Jollywood Nights 2024 Touring Strategy

We’re heading in the last 6 weeks of the year, and that means that holiday season is in full swing! Several of our team members have already attended Jollywood Nights this year, and we’ve been watching the data from party time too. That means we have a lot of information and strategy to share with you! We’re purposefully sharing a strategy, and not necessarily a step-by-step plan. Enjoying this party at Hollywood Studios is all about knowing what you enjoy and how you want to celebrate the season. This strategy tries to balance attractions, food, entertainment and characeters, but you’re welcome to play with that balance on your own.

First, let’s talk logistics. Then we’ll get into the entertainment schedule that you’ll need to plan your night around. After that, we’ll go over character options and food/drinks, and then wrap things up with our recommended strategy for the night.

Jollywood Nights Basics

Dates, Times, and Prices

Jollywood Nights is offered from 7:30 pm (an hour earlier than last year!) to 12:30 am on the following nights this year:

• November: 9, 13, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30
• December: 2, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21

Even though the party starts at 7:30 pm, you can enter the park (or get your wristband if you’re already in the park), starting at 6 pm. This gives you up to 90 more minutes in Hollywood Studios on the day of your party, and we do recommend that you plan to use it.

Event Check-In

When you arrive for the party, you’ll be held at the entrance until 6 pm, when you’ll get a wristband as you enter the park. If you are already in Hollywood Studios, you can check in and get your wristband in Star Wars Launch Bay or near Muppet*Vision 3D. In fact, the in-park check-ins were already open by about 4:30 or 5 pm and had no wait.

Jollywood Nights Entertainment

Holidays in Hollywood

8:15 PM, 9:15 PM, 11:15 PM, and 12:15 AM

You can watch this musical spectacular in the Theater of the Stars, where Beauty and the Beast is performed during the day. This is the show of the party – not one that you want to miss.

Live singing, music, and dancing all impress during the 30-minute show. Mickey and Minnie do some of the most complicated steps we’ve ever seen them perform. Really the only thing different from last year is that the “framing” of the concept (taping of a live Holiday Special) is taken away, in favor of more time with characters. I didn’t think this show could improve from last year, but it definitely did. From the quality of the performances, to the combination of glitz and glam and comedy – everything fires on all cylinders.

You should absolutely take the time to see this show at some point during the party.

Glisten!

8:15 PM, 9:15 PM, 10:30 PM, 11:15 PM, and 12:15 AM

Glisten! is a brand new offering for the 2024 version of Jollywood Nights. It takes place in front of Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway and is easy to watch during any of the showings. Space immediately in front of the rink is reserved for guests who would like to sit on the pavement, and then other guests can stand around that area.

This is a 20-minute presentation of singing and ice skating. The rink is small, which limits the amount of skating that can happen (maybe it’s better described as dancing on ice). We love the idea and the skaters are talented, but we hope that next year it gets the same amount of production focus as Holidays in Hollywood.

Twilight Soiree at The Tip-Top Club

7:30 PM, 8:10 PM, 8:50 PM, 9:30 PM, 10:30 PM, 11:10 PM, and 11:50 PM

The Twilight Soiree at The Tip-Top Club operates in the courtyard at the exit of the Tower of Terror, and isn’t nearly as crowded as it was during the 2023 party season. Once in the courtyard, you can purchase drinks from the exclusive menu, and listen to music sets presented at the specific times above. Beyond the band and singer, there are also professional dancers who will interact with the crowd and get you to dance with them. Standing tables are few, and they are popular, so don’t count on getting one.

Holiday Fiesta en la Calle

7:30 PM to 12:30 AM

Tucked back into Animation Courtyard, there is a live band headlining a “street fair party”. The performers are talented and the music is engaging, but the location isn’t ideal. Crowds have been very low whenever we’ve checked in on the area. We hope this group gets a new location next year that works well for them.

What’s This? Sing-Along

7:30 PM, 8:30 PM, 9:30 PM, 11:30 PM, and 12:30 AM

At the Hyperion Theater, where the Frozen Sing-Along happens during the day, you can watch or sing along with several songs from Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas.

The entire show takes about 20 minutes, and is “told” by two actors who are on a journey to defeat Oogie Boogie. It’s a similar concept to the Frozen-Sing Along. A life-size Jack Skellington makes an impressive appearance, too. This show gets a hearty recommendation if you’re a Nightmare Before Christmas fan.

Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!

10 PM

This is Hollywood Studio’s seasonal nighttime spectacular, with fireworks, projections, lasers, and more. Last year it ended the party at 12:30 am, but this year Disney moved it up in the schedule because too many people were missing it when they left the party early.

Sunset Seasons Greetings

If you don’t want to spend time waiting for Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!, Sunset Seasons Greetings make a good substitute and are much easier to fit into your plan for the night since it runs intermittently throughout the evening (and even before the party). Set up anywhere along Sunset Boulevard, and watch the projections on the Tower of Terror as the snoap floats around you.

Pixar Place Dance Party

7:30 – 9:30 PM and 10:30 PM – 12:30 AM

Another new addition this year is a dance party with Pixar characters hosted in Pixar Place. This is a fun option if you are attending with small kids. They can dance with Joy, Frozone, Edna Mode, and more friends. But unless you are a particularly big fan of any of these characters, this may be an offering you can skip on past.

Jollywood Nights Characters

Several characters are available throughout the night for you to meet while dressed in your party best. Just like last year, some characters are MUCH more popular than others. I’ll note those with an asterisk so you know where to expect longer lines. More asterisks equals even longer lines.

Echo Lake Characters

• Phineas and Ferb (*)
• Max as Powerline (*)
• Pinocchio switching out with Jiminy Cricket
• Chip’n’Dale as Rescue Rangers (*)
• Baloo switching out with King Louie as their TaleSpin characters
• Santa Stitch (**)

Commissary Lane

• Mickey and Minnie Mouse (**) in their Red Carpet Dreams meet location

Grand Avenue

• Mary Poppins switching out with Bert+Penguin
• Santa Duffy (***)
• Clarice switching out with Scrooge McDuck (*)

Galaxy’s Edge

• The Mandalorian (with Grogu)

Toy Story Land

• Bo Peep switching out with Lotso across from Alien Swirling Saucers

Between Pixar Place and Toy Story Land

• Pluto and Goofy
• Donald and Daisy

Animation Courtyard

• Jose Carioca or Panchito (*)

Jollywood Nights Food and Beverage

There are dining locations throughout the park selling party-specific food and beverages. Most of these are carts and counter-service. You can get information about all the special offerings in the event’s Foodie Guide.

Unlike many other hard-ticket events at Disney World, there are no free included snacks or beverages. The good news is that prices for food and drinks are reasonable. The bad news is that portions are small, like at an EPCOT Festival. And no mobile ordering is available, so you have to wait in line.

Two locations that offer several well-reviewed food and beverage options all in one place are:

• ABC Commissary (holiday fiesta-inspired food and drinks)
• Fairfax Fare (popovers and drinks)

Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby

The other big foodie draw at the party is at The Hollywood Brown Derby, which is a sit-down dining location. You have to make a reservation to dine here during the party, which you can do in advance (a change from last year’s party). Dishes and drinks are listed in the Foodie Guide linked above.

While this offering is an improvement from last year, we still don’t think it’s worth the time investment during a party that has so much more to offer!

Jollywood Nights Strategy

So how do we incorporate all of this jolly merriment into one party? Here are my recommendations!

Pre-Party Hours

Although the party begins at 7:30 pm, your event ticket grants you access to Hollywood Studios beginning at 6 pm. You should absolutely take advantage of that “extra” time. This year, crowds are trending significantly lower on party days at Hollywood Studios (that’s a new trend), and most day guests are already waiting for Fantasmic (showing at 6:30 pm) and leaving attraction lines empty.

From 6 pm to 7 pm, look for a few rides with low wait times to get out of the way before party time. You’ll probably want to avoid Sunset Boulevard because it’s the most crowded area with day guests. Instead, go anywhere else and look for posted wait times of 30 minutes or lower. The wait times will be inflated as Disney tries to scare day guests out of getting in line.

At 7 pm, it’s time to pick which character you want to meet that will have the longest line. If you find their meeting location on the map and use 30 minutes of your pre-party time lining up, you’re not missing out on party time.

Early Party Hours

Very early in the party, nearly everyone is either heading straight for attractions or going to scheduled entertainment offerings. So this is a good time to do … anything else. I recommend using the time from 7:30 pm to 9 pm to get food and beverages, or checking out one or two of the more continuous dance parties like Tip Top Club, Holiday Fiesta, or the Pixar Disco. This is also a good time to grab PhotoPass pictures before your outfits and hair get crazy.

Then, when you get to 9 pm, use the next 60-75 minutes to do attractions. Unless Slinky or Rise have had downtime during the party, even these should have reasonable waits. Or Runaway Railway, Rock’n’Roller Coaster, and Tower of Terror should be walk-ons.

Peak Party Hours

At 10 pm, many party guests will be drawn to watch Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam. Our hot take is that you should skip this show in order to take advantage of the lower wait times it creates almost everywhere else. If you want to see Mickey and Minnie or Santa Duffy, this is the time. Get in line sometime between 9:55 and 10:15 PM, before Jingle Bam guests flood back into lines. If you’re not a character person, then this is your time to knock out those big rides with short lines.

This sets you up well to wander up to the 10:30 PM showing of Glisten! as it begins. No need to show up early for seats or a good standing location. Then, head over to Sunset Boulevard to bask in the snoap and watch Sunset Greetings (or ride Rock’n’Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror) before heading into the Theater of the Stars for the 11:15 pm showing of Holidays in Hollywood.

Late Party Hours

After Holidays in Hollywood, it’s time to take advantage of an even emptier park during the last 45-60 minutes of the party.

You could choose to hop into lines for characters, food, or attractions. Everything should be a walk-on or walk-up at this point in the night. Lots and lots of people leave Jollywood Nights early.

Whatever you choose to do, if you’re a Nightmare Before Christmas fan, end your night at the 12:30 AM showing of What’s This. Since the show begins when the party ends, you’re extending your party time as much as possible and ending with a lot of fun.

 

Have you attended Jollywood Nights this year? Or are you planning to attend before the end of the year? Let us know in the comments!