on 11 nights from December 4, 6 to 9 pm.
- Winter Park: Winter on the Avenue is December 4, 5 to 9 pm, with a tree lighting and Santa.
- Kissimmee: Holiday Nights at Sunset Walk are free on select nights from November 19 to December 25, with a 40-foot tree lit nightly at 6:30 pm.
Our guide to Christmas lights in Orlando lists dates, costs and toddler tips for each, and our snow in Orlando guide covers where to find snowfall. Kissimmee's Festival of Lights and Winter Park's Celebrate on Park pages still showed 2025 dates when we checked.
Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Eve
SeaWorld lists a Hanukkah Celebration on December 4 to 12, Kwanzaa Festivities on December 26 to January 1 and New Year's Eve fireworks on December 31. EPCOT's festival includes a Hanukkah storyteller and a Christmas and Kwanzaa tribute. See our Hanukkah in Orlando guide and our New Year's Eve in Orlando with kids guide.
Weather at Christmas in Orlando
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for Orlando International Airport give December an average high of 73.8 degrees, an average low of 52.9 degrees and about 2.48 inches of rain, with measurable rain on about 7 days. Evenings feel cooler, especially at light shows that run after dark, so pack layers and a stroller rain cover. Our Orlando weather in December guide has more.
Which events fit which ages
These age picks are our suggestions, not the venues' recommendations. The ticket rules quoted come from each venue's official page.
- Babies under 1: Choose events with a stroller-friendly path and low stakes, such as SeaWorld's daytime shows, EPCOT's storytellers and a free tree lighting. Disney says children younger than 3 do not need a ticket to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, but a late night is hard on a baby, so it is optional.
- Toddlers (1 to 3): Short and visual wins. Santa photos, a boat ride through lit greenhouses, snowfall and a parade are enough. Dazzling Nights lets children 3 and under in free, and Gaylord's ice! provides infant-size parkas.
- Preschoolers (3 to 5): This is when the party, character meets and Candlelight Processional start to pay off. Disney takes $10 off party and Jollywood Nights tickets for children ages 3 to 9.
- School age: Disney Jollywood Nights, LEGOLAND's Bricktacular, Universal's Grinchmas and the zoo's evening festival keep older kids engaged.
Free versus paid
Free: the Lake Eola tree lighting, Light Up Winter Garden, Winter on the Avenue and Sunset Walk's Holiday Nights, which also have free parking. Included with admission: EPCOT's festival, SeaWorld's Christmas Celebration, LEGOLAND's Bricktacular and Universal's holidays. Separately ticketed: Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, Disney Jollywood Nights, ice! at Gaylord Palms, Dazzling Nights and the zoo's Asian Lantern Festival: Into the Wild. Parking can cost extra, such as $38 daily for self-parking at Gaylord Palms.
How to build a day with a baby or toddler
This is our suggested rhythm, not an official schedule. Adjust it to your child's nap.
| Time | Plan |
|---|---|
| Morning | One daytime festival: EPCOT, SeaWorld or Universal. Arrive early and see the character or storyteller first |
| Midday | Lunch and a real nap at the rental or in the stroller |
| Late afternoon | Another short show or ride, then an early dinner |
| Early evening | A free lights display or tree lighting, home by bedtime |
Do one big thing a day, and give yourself one empty day for every two full ones. Our winter break itinerary shows how to space it out across a week.
Gear, trees and Christmas dinner at your rental
If you are staying in a vacation home, you can leave some of the packing to rental gear. Honest Sherpa rents strollers and cribs and bedding, plus a convertible car seat and a booster. Its Christmas category lists live trees in three sizes, a 7-foot pre-lit artificial tree, a 2-foot tabletop tree, a front door wreath, a set of four stockings and tree decoration kits. Our guide to renting a Christmas tree in Orlando explains the options, and our vacation rental Christmas dinner checklist helps you plan the meal.
The site says it operates every day of the year but Christmas, and its date picker shows that it is closed on December 25. If your trip spans the holiday, choose delivery and pickup days that are not December 25. Our holiday packing list covers what to bring.
Planning late
If you are booking close to the date, read our last-minute Christmas in Orlando guide. On October 12, seven of Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party's 25 nights showed as sold out on Disney's ticket page, and Disney says tickets are limited and may not be available on the day. Free city events and SeaWorld's included-with-admission evenings are the easiest backups.
FAQ
Is Orlando good at Christmas? Yes for families. Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND and Gaylord Palms all run holiday events, and several cities host free tree lightings and light shows on December 4.
When does Christmas start at Disney World in 2026? Disney's holidays page lists November 13 to January 6, with Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party starting November 8 and EPCOT's festival starting November 27.
Which Disney park is best for Christmas with kids? It depends on your kids. Magic Kingdom has the iconic decor and the evening party, EPCOT's festival is included with admission and has storytellers and Santa, and Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios add nightly displays. For toddlers, we like EPCOT in the daytime and the party only with a nap plan.
Is Orlando worth visiting in December? For many families, yes: December highs average 73.8 degrees at the airport, and every major attraction runs a holiday event. Plan for cooler evenings.
Is Disney crowded on Christmas Day? We did not find an official Disney crowd forecast, so we cannot give an official answer.
Are there free Christmas events in Orlando? Yes: the Lake Eola tree lighting, Light Up Winter Garden, Winter on the Avenue and Sunset Walk's Holiday Nights are free.
Do kids under 3 need a ticket for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? No. Disney's ticket page says children younger than age 3 do not need a ticket.
Can I rent a Christmas tree for my vacation rental? Honest Sherpa's Christmas category lists live trees in three sizes and a 7-foot pre-lit artificial tree. Enter your zip code or city on the site to see if your address is covered.
Keep Christmas simple. Honest Sherpa delivers strollers, cribs and Christmas trees and decor to your vacation rental free of charge, delivered for your arrival day and picked up on your departure day, with dates chosen at checkout. Enter your zip code or city on the site to see if your address is covered.
