The holidays are my favorite time of the year to visit theme parks! Along with the usual attractions, food and aesthetic, there’s extra entertainment and festivities for all to enjoy. The decorations alone are enough to become something I look forward to every year. Other times a show or overlay capture my attention and become a holiday must-do. In this post, I’ll share a few of our favorite holiday traditions at theme parks including Disney Resorts, Universal and Knott’s Berry Farm.

It probably goes without saying that Melissa and I spend a lot of time in theme parks throughout the year. When the holiday season hits, most spare moments that aren’t spent with family are inside of a theme park. We both love the Christmas season and really enjoy all of the extra offerings at the neighboring Disneyland. But it’s also a point of emphasis to make sure we get to other resorts during the Christmas season.

Making this list wasn’t easy because there were so many shows and sights we do enjoy. I’ve pared our favorite traditions down but have some honorable mentions, naturally! For example, Grinchmas at Universal Hollywood is a lot of fun but not something we make a point of seeing every year. I really enjoy the projections on Hollywood Studios’ Tower of Terror at Christmas but I don’t consider it a must-do. I’m sure every theme park fan has their own favorite holiday traditions and we’d love to hear all about them in the comments! Let’s get to the list.

Candlelight Processional at Epcot

Nothing tugs at my heartstrings quite like the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Located in the American Gardens Theatre, the stage is filled with a choir, orchestra and celebrity narrator to tell the traditional Christmas story. It’s a beautiful celebration and the perfect way to spend an evening with your cozy coat on. The show is simple in design, combining classic carols with the reading of the story by the narrator. But between the beautiful music and pageantry, I easily get swept away in the moment.

Main Street Dressed Up for the Holidays

We’ll keep this one a little more general, as there’s not much like Main Street during the holidays. The beautiful lighting and snow on the castle is a place to start, showing off all kinds of holiday whimsy. While I can’t say I’m a huge fan of bubbles, the snow falling on Main Street holds a special place in many people’s heart. For me, the garlands stretched across the street are my favorite holiday decoration. There’s something about the symmetry of it that ties the whole place together. Whatever your cup of tea, Main Street goes all out for Christmas.

Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas and A Christmas Carol at Knott’s Berry Farm

We’ll go off Disney property for this one! Knott’s Berry Farm is an interesting theme park that I don’t cover closely on this site. But Knott’s goes especially hard at Christmas, with some of the most interesting entertainment any theme park offers. One of our favorites is a very simple showing of A Christmas Carol at the historic Birdcage Theater. It’s a production but wonderfully put together and very intimate. This kind of offering is not one that you find at most theme parks and that’s part of what makes it so appealing.

On the other side of things is Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas! This is an ice skating show extravaganza featuring the Peanuts characters. At this point, the show has become a bit of an institution. Like certain things at Knott’s, there’s a moment or two of cringe but overall the show is very heartwarming and artfully done. Knott’s also includes a beautiful Christmas market. That theme park has its flaws but is wonderful during the holidays.

it’s a small world Holiday Overlay

Is it really Christmas without a boat ride through hundreds of dolls singing Jingle Bells while the facade is lit up like the overzealous neighbor’s house? Melissa and I both love the lighting on the outside of Small World and enjoy simply just seeing that. But the actual ride through has some silly characters that bring us a lot of joy. The spirit of the original attraction matches the holiday spirit to make a beautiful Disneyland holiday tradition.

Merry Menagerie at Animal Kingdom

The dolls on Small World might be more creepy than cute to some of you but there’s no doubting the cuteness of the Merry Menagerie animals. These are life sized animal puppets that meet guests at Discovery Island. It’s one of those small pieces of wonder, that might not seem like much on paper but when you experience it the interactions are so delightful. Merry Menagerie isn’t some big showstopper but it is one of the things I most look forward to during the holidays at Walt Disney World.

Hogsmeade Christmas at Universal Studios Hollywood

For many in my generation, Harry Potter and Christmas go hand in hand. So who doesn’t want to experience Christmas in Hogsmeade? The decorations at Universal’s Wizarding Worlds are beautiful and are generally accompanied by a show or two. The entertainment is good and all but the lighting plus decorations are what really steal the show for me. For every Harry Potter fan out there, this should not be missed!

Tokyo DisneySea’s Cape Cod Christmas

Much of Tokyo Disney Resort’s Christmas celebration comes in the way of decorating and nowhere does it better than DisneySea’s Cape Cod section. The area is right alongside the water and the Christmas lights reflecting off that at night is a sight to see. There’s also cute signage and a beautiful, but not oversized, tree. Cape Cod has a lived in, small village feel that really shines through (no pun intended) during the holidays.

The Entertainment at California Adventure’s Festival of the Holidays

We adore California Adventure’s Festival of the Holidays, as it noticeably strives to be diverse. Seeing all of the entertainment reflect different holidays throughout the world is really special. Melissa and I like to devote evenings to just walking around the park and seeing as many shows as we can. Just the other day, we watched a performer on a sitar, saw Polynesian dancing, listened to a Klezmer band and topped it off with a wonderful mariachi performance all in the span of 2 hours. Enjoying all of the different traditions that the park showcases has become one of our yearly traditions!

Being in the Crowds

I’ll end with a sentimental one. Usually this blog advises people on how to stay out of the crowds. That’s all well and good but watching or experiencing what I’ve already mentioned with friends, family or total strangers is special. Some of my best memories are with strangers at the Candlelight Processional or watching different park goers enjoy the music at DCA. Yes, crowds are annoying and can be stressful. But the holidays bring people together, whether that’s at home or in the parks. As much as you can, embrace that and let someone’s wonder warm you up!

There’s our list for now! I’m sure we’ve missed something so please let us know in the comments, along with any questions you might have. Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help get you there! Here’s a link to discount tickets at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Thank you very much for reading, we appreciate it!