Halloween will soon be a memory, and Mariah Carey will be let loose to activate Christmas mode ALL over the world, including Disney World. Well, we knew it was just a matter of time before Christmas started sneaking into the parks. So if you’re wondering when holiday decorations will start popping up in the parks…
Now, we get EXCITED to see the holiday decorations go up, and we do often see some of that happen BEFORE the official start of the holiday season (which technically runs from November 14th through December 31st). Well, the first holiday decorations have arrived in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and we’re sharing them with you!
Yes, the first decorations have arrived in Animal Kingdom, and we couldn’t be more excited. Today, we noticed the carved animals on the top of the shops had appeared.
These birds signal the arrival of the holiday season in Animal Kingdom.
You can see the menagerie animals across the top of Island Mercantile.
One of the shops, Riverside Depot, is also getting in on the festive season — there’s already a holiday display with trees and extra decor there!
Here’s a holiday display in Riverside Depot.
Of course, you can also grab some holiday souvenirs of your own!
Now, it might be controversial to say that Animal Kingdom’s holiday decor is the best in Disney World, but I’m biased, and that’s what I believe. First, the decorations are specifically tailored to the park, so they’re the most unique you’ll find throughout the resort.
Then there’s the Animal Kingdom Christmas tree that always blows us away every year. Now, we’re not sure when we’ll see that going up (and it usually goes up after Magic Kingdom’s tree), but we can’t WAIT to see it. It’s gorgeous and filled with all kinds of Easter eggs and nods to the park.
So we’ll be keeping an eye out for more holiday decorations in Disney World (seriously, any day now) because Disney World will soon be looking like a winter wonderland, and we couldn’t be more excited.
Stay tuned to DFB for more.
One of Our Favorite Holiday Light Displays Is Back Near Disney World – Here’s How You Can See It!
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MORE Disney World Holiday INFO!
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Which park has your favorite holiday decorations in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!









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They look more colorful this year. I’m thinking they were mostly white previous with tones of gray or blue.
What happened to Thanksgiving?