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Christmas is the most magical time at Tokyo Disney Resort with beautiful decorations, special parades, and festive entertainment. Plus, the all-important seasonal merch.
The celebration is included in park tickets and runs from mid-November until Christmas Day.
We love Tokyo Disney at any time, but the festive season really is next level. It’s a busy time, but for us it was worth it.
Tokyo Disneyland is the most Christmassy of the two parks, with more festive entertainment and attractions. DisneySea is worth visiting too and I cover it in another post.
We visited in 2025 for the first five days of the celebrations. In this post, I share what to expect at Tokyo Disneyland at Christmas, and my top tips for making the most of your trip.
Contents
When Is Tokyo Disney Christmas in 2025?
Tokyo Disney Christmas runs from 11 November to 25 December 2025.
During this time, you can expect all the decorations and entertainment at both Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, as well as decorations in the Disney hotels and on the monorail.
Merchandise went on sale a day early on 10 November. There was also a preview of the Christmas parade that day.
Seasonal food and the Christmas popcorn bucket went on sale earlier on 1 November.
You can start seeing decorations go up from 1 November, once the Halloween celebration is over.
Christmas decorations come down on the night of 25 December, in preparation for the New Year celebrations, so don’t expect to see any after Christmas Day.
When Is Tokyo Disney Christmas in 2026?
Next year, Tokyo Disney Christmas runs from 11 November to 25 December 2026.
Top Tips for Visiting Tokyo Disneyland at Christmas
- Avoid weekends – Tokyo Disney is very busy throughout the year, but Christmas is especially popular. We were there in the first week and found it much busier on Friday and Saturday than during the week.
- Book tickets in advance – Tickets sold out on the Disney website for the first Saturday of Christmas when we tried to book in the morning. Luckily, we found availability on Klook, an authorised reseller that often works better with international cards.
- Visit early in the season for merchandise – Merch is a big deal at Tokyo Disney, and some items sell out by December.
- Store reservations may be required – For the first few days, you may need a reservation or a standby pass to get into the main stores selling the Christmas range. More on that below.
- Consider Premier Access for the Christmas Parade – 2025 is the first year of a new parade and demand is incredibly high. Paying a fee for a reserved spot was worth it for us.
- Make mobile food orders – We learnt the hard way that at this busy time of year, you’ll want to place a mobile order for lunch and dinner in the morning (you can always cancel if your plans change). Otherwise, expect waits of 30-60 minutes even for a snack.
- Dress in layers – The weather in November and December varies. We had chilly 10ºC (50ºF) days where I wore two jumpers, followed by sunny 18ºC (64ºF) t-shirt weather. December will be colder with an average maximum temperature of 12ºC (54ºF).
- Be prepared for short days – The sun sets around 4.30pm. It gets chillier at night, so bring an extra layer.
My usual Tokyo Disney tips also apply. You’ll need to book Disney hotels 4 months in advance and table-service restaurants 1 month in advance. Utilise free Priority Passes to skip some ride queues.
The Tokyo Disney app is essential for so many things. Download it, scan your tickets in, and get familiar with it before you go.
Don’t Miss DisneySea! Although Tokyo Disney’s second park is less Christmassy than Disneyland, it’s still beautiful at this time of year and always worth visiting. See my guide to Christmas at Tokyo DisneySea.
Christmas at Tokyo Disneyland: Decorations
Tokyo Disneyland is even more beautiful at Christmas with festive trees, garlands, banners and lights.
At the Park Entrance, the amazing floral display features Mickey with a Santa hat (seriously, so impressive how they do this) and plenty of decorations to welcome you.
World Bazaar (the Tokyo equivalent of Main Street) is even more stunning, with a huge 15-metre Christmas tree and garlands spanning the large, covered space.
With Christmas songs playing and the shops displaying their festive wares, you can’t help but get into the spirit of the season.
It’s even more magical at night when the lights come on.
In front of Cinderella Castle, there’s a display featuring Mickey and Minnie in their festive outfits from the new Toys Wondrous Christmas parade.
While not all of the park is dressed up for the season, there are decorations in many areas.
The New Orleans part of Adventureland (near Pirates of the Caribbean) looks especially lovely, and there are festive touches in Westernland and Fantasyland.
The Village Shoppes area near the Beauty and the Beast ride is another highlight, with a festive French village feel.
The back of Cinderella Castle in Fantasyland is beautiful and is quieter than the front. Perfect in the morning light.
Parades and Fireworks
Parades are hugely popular at Tokyo Disneyland, and there are two festive parades (in addition to the regular Harmony in Color afternoon parade).
People claim their spots for the parade as soon as the park opens. If you want a good view, I recommend finding a place on the parade route at least an hour in advance.
Or, you could pay 2500 yen (US$16) for Premier Access, which gives you a numbered space in a prime spot near the castle. We did that this year and loved turning up at the last minute and having a wonderful view.
The earlier you book, the better spot you get, so buy Premier Access as soon as you enter the park.
You have to sit on the floor, but it improves the view for everyone. Do what the locals do, and buy a leisure sheet in the shops to sit on (the Christmas-themed one costs 1000 yen/$6).
One sheet is the right size for the space allocated to two people (it is a little tight).
Toys Wondrous Christmas Parade (Day)
Toys Wondrous Christmas is the most popular parade as it debuted in 2025 and is the first new Christmas parade in 10 years.
It takes place once a day at 12.45pm (but check the app to be sure) and lasts 45 minutes, covering the route from Westernland, through Plaza Garden in front of the Castle, and ending in Toontown.
The parade is Christmassy to the max with six colourful floats, a catchy festive song, dancers in extravagant costumes, and even some snow.
Santa leads the parade, and his elves and the toys from their factory join Mickey Mouse and his friends for the celebration.
Characters featured include Pluto, Judy and Nick from Zootopia, Goofy and Max, Stitch and Angel, Mickey and Minnie, Pete, Chip and Dale, Donald and Daisy Duck, Jose and Panchito from The Three Caballeros, and the kittens from The Aristocats.
It’s over the top and fun, with some nice touches like the toys flying around on a seesaw on the back of the Chip and Dale float.
The on-ground dancers are always amazing in the Tokyo Disney parades.
I highly recommend Toys Wondrous Christmas—it’s guaranteed to get you into the holiday spirit!
We’re so glad we bought Premier Access for a stress-free viewing experience. Although we purchased three minutes after the park opened for Happy Entry, we were in the third row of the Plaza Garden area, so definitely book early if you decide on Premier.
Tokyo Disneyland Electrical Parade Dreamlights (Night)
The nighttime parade is a Christmas overlay of the regular Electrical Parade Dreamlights.
It takes place at 7pm and follows the same route as the other parades.
Dreamlights is a stunning parade featuring over a million LED lights, so the floats glow in a rainbow of colours.
The holiday version isn’t hugely different from usual, but there are some festive touches like Mickey and Minnie in their Christmas outfits, Santa Goofy, and some Christmas music mixed in.
Although not as Christmassy as the daytime parade, I still recommend it.
Again, we purchased Premier Access as soon as we entered for Happy Entry (on a different day from the day parade) and got a front-row spot. Magical!
Starbright Christmas Fireworks
During the holiday season, there’s a different version of the nightly fireworks display set to classic Christmas songs.
Starbright Christmas is at 8.30pm (30 minutes before park closing) and lasts five minutes.
It’s not focused around the castle, so it can be seen anywhere from both Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. We saw them at DisneySea.
Fireworks here aren’t spectacular displays like in the US parks, so it’s not something you need to go out of your way to see. Just look up from wherever you happen to be.
Attractions with Christmas Overlays
Tokyo Disneyland has two rides that get festive at this time of year.
Haunted Mansion “Holiday Nightmare”
Haunted Mansion is one of the best classic attractions at Tokyo Disneyland, and it’s even better during the holiday season, with a major overlay inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The overlay takes place during the Halloween festivities too, and this year you can enjoy it from 16 September 2025 to 12 January 2026.
It’s really a completely different ride at this time of year, with so many amazing details to enjoy, including Jack Skellington dressed as Sandy Claws.
Haunted Mansion is extra popular during the holiday season, so either ride it early, or, as we did, get a free Priority Pass early in the day, which allows you to skip most of the line.
Country Bear Theater “Jingle Bell Jamboree”
Ah, how we love Country Bears! This show featuring bears performing country music is quirky, hilarious, and a little bit racy.
While Magic Kingdom in Florida has Disneyfied the show now (still fun but less weird), Tokyo still has the original.
Jingle Bell Jamboree is absolutely the best version to see because a) who doesn’t love Christmas songs? and b) some songs are in English, and even the Japanese ones are recognisable (“Jingle Bells” in Japanese is fun!).
There’s an Elvis Rock and Roll Santa Bear, Trixie singing a mournful “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” with drink in hand, and more hijinks.
I challenge you not to come out grinning—it’s pure Christmas joy!
Even better, you never have to wait more than 15 minutes for the next show, and the seats are comfy, so the 15-minute show makes a great break.
I recommend sitting about two-thirds of the way back for the best view of the full show.
The waiting area also has a lovely Christmas Tree display and unique posters of the bears.
Jingle Bell Jamboree runs from 1 November 2025 to 12 January 2026.
Street Entertainment
Tokyo Disneyland Band
The Tokyo Disneyland marching band switches to Christmas songs during the holiday season, and it is wonderful.
You can catch the band at Plaza Terrace (at the end of World Bazaar with the Castle behind) at park opening (8.45am on our visit) or in front of the Christmas tree in World Bazaar at unscheduled times throughout the day (we saw them at 12.25pm).
Bicycle Piano
This pianist on wheels is another World Bazaar street performer who plays festive songs.
Unfortunately, we didn’t manage to catch them. It’s another one you have to keep an eye (or ear) out for.
Christmas Merchandise
Tokyo Disney Christmas merch is a big deal in Japan.
Expect the stores to be very busy, and some items sell out, so plan your trip earlier in the season if you have your heart set on something.
You can see the full Tokyo Disney Christmas 2025 collection on the Tokyo Disney website, but you’ll need to translate from Japanese.
Note that DisneySea has the same Christmas collection, plus some extra Duffy items—see my Tokyo DisneySea Christmas guide for details.
Do You Need a Store Reservation?
In 2025, the Christmas collection went on sale on 10 November, a day before the season officially began.
If you are visiting in the first few days or the first week of the Christmas season, you may need a reservation to access the main stores.
Bon Voyage
From 10 – 12 November, you needed a free reservation to visit the Christmas section of Bon Voyage, a large store outside the parks near Maihama Train Station.
Reservations went on sale on 5 November and were sold out by the time I found out about it three days later.
Check the Bon Voyage page to see if reservations are needed. The reservation site is in Japanese, so you’ll need to use a translation service.
We were disappointed as we arrived on the 10th and didn’t have park tickets, but we wanted to purchase some festive gear before we went to the park the next day.
The Disney Store in the Ikspiari mall had some Christmas jumpers plus other festive merch, but it’s different from the park collection, so we decided to wait.
Park Shops
Inside Tokyo Disneyland, Disney & Co (on the left of World Bazaar facing the castle) usually requires a free standby pass for the first few days of the merch drop.
It was also required on the first weekend after a few days without needing one.
Check the Disney standby pass page to see which shops require them. They aren’t always necessary, so check the app when you enter the park.
Standby passes are available in the app. Get one as soon as you enter the park, as time slots book up fast. We managed to get one for 9.30am after entering for Happy Entry at 8.30am.
We didn’t need to wait to enter the store once our time slot arrived.
The store was busy, but not as bad as some, and I didn’t have to wait long at the counter to make my purchases. They check your park ticket, and you can only shop in there once per day, so get everything you want.
We put our haul in a locker near the entrance (400 yen—100 yen coins needed), so we didn’t need to carry it around all day.
Of course, we asked them to cut off the tags of our hats and sweaters so we could wear them right away!
Capsule Toys and Carnival Games
You also need a standby pass if you want to access the seasonal capsule toys from a few gachapon machines in the park.
In 2025, the toy is a small plastic Lil Ring Ring on a strap in a few different colours.
Carnival games, including the log toss and ball roll at Jungle Carnival in Adventureland, also require a standby pass.
You pay a 700 yen ($4.50) fee to play, and if you win, you get a seasonal prize, which is currently one of two Lil Ring Ring cushions. Even if you don’t win, it looks like you can buy it.
Even with a standby pass, the lines were always long.
We didn’t do these, but if you are interested, check the standby section of the app to see what’s available. They book up fast.
Stores Without Reservations
If you don’t manage to get a reservation or standby pass, don’t worry, you can still find Christmas merch in other shops in the park. You might need to search a bit to find what you want, since not all of them have the full collection.
Here are some places to try:
- Grand Emporium – This large store on the right of World Bazaar has the Lil Ring Ring collection plus festive headwear. There was a queue to get in on the first day.
- World Bazaar Confectionery – I’m pretty sure this huge sweet shop near the entrance has the Christmas biscuit and chocolate tins.
- Town Center Fashions – This clothing shop is on a side street off World Bazaar. They don’t have the official Christmas collection, but Simon found a cute Olaf jumper.
- Kingdom Treasures – At the back of the castle in Fantasyland, this shop was quiet and had the Lil Ring Ring collection.
- La Belle Librairie – In the Beauty and the Beast area of Fantasyland, they also had the Lil Ring Ring merch.
Let us know if you find any other stores with Christmas merch.
What to Buy: The Lil Ring Ring Collection
Lil Ring Ring is a Christmas fairy who is extremely popular at Tokyo Disney.
He is adorable, with an oversized scarf, sticking-out ears, and a pointed hat adorned with a bell (hence the name). We soon became just as obsessed with this kawaii character as the Japanese.
Each year, there’s a whole line of Lil Ring Ring merch, including a festive sweater, headband, mittens, plushies, bags, towels, water bottles, biscuit tins, and much more.
This year, the character is featured in pale red or pale blue.
The Lil Ring Ring sweater (7000 yen/$45) is the only sweater in the official Christmas collection, so it’s highly desirable and usually sells out (it was still available after 6 days on our visit).
It’s a women’s fit in one size (M-L). I happily joined the masses of people wearing it in the park—it feels like you’re in a Christmas club.
We also purchased a mini Ring Ring plush badge (2500 yen/$16), which you can either pin to or hang from your bag. These are very popular in Japan. We figured it would work as a Christmas tree ornament, too.
We couldn’t resist the large Ring Ring stuffed toy (4500 yen/$29) either. So cute! We also bought the long face towel (2000 yen/$13), which works great as a festive kitchen hand towel.
In addition, there are Lil Ring Ring capsule toys and a cushion as a carnival game prize, but these require a standby pass (see above).
Mickey Mouse & Friends Collection
The other Christmas merch collection is themed to Mickey Mouse and Friends, or as we call it, the Holly Jolly Collection.
We love this festive design and bought mugs (2200 yen/$14), a pin (1400 yen/$9), a small wreath (2000 yen/$13) for our tree, an advent calendar (listed as assorted chocolates, 2200 yen/$14), a cookie tin (2000 yen/$13), and a cute tin bauble filled with strawberry sweets (listed as candy, 900 yen/$6).
We also wore the Mickey and Minnie festive hats (3200 yen/$20), which were comfy and warm.
As foreigners dressed for the season, we received many “Happy Holidays” from cast members.
Other items include Mickey and Minnie plushies, smaller plush badges in their parade outfits, headbands, towels, bags, Mickey waffle hair clips, and lots of snacks.
You can also buy a large, zipped Christmas shopping bag (1200 yen/$8) for carrying it all. Ask for this at checkout.
Christmas Ornaments
Christmas trees aren’t a big thing in Japan, so you won’t find the same range of Christmas ornaments as you do in the US parks.
You can repurpose plush badges, charms, or keychains as decorations, or you can find a few shops with traditional glass ornaments.
In Tokyo Disneyland, the biggest selection is at The Glass Slipper store inside Cinderella Castle. They had a few baubles, including Lil Ring Ring (4600 yen/ $29) and Mickey ears.
Plus there’s a glass Christmas tree (4900 yen / $31 for a small) that you can choose from a selection of tiny character baubles to decorate.
You can get ornaments engraved at the store for an extra 700 yen ($4.50).
You can also find some of these ornaments at Cristal Arts in the New Orleans area of Adventureland. This store has a smaller range, but it’s not as busy, and you can also get engravings.
Food and Drink
The festive food and drinks at Tokyo Disneyland went on sale before the rest of the celebration on 1 November 2025.
Don’t expect traditional Christmas food. In Japan, it’s more about chocolate and strawberries (because of the colour?) with some cute festive dessert designs.
Restaurants and hotels offer special set meals, but none are vegetarian, so we didn’t try them. You can check out the Tokyo Disney Christmas food here.
Note that Christmas Eve is a major date night in Japan, so be sure to book table service restaurants exactly a month in advance. I’d recommend doing this throughout the season.
Sweet Treats
These are the festive sweet treats we tried:
Hot Apple Ginger Drink
This warm, sweet and spicy beverage with chunks of apple was our favourite—perfect on chilly days.
It’s available at a few places, but we found The Gazebo in Adventureland has the shortest waits and always has outdoor tables free.
Mickey Waffle with Strawberry Cream
The Great American Waffle Company changes the topping each season. Christmas is strawberry cream with freeze-fried strawberries and a holly-shaped chocolate.
A waffle here is always a tasty treat, and they have now switched to mobile order only, so you don’t have to queue. Make your order early.
If you can’t find a table, take your waffle to The Gazebo nearby.
Strawberry Cake Cup
Christmas cake in Japan is a light sponge with whipped cream and strawberries, and this Strawberry Cake Cup is a small deconstructed version with a holly decoration.
It’s cute, delicious, and not too heavy.
This is one of the festive treats with an optional souvenir you can buy. These are great deals as it only costs 750 yen ($5) extra to include, and they are real ceramic.
You can buy the cake cup at many restaurants in both parks. Some have Lil’ Ring Ring souvenirs, and some have a Holly Jolly Christmas version, so check the menu or see this list of Disney Christmas Food Souvenirs.
Since we wanted the Holly Jolly mug, we chose to get it from Huey, Dewey and Louie’s Good Time Cafe, as they offer mobile ordering, which saved us a long wait.
Unfortunately, while the souvenir cup is cute and good quality, it’s too small to use for a proper hot drink.
Chocolate Cake with Nuts
This chocolate cake with nuts and a holly decoration is pretty good, but nothing special.
We do love the Holly Jolly ceramic souvenir plate it comes with, though—it’s small but big enough for a couple of mince pies.
You can buy this dessert in various spots. As of 25 November, you can no longer get it at Huey, Dewey and Louie’s. You can get the souvenir Christmas plate there with a new strawberry mousse cake, though.
Or find the chocolate cake with the Holly Jolly plate at Hungry Bear. It comes with a Ring Ring plate at Tomorrowland Terrace, Pan Galactic Pizza Port, or Plasma Ray’s.
Chocolate Soft Serve and Churro Sundae
Churros change with the seasons at Tokyo Disney, and at Christmas, they are chocolate flavoured.
You can find the chocolate churro at lots of places, and the lines are almost always long. I think it’s a pretty bad churro (too dry), but Simon quite likes it.
I much prefer it when it’s part of the Christmas sundae, with chocolate soft-serve ice cream, chocolate-coated popcorn, and a Lil Ring Ring decoration.
It was a refreshing treat on one of the warm days we had.
The sundae is available at Ice Cream Cones on World Bazaar (Simon managed to get one without a wait in the evening), or my pick is the cute stand Racketty’s Raccoon Saloon behind Splash Mountain.
We had to wait 30 minutes, though, as there’s no mobile order. The stand has limited hours (11am – 4pm on our trip).
Strawberry Milk Drink
Simon enjoyed this thick strawberry milkshake with strawberry chunks at Zambini Brothers in DisneySea, but it’s also available at a few places in Disneyland.
Christmas Popcorn Bucket
Another super popular item at Tokyo Disney is the popcorn bucket, which comes in lots of lovely designs.
We find these an absolute pain to carry around (although it is nice to have a snack on hand for parades), but we couldn’t resist the Christmas tree design this year, which will work as a decoration (and sweet container) in our house.
It’s available in both parks. At Tokyo Disneyland, you can buy it with caramel popcorn outside Sweetheart Cafe or It’s a Small World, or with soy sauce butter popcorn (which I recommend) near The Gazebo.
To avoid long queues, we made a mobile order hours in advance from Big Pop, a popcorn store with three unique flavours (we got cheddar cheese, which was pretty good). The filled bucket costs 3600 yen ($23).
Christmas at Tokyo Disney Hotels
We always love staying on-site at a Tokyo Disney Hotel, but Christmas is especially a good time to do so.
Hotels are decorated for the season, and restaurants often have special menus (although not veggie-friendly).
The included 15-minute Happy Entry, which gives early access to Tokyo Disneyland, makes all the difference when trying to secure a standby pass for the shop and Premier Access for the parade. You also avoid the chaos of the main queue.
The gift shops have a limited selection of Christmas merchandise. We checked the Disneyland Hotel, Ambassador Hotel, and Toy Story Hotel, and they only had the Christmas chocolates and biscuits.
We have stayed at all the on-site hotels (except Celebration, which is a bus ride away), and while Miracosta in DisneySea is my favourite, the Tokyo Disneyland Hotel is perfect for easy access to the most festive park.
Be sure to book hotels four months in advance.
Christmassy Monorail
Another fun festive touch is that the monorail that loops around the resort has one train decorated for Christmas. They’ve really gone all out—even the hand straps have Santa hats!
Only one in four of the trains is decorated, so we found we had a greater chance of being on it at off-peak times (like early evening after a park break) when they only run two trains, rather than at peak times like the beginning and end of the day when they run all four.
The monorail day passes also have a few festive designs. Each ticket machine has a different design.
While you can just tap your Suica card to pay for the monorail, day passes save money if you make 3 or more journeys.
Is Christmas at Tokyo Disneyland Worth It?
Tokyo Disneyland is well worth visiting at Christmas. It’s a wonderful park at any time of year, but the holiday season amps up the magic with stunning decorations, festive music, fun parades, and lots of goodies to buy and eat.
Hearing the band perform carols while the lights twinkle on the massive tree in the beautiful World Bazaar is sure to get you into the holiday spirit.
Yes, the crowds can be intense (seriously, avoid the weekends!), but with some planning, you can still have a magical time.
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