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!
Has anyone been able to purchase tickets? We are booked at the Yacht Club in mid November and neither the app or online are allowing me to purchase tickets. Help?
I bought tickets today for 11/8 – staying at AKL from 11/5-11/12. When I logged into MDE, the only dates it would allow me to buy is during my scheduled trip. MKe sure you are logged in first.
Hi Tom. Don’t all the party nights sell out? Maybe they don’t. I’m trying to understand why some nights would be more or less busy if all dates sell out. Is it possible that Disney sets the capacity/limit differently for different nights? That would be the only way I could see that one night could be busier than others or I’m just missing something. Thank you.
Good point! If the capacity is the same for all parties, then it doesn’t really matter for the event. Now the parks may be busier during the day!
We are planning for November 10 and expecting high crowds since we will be there for Jersey Week.
Airfare for Thanksgiving week from San Francisco to Orlando is around $1200-$1500/person (I paid $500 per person a few months ago). I know Thanksgiving fares are always higher, but that seems excessive. Any thoughts on if airfares may come down in the next month or so, or should we just buy now? Thanks!
So we are trying to decide between Tues 11/8 or Thurs 11/10. We are doing a VIP tour on 11/10 with Epcot & HS so were thinking of just a nice dinner that evening to unwind. I know 11/8 is the first night of the parties but we thought it would be better than 11/10 since the next day is Veteran’s Day. Is the first night always one of the more crowded ones?
Do you think there will be much of a crowd difference between 12/4 and 12/6? Those are our two options
Thanks!
I know that November 27th (Sunday) is technically still during Thanksgiving week, but most kids have to go back to school the next day. Won’t the majority of families already be on their way home by then? I’m a teacher and I have the week of Thanksgiving off, but I’m going to burn a personal day to wait and go home on Monday the 28th instead. This also has a lot to do with nooooot wanting to be in the airport on that Sunday when everyone is going home. (Flying in ON Thanksgiving Day is also part of my strategy.)
As a general rule, crowds drop that Sunday and continue falling into the next week. So your general theory is correct.
It’s still the first party after a long gap. There are people like you who will stay a day late due to flight schedules/prices, and also new guests arriving that weekend for trips the following week.
We will be some of those people doing the Dec 22 party. We didn’t do the after hours last year but we did do the last Party in 2019. Crowds weren’t bad on that date but that was because of all the rain. That was a very rainy Christmas/New Years. We don’t have other options because it’s always the only party that falls during holiday breaks. This is a weird holiday period because of how a lot of schools districts get out on the 21st; 22nd and there are some that have half days on the 23rd. I have a hunch the week before Christmas will be less busy than the week after New Years.
We staying 3 nights at Wilderness Lodge before doing a 7 day cruise than returning for New Years Eve at Riveria for a couple days then bouncing to Royal Pacific for a couple days. Hopefully my plan works well. This will be our 5 year in a row at Disney/Universal at Christmas/New Years.
“I have a hunch the week before Christmas will be less busy than the week after New Years.”
It hasn’t surpassed it yet, but even in the last few years, the week before Christmas is getting less busy while the week after NYE is getting busier. School breaks and AP blockouts have definitely played a big role.
I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re right about that this coming year.
Is it best to have park pass for day you are going to Christmas party, if they have it, or plan to go to another park until the time of the party? Never been before and with park passes, don’t know how to plan.
I’m trying to read this but all the blinking ads are a distraction. I wouldn’t mind ads and would disable my ad-blocker IF, if the ads did not blink.
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I am going on the 15th of November. Do you think it might not be too bad?
Hello, I am planning to visit Disneyworld on early December with my family (4 and 6 YO). Wish day do you think will be better to visit Magic Kingdom? A Tuesday before MVMCP or a Wednesday with extramagic hours?
Can anyone comment on crowd levels during regular park hours on party days? We leave the park by 7pm regardless b/c we have a toddler who isn’t old enough to stay up any later. Is daytime MK less crowded enough on party nights to make a party day a better choice for regular daytime visiting? or not enough difference to really matter?
I am thinking of going on the 3rd. Is the pricing once per day or was it once per park ticket?
We went Nov 12th and if those are the lowest crowds of the season may God have mercy on the souls who go on a different date!!! (BTW I thought I was going crazy but I saw you and thought….nah that can’t be him)
I mean nov 15th
od must have had mercy on our souls because we went the very last day (12/21/18), and the crowds were surprisingly thin. I think it had a lot to do with rain predictions that never turned out to be true, so our view of the castle was premium!
Well we had no choice except to do the last party on the 21st, so let’s see what happens. With DVC getting us in at 2 p.m. and some FP selections after that, we will just enjoy the atmosphere.
We got tickets for Friday November 30th- it works best for our schedule and felt the party on our last night in Disney would be more magical for the kids and they’ll be ready for a pool day prior to the party. It is a more expensive one. Do you recommend changing it? Our only other option would be Tuesday of that week?
How far in advance should I book tickets if we are going the week before Christmas. We are planning to attend the December 18th Party
Was wondering if you recommend attending MVMCP on the first night, Thurs, 11/8, or the second night of Friday, 11/9?
Do you think MVMCP on Veteran’s Day will be packed? I know the parks will be busy that day, but unsure of that night. Would you attend it or avoid it? Thanks so much!!!
I was wondering the same thing, Monday the 12th is supposed to have huge crowds at the parks, curious if it would be the same for MVMCP that day. Or better to go another day that week.
Hi,
Thanks so much for your blog and all of your hard work!
I pretty much based my trip off of your blog lol My trip is next week and I’ll be attending the Christmas Party on my birthday, the 17th. I saw that you took an amazing shot with Mickey and Minnie both in Christmas outfits. Do they still offer this? I only see a meet and greet for Minnie with Daisy and Mickey by himself.