One Christmas party just isn’t enough for Walt Disney World anymore! Starting this November, Hollywood Studios will be adding a hard-ticket event called Disney Jollywood Nights. This post will cover the details and dates of the party as well as our own commentary on whether this interests us and how it affects Walt Disney World.

Here’s what we know so far about Jollywood Nights, as more details will surely be sprinkled throughout the coming months.

The party will include sights of sparkling décor, sounds of modern beats over classic holiday songs, tastes of craft cocktails and decadent dishes. It’s nostalgic and it’s glitz and glam galore. This is Disney Jollywood Nights – a new, separately ticketed event from 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. on 10 select nights Nov. 11-Dec. 20, 2023.

Get ready to dress in your holiday glam best or festive flair, dance the night away to merry mashups, indulge in divine treats and bubbling spirits, and snap selfies with iconic characters during this new festive event. For an extra dose of cheer, the party wraps with the return of the nighttime spectacular, “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!”

 Experience holiday vibes throughout Disney’s Hollywood Studios with entertainment areas inspired by different genres:

• You’ll be welcomed to Disney Jollywood Nights with a DJ spinning a mix of holiday tunes. Commissary Lane comes to life with a lively Latin Street Fair. Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy host a live holiday special at Theater of the Stars with some of their Disney friends. And … what’s this? Hyperion Theater will host a spirited sing-along – more details to come.
• Encounter glitz and glamor galore at two limited-capacity entertainment experiences – a jazz lounge at The Hollywood Brown Derby and an other-worldly soiree at The Hollywood Tower Hotel Courtyard.
• Wrap up the night and enjoy the return of a festive favorite, “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” This Santa-sized nighttime spectacular is jam-packed with music, fireworks, special effects and dazzling state-of-the-art projections.

   Snap selfies with unique photo opportunities throughout the night:

• Pose with friends for holiday-themed Magic Shots and two new Disney PhotoPass experiences throughout the night. Complimentary digital downloads of your Disney PhotoPass photos captured during the event are included with the price of your ticket.
• Meet Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and the rest of the iconic gang in Animation Courtyard on a hot set with holiday props. Get into the spirit with your fave throwback friends like Powerline Max and Phineas and Ferb at Echo Lake and strike a pose with Edna Mode and chill with one of her super friends at Pixar Place.

    Enjoy after-hours access to some of your favorite rides and coasters under the stars:

• After-hours access to some of your favorite rides and coasters like Slinky Dog Dash, Rock N’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and more. (Star Wars: Rise of Resistance will use virtual queue during Disney Jollywood Nights.)

   Indulge in delicious holiday tastes and sips exclusive to the party:

Guests can buy specialty offerings throughout the party like Spicy Korean Chicken on a Mini Funnel Cake, sweet delights including a colorful Christmas Tree Cookie Stack inspired by the iconic Echo Lake Christmas Tree and classic cocktails and holiday beverages that can be enjoyed during the party.

Disney Jollywood Nights is a limited-capacity holiday event. Guests of select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels, and Shades of Green can buy tickets starting June 29. Tickets may be purchased by all guests starting July 6 on the Walt Disney World website. Ticket prices will range from $159 – $179 per person. Party dates are:

•  November: 11,18, 20, 27, 29
•  December: 4, 6,16,18, 20

Those with tickets to the party can enter Hollywood Studios at 7 PM.

Commentary

There’s some intriguing things here! I’ve come to terms that most after hours events or parties just aren’t for me. I have a hard time stomaching the cost of the ticket while the hours, compared to a normal park day, are drastically reduced. That’s not the same for everyone, as many people are more character meet & greet driven than I am.

The caveat to that is when there’s lots of entertainment offered that isn’t just character meets. Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party is my favorite of these events because of the Hocus Pocus Villain Spectacular, Boo to You Parade and the fireworks. Jollywood Nights, at least in theory, looks to offer quite a few unique entertainment options.

Kermit and Miss Piggy hosting a live holiday special is easily the most intriguing aspect to me. I enjoyed the Muppets portion of Disneyland’s Merriest Nights a few years ago and love to see more integration of those characters into the parks. Those two hosting a fancy holiday special is a fun concept and I’m hopeful that it will be executed well.

The Latin Street Fair, jazz lounge and soiree are also intriguing. I’m happy that they’ve given this party a coherent theme, especially considering it’s in a park that doesn’t really have one! I do worry about those latter two having capacity issues and not being able to fit in that many guests over the course of four hours. That remains to be seen but the Hollywood Brown Derby, specifically, isn’t the biggest space.

One other cause for concern is that Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! is among my least favorite nighttime spectaculars that I’ve seen. I would have liked a unique fireworks show and a parade would have really sold me on Jollywood Nights. Maybe that’s still to come.

As for now, I’m cautiously optimistic about the party. I wish the Osborne Family Nights were back, or at least a nod to them, but I think there’s enough to keep everyone entertained and only having 10 dates means that this will be in high demand.

Because there are fewer nights offered than Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, I don’t think this will have a big affect on crowd patterns at WDW this holiday season. This also starts late in a park that doesn’t keep extremely late hours. A few showings of Fantasmic will be cut from the schedule but otherwise going to Hollywood Studios on a party night might be a savvy move. The day might be cut an hour or two short but the party might scare away more day guests.

I’m curious if this party will alleviate some of the pressure off of Magic Kingdom’s Christmas Party. After selling every single one out last year, there’s certainly demand for more. But spending patterns have started to slow down a little bit and there’s only so much money guests have to spend on a vacation. I think many people will have to choose between the two offerings while on a trip. That’s the case for Jollywood Nights not succeeding – I think most people would choose the proven commodity.

It could also fail because the party could be a dud! I’m hoping that’s not the case though and some of the details released are exciting. We’ll be sure to update when more news comes out on Jollywood Nights. If you’re interested in the party, I’d get tickets sooner rather than later once they go on sale.

What do you think of Jollywood Nights? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments below. Interested in a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our Planning Guide to help you along the way! If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. All of those links are on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!