Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2025 Strategy

We’re in the last 2 months of the year, and that means that holiday season at Disney is in full swing! Our in-park testing team attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom, and we’ve been watching the data from afar too. That means we have an update for this year’s party strategy! This is different than our approach to the Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, because there are so many things to do. Lots of entertainment and activities. How do you make the most of your night?

We’re purposefully sharing a strategy, and not necessarily a step-by-step plan. Enjoying a holiday party at the Magic Kingdom is all about knowing what you enjoy and how you want to celebrate the season. This strategy tries to balance attractions (especially those with holiday overlays) with entertainment pretty evenly, but you’re welcome to play with that balance on you’re own.

First, let’s talk about the entertainment schedule that you’ll need to plan your night around. Then we’ll go over character options and treats, and then wrap things up with our recommended strategy for the night.

Very Merry Entertainment Schedule

Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration is a stage show in front of the castle. It has characters, music and dancing. You can catch this show at: 7:40 pm, 9:25 pm, 10:35 pm, and 11:55 pm

Frozen Holiday Surprise is a stage and project show that sees Olaf and the Snowgies transforming Cinderella Castle before being joined by the rest of the Frozen friends. You can see it at 8:15 pm on party nights (or at 6:15 pm before the party even begins!)

Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade starts in Frontierland and heads down Main Street. It marches in all of its glory at: 8:30 pm and 11:00 pm

Minnie’s Wonderful Christmastime Fireworks Show is a “yuletide fireworks display” according to Disney, and you absolutely don’t want to miss it at: 10:00 pm

Club Tinsel is a dance party on the Rockettower Plaza Stage and it happens intermittently from: 7:00 pm to 12:00 am

Disney Junior Jingle Jam is a mouthful, and is a fun Disney Junior dance party in Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Cafe from: 7:00 pm to 12:00 am

Santa’s Christmas Carnival takes over Storybook Circus and transforms it into a home away from home for friends from the North Pole from: 7:00 pm to 12:00 am

Very Merry Characters

The characters are the absolute highlight of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this year. You’ll see 18 locations noted on your party map, but by our very scientific count, there are over 40 characters that you can meet, excluding the ones who are usually present at the dance parties.

Multiple Line Locations

These locations all have multiple lines to meet different sets of characters, or a single line with characters that switch out with each other.

• Town Square Theater
  • Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse are meeting together this year! As a result, waits are a bit longer than the past couple of years.
  • Jack Skellington (as Santa) and Sally are back and still popular, especially after Jack received a bit of a makeover. You may experience waits of over an hour.
  • Princess Elena of Avalor is a new addition at this location.
• Mad Tea Party: This location has two character areas on the side of the attraction near Cosmic Ray’s and the characters rotate with no set times.
  • Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
  • Alice and White Rabbit
• Pete’s Silly Sideshow
  • Donald and Scrooge McDuck
  • Daisy Duck
• Castle Wall Behind The Carousel: These characters meet near Pinocchio Village Haus:
  • Princess Aurora and Prince Philip
  • Snow White and her Prince
  • Peter Pan – new this year!
• Princess Fairytale Hall
  • Anna and Elsa
  • Rapunzel and Flynn Rider
  • Cinderella and Prince Charming
• Agrabah Bazaar: In case you don’t know where this one is, it’s the tent at the back of the Magic Carpets, near Aloha Isle. These two sets of characters switch out with each other intermittently:
  • Aladdin and Abu
  • Jasmine and Genie

Single Line Locations

In these locations, you’ll wait in one line even if we’ve listed more than one character.

• Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet are all meeting in their winter gear, and with more reasonable waits than what we saw last year. The difference between the line for the attraction and the line for characters is confusing, so make sure you’re in the correct one!
• Fairytale Garden | Mirabel is meeting with Bruno again this year
• Under the Sea | Ariel and Prince Eric meet outside of their attraction
• Christmas Gazebo | Tiana and Naveen meet in the Gazebo near Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe
• Enchanted Tiki Room | Moana
• Pirates of the Caribbean | Jack Sparrow
• Outside of Pete’s Silly Sideshow | Santa meets in his “Christmas Carnival” area, after moving here last year
• Storybook Circus | Pluto meets between Dumbo and the Barnstormer
• Tomorrowland | Stitch meets in his Hawaiian Christmas shirt
• Town Square | Mary Poppins meets on the opposite side of Town Square from the Theater – a new addition this year!

Very Merry Food

Included Treats

There are “Holiday Treat” locations marked on the map that you are given when entering the party. These locations are also generally marked by a candy cane inflatable so that you know you can pop in as you tour throughout the night. At each treat location, you will be offered various cookies and drinks, and each location also offers allergy-friendly options.

There are a wide variety of other party-specific food options that you can purchase. You can check out our more detailed review here: Everything We Ate at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Mobile Order is available at several locations during the party, including Cosmic Ray’s, Pecos Bills, and the Friar’s Nook. This is incredibly helpful for avoiding potentially long lines, especially for new exclusive food items.

Very Merry Strategy

So how do we incorporate all of this fun and festivity into one party? Here are my recommendations!

Pre-Party Hours

Although the party begins at 7 pm, your event ticket grants you access to the Magic Kingdom beginning at 4 pm. You should absolutely take advantage of that “extra” time. Crowds are so low at the Magic Kingdom on party days that most day guests will have already left by 4 pm (even though they can stay until 6 pm). This makes 4 to 7 pm an ideal time to either line up for popular characters or knock out a bunch of attractions.

Enter the park at 4 pm and complete as many of the following as possible:

• Jingle Cruise (holiday overlay)
• Pirates of the Caribbean
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (if you don’t mind getting wet)
• The Haunted Mansion
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Keep in mind that wait times will be significantly higher than actual wait times. Even major headliners should be averaging a 20 minute wait.

Alternatively, you can start meeting a few characters early. Jack and Sally may be meeting by 4:30 pm, along with Pooh and his friends.

Early Party Hours

At approximately 7 pm, do the following:

• Space Mountain (holiday overlay)
• Tomorrowland Speedway (holiday overlay)
• Monsters Inc Laugh Floor (holiday overlay)

OR get into line for Tron at exactly 7 pm, when lines there will be at their lowest. But you may have to sacrifice experiencing some holiday overlays to make it happen.

Note: if you’d like to see the Frozen Holiday Surprise, make sure you get to the hub around 8:05! This will likely mean skipping one of the above attractions.

Peak Party Hours

From 8:35 pm to 11:00 pm:

• 8:35 pm Santa’s Christmas Carnival and/or Club Tinsel – or … wait for it – hang out in Cosmic Ray’s
• 9:25 pm Most Merriest Celebration
• 10:00 pm Minnie’s Firework Show
• 11:00 pm Once Upon a Christmastime Parade

You can opt to stick in place and save your spot between events, or you can hop in line for characters, food, or treats.

Cosmic Ray’s is the sleeper hit of the party once again this year thanks to some food and entertainment changes. That’s because it’s a special all-in-one location this year, perfect for families or those who don’t want to hike all around the park:

• You can mobile order everything on the menu, including party food – no need to wait in long lines if they exist
• It’s a treat location! Get your Snickerdoodles and hot cocoa while you wait for food
• Disney Junior Jingle Jam- this DJ-led party was more hype than anything happening during Jollywood Nights. The music is fun and special characters like Fancy Nancy, Timone, and Vampirina hit the dance floor through the night. You can take pictures and video with the characters, but they mingle and boogie the whole time so there isn’t a dedicated “line” to have time with them.
• There are restrooms, a water bottle refill station, and a Fuel Rod exchange inside this location
• The party food here makes our “best of” list this year. They also have the usual chicken fingers and burgers for picky eaters.

Late Party Hours

From 11:20 to midnight:

• Line up for last-minute characters
• Mad Tea Party (holiday overlay)
• Take Photopass pictures
• Shut down the night at a dance party!

Have you attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this year? Or are you planning to attend before the end of the year? Let me know in the comments!