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There are two vacation exhausting ticket occasions at Walt Disney World for 2025: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party in Magic Kingdom and Jollywood Nights in Hollywood Studios. This compares and contrasts MVMCP and DJN to see which is best for characters, fireworks, leisure, crowds, and extra. (Updated August 12, 2025.)
Now that tickets to each Christmas events at Walt Disney World are on sale for 2025, we thought it might be a very good time to make this comparability so you may decide which is perhaps best for you. With that stated, it does include a few asterisks. First, Jollywood Nights advanced and improved final 12 months by leaps and bounds as in comparison with the inaugural occasion. Thus far, solely minor tweaks have been introduced for Christmas 2025, so we’re assuming there aren’t main surprises and are evaluating each events as they existed final 12 months.
It’s unlikely the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will change a lot in any respect. It’s bought out each single night time for the final a number of years, so there’s no incentive to alter. On prime of that, the similarly-situated Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party isn’t altering a lot. Jollywood Nights has the potential for extra surprises on the upside because it didn’t promote out most dates final 12 months, however it looks as if any materials enhancements would’ve been introduced by now.
Nevertheless, that is an incomplete or imperfect comparability, which is nearly as good as you’re going to get in order for you one thing sensible that will help you determine which tickets to buy. If you await our precise evaluations of the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Jollywood Nights, there’s an opportunity your dates will already be bought out. We’ll be attending the primary occasions on November 7-8, 2025, however by that time final 12 months, a number of MVMCP nights have been already bought out.
One last factor we need to warn in opposition to is baked in biases of Walt Disney World diehards. This cuts each methods. On the one hand, plenty of followers maintain great nostalgia for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, having skilled it over the course of a long time. This contains us–it’s been annual custom since 2007. We’ve made so many nice reminiscences on the occasion and maintain a lot sentimentality in direction of it that I can not think about not doing MVMCP…whilst ticket costs explode and never a lot adjustments.
On the opposite hand, there are those that are, primarily, the precise reverse. They’ve been across the block with Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and are prepared for one thing new. Disney Jollywood Nights is new. It may be very, very totally different from MVMCP. As a end result, plenty of longtime followers who really feel that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is drained or stale is perhaps predisposed to preferring Jollywood Nights on the premise of it being recent and new-to-them.
But that’s the perspective of a blogger, vlogger, or Walt Disney World diehard fan. It’s not consultant of the common attendee and even the extra informal fan who visits occasionally. While everybody clearly has biases, that’s our viewpoint when making this try at an goal comparability between Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Disney Jollywood Nights: which ought to an rare or first-time Walt Disney World visitor attend?
Time: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Walt Disney World is transferring in the suitable path with Disney Jollywood Nights, making it a 5-hour vacation social gathering from 7:30 pm to 12:30 am, with the mix-in permitting occasion ticket holders to enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios as early as 5:30 pm in 2025 (that’s half-hour sooner than final 12 months).
That’s nonetheless inferior to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The occasion length is an identical at 5 hours, albeit from 7:00 pm to midnight. The distinction is the mix-in, which permits MVMCP ticket holders to enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4:00 pm. That additional 90 minutes provides company time to knock out favourite points of interest with brief waits, seize a meal, or in any other case discover the park at Walt Disney World with essentially the most issues to do.
Food: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (But Debatable)
No refreshments are included with the worth of your occasion ticket to Disney Jollywood Nights. This is in sharp distinction to After Hours, a serious promoting level of which is the limitless bottled drinks, ice cream novelties, and popcorn from out of doors merchandising carts.
It’s additionally a departure from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, which presents “free” limitless Christmas cookies, scorching chocolate, and different vacation refreshments. MVMCP additionally presents particular menus at varied counter service eating places and snack stands, though that is hardly one of many fundamental options of the occasion. We’ve discovered that there’s normally ‘just enough’ on the particular menu entrance to get pleasure from a singular dinner and snack throughout mix-in.
One of the primary promoting factors of Disney Jollywood Nights is “shimmering sips and sensational sweets.” The drawback is that it is a promoting level, fairly actually, for Disney. They need to promote you extra meals when you’re on the occasion. We’ve discovered a few of that meals to be nice, however truthfully, we’re not paying over $100 or utilizing our restricted social gathering time to spend much more cash on meals. We doubt many company are.
The free cookies and scorching cocoa at MVMCP are the way in which to go–and what Disney Jollywood Nights ought to be doing, too. Accordingly, we’d award this win to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, however we all know different followers who strongly favor DJN on this entrance. That’s very true of these desirous to imbibe, which isn’t an possibility (for essentially the most half) at MVMCP.
Parade: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
This is a simple one since solely Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has a parade within the first place, so it wins by default. If you’re keen on parades, MVMCP is the Christmas social gathering you need to select.
But let’s faux, for no matter purpose, that you just’re on the fence concerning the ‘importance’ of this class. Maybe you’re not essentially a parade individual, however are open to watching one if it’s actually good.
Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade (MOUACP) is basically good. It has marching toy troopers, dancing reindeer and gingerbread males, and ever the large man himself, Ole Saint Nick! Calling MOUACP actually good is an understatement. It has iconic floats, characters, moments and music.
It’s prolonged and satisfying, with no filler–each unit is superb, making for a parade that by no means overstays its welcome and really leaves you wanting extra. About the one “weakness” of Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade is that 90% of it existed a decade or two in the past. So for some Walt Disney World followers, it feels drained and overdue for a substitute. To that, I say don’t repair what isn’t damaged. How many Walt Disney World followers imagine the substitute for Holiday Wishes is an precise improve? In brief, watch out what you want for.
Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade is among the greatest items of leisure at Walt Disney World, and is an absolute must-see. From the toy troopers marching in formation to the pleasant character costumes to reindeer dancing in entrance of Santa–and a lot extra. Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade is cozy and charming, a enjoyable and memorable parade that’s bursting with vacation spirit.
Fireworks: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (But Debatable)
Nine instances out of 10, fireworks at Magic Kingdom will win over these at Hollywood Studios as a result of the easy actuality is that explosions over Cinderella Castle have baseline enchantment. It’s certainly one of the definitive experiences at Walt Disney World, and as long as the music is nice sufficient, the vast majority of company will love fireworks from Main Street.
Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks are a current addition, and showcase pyro plus projections. While longtime followers may argue that this present is inferior to Holiday Wishes in some methods, it’s adequate. Like the track “Wonderful Christmastime,” it’s schmaltzy and foolish. (My unpopular opinion about each the fireworks and the track is that they’re good, truly. But I do know there are many haters on the market.)
It’s the same story with the Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! fireworks at Disney Jollywood Nights. This nighttime spectacular based mostly on “Prep & Landing” has its moments and is polarizing amongst followers. Personally, I like Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks much more–however by no means say no to both of those reveals.
It additionally helps that Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks has much more pyro–together with perimeter bursts that encompass Cinderella Castle. On steadiness, not solely is Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks the superior present, however in a contest between two nighttime spectaculars that garner combined evaluations, the Magic Kingdom fireworks will all the time beat the Disney’s Hollywood Studios fireworks.
It is maybe price noting that Disney Jollywood Nights attendees are additionally in a position to get pleasure from Fantasmic throughout mix-in, whereas MVMCP company are usually not in a position to see Starlight Night Parade or Happily Ever After. If the comparability is expanded to Fantasmic plus Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM vs. Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks, this win goes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That’s not apples to apples, although.
Stage Shows: Disney Jollywood Nights
Now we flip to the straightforward win for Disney Jollywood Nights, which has three stage reveals to the one at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. The latest present at DJN is Glisten, which is a determine skating presentation on the entrance of the park that’s a pleasant value-add you may get pleasure from at your leisure. It’s above an atmospheric act however under a marquee manufacturing.
The spotlight of the stage reveals throughout DJN is Holidays in Hollywood, a vignette selection exhibiting that includes appearances from particular visitor stars, together with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Tiana, Belle, Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse—accompanied by a gifted forged of singers, dancers and jazz musicians. Holidays in Hollywood is unbelievable. Great choreography, music, staging–the whole lot. It’s one of many prime 3 seasonal stage reveals in all of Walt Disney World.
The different stage present at Disney Jollywood Nights is “What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along.” This is admittedly a bizarre one, because it’s what quantities to a excessive idea sing-along plus puppetry. An odd combine, if I’ve ever seen one. Despite that, What’s This? is manner higher than you may anticipate. The silent performers are excellent, seeing the Jack Skellington puppet in a theater setting is superior, and Oogie Boogie steals the present. As somebody who hates sing-alongs and is detached to all issues Tim Burton (so I’m hardly goal), I used to be stunned to get pleasure from this a lot.
Over at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the lone stage present is now Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration. This is the tried and true Cinderella Castle musical medley stage present, the premise of which doesn’t a lot matter. Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is the most effective stage present on this checklist (and #2 general after Hocus Pocus Villains Spelltacular) and it rises to that spot due to an excellent combination of sentimentality and custom plus popular culture and wonderful track picks. It’s without delay precisely what you’d anticipate and delightfully sudden with one thing for everybody, from children to adults.
Even although Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is #1 general, the truth that Disney Jollywood Nights has (at the very least) two excellent to nice stage reveals plus one ‘bonus’ efficiency to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party’s lone present cements it with the win right here.
Atmospheric Entertainment: Disney Jollywood Nights
Disney Jollywood Nights options a wide range of dance events, swinging soirees, and intimate lounges–with the highlights being Holiday Fiesta en la Calle, Twilight Soirée on the Tip Top Club, and Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby.
These three issues, particularly, are plenty of what provides DJN its extra refined and refined vacation vibe. I may think about spending a complete night dressed up, dancing the night time away and having fun with these grownup experiences. There’s completely nothing like all of that at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
By distinction, MVMCP does have character dance events like Club Tinsel and Disney Junior Jingle Jam. Then there are different atmospheric acts, such because the Reindeer Wranglers in Frontierland. None of those choices are nearly as good as Twilight Soirée on the Tip Top Club, however the audiences are completely totally different. The goal edge goes to Disney Jollywood Nights, however loads of households will favor the atmospheric leisure at MVMCP.
Characters: It Depends
This is a tricky one. Even as a longtime Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party attendee with plenty of fond reminiscences of the occasion, I really feel the character lineup is stale–and has been for the final decade. It’s downright unhappy that Walt Disney World hasn’t refreshed–or absolutely overhauled–it. But, once more, I’m making an attempt to be goal.
Even that’s tough, although. Objectively talking, there are far more characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. There are roughly two-dozen distinct meet & greets, with about three-dozen characters complete. By distinction, Disney Jollywood Nights is promoting a dozen distinct meet & greets for a complete of “more than 20 character experiences.” So it appears fairly open and closed, proper?
I’m not so certain. A variety of the characters at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party are additionally obtainable throughout a daily day at Magic Kingdom (typically they’re merely “enhanced” with the addition of scarves). MVMCP has a few dozen uncommon characters–which means characters who seldom seem through the day or have distinct costumes (for instance, we’d rely Belle in her winter gown) for the social gathering.
That’s roughly the identical quantity as at Disney Jollywood Nights. And whereas it’s virtually not possible for me to be goal about this, I’m personally extra excited concerning the uncommon character lineup at DJN. There’s Santa Duffy, Phineas and Ferb, Three Caballeros, Toy Story buddies who don’t usually seem, Disney Afternoon characters, Mickey & Friends in distinctive outfits, and extra. Most first-timers won’t care about this eclectic lineup of deep cuts, although, and thus may favor Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. It’s a extremely robust name.
Atmosphere: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Simply by advantage of being within the citadel park as a substitute of the studios park, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has the speedy edge to win this. There’s simply one thing about seeing Main Street reworked for the vacations, with an additional layer of lighting and music on prime of the tree, lights, and day by day decor.
One of the issues we routinely discuss up about Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is the distinctive ambiance–our favourite factor concerning the occasion is just being there. Seeing the blizzard on Main Street, listening to Jolly Old Saint Nicholas in Fantasyland, having fun with the moody lighting and particular projections, free-roaming characters having enjoyable–all of it simply places a smile on my face.
None of that’s nostalgia speaking. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has mastered its temper, and that’s an enormous purpose why so many individuals love that social gathering. Even the lands that aren’t very Christmassy–like Adventureland and Tomorrowland–get into the temper through projections, music and extra.
The greatest misfire of Disney Jollywood Nights for me is the vibe. Even with the enhancements final 12 months, a number of areas of Disney’s Hollywood Studios felt like full ghost cities. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was a barren planet. Toy Story Land had just about nothing occurring for Disney Jollywood Nights. The two hottest elements of the park provided nothing.
Echo Lake was a vibrant spot, however not due to Disney Jollywood Nights–it’s all the time a sleeper through the vacation season. Same goes for Sunset Boulevard, however that’s as a result of just about the entire substantive choices have been on this space of the park. Hollywood Boulevard was additionally completely nice, however nothing like Main Street.
Only small pockets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios felt like they have been open for enterprise, a lot much less actively celebrating Christmas. Again, it is a common ole DHS drawback, however it’s amplified whenever you cut back the park capability and faux there’s a celebration taking place. It simply didn’t have the power. Some of this seems it’ll be mounted for the 2025 Disney Jollywood Nights, however it’s exhausting to fathom it’ll be sufficient to tip the scales.
Crowds: Disney Jollywood Nights
It’s exceeding tough for the common attendee of both of those events to do the whole lot in a single night time. Chances are, you gained’t be capable of meet each single character, see the stage reveals, fireworks, different leisure–by no means thoughts doing rides along with the party-specific stuff. But which is extra difficult? Where are crowds worse?
There’s a model of this the place the reply is “it depends.” Someone on the market might need very particular priorities that make Disney Jollywood Nights the more severe of the 2 occasions for crowds. This will possible be the case if ingesting or particular meals are your prime precedence, because the worst traces final 12 months throughout DJN have been for the bars. I don’t assume that’s the common first-timer, although. (Especially the common first-timer debating between the 2, since MVMCP doesn’t actually have a ingesting element.)
For the overwhelming majority of attendees, Disney Jollywood Nights goes to be the much less crowded and laid again expertise. On common, there’s much less congestion, it’s simpler to see the leisure, journey wait instances are minimal, and there aren’t any areas of the park which have wherever close to the extent of congestion as Main Street at Magic Kingdom between the primary and final parade.
Even MVMCP isn’t as unhealthy as its notion, which is predicated on 2018-2019 when events have been arguably oversold (see Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Less Crowded?!). Regardless, Disney Jollywood Nights is usually decrease stress and decrease stakes, extra like an After Hours occasion with a Christmas twist.
Overall: Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Ultimately, our ‘verdict’ could be that Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is the superior occasion for first-timers or Disney followers who get to the parks on an rare foundation. It’s truthfully not even a remotely shut name. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is the quintessential vacation time expertise at Walt Disney World.
So a lot concerning the occasion is iconic, and the premise for advertising and marketing supplies for Christmas at WDW. There’s a purpose the social gathering hasn’t modified all that a lot within the final decade–since you don’t mess with perfection. Sure, this has resulted in some WDW diehards who’ve gone repeatedly to turn into burnt out and wish one thing recent–however for those who’re studying this and are on the fence about which to attend, that in all probability doesn’t describe you!
To be certain, Disney Jollywood Nights has its promoting factors. It’s a extra refined and complicated social gathering, in some methods, which will enchantment to sure segments of parkgoers, even rare ones. If you’re on the lookout for an Old Hollywood occasion with the glitz and glamor of Tinseltown through the holidays–full with extra grownup choices and ingesting, then a robust case may very well be made for Disney Jollywood Nights.
There’s additionally one thing to be stated for its upstart nature, and the likelihood that it’ll be markedly improved for Christmas 2025 as Disney appears to be like to enhance perceptions. There’s no resting on its laurels with regards to Disney Jollywood Nights, that’s for certain! Walt Disney World’s occasion group is clearly “hungrier” and extra dynamic with regards to DJN, that’s for certain.
In its sophomore season, Jollywood Nights made main enhancements, rising by leaps and bounds. Without exaggeration, I’d say that the enhancements made to DJN from 2023 to 2024 have been extra vital than adjustments made to MVMCP from 2014 to 2024. As Jollywood Nights nonetheless struggled to promote tickets final 12 months, it’s solely attainable–if not possible–that the occasion will get even higher for 2025.
It’s vital to level out that there’s additionally extra draw back threat to Disney Jollywood Nights. There’s quite a bit about it that’s taste-specific which will sound nice on paper, however might not resonate with you in individual. Not solely that, however in solely its sophomore season, there are additionally a ton of unknowns. Among these are precise attendance, potential good & unhealthy adjustments, traces for the characters and stage reveals, and doubtless extra I haven’t even thought of.
Maybe Disney Jollywood Nights is price it to you from a risk-reward perspective. It definitely is to us, and we’re actually trying ahead to making an attempt this Christmas social gathering once more in its second 12 months. In truth, we’re each extra enthusiastic about Disney Jollywood Nights than we’re MVMCP.
But I additionally know that I have been a Walt Disney World first-timer and had thus by no means attended both occasion, the one that will be proper for us would, definitely, be Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. It’s a crowd-pleaser with extremely excessive visitor satisfaction scores, and a splurge that only a few company remorse.
In the tip, this isn’t even a remotely shut name for the common Walt Disney World vacationer and rare guests. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is so clearly the secure and proper alternative for first-timers that this whole publish appears superfluous. It is the quintessential Christmas providing in all of Walt Disney World.
Then once more, not everybody has our preferences and priorities, so the point-by-point breakdown will hopefully be useful in serving to others make their choice about which to attend. If you’d wish to assess the lineups of every occasion for your self, see our complete: Guide to 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Guide to 2025 Disney Jollywood Nights.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about accommodations on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips publish takes a singular take a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for the whole lot you should know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or Disney Jollywood Nights? Which did you assume had the higher environment, characters, fireworks, meals, leisure, and so forth? Would you fairly spend the night doing an occasion in Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios through the vacation season at Walt Disney World? Do you disagree with any of our recommendation and assessments? Any questions? Hearing your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!