Disneyland Announces “Merriest Nites" Holiday Event Coming This November
Earlier today, Disney announced a brand new, separate ticket, limited-capacity event called, “Disney Merriest Nites”, debuting this November exclusively at Disneyland Park. This is great news as Disneyland fans have been clamoring for a Christmas Party for years!
The event will be celebrated on five select nights during the months of November and December and will consist of six themed parties throughout the individual “lands” in the park. The event starts at 8:00pm and ends at midnight, with early entry into Disneyland starting at 5:00pm.
This was just announced and not many details were released, so this article will contain everything that is known thus far; such as where the themed parties will be, cost, dates, and more. It will be updated on a continuous basis as more details are released. We’ve also contacted Disneyland Guests Services to confirm a few details.
Tickets for this event will go on sale at 9am on September 14th, 2021, via the Disneyland app and website.
Themed Party Locations
Main Street U.S.A
The first of the six parties you’ll come across takes place right on Main Street. Mickey Mouse will be your host along with Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and more! The characters will travel around in a coach decked out in holiday decor and will sing Christmas carols with event guests. How cool!
New Orleans Square
Not much detail has been given about this party but from what we’ve gathered, it will be hosted by Princess Tiana herself in a bayou-inspired holiday celebration.
It may be just speculation on our part, but with all the construction walls currently up in New Orleans Square, there’s been rumors of a Tiana’s Place eatery coming. This party would make for an excellent debut of a highly desired restaurant.
Frontierland
Miguel, from the Disney/Pixar film, “Coco”, will be on hand wishing attendees Feliz Navidad in Frontierland. According to the Disney Parks Blog, there will be music and dancing aplenty in this small section of the park.
We were at Disneyland recently and seen the beautiful meet and greet area set up for Miguel (pictured above). It was small, but impressive. We have a feeling the entire land will now be adorned in similar fashion.
Fantasyland, Adventureland, & Tomorrowland
Even less has been revealed about the final three parties, but they will take place in some of the park’s most popular lands and like the others, will have their own, dedicated host:
Fantasyland: The host will be none other than the Snow Queen herself, “Elsa”, from the uber popular Disney animated film, “Frozen”. This will undoubtedly be the most in-demand and densely packed party. Fair warning.
Adventureland: Lilo & Stitch will be the co-hosts in this laid back, tropical gathering. This is the smallest land of the six, so it’s interesting to see how they’ll pull this off.
Tomorrowland: Last - but certainly not least - the host of this galactic-holiday celebration will be the toy, the myth, the legend himself; Buzz Lightyear.
It seems that the hosts and theme of the parties will be the biggest differences between them as all will come with themed photo opps, special character appearances, and exclusively themed food and beverage offerings.
More Experiences
The six parties above won’t be the only experiences you’ll get with your ticket. You’ll also get:
Holiday Experiences: Watch the streets get lined with snow while taking part in a meet and greet with Santa himself.
Early Admission: The event doesn’t begin until 8:00pm, but with your special event ticket, you’ll be granted early access to Disneyland starting at 5:00pm.
Merry Entertainment: Witness a special performance of, “A Christmas Fantasy Parade”.
Attractions After-Hours: Experience classic Disneyland attractions such as “it’s a small world” Holiday and “Haunted Mansion Holiday”, with shorter than usual wait times.
Character Appearances: Rare and classic characters alike decked out in their holiday best will make appearances throughout the park.
PhotoPass: All photos you get from Disney PhotoPass Photographers for the night will be included with your ticket. So wear your holiday best!
And Much, Much More!
Dates & Price
Much like the Halloween parties held in Disneyland Park in the past and currently at Disney California Adventure, “Merriest Nites”, will require a separate ticket, have limited capacity, and will be held after-hours.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, these special event tickets will go on sale on September 14th at 9am, on Disneyland.com and the Disneyland app for the following dates:
November 11th, 2021
November 16th, 2021
November 30th, 2021
December 7th, 2021
December 9th, 2021
The cost of a ticket to the first event (November 11th) will be $175, per person. The price for all subsequent dates will be $165, per person.
There will be no special price for children (with the exception of those under 3. Much like general admission, they’re free).
Magic Key Holders
While not officially announced by Disney, the expectation is that there will be NO discount offered to Keyholders for this event.
Reservations
Since only a certain number of tickets will be sold for this event per night, you will NOT need to make a reservation. Your ticket is your reservation (including your early admission perk).
However, if you’re a Magic Keyholder and you wish to enter the park earlier than 5:00pm, then you will need a reservation for that day.
Closures During the Event
While this event sounds like it’ll be packed to the gills with entertainment and attractions, there are a few closures worth mentioning.
During the event, the following areas won’t be accessible for the entirety of the night:
Critter Country (Including Splash Mountain)
Mickey’s ToonTown
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (Bummer. I’m sure every Star Wars fan would’ve loved to see a real-life Christmas special)
If you really had your heart set on spending time in one or more of these lands, our advice would be to get there right at the early admission time (5:00pm). That’ll give you three hours to enjoy them before the event begins.
Candlelight Processional
As of the time of this writing, there’s been no word from Disney about whether or not their annual Candlelight Processional will return to Disneyland. Also no word about DCA’s, “World of Color” show either.
As previously mentioned, we’ll keep this article updated as more information becomes available.
Expectations
Being that this event has been something Disneyland fans have been wanting for years, we can predict with near certainty that ALL dates will sell out fast. Probably on the first day. So if you want to attend this event, be ready to go right at 9:00am on September 14th. Make sure you have an account set-up.
So why are they only running it for five nights? We think they’re using the inaugural year as a test-run. Now that their annual Halloween Party has shifted over to DCA, it takes a bit of the burden off of Disneyland Park. If proven successful (let’s face it, it will be), we predict next year will hold far more dates.
Conclusion
Are you excited about this newest event coming to the resort? Do you plan on going? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
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