Halloween vs. Christmas: When Should You Go to Walt Disney World?

Fall and winter are some of the best seasons to visit Walt Disney World. From seasonal events to more manageable weather, there is so much to see and do from Halloween to Christmas at the Parks and Resorts. And this year, many of the annual festivities for both seasons have returned after a two-year hiatus.

If you are only able to make it to Walt Disney World once this year, you may be torn between which seasonal events are worth the trip. It really depends on what you’re looking for, but we’ve got some considerations to help you make the choice.

Disney Vacation Budget

You may luck out and find a great deal still, but in general, a Halloween trip to Walt Disney World will be less expensive than a Christmas one. Outside of Walt Disney World, the cost of travel picks up after Halloween and will get especially expensive around Thanksgiving and up to Christmas.

On top of higher rates for airfare, rental cars, and hotels (both Disney’s and those located off-property) Disney’s seasonal pricing will be in effect for most Christmas travel dates meaning some dining experiences could cost slightly more than they normally would.

If working with a tight budget is your biggest priority, we recommend planning a Halloween trip (September often has reasonable prices) or an early Christmas trip as you can sometimes find a reasonable deal around the first week of December.

Travel Dates

“Fall” at Walt Disney World really starts in July with the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival kicking off July 14, 2022. We’re focusing on Halloween though, so the main event you will want to plan around is Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party which runs select nights August 12-October 31, 2022.

For some Guests with young children, the early start dates for “fall” events can make it easier to plan a trip around school schedules. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party takes place on select nights from November 8-December 22, 2022, so planning for this event around school schedules can be more challenging.

If you are able to travel during Christmas week, you’ll find some of the events from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will take place during daytime hours at the Magic Kingdom, including Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade. We should note, however, that Christmas week is one of the busiest weeks of the year at Walt Disney World.

Special Events

In terms of different events taking place around Walt Disney World, you’ll find more seasonal festivities during Christmas. Aside from Halloween sweets and treats, and a couple of outlier experiences like Minnie’s Halloween Dine at Hollywood & Vine, most of the fall festivities are limited to Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.

In terms of Christmas events beyond the party, the Resorts will all be decorated for the season, many with large-scale Christmas trees towering over the lobbies and some with elaborate gingerbread displays, like the iconic full-sized gingerbread house at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Each of the parks will offer something unique for the holiday season, like the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, sightings with Santa Claus around each of the four parks and Disney Springs, Candlelight Processional, the Disney Springs Christmas Tree Stroll, and more.

If you are hoping to fully immerse yourself in the holidays, Christmas may be the better time to visit as you could easily fill an entire vacation with time spent on seasonal events. Conversely, if you would rather take it easy and still spend a lot of time simply experiencing the Parks, Halloween offers more flexibility while still including some fun fall events.

Both Halloween and Christmas are packed with unique things to do, special character meet-and-greets, late-night parties at the Magic Kingdom, and so much more, that whenever you decide to visit, you are sure to have a magical time!