After skipping the inaugural year, I finally dipped my toe into Disney World’s newest Christmas event—Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios. In this review I’ll start with the basics about the event (what it is, when it happens, how much it costs) before diving into my experience. I’ll conclude with the two groups of people I think this event works best for. Read on to learn all about Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios!
About Jollywood Nights
Jollywood Nights is a ticketed, Christmas-themed event at Hollywood Studios occurring on select evenings in November and December. It features exclusive entertainment, character greetings, and paid treats. Rides and some of the parks standard character greetings remain open, too. (Read more about the rides at Hollywood Studios here.)
The imperfect way to think about Jollywood Nights is as an adult alternative to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. I know as well as anyone that kids and adults can have fun at both events, but their respective entertainment lineups and ambiances tilt in different directions. (FWIW, I—an adult—personally prefer Very Merry.)
Jollywood Nights Dates, Hours, and Pricing
For the 2024 season, Jollywood Nights is being held on:
November 9, 13, 16, 18, 23, 25 and 30
December 2, 7, 11, 14, 18 and 21
Jollywood Nights runs from 7:30PM to 12:30AM. Event guests can enter the park as early as 6PM, and the park closes at 7PM on event nights.
Jollywood Nights tickets are priced from $159 to $179 per ticket, plus tax, depending on the event date. Child and adult prices are the same.
My Jollywood Nights Experience
I attended the first event of the 2024 season, on November 9, 2024. I paid $169.34 for my ticket, with annual passholder pricing.
When I know I’m going to be at an event on a specific night, possibly late into the night, I like to choose a convenient hotel. In this case, with an event at Hollywood Studios I preferred to be staying somewhere along the Skyliner. We picked a Cars Suite at Art of Animation, which also meant my late arrival would have less of a chance of waking Zoe up.
Unfortunately, the Skyliner only operated until 10:30PM despite the event going until after midnight. As you’ll see, I opted to just leave early and catch the Skyliner (buses run once it stops running), but if you’re expecting to rely on it during your visit, pay close attention to the hours.
Arrival and Check-In
I was a bit nervous when I saw the crowds when I arrived. I don’t think much of entrance crowds these days, but since the event had crowding issues in the past I was on high alert. Most of the queues were dedicated to event-only guests set to enter at 6PM (I arrived at 5:38PM). Since I was using my annual pass, I was able to enter via a small set of queues on the left, waiting only about 3 minutes.
When you’re already in the park for the start of a ticketed event, you’ll have to find a place to get your event ticket confirmed and collect your wristband. I was just wandering and stumbled upon the Event Check-In next to the MuppetVision theater. (The wristband was a classic plastic band, a nice—albeit inexplicable—departure from the dangerous bands they use at the kid-heavy Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party…but that’s a matter for that post.)
I heard guests complaining about the lack of check-in information later. Fair—if you have never been to an event like this before or read a detailed review, you might not realize that you have to track down the check-in. But you’re reading this review, so if you can’t find check-in, just ask a Cast Member. I assume they start around 5PM.
At check-in I was handed an event guide. These are nicely designed. They’re not the quality of the commemorative maps you’ll get on the most important days of Disney parks history, but they were stapled booklets rather than typical maps. It’s a small, but effective, way to make you feel like you’re here for a special event.
Merchandise
I saw a queue forming over by the MuppetVision exit, and it turned out it was for merchandise, being sold from Stage 1 Company Store. I’m thrilled to see Stage 1 Company Store in use again, but it’s definitely a bit of a “look what they’ve done to my boy” moment to see it filled with “Ollie” gear instead of its old collection of Muppets etc.
They really want to #MakeOllieHappen here. No comment from me, I just wasn’t excited enough about the event to get any gear.
While I was in line for the merchandise, Cast Members kept reminding people this was the line for merchandise, not anything else. They must have stopped, because later on, I saw professionals reporting they waited in the line not knowing it was only for merchandise. So, I guess, ask a Cast Member what the lines are for when before getting in them.
I’d of course think this was a laughable mistake if my next move hadn’t been to go wait outside ABC Commissary for a few minutes, only to hear a Cast Member tell someone it was reopening at 7:30PM, not 7PM as I’d expected. (That one’s on me since the event didn’t even technically begin until 7:30PM.)
What’s This? (Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along)
I’d been hoping to get some food in before heading to “What’s This,” but with the Commissary closed I instead wound up in line 25 minutes early for “What’s This.” This wound up being earlier than necessary (I think 7:25PM would have been fine), but, again, I wanted to catch all the core entertainment and I was worried about crowds.
I can’t avoid any spoilers, but I’ll try and keep it to a minimum. For starters, there is a large Jack Skellington puppet (in the same style as the Halloween fireworks at Magic Kingdom) that makes appearances on stage-right (left from the audience, the far side when entering). You might prefer to enter earlier rather than later to get seats on that side, but you’ll also have more of a side-angle view the farther toward the end of the row you get.
Otherwise, all I really want to say is I found the show absolutely fantastic. Some of the stylistic choices might be lost on younger kids, but this was a show that really reminded me of what Disney is capable of. They could have just phoned this in as a straightforward sing-along, but they didn’t. The overlay of the theater was very well done (and best viewed from the middle), and show itself was entertaining and not at all what I expected.
What’s This was scheduled for 7:30, 8:30, 9:30, 11:30, and 12:30.
Disney Holidays in Hollywood
The show ending just after 7:50PM, I made it to Theater of the Stars for Holidays in Hollywood at 7:56PM. The show wasn’t until 8:15PM and there was still space at that time.
Holidays in Hollywood is hosted by Kermit and Miss Piggy, with performances by a cast of characters including Mickey, Minnie, Belle, and Tiana. It’s a swanky show that very much fits the vibes of the entire event, particularly Hollywood Boulevard, which also hosts the Twilight Soirée at the Tip Top Club.
It’s a good, fun show, but it didn’t wow me in the same way that’s “What This?” did. It’s got Christmas songs, great performances, and excellent Muppet humor. If you’re going to the event, it’s definitely a “must see.”
But I’d say this is the sort of show I think should be available in the parks during the entire holiday season. “What’s This?”, by contrast, was the sort of show I’d actually pay to go to a ticketed event for.
I’m on #TeamMuppets and would love to see them have a bigger presence in the park (Note: I wrote this sentence before “the news” and I’m just…leaving it here). And I certainly have nothing against Mickey, Minnie, Tiana, or Belle. I just always find it a bit jarring when you’ve got a pretty arbitrary collection of characters thrown into a single show (and this isn’t the only Disney show to do this, to be clear).
Holidays in Hollywood was scheduled for 8:15, 9:15, 11:15, and 12:15
Twilight Soirée at the Tip Top Club
After Holidays in Hollywood I headed around the corner to the Tower of Terror exit area for Twilight Soirée at the Tip Top Club. While the bar is open all night long, the band performs on a set schedule—7:30, 8:10, 8:50, 9:30, 10:30, 11:10, and 11:50.
The the band performs a 15-minute set of jazz-styled Christmas tunes while decked out themselves to look like characters right out of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. There are dancers to bring some extra energy to the crowd, and it’s overall a very enjoyable time. I skipped out on the drinks, but the lines seemed to be moving very quickly and weren’t very long. If you come between sets you can chat with some mingling characters from the Tip Top Club.
I had a few minutes before the 9:15PM performance of GLISTEN!, so I finally made it to ABC Commissary for the Cauliflower Taco. It was good, but as a vegetarian I’m basically obliged to say that I hope they keep around this and the Samosas from Dockside Diner (also good) because otherwise I’d have to just order off the regular restaurant menus like some common day guest (/s).
GLISTEN!
GLISTEN! is a new show for the event this year, featuring “international champion skaters” performing to Disney and Christmas songs. This is done on a fake ice surface in front of the Chinese Theater, which is illuminated with projections as a part of this show.
GLISTEN! didn’t hook me, but there was a lot to like. The skaters were obviously talented and they really shined (er, glistened?) in the smallest performance—When You Wish Upon a Star. With its central location, five showtimes, and no fixed seating, you’re not going to struggle to fit it into your night. If this is something you’re definitely interested in, you might be sure to arrive a few minutes early to be at the front of the crowds.
GLISTEN! was scheduled for 8:15, 9:15, 11:15, and 12:15.
Sunset Seasons Greetings
After the 9:15PM performance of GLISTEN! I took a lap just to see what else was going on. One problematic bit of scheduling is that the Pixar Dance Party takes a break from 9:30PM to 10:30PM, presumably to accommodate the pyrotechnic elements of Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!
This isn’t necessarily super avoidable, but I’d be remiss to not point out that the “Holiday Fiesta En La Calle” in Animation Courtyard did not have to take this break and did not seem to draw the same level of crowds as the Pixar Dance Party. While the Pixar Dance Party is more at home in “Pixar Plaza”, and an hourlong break isn’t a huge loss, I think there’s probably a decent-sized contingent of guests who need to fill the time before Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! (like I was doing) and to whom a more prominently placed, ongoing Pixar Dance Party would really appeal.
After peeking at those dance parties, I swung over to Sunset Boulevard hoping to catch Sunset Seasons Greetings. I say “hoping” because the show isn’t on a schedule other than “intermittently throughout the night.” As it happened, I lucked into a showtime right around 9:45PM.
Sunset Seasons Greetings is a holiday-themed show with lasers down Sunset Boulevard and projections on Tower of Terror. It is an absolutely delightful show and has been a favorite of ours for years. It does play in the park on nights without Jollywood Nights and is at least scheduled (I can’t personally vouch for actual appearances) some nights before the event.
The only reason to go out of your way to prioritize Sunset Seasons Greetings is if you’re looking to get a particular photograph from a personal or Photopass photographer (Photopass photos from the event are included with your ticket). The different projected backdrops on Tower of Terror play in the same order each time, so you might want to research ahead of time or plan to catch multiple shows if a specific photo is important.
Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam!
My night ended with Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! This projection show occurs once, at 10PM. This is a marked change from last year’s 12:30AM showtime.
Last year’s 12:30AM showtime was overtly not welcoming to kids, which coincides with the event tickets being the same price for kids and adults. The sole 12:30AM showtime also forced people to stay in the park longer, which is theoretically good for food and drink sales.
Of course, when you consider the crowding complaints from last year’s events, its unsurprising that Disney realized that it’s a better idea to just let people self-select between “going to bed at a reasonable hour” and “gettin’ tipsy and the Tip Top Club until after midnight.”
I was in the former group this night and left after the show. It’s worth noting that I left two hours on the table having already seen all of the core entertainment. I definitely had plenty of time for some character greetings or rides if I’d wanted. (You can see the wait times for the rides that evening here.)
Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! used to be a fixture of the holiday season at Hollywood Studios. While short of a spectacular show on its own, along with the great park-wide decorations and Sunset Seasons Greetings, it helped make Hollywood Studios the favorite holiday park for many commentators, us included.
Then it got cut from the 2020 through 2022 seasons altogether before returning exclusively behind the Jollywood Nights paywall last year. I don’t want to rehash old complaints, and I’m at least glad Sunset Seasons Greetings remains for non-event guests.
Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam! is a projection show with a few pyrotechnic effects that features the team of Prep & Landing. It’s a bit niche but highly accessible, and there’s some Nightmare Before Christmas thrown in there too (slightly less niche and arguably less accessible if you have no background on it). It’s overall a fun show and I’d call it a must-see as part of the event.
You don’t have to fight for a good position to see it unless you’ve got a big group showing up right at showtime. You can even get a decent view and very light crowds on Hollywood Boulevard.
After the show ended I headed back to Art of Animation via the Skyliner.
Conclusion
My perspective when I visit these events is to try and figure out who I think would have a good time. Who is it really for? Similar to my visit to Disneyland’s Star Wars Nite, I knew this event was not really for me, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to look at the bigger picture.
Before I get into that, I want to remind you of two big-ish things I skipped at this event. First of all, I didn’t meet any characters. If characters are a minor thing for you, I had plenty of time left over in the night to fit a few in. If characters are a major thing for you, I assume you have some sort of independent spreadsheet intensive analysis that goes into deciding whether the character lineup justifies the cost. Some of the notable characters included Phineas and Ferb, Santa Stitch, Santa Duffy, Scrooge McDuck, and Jose and Panchito.
Second, I didn’t do any rides. Except for “After Hours” events that basically exist only to help you get on rides, I tend to think rides are a poor use of time at ticketed events. If the event is your only visit to a given park, the analysis may change, but generally, spending money on Lightning Lanes is going to be more sensible than paying for a ticketed event if you mostly care about rides.
Those two issues aside, I have a pretty clear idea of when I think Jollywood Nights is worth it. I’ve got two groups of people who I think this event works well for.
For starters, I think an average Disney fan who is also an above average Nightmare Before Christmas fan can justify this event. This is the group that I fall into. “What’s This” was a spectacular show, and Jingle Bell Jingle Bam! is Nightmare Before Christmas adjacent as well.
This isn’t to say “What’s This” justifies the $150+ per person on its own. But it can be enough to take an average Disney fan who, let’s say, will enjoy Holidays in Hollywood, a few character greetings, a few rides, and Sunset Seasons Greetings, and push them over the top.
The second group I think can get real value out of this is people who want to cosplay going to a fancy Christmas event. There were a lot of people who were dressed to the nines and seemed to be loving it. They thrived at the Twilight Soirée and “ooh”d and “ahh”d at GLISTEN! And I assume in between they hiked up their skirts and ran between Tower of Terror and Slinky Dog Dash.
A key word there is “cosplay.” This is not Victoria and Alberts. You are still very much in a theme park. But if something about being in fancy dress around other people in fancy dress, sipping on champagne cocktails speaks to you, then I think this event might be your jam.
My bottom line is that I was pleasantly surprised with the event. Whatever hiccups happened last year seemed to be gone this year. I had no problem at all covering every activity I wanted, and I had no issue with excessive lines or crowds anywhere.
Now, it’s worthing pointing out that personally, this was my only holiday evening at Hollywood Studios this year. Given that, I’m 100% glad I went to the event. If I’d had another night to, specifically, enjoy Sunset Seasons Greetings, then I’d be a little more on the fence. But next year I’d definitely be open to Jollywood Nights being our family’s sole holiday evening in Hollywood Studios since Zoe is also a Nightmare Before Christmas fan.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
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Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
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Learn More About The Holidays at Walt Disney World
Want to learn more about Christmastime at Walt Disney World? For starters, we've got a Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World, which introduces you to everything you need to know.
Need more specifics? You'll want to read about the park that gets the most Magical decorations in our post on Christmas at Magic Kingdom. You'll also want to read about Flurry of Fun—the Christmas celebration at Hollywood Studios, the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, and the Holiday Celebrations at Animal Kingdom.
But the flagship event of the season is Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party—and our guide has you covered with everything you need to know. Or check out the quick version in our 12 Tips for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.
Last but not least, let's not forget that the celebrations don't stop at the parks! You can visit our post on Christmas decorations at the Disney World hotels to see how even the hotels get into the spirit! Even Disney Springs gets in on the action, with bar overlays and an awesome Christmas Tree Trail! It’s a great time of year at Walt Disney World resort!