If you are visiting Orlando during December, you will be treated to a whirlwind set of events, as each theme park and many of the large Orlando hotels put on over the top Christmas events. Christmas runs all month long in Orlando, so plan on getting a fix of holiday cheer no matter when you visit this month, or where you stay.
Some of the most popular events include:
- Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party: Disney World‘s headlining holiday event takes place in the Magic Kingdom on select nights this month. Expect a festive evening, with holiday carols, hot chocolate and your favorite Disney characters. You’ll also be treated to a parade that only Disney could put on — and even an unusual Orlando snowfall.
- Grinchmas at Universal Orlando: The grumpy Grinch himself is the host of this event, which features a musical performance of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”, Grinchy meet and greets and a character breakfast. All Grinchmas events take place in the Islands of Adventure section of Universal, and are performed on select dates in December.
- Sea World’s Christmas: SeaWorld Orlando offers a variety of Christmas events and experiences, including a special holiday reworking of the Wild Arctic ride– this simulator gets a Polar Express themed makeover for the holiday season. You can also catch Sesame Street themed Christmas shows and events, and a special holiday killer whale show in Shamu Stadium.
- ICE! at the Gaylord Palms: This holiday spectacular brings snow and ice direct to Orlando. This year, ICE features a “Shrek the Halls” theme, with your favorite Dreamworks characters on hand to celebrate the season. Head to ICE for plenty of indoor snow and winter effects, character meet and greets, shows and hands on activities this holiday season.
No matter which event you choose, plan on spending some extra time getting around the Orlando theme parks in December. Holiday crowds will begin to arrive in droves mid-month, peaking Christmas week, so give yourself plenty of time to get around and to see all that Orlando has to offer in the holiday season.
