As Disneyland continues its 70th Birthday celebrations in Anaheim, California, the Christmas decorations are out and the spirit of the Winter Holidays are in full force. I visited the park last month to get a taste of what guests will enjoy until 7th January 2026, and what’s been added to the park since my last visit in 2024.
Haunted Mansion Holiday continues to haunt guests
After a lengthy update and closure in 2024, 2025 has seen things return to normal for the classic Disneyland attraction Haunted Mansion. This includes the annual overlay Haunted Mansion Holiday which opened on 22nd August 2025 and will continue through to the end of Disneyland’s holiday season on 7th January 2026.
This highly popular version of the ride sees the characters of The Nightmare Before Christmas take over, and. it’s a blast, with a unique mix of technologies at play. They still use some of the effects featured in day one of the attraction, while others have become far more modern and impressive. They’ve also updated the queue experience, which will ensure you can find some more easter eggs along the way for one of Disneyland’s most revered attractions.
Lightning Lane is available for this attraction.
Wintertime Enchantment at Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle
Also until January 7th, you’ll be able to see the winter version of Disneyland’s literal centrepiece, Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. During the day, the vibrancy of the snow, wreaths, icicles and other festive attributes are on display – you can see it in the header of this article. And then at night, it will come to life (as above). After sunset, you’ll be able to enjoy them illuminate thousands of lights set to music, as “snow” fills the air. Head HERE for the the nightly showtime and further details.
A holiday fireworks spectacular
And all that sets the stage for Disneyland’s annual holiday fireworks spectacular on Main Street U.S.A., Believe…In Holiday Magic. In addition to the fireworks, you’ll hear music, lighting, projection effects, as well as “snow” against the castle and along Main Street U.S.A.
Head HERE to find out the timing of the event during your visit, you won’t want to miss this one. Just be warned – people get in position early for it. Which does mean it’s a good moment to line up for a more popular ride, if you’re more interested in that than the fireworks. But no visit is complete without seeing it. You can’t help but think a sizable chunk of your admission ticket is going into that nightly production.
It’s A Small World Holiday
The other ride to enjoy a holiday overlay is It’s A Small World, which sees an impressive display on its exterior, as well as festive additions to the show inside. And in the evenings, during the Believe…In Holiday Magic fireworks spectacular, you’ll also enjoy additional snow effects around the attraction.
Lightning Lane is also available for this attraction.
Walt Disney comes to life
Meanwhile, while it’s not just temporary Christmas decorations to get excited about on Main Street U.S.A. It was here that Disneyland added its newest attraction to the Opera House this past July. It was part of a number of new experiences on Main Street – the first in decades – that have been timed for the park’s 70th anniversary.
Here, on the stage that Walt brought Disneyland’s first animatronic in Great Moments with Abraham Lincoln that you can now see the first ever animatronic of Walt Disney himself in Walt Disney: A Magical Life.
This is particularly neat for fans of the lore of Disneyland, as it harks back to some of the earliest feats of engineering at the park. Yes, the Lincoln animatronic, but also more ambitious displays like the Carousel of Progress. To bring Walt back to life in this way is less because they should, but because they could – with a hope that they would bring modern guests the same level of wonder that Lincoln did at the 1964 World’s Fair. And it’s hard to argue that they haven’t achieved this – this is the most impressive animatronic that I’ve ever seen the park showcase. Somehow even I was surprised when Disney stood up, even though that was part of the whole spectacle with Lincoln.
The majority of the show is a 14 or so minute film that talks you through his life, before you are taken to Walt’s office for a final 3 minute speech from the man himself. In that respect it’s a bit shorter than you might expect, but it’s very much worth a visit for anyone who sees Disneyland as more than just a Theme Park, but as a place where they have moved technology forward.
Characters get into the Holiday Spirit
Guests of all ages want to get a photo with the park’s iconic characters, and with a Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you can get photos from the park’s photographers for free. Though they’ll usually be happy to take one with your mobile phone as well. And good thing this time of year, because the characters are all dressed up in holiday paraphernalia.
Whether or not there is a character around, you can also get a photo in front of the massive Christmas Tree on Main Street U.S.A.. There’s also photos with Santa Claus!
Festive Food Offerings
And that’s not all. There is a wide variety of food and drink offerings around both Disneyland and California Adventure across the street that are only available during the festive season. You can head HERE to read more about the limited time dining offerings.
Getting to Disneyland
It’s an easy trip to Disneyland from Los Angeles Airport (LAX) or the nearby Orange County Airport (SNA) or even Long Beach Airport (LGB), by car or Uber/Lyft.
A train to Anaheim can be caught from LA’s Union Station, and the Flyaway shuttle bus from LAX will take you straight to Union Station.
There are also some Disneyland Resort shuttle buses you can look into.
Once you’re in Anaheim, select hotels have free shuttles as well direct to the park, while others are within walking distance. That is the case for all three of the official Disney Hotels. And hotels like the Hilton Anaheim are a 20 minute or so walk away. Anaheim also have a transit network – the ART – that will help you connect to all the rest for a fee.
If flying from Australia, Delta, Qantas, United and American Airlines all offer direct flights to Los Angeles from the East Coast of Australia. Hawaiian Airlines will also get you there via Honolulu, and Fiji Airlines via Nadi.
The author visited as a guest of the park. While at Disneyland we stayed at the newly renovated Hilton Anaheim, an official Disney Good Neighbor® hotel.
Photos by the author unless otherwise listed.
