Disney Jollywood Nights Quick Reference (2026)

If the Christmas party at Magic Kingdom is the family night, Jollywood Nights is the date night. Hollywood Studios dresses up, the jazz is live, the characters are the rare ones, and the whole park feels like a holiday party from an old movie. I have clients going December 5, and it is the night I most want to sneak away to myself.

It is also a night with five hours of party, four shows, and one fireworks spectacular that happens exactly once. Walk in with a short plan and it is magic. Wing it and you will spend the night walking past things that just ended.

Going this year? My free one-page quick reference has the showtimes, the character spots, and the order I give my own clients: grab the free printable here.

The party in one glance

• Where: Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• When: 15 select nights, November 7, 2026 to January 5, 2027 (yes, January is new this year)
• 2026 party dates: November 7, 14, 28 (sold out), 16, 21, 23; December 5, 7, 12, 14, 19, 21, 23; January 3, 5. Every night except the three sold-out November Saturdays was still available at last check
• Hours: 7:30 PM to 12:30 AM, and your party ticket gets you in from 5:30 PM
• Tickets: $169 to $199 plus tax. Kids 3 to 9 save $10. Opening night and both November Saturdays after it sold out first; ask me what is left for your dates.
• Included: PhotoPass downloads come with your event ticket, which matters at this party. Dress up. The photos are half the souvenir.

The order I give my clients

5:30 PM: Use the early entry for rides and dinner, not party lines. Rise of the Resistance, Slinky Dog Dash, and Runaway Railway all run during the event, and the first two hours are your shortest waits. Eat a real dinner now too. Party food is for snacking, not for feeding you at 9:00.

6:30 PM: Catch the first Sing-Along or watch Sunset Boulevard light up. The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along plays five times (6:30, 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 11:30), and Sunset Seasons Greetings runs on the Tower of Terror all evening. Neither needs a strategy. See them when you are nearby.

7:00 PM or late: Disney Holidays in Hollywood. Kermit and Miss Piggy host, with Mickey, Minnie, Belle, and Tiana, at the Theater of the Stars. It plays at 7:00, 8:15, 9:15, 11:00, and midnight. The early and late shows are the calm ones. Pick one end of the night and save the middle for characters.

8:05 PM: Glisten! The ice skating show in front of the Chinese Theatre, and new this year Donald, Daisy, and Genie join the skaters. Five showings: 8:05, 9:05, 10:30, 11:15, and 12:15. It is short, it is charming, and it is easy to fit between other things.

9:45 PM: Be in front of the Chinese Theatre. Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! is the party’s fireworks and projection show, and it happens once, at 10:00. Everything else repeats. This does not. Anchor the whole night around it.

Between shows: One loop of Echo Lake for characters. Phineas and Ferb, Powerline Max, and Chip and Dale as the Rescue Rangers all meet around Echo Lake, and Mike Wazowski is over on Commissary Lane with George Sanderson and Needleman, who are new this year. Santa Stitch is the other line worth your time. Twenty-plus character experiences run all night, and the later it gets, the shorter they are.

Party foods, matched to where you find them

These are sold separately, and this party’s menu leans grown-up in the best way:

• Fairfax Fare, Sunset Boulevard: Yuletide Ham Popover (new), A TWIX on a Classic Pie (new), eggnog with a caramel swirl
• Backlot Express, Echo Lake: Blitzen Banana Bread Pudding (new), Jolly Jam Slider, Hickory Holiday Mac, frozen hot cocoa
• Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby: the lounge menu, including the Char-grilled Chicken Yakitori (new)
• Checkin’ It Twice Lounge, Animation Courtyard: new this year, specialty drinks with a DJ
• The Trolley Car Cafe: The Sleigh Bell, a non-alcoholic sipper that fits the walk down Hollywood Boulevard

The honest take on who this party is for

Jollywood is glam, late, and built around shows and characters more than rides. Little kids can do it, and plenty do, but the family-with-a-stroller crowd gets more out of the Christmas party’s cookie stops and earlier parade. Jollywood is the one to pick when the grandparents are on the trip, or when you and your favorite person can slip out for a night that ends at 12:30. Dress like you mean it. Everyone else does.

Get the one-page version

Showtimes, character spots, food stops, and the order to do them in, on one page for your phone: download the free Jollywood quick reference.

Pairing a party night with the rest of a December trip is exactly the kind of planning I love. Get your free quote and I will build the trip around your night out.

Planning the rest of your Walt Disney World trip around the party? Start with my Ultimate Guide to Walt Disney World.