Disney’s Holiday Season Just Landed in Orlando — and a 100-Year Parade Milestone Is Next

The holidays arrived across the Orlando parks this past weekend. Disney’s Hollywood Studios kicked off Jollywood Nights on Saturday, November 7, 2026, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party returned to Magic Kingdom on November 8, and Universal Orlando’s full holiday season starts Saturday, November 14. Looming over all of it: Disney confirmed on November 9 how it will mark the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 26. Here is what broke over the long weekend, and why it matters if you are planning a late-2026 trip.

Disney Reveals Its Plans for the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

In a November 9 post on the official Disney Parks Blog, Disney detailed its role in the centennial Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, airing Thursday, November 26, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones on NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. According to Disney, the company has appeared in 90 of the parade’s 100 marches — a relationship that dates to 1934, when Mickey Mouse first flew as a balloon over Manhattan’s 2-plus-mile route.

The headline addition this year is Disney’s newest balloon, Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey, which Disney says was inflated for the first time at D23 Day at the Disneyland Resort on August 13 and flew at Balloonfest in early November. Disney’s Spider-Man balloon (first flown in 1987) and Buzz Lightyear balloon (2008) also return, and the Disney Cruise Line “Magic Meets the Seas” float sails down the route for a second year with Captain Mickey, Captain Minnie, and friends.

In our years covering Disney’s seasonal entertainment, a brand-new balloon is a genuinely rare reveal — most years recycle the existing fleet — so the Sorcerer’s Apprentice debut is the detail to watch on Thanksgiving morning.

Walt Disney World’s Holiday Season Is Officially Underway

The weekend also flipped the switch on Walt Disney World’s 2026 holiday season, which Disney has confirmed runs November 13 through January 6, 2027. Disney’s Hollywood Studios opened its after-hours Jollywood Nights event on November 7, running on select nights through January 5, 2027 — the first time the party has extended into January. Tickets run $169 to $199 per person plus tax depending on the date, with event hours of 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and park entry as early as 5:30 p.m.

Over at Magic Kingdom, Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party returned November 8 and runs on 25 select nights through December 22, with the event itself from 7 p.m. to midnight. The season’s daytime centerpiece, the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, follows November 27 through December 30, 2026, bringing the Candlelight Processional and World Showcase holiday storytellers at no extra charge beyond park admission.

We have stood along World Showcase for past Candlelight Processionals, and the free-with-admission storytelling remains the best holiday value at Walt Disney World — a useful contrast to the separately ticketed after-hours parties now anchoring the calendar.

Universal Orlando’s Holiday Season Starts November 14

Universal Orlando’s holiday celebration opens Saturday, November 14, and runs daily through January 3, 2027, according to Universal’s official event page. Admission is included with a regular theme park ticket or annual pass (blockout dates may apply), making it the lower-cost entry point among Orlando’s holiday offerings this season.

The lineup spans all three parks: Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Grinchmas celebration and Who-liday Spectacular show at Islands of Adventure, and Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s at Universal Studios Florida. New this year, Universal is bringing holiday decor to Epic Universe for the first time, including Snoggletog at How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk and festive touches in SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. For families who want a character meal, The Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast is priced at $64.99 for adults and $38.99 for children plus tax, with separate Islands of Adventure admission required.

That “Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s” tie-in is the quiet thread connecting all three stories this weekend — the same parade pageantry franchise is now a fixture on both the Orlando streets and the Manhattan route.

Planning Ahead

With overlapping party dates, festival windows, and ticket tiers now live across both resorts, our Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando holiday-planning guides are the place to sort out which separately ticketed events are worth it this season.