When planning a trip to Disney World, you try to avoid common mistakes.

We all want our Disney vacations to go as smoothly as possible. That’s why we pay close attention to wait times, park hours, and available dining reservations. We want you to have the best vacation you can possibly have. So today, we wanted to let you in on a secret about November in Disney World so you don’t make this mistake!

November is Disney World’s in-between month. Halloween is over but the holidays are still a month away.

But what many people might not realize is that November is actually when all the holiday festivities begin. That’s right, we don’t want you to make the mistake of thinking that you can only see all the beautiful holiday decorations and entertainment in December! The closer you get to December 25th, the busier Disney World becomes. You can take advantage of experiencing the holiday celebrations in November when the parks are much less crowded.

So here’s a list of all the holiday activities you can participate in at Disney World in November!

Holiday Decorations

Disney parks and hotels start getting decorated for the holidays almost immediately after all the Halloween decorations are put away. Starting November 9th, you can see the holidays hit Disney World!

You can see some AMAZING Christmas decorations at all four parks and all the hotels. ‘Snow’ starts falling in Magic Kingdom, gingerbread structures are built in Disney’s Grand Floridian, Disney’s Contemporary, and Disney’s Beach Club resorts, and Christmas trees are put up almost everywhere.

You can start to see many of these beautiful decorations starting in November and they’re all complete by the end of the month. So you don’t have to wait until December (one of the busiest months in Disney World) to see (and smell) all the holiday décor.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is a holiday celebration inside the Magic Kingdom. It features exclusive holiday festivities such as shows, characters, and fireworks! It’s also a great way to jump on all the rides (which may have holiday overlays!) with much lower wait times and we’re all about that. And we can’t forget about all the glorious specialty food!

The great part about this Christmas Party is that it starts November 9th! So you can catch it on select nights all of November until December 22nd. You can beat the holiday crowds of December and enjoy it early in November. But you better head over and book your tickets now, because they do sell out.

Jollywood Nights

This is a brand new holiday event coming to Disney World this year! It’s Hollywood Studios’ version of a Christmas party and we can’t wait to experience it. You can enjoy the glitz and glam of Hollywood during the Christmas season. Like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, you can enjoy ride overlays, special shows, merchandise, and FOOD. 

This Hollywood party stars on November 11th and runs through December 20th on select nights. You can head over to the Disney website to purchase tickets now and we highly suggest you do because a couple of days are already sold out!

Festival of the Holidays

Over at EPCOT, you can experience the holidays from around the world at the Festival of the Holidays. Eat and drink delicious food and beverages while learning about the various holiday cultures in each country. Then sit down and take in the amazing choir and the Christmas story told by various celebrity narrators during the Candlelight Processional.

The Festival of the Holidays begins on November 24th and continues through December 30th. Even though it starts much later in November than the other celebrations, you can still catch the Food and Wine Festival through November 18th and there will likely be holiday decorations up in the park by then. You do not need a special ticket for EPCOT festivals, so you get to just enjoy fewer crowds because it’s November!

We realize Animal Kingdom didn’t make this list and that’s because there are no specific special events at Animal Kingdom for the holidays. But don’t fret, they also decorate and incorporate ride overlays so it’s still fun to visit!

So we hope this tip helps you plan your next trip to Disney World. November is a great time to visit if you want to catch all the holiday festivities but not the crowds! 

For more Disney planning tips, follow the Disney Food Blog!

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Will you be visiting Disney World in November? Let us know in the comments!