Editor’s note: This is the second year TPG attended Disney’s Jollywood Nights. Disney hosted content director Andrea Rotondo this year, while last year’s author, Carly Caramanna, paid full price for her event ticket but also attended a preparty media event showcasing several characters and specialty food items. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the authors and weren’t subject to review by Disney or any external entity.
Walt Disney World never rests on its laurels. Last year, it launched Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It was a brand-new holiday party geared toward adults. The event is back this year and even better with some new options and tweaks to last year’s package.
Many Disney fans already return year after year to the Magic Kingdom for the beloved Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, where hot cocoa, free cookies and characters are plentiful. Others make a point to book an annual outing to Epcot for its Candlelight Processional. Now, there’s a similar reason to return to Disney’s Hollywood Studios each holiday season.
Disney has expanded its Jollywood Nights special event to 13 evenings this year versus just 10 in 2023.
It’s billed as being where “Hollywood glamour meets holiday cheer,” and it’s uniquely designed to draw Disney adults keen on enjoying a swanky holiday soiree. There are holiday specialty foods, live entertainment and character meet-and-greets you can only find here. It also happens to be one of Disney World’s most expensive party offerings.
TPG attended the first evening of the Jollywood Nights party last year and this year. Here’s what it was like and what’s new, plus everything you need to know if you want to go.
What to expect from Disney’s Jollywood Nights
This celebration is intended to be a throwback to old-school Hollywood — and attendees are encouraged (though not required) to dress the part. We saw plenty of guests dressed in sparkly outfits, others in Christmas-themed shirts and dresses and a fair contingent with Santa hats, elf ears and reindeer antlers. Many strollers were decked out with flashing holiday lights, adding to the overall joy of the evening.
Jollywood Nights features plenty of 1950s holiday glam, three specialty stage shows, fireworks, unique holiday character meetings, limited-time lounges and street entertainment.
The event will be hosted on select Monday, Wednesday and Saturday nights through Dec. 21, 2024. Just like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, this is a separately ticketed event. Prices range from $159 to $179 per ticket, plus tax. The official party time is 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., with mix-in (that’s Disney-speak for when you are allowed to enter the park with some day guests still there) at 6 p.m.
Note: While Jollywood Nights is billed as an adult party, you can purchase tickets for children. You’ll pay the same price as an adult, though. We were surprised to see so many children in strollers during our soiree.
Related: Up all night: How Disney transforms the Magic Kingdom from Halloween to holiday overnight
Jollywood Nights stage shows
Three stage production shows are the hallmark of Jollywood Nights 2024. The earliest of the three shows starts at 7:30 p.m., and the latest hits the stage at 12:30 a.m.
‘Glisten!’
New for 2024, “Glisten!” is a skating spectacular celebrating the season. It takes place in the open air in front of Hollywood Boulevard’s Chinese Theater. International champion skaters perform to favorite Disney songs such as “When You Wish Upon a Star” and “Be Our Guest” and the show is staged five times on party nights.
‘Disney Holidays in Hollywood’
Back by popular demand and playing five times a night, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy of “The Muppets” fame host this sit-down variety show at Hollywood Boulevard’s Theater of the Stars. Arrive early if you want to snag bench seating. Disney does a fantastic job of earmarking a viewing area for those using assistive mobility devices, such as wheelchairs.
Mickey and Minnie also have several numbers alongside a multitude of talented singers and dancers.
“Beauty and the Beast” fans went wild when Belle took to the stage in her Christmas finery.
“Disney Holidays in Hollywood” is not to be missed.
‘What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along’
Another return engagement is “What’s This? Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along” at the Hyperion Theater. This one remains popular, so you must arrive early if you want a seat.
This is a fun and spirited production full of fan-favorite songs from the now-iconic movie led by Jack Skellington.
Character meet-and-greets
In addition to all the shows, Jollywood Nights guests can partake in a hallmark of any Disney after-hours event: special meet-and-greets with rare characters and Disney favorites in holiday attire.
Each meet-and-greet generally garnered lines, with wait times between 20 and 40 minutes.
PhotoPass downloads included
Complimentary PhotoPass downloads are a tremendous benefit of buying a ticket to Jollywood Nights. This includes special MagicShots and new photo experiences. There’s no need to pay extra for the photo downloads, as this perk is included in the price of admission. They should show up automatically in your My Disney Experience account.
Related: Disney World and Disneyland holiday details revealed, including the return of Jollywood Nights
Specialty experiences only at Jollywood Nights
With the “of-age” crowd as the focus, the cornerstone (and most hyped portion) of the event are two specialty lounges: the Twilight Soiree at The Tip Top Club and Jazzy Holidays at The Hollywood Brown Derby.
The Twilight Soiree at The Tip Top Club is themed after the fictional bar from The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror lore.
Held in the adjoining courtyard outside the attraction, the event features a live band and a small pop-up bar with specialty cocktails. This proved to be an immensely popular spot in 2023 and again in 2024.
Related: The best restaurants at Disney World
Also during the party, the iconic Disney dining spot The Hollywood Brown Derby transforms into a jazz club with live entertainment and a specialty food-and-beverage menu. While there was a mobile walk-up virtual queue in the Walt Disney World app last year, this experience could be reserved in advance for the 2024 party nights.
Once inside, the experience — which you can expect to last at least an hour — was more or less similar to a daytime visit, with the addition of a live pianist and vocalist. During our time, he stuck to mostly Disney classics, but we’d love to see a full holiday playlist to contribute to the spirit of the event.
Sunset Seasons Greetings also returns throughout the night, transforming the Tower of Terror with a holiday projection show as “snow” falls upon Sunset Boulevard.
Pixar Disco is new this year at Pixar Place with Joy, Frozone, Edna Mode and more.
In Commissary Lane, you’ll find another event-specific experience: Holiday Fiesta en la Calle. This street experience features live Latin music celebrating Central and South American holiday traditions that proved to be a fun spot to relax and listen to the sounds. There’s also a DJ spinning holiday tracks near the front of the park.
And what’s a Disney party without fireworks? The festive nighttime spectacular “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” is staged one time during each party. It combines projections, music, lasers and fireworks set to the stunning backdrop of the Chinese Theater.
Limited-time food at Jollywood Nights
Disney curated a robust food-and-beverage program for this party, with a mix of savory and sweet goodies available from various dining locations throughout the park. However, note that none of the treats are included in the cost of admission here — there’s an extra charge for every item you wish to sample.
The adorable Gertie cookie (modeled after the park’s beloved green dinosaur) was a favorite in the dessert category, and the savory holiday turkey popover was a clear savory winner.
A favorite cocktail was the 5th Dimension Royale from The Tip Top Club. This brightly hued drink is a fruity twist on a margarita topped with prosecco.
Keep in mind that wait times for specialty food and drinks can vary from 20 minutes to 30 minutes, based on our experience, so if enjoying the event’s treats is important to you, plan accordingly.
Wait times for attractions at Jollywood Nights
Many will be pleased to know that most attractions are open during the event. One of the highlights of our evening was walking on to several fan-favorite rides, including Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Mania! and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith. It was even easy to hop in the standby queues for Millennium Falcon and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance inside the park’s Galaxy’s Edge section.
Having access to the rides as early as 6 p.m. and throughout the evening is a major selling point of Jollywood Nights, in our opinion. It was a treat to experience some of our favorite rides over and over again. Walking onto Rise of the Resistance in less than 10 minutes was a huge score in our book.
Is Disney’s Jollywood Nights worth it?
As with any Disney Parks after-hours event, it’s entirely up to your tastes and what matters to you.
If getting dressed up in festive attire and attending a Disney event that was created primarily for adults (though children are welcome) sounds like a great night out for your crew, then go for it. For those who love Tim Burton or “The Muppets,” this is an obvious choice. The same goes for guests who love seeing rare characters and Disney favorites in their limited-time holiday attire.
That said, we suggest having realistic expectations for what you’ll be able to do when you’re spending top dollar to be there. Having a strategy that prioritizes what matters most to you is key for many Disney parks events, and this new party is no exception. With the short time frame of the party (five hours), it’s impossible to experience all the characters, entertainment and specialty eats that the event has to offer.
Even so, we thoroughly enjoyed the party in 2023 and 2024 and look forward to the event hopefully returning in 2025.
Related reading:
- Are the Disney Visa credit cards worth it?
- The best Disney World hotels
- How to rent Disney Vacation Club points and save hundreds of dollars on your vacation
- How to use points to buy Disney tickets
- New swan on the block: A review of the Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
