Disney Jollywood Nights – Celebrating in Style!
Christmas Day is just around the corner now, and it’s the most wonderful time of the year to visit the most magical place on Earth! All 4 of the Walt Disney World theme parks have sensational seasonal entertainment and decor, but what I want to share with you today is my experience at Disney’s newest holiday event: Disney Jollywood Nights!
This event was brand new for 2023, and when it was first announced, I couldn’t help but envision myself in a sequin gown, dancing around through the glitz and glamour of the Hollywood Tower Hotel. My imagination began to run wild with the possibilities, and while I didn’t really know what to expect, I knew I definitely wanted to attend!
Though I didn’t end up wearing a sequin gown (maybe next time) when our party time came around, I still certainly felt as though I had entered a glittering, shimmering, Hollywood-inspired holiday extravaganza!
Disney really seemed to emphasize that this event was meant to celebrate the beauty and pageantry the season can bring. Almost like a glimpse into the Hollywood spotlight, as if you had stepped off a red carpet in a theme park and into the center of a holiday special where you are the star! Many partygoers were in typical park-hopping clothes like shorts and T-shirts. However, there were many guests who chose to wear festive attire or Dapper Day-like outfits, which were really cool to see!
Being a new event, there were some learning curves from the first party night that many of you probably saw while scrolling your social media feeds, but by the night my teammate Alyssa and I attended, Disney had sorted out many of those little bumps in the road and our event ran super smoothly. We arrived at the park entrance around 6:30 pm, as your party ticket allowed you to enter the park at 7 pm, about 90 minutes ahead of the actual event start time. Just a few minutes went by before we were given our lanyards and wristbands and were soon strolling down Hollywood Boulevard!
Both of us loved the beautiful decorations and ambiance around the park, and after checking out the new party mascot Ollie the gingerbread man, we enjoyed rocking out to the DJ spinning holiday jams in front of the Chinese Theater.
The party hadn’t officially started just yet, but we decided we’d better sample some seasonal snacks to help us fuel up for the festivities that were getting underway! Everything we tried was delicious! My personal favorite was the S’mores Funnel Cake from Epic Eats, while my teammate Alyssa loved her Birria Taco from the Holiday Fiesta en la Calle at the ABC Commissary.
After we ate, we went searching for some characters! While we didn’t have the chance to meet everyone who was out and about that night, we did have the chance to see Santa Duffy, Geppetto, and Powerline Max, which was a lot of fun! Phineas and Ferb were definitely the stars of the night as they’re rarely found in the parks anymore, but I’ll be honest, the line for their meet and greet was lengthy. If there is a certain character that is a must-meet on your list, I’d recommend hopping in line as soon as possible when you arrive for the event, but we really didn’t wait more than 15 minutes or so for any of the characters we met!
As we got to the event’s official start time, Cast Members did begin checking for wristbands as we approached attractions. One of the great advantages of attending the party was riding some of the park’s most popular rides, such as Tower of Terror and Rock’ n’ Roller Coaster, with almost no wait. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance used a virtual queue system throughout the event as well. Joining the virtual queue was hassle-free, and we were quickly called to ride not even 30 minutes later.
Of course, after my initial vision of what the party would be like, one of the things I was most excited about was the Twilight Soiree at the Tip Top Club held in the courtyard near the exit for Tower of Terror. Capacity here was a little limited, but we were still able to enjoy the incredible live band and soak in the glittering ambiance for a while, swaying along to the jazzy Christmas tunes. I would love to see them expand this part of the party in years to come, as it was really cool, and Tower of Terror is one of my all-time favorite attractions!
My absolute favorite thing about Jollywood Nights, however, was the stage shows! What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along, held in the Hyperion Theater, where you would usually find the Frozen Sing-Along show, was an absolute blast! I found it to be really creative and unique, and it was probably my very favorite part of the party. The Oogie Boogie performance and the enormous Jack Skellington puppet were definitely standouts, but the entire show was very well done.
After celebrating the season spooky style, we made our way back to Sunset Boulevard to watch Disney Holidays in Hollywood. This is another fantastic stage show, inspired by the vintage variety specials and featuring a who’s who of Disney celebrities! Kermit, Miss Piggy, Princess Tiana, Belle, and, of course, Minnie and Mickey shine under the spotlights with an incredible ensemble of musicians and dancers backing them up. This sensational spectacular also featured new music, which was exciting to hear and left us both with big, cheery grins after the curtains closed!
The night came to an end with a showing of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! sparkling in the sky! Now exclusive to Jollywood Nights, this returning favorite mixes together projections of some of Disney’s holiday films and specials with a dazzling display of lights, lasers, and glittery fireworks. It was really cool to see the show again after a few years, and there was no need to worry about snagging a spot early. It was nice and easy to pop up by the Chinese Theater shortly before the show began, and there was still plenty of space between us and the parties around us!
Overall, Disney Jollywood Nights felt to us like a more laidback, leisurely event compared to the parties held at Magic Kingdom (though we definitely love those too!) We were able to enjoy pretty much everything we wanted to see without feeling rushed, which made for an enjoyable, stress-free evening! We truly had an amazing time celebrating that night, and I can’t wait to see what next year might bring (I’ll be sure to keep my sequins on standby!)
~Stacy
