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New Details on Animal Kingdom Holiday Events

Merry Menagerie at Animal Kingdom
Credit: Disney

In 2019, Disney’s Animal Kingdom debuted elaborately sculpted reindeer, arctic foxes, penguins, polar bears, seals, and more for the Christmas season. Since then, the collection of blue and white creatures has only grown.

Credit: PaulaK

Christmas at Disney World

This year, the Magic Kingdom hosts Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, EPCOT celebrates the return of its Candlelight Processional during the International Festival of the Holidays, and Hollywood Studios becomes Disney Jollywood Nights. Meanwhile, Animal Kingdom is bringing back its popular Merry Menagerie.

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Credit: Disney

Merry Menagerie Returns

Every year Discovery Island comes alive with artisan-sculpted puppets to create a winter wonderland of natural beauty.

Credit: PaulaK

The puppets feature winter animals from around the globe that are guided by puppeteers, who interact with Guests and sometimes dance.

During the holidays, the Tree of Life will come alive at night with a projection show that displays winter animals awakening and celebrating Christmas.

Tree of Life Awakenings

Credit: Disney

Africa

In Africa, you’ll find some unique holiday decor sprinkled throughout the area. Although the theme Park village of Harambe is fictional, it is modeled after a collection of actual places in Africa. In keeping up that concept by Imagineers, African villages don’t typically have a lot of flashy holiday decorations. Instead, people create beautiful structures and decor using common items and objects are available, such as using a bicycle wheel or car tire for a wreath.

tam-tam-drummers-of-harambe

Credit: Disney Parks

Asia

Over in Asia, you won’t find any Christmas decorations at all. Imagineers once again wanted to be authentic and respect the cultures represented. Asian countries do not, in any large numbers at least, celebrate Christmas. Imagineers, instead, try to focus on dozens of winter holidays that are more commonly celebrated in Asia.

Credit: PaulaK

Animal Kingdom’s holiday celebrations come together to create an excellent thesis statement for the theme Park. Although the experience during the Christmas holidays is never as flashy as the other Walt Disney World parks, it is a beautiful celebration for those willing to stop and take it in.

RELATED: Must Do Attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

About Steven Wilk

Steven has a complicated relationship with Disney. As a child, he visited Walt Disney World every few years with his family. But he never understood why kids his age (and older) were so scared of Snow White or Alien Encounter. He is a former participant of the Disney College Program (left early…long story), and he also previously worked in Children’s publishing, where he adapted multiple Disney movies and TV shows. He has many controversial opinions about Disney…like having a positive view of Michael Eisner, believing Return of the Jedi is superior to The Empire Strikes Back, and that Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge should have never been built (at least not at Hollywood Studios). Every year for the past two decades, Steven has visited either Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani or went on a Disney Cruise. He’s happy to share any and all knowledge of the Disney destinations (and he likes using parenthesis a lot…as well as ellipses…)