6 Questions That Still Need to Be Answered About the 2021 Disney World Holiday Season

Disney has given us a TON of Disney World holiday news recently!

Christmas Tree

Disney has confirmed that a new Christmas event Disney Most Merriest After Hours will replace Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. They have also confirmed that holiday projection shows, EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, holiday characters including Santa Claus, the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll, AND the Disney World Resort gingerbread displays will return. So questions are still lingering about the 2021 holiday season in Disney World?!

Keep in mind, Disney has yet to confirm whether any of these holiday attractions will be returning in 2021, so some of these events may happen, and some may not. You know we will be sure to inform you of any updates!

Candlelight Processional

EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional is a performance that traditionally includes a celebrity narrator, a 50-piece orchestra, and a choir made up of both Cast Members and visitors. In 2020, the Candlelight Processional was canceled. For 2021, Disney has not yet officially announced whether the Candlelight Processional will be canceled again.

EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional

During the past holiday seasons, the Candlelight performances occurred three times each evening at the America Gardens Theater in the American Adventure Pavilion. Dining package options were also offered. For now, we just have to wait for Disney to release an update on the status of this holiday event.

Click here to read more about the Candlelight Processional!

Cinderella Castle Holiday Dream Lights

Disney has not yet announced whether the Dream Lights on Cinderella Castle will return for 2021. The Dream Lights were a gorgeous snowy light display on Cinderella Castle “lit” nightly by characters from Frozen.

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

In 2020, the Dream Lights did not return and were replaced by holiday projections onto the castle. Since Disney HAS announced that holiday projections are returning for 2021 and there’s a ton of 50th Anniversary decor on the castle, we have to wonder whether the Dream Lights will be canceled again. Still, there is no confirmation yet.

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!

The Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! holiday show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is filled with fireworks, lasers, projections, and even scenes from Disney movies! Disney has not yet confirmed the return of this show, but Disney’s website has given us a hint of its possible return for 2021.

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! was canceled for 2020, and while Disney’s website still lists it as “temporarily unavailable,” it also mentions a return for the show in 2021.

©Disney

The return of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! is not yet confirmed by Disney, but the website does give us some hope! We’ll be keeping a close watch for an official update about this holiday show.

Disney Very Merriest After Hours

While Disney did announce the replacement of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party with the new Disney Very Merriest After Hours event, we still have some questions about previous Very Merry Party attractions that have not yet been confirmed or canceled.

Cinderella Castle holiday projections

Disney’s announcement for the Very Merriest After Hours event did not mention any castle shows, parades, or cavalcades, and past shows such as the Once Upon a Christmastime Parade or Mickey’s Most Merriest Celebration Show were not included in the announcement. It’s possible that Disney has plans for a new holiday parade, cavalcade, or show, or that they will not be included at all in this year’s holiday party.

Learn more about the NEW Disney Very Merriest After Hours here!

Holiday Puppets

In 2019, we saw these new holiday puppets appear in Discovery Island in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. The puppets were led by Cast Members and SO cute! Musicians were also near the puppets so that guests could enjoy some tunes while petting the “animals.”

Holiday Puppets!

These puppets were not around in 2020, and Disney has not mentioned whether these holiday puppets will return to Animal Kingdom in 2021. We really hope they return someday because they were so adorable!

Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party

In Magic Kingdom during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, Tony’s Town Square Restaurant hosted a special event called Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party. For an extra $99 on top of the event ticket, guests could enjoy three hours of hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks included in the price, as well as reserved viewing for Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade.

Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party

When we attended Tony’s party, we were impressed by the event even though it was a splurge. Disney has not confirmed whether this event will be returning for 2021.

Click here to read our full review of Tony’s Most Merriest Town Square Party!

That’s everything we still don’t know about for the 2021 holiday season at Disney World. We are keeping a close eye on Disney as we wait for more updates and announcements, and DFB has got you when it comes to all your Disney World news!

Read the 4 BIGGEST Disney World holiday news bombs here!

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