Best & Worst Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Dates
This post rates the best & worst Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates based on which are likely to be the least and most crowded. November and December can have roller coaster crowds at Walt Disney World, so this is worth considering before buying tickets if your dates are flexible.
In addition to offering tips for choosing the best days of the week to attend, we highlight the dates that should be the least-crowded Christmas Parties. As we share in our Guide to the 2023 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, not every Christmas Party (MVMCP) is equally crowded. Some are so packed for the first parade that they feel like a busy day in Magic Kingdom. Other nights, there is a ton of room on Main Street for Fireworks, and every attraction is a virtual walk-on by 10 p.m.
With that said, we should note that last year, MVMCP was abnormally busy across the entire calendar. We mention this to prepare you for the reality that the 2023 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is likely to have heavy crowds. If you’ve done the party before but not since ~2018, you’re likely to experience a busier event than in the past, irrespective of which date you choose. “Least-crowded” here is a relative term.
Last year, every single MVMCP sold out. There’s a reasonable probability that the same will occur with the 2023 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Given that, you might think that this post is pointless. After all, sold out is sold out, right?
Maybe. For one thing, there’s no guarantee that every date of the 2023 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will sell out. Although last year’s MVMCP sold out every single date, that was also during a period of pent-up demand–both for travel in general and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, specifically, as it had not occured in the prior 2 years.
With that said, it’s likely that Walt Disney World will increase prices significantly for the 2023 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party given how quickly last year’s event sold out. Higher prices mean a smaller pool of consumers will be willing/able to buy tickets. That pool still might be larger than the number of tickets available on some or all dates–but we don’t know that yet.
Beyond that, we’ve noticed in prior years that “sold out is sold out” is not entirely accurate when it comes to the Halloween and Christmas Parties.
Sold out dates closer to holiday weeks (e.g. Thanksgiving and Christmas) had significantly higher feels like crowds than those mid-week party nights in early November or December. We have no way of proving this, but a similar phenomenon has occurred with Disney Park Pass reservations. “Fully booked” doesn’t always have the same crowd levels or wait times.
Since there are a lot of 2023 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates, most of you planning week-long vacations to Walt Disney World probably have 2-3 options. If you only have 1 choice, well…this post won’t do you much good. On the plus side, that means you don’t have to deal with 6 p.m. Magic Kingdom closings on other nights of your trip. There are two rules of thumb that almost always apply when determining which party nights will be the least busy.
First, the cheaper nights are the less busy ones. We often say that Walt Disney World doesn’t offer discounts out of corporate benevolence–it’s in order to incentivize bookings. That same philosophy holds true with party ticket pricing (or even regular ticket pricing and hotel rooms).
There are several price tiers, so ranking the nights is a bit easier. In general, the cheaper dates are in November and early-December, and the more expensive dates are the week of Thanksgiving and throughout the month of December.
The idea behind the price tiers is to encourage guests who have the option of considering multiple dates to choose the cheaper one. It works, but only to an extent. Plenty of people will pay a few dollars more on an already expensive ticket for a date that works better with their schedule.
Let’s start with the limitations. First, most locals planning on attending non-school night parties aren’t going to change those plans to save $5 or so. Second, tourists who travel during school breaks are essentially stuck traveling during those breaks, so they aren’t going to do a mid-December party as opposed to the December 21 one.
The second rule is that school nights are the least busy nights, while Fridays and holiday breaks are the most busy times. A corollary to this rule is that Tuesday and Thursday nights are historically the least crowded nights of the week.
We’ve been attending the parties every year since 2007, and that rule has proven true in our experience, in what we’ve observed, and what we’ve heard from readers who have attended other evenings.
Putting these two rules together, it should be easy to spot the four best dates. Last year, those ideal Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party nights were:
- November 10 (Thursday)
- November 14 (Monday)
- November 15 (Tuesday)
- November 17 (Thursday)
While dates have not yet been released for the 2023 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, expect them to follow a similar pattern, within a day or two of the above dates.
If you are a local and can go whenever you want, I think these parties will be the least busy Christmas Parties of the year. In particular, I really like the November 14 and 15 party nights. These are after the initial rush of people (and bloggers!) wanting to be first to attend, but before most people really get into the festive spirit.
The November 9 night does have me a little nervous because that’s one day before Veterans Day, which is always a busy long weekend at Walt Disney World. That holiday always seems to catch people by surprise–including Disney’s internal crowd forecasters. It’s still likely to be a good party to attend since it’s a Thursday so early in the season, but it could surprise on the high side.
All bets are off the following week. Thanksgiving is typically one of the busiest weeks of the year at Walt Disney World, and there are fewer parties that week as a result of the crushing crowds (Disney doesn’t schedule MVMCP when regular crowds will be too high to allow for closing Magic Kingdom at 6 pm).
Consequently, the November 20 and 22 parties are both bad options. Ditto November 27. As the first party in several days, that’s going to be the only night many families can attend during their trips.
As far as December goes, basically Tuesdays are the best days, followed by Thursdays, followed by Sundays. Earlier in the month is better than later. Even though Pop Warner is now hosted at Universal, it remains a wildcard; there’s a decent chance they’ll do a group night at Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.
The final Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will be the busiest of the year. With that said, there won’t be any material difference in crowds for any of the last 3 parties. They will all almost certainly sell out (even at those prices) and be busy. That is, unless there’s a freak blizzard that keeps crowds away–basically, something we couldn’t predict at this point.
Up until a few years ago, Walt Disney World didn’t do MVMCP that close to Christmas. In the past, they’ve avoided this because Christmas-week crowds make it impractical to close Magic Kingdom early.
There’s nothing unique about this year to make that not the case, so…good luck to anyone considering that party! I would recommend avoiding Magic Kingdom completely that day–and each of the last 3 party dates–transportation to get out of the park will be a nightmare.
Ultimately, you will have more considerations when planning your itinerary than just which Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is least crowded. Park hours will influence your decision. Weather might influence your decision. If you’re able to score an elusive ADR in a different park on a less-busy night, that might influence your decision.
We can’t stress enough that these predictions are exactly that. This is speculation, pure and simple. It’s informed by our experiences, not by any sort of insider information. We’re more than happy to offer a money-back guarantee (on our advice, not your tickets) should our predictions prove incorrect, though! 😉
We’ve updated our free Vacation Kingdom at Christmas eBook for the Christmas season! In order to receive your free copy, sign up for our (also free) newsletter if you haven’t already. You’ll receive a free download of that eBook, plus our Money-Saving Tips for Walt Disney World eBook as a thank you.
For comprehensive tips for planning your Christmas-time trip to Walt Disney World, check out our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Which days are your favorites for doing Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party? Do you have any experiences that contradict or support our advice? When are you planning to go this year? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We did the Nov 22 party and it was not crowded at all. Family of 4 kids aged 12&6. Showed up at 4:45 and stayed until midnight. Walked on to all rides and ended up doing 11 total plus the first Christmas parade and fireworks added in. It was nice because we could hunt for the Fab 50 statues, try rides that would normally be a long wait and even take the holiday photos they have set up. A lot of people left with smaller children after the fireworks so crowds were even less the last 90 mins. Would pay that $180 price again for the low wait times and less crowds. Side note with the free cookies and cocoa there is no limit to the amount you can get. At the end of the night they we’re basically begging people to take more cookies than in your party.
Thanks so much for the most helpful information. We are planning to attend either Sunday 12/4 or Tuesday 12/6. My question is concerning fitting in a Park visit that day also. Does it make sense to pick that Tuesday and do Magic Kingdom and just stay for MVMCP or maybe go to Animal Kingdom on Sunday and the MVMCP that night? This is not our first trip but haven’t been in over 9 years.
Tom, if you could choose Tuesday, November 8, Thursday, November 10 or Friday, November 11. Which would you choose? We will be there that week and This will be our first Christmas party attending. Probably our only party we will ever attend. Do you think it will be busier Tuesday? Just let me know which night you think will be least crowded. I’m concerned about Thursday, Bc Kids will not have school the next day so it might be a popular night for locals.and Friday being Veterans Day.Thanks so much and advance
Andrea
On November 10 is sold out already. It’s November 8 gonna be packed?
How are the rides for the lines on Christmas party nights? We’d like to ride rides versus the parades
I am local but I have family coming in from out of state in mid November. We are NOT going to MVMCP. I expect there will be less people in the park on Wed, a non MVMCP day. Correct or no? From past years, MK is open until 7 on MVMCP nights; how late are they open on Wed, a non MVMCP day? Thank you for this information!
Which day would be better – November 29th or December 6th? TIA!
I understand the crowds Thanksgiving week. We are going for the week after but arriving that weekend. I was thinking the 27th would be a transition day for many leaving and some arriving and possibly less crowded for the party. You indicate it will be like the 20th and 22nd. Curious why you think that and what I’m missing? Sunday night is a school night for most. I’m sure I’m just being optimistic and with the increase of 10k, it will be worse this year than last year no matter which night we attend. We were probably some of the odd ones and did the park plus the after hours last year. We enjoyed the two fireworks shows last year and it will be interesting to compare to this year. Still undecided if we will attend MK same day or wait and go another day.
Do you expect there to be a big crowd difference for the party on 11/10 versus the party on 11/11?
Thank you for your blog- it is so helpful! Do you know when extra magic hours for the parks will be made available for December? We are going down the week of Christmas and staying at Boardwalk. I was able to snag the Christmas Party tickets for the 18th but I need to make park reservations but without knowing which days the parks will open early. Any thoughts and insight is appreciated!
Extra Magic Hours were one of the things modified post-covid reopening. Currently, on-site/good neighbor hotels can access any of the 4 parks 1/2 hour before the official listed park opening for Early Theme Park Entry every single day. Guests at disney deluxe hotels have Extended Evening Hours one night each at either Epcot or MK each week, which is an extra 2 hour after park close. Those are TBD yet, no clue how parties will affect MK evening hours. Hope this helps!