2024 Christmas Day Parade Filming at Disney World
Viewers of ABC’s ‘Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade’ commonly ask what dates it’s filmed, what watching it performed live is like, and how to get tickets to see it in person for Walt Disney World and Disneyland. If you want to view the parade filming live in Florida or California, here’s what to know.
First, ABC’s Disney Christmas Day Parade is not filmed live. Showing up to Walt Disney World or Disneyland on Christmas expecting to see these celebrity performances live is about the biggest possible Disney-related mistake you can make. Not only will you not see the parade in person, but you will be subject to one of the busiest days of the year in the parks. No joke–it’s nuts!
With that said, we highly recommend visiting Walt Disney World during the holiday season. If you read our list of the 10 Best and 10 Worst Weeks to Visit Walt Disney World in 2024 & 2025, you’ll see several weeks in both November and December–on both of those lists, so choose your dates carefully! For planning basics beyond that, read our 2024 Walt Disney World Vacation Planning Guide. Beyond that, here’s what you need to know about ABC’s Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade…
For the first time in as long as we can remember, the vast majority of last year’s ABC’s Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade was filmed at Walt Disney World and in a single day–back on Sunday, November 12. Prior to this year, the parade portion of the special was typically filmed at Disneyland–this year, only a couple of songs were.
For those wondering what it was like, we were in the park from opening until well after official park closing (almost 2 am!) and documented the experience in What It’s Like to Watch Stars & Musicians Film ABC’s Disney World Holiday TV Specials.
If history repeats itself and the 2024 filming follows this more efficient schedule, we actually would not recommend avoiding Magic Kingdom on whatever day the specials (plural, as the Thanksgiving one is recorded simultaneously) are filmed in 2024.
If you’re watching the special, think it might be fun to watch the filming in-person and are on the fence about visiting the parks on that day, we highly recommend checking out that photo report. It provides a first-person, “behind the scenes” account of what Magic Kingdom was like.
As you’ll read below, our normal advice when it comes to the Christmas special filming is to steer clear of the parks during the shooting of the specials; the camera crews create congestion and block off areas of the park with no real upside to regular guests.
However, there are a couple of upsides to this year’s approach. The first is getting a chance to see Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade without dropping $150+ per person for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party certainly sounds good to us. The second is that, counterintuitive as it might seem, the way Disney did it this year–with everything condensed into Magic Kingdom–actually caused less chaos and crowdflow issues.
Based on what we saw and experienced, we’d imagine that Walt Disney World deemed this a success and will repeat the approach for Christmas 2024. But we won’t know for about ~10 months when the entertainment schedule is published in (roughly) late October. Stay tuned–we’ll keep you updated in case you’re planning an early to mid-November 2024 trip during one of those aforementioned best weeks to visit Walt Disney World!
Here’s everything else you need to know about the filming of the Christmas specials at Walt Disney World and Disneyland…
Disney typically records the Christmas special for ABC, Disney Channel, Disney+ and other outlets (usually, multiple specials are recorded all at once) during the daytime park hours over the course of a few dates in early November when crowds are low. Recording is spread out over many takes, consuming several days. It is most certainly not one-time pass-through of a parade.
Last year, filming for the television specials occurred during normal operating hours once again at Walt Disney World. At Disneyland, some of the filming still occurred overnight while some happened in the daytime while the parks were open.
We saw television crews in Walt Disney World a couple of times. Filming for last year’s Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade occurred November 12-13. This was during the busy Veterans Day weekend, which is not seem ideal, but Walt Disney World has to work around celebrity schedules, meaning sometimes there’s no viable alternative. Additional filming occurred later in the month, but principal photography for the performances happened in mid-November.
It remains to be seen when the 2024 Disney Christmas Parade will be filmed at Walt Disney World. Our best guess is sometime between November 5 and November 17, 2024. If history repeats itself, the exact date of filming would be November 10, 2024. (Don’t count on the precise day of week not changing–the timing of Veterans Day could impact when it’s shot.)
It’s possible that additional footage will be recorded at the beginning of December 2024. That’s happened on more than a few occasions in recent years. This has been the formula for the last 7 or 8 years–do the bulk of filming earlier, and return for minor reshoots or b-roll later.
The earlier the better, both in terms of the impact on crowds and the lead-time to edit the footage before the Thanksgiving weekend special airs on ABC and Hulu. (The added filming days in early December are exclusively for the Christmas Day Parade.) Usually, principal filming takes up 4 days, taking place in different parks on different days.
The 2024 Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade airs Christmas Morning on ABC at 10 a.m. ET and 9 a.m. CT/PT and begins streaming on demand the next day on Hulu. The official performer lineup has not yet been released, but for the last few years, Derek and Julianne Hough have hosted.
They are often joined by Trevor Jackson and Sherry Cola from Disneyland in California. Comedian Kevin Nealon has filled the role of Kevin Winterbean, also known as “The Christmas Day Guy” who answers any and all questions relating to Christmas Day. Gone are the days when Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford hosted the parade year in and year out.
Recording in early to mid-November gives Walt Disney World a chance to take down the Halloween decorations and get up Christmas decorations in advance of the recording. Moreover, Disney starts airing these television specials on Thanksgiving, which pretty much requires at least a couple weeks of lead-time for sufficient edits. So, if you do want to attend the Christmas parade filming, that’s the window to aim for.
One thing that’s worth noting is that more recording is now done in out-of-the-way locations. Disney used to record everything on stages in front of Cinderella Castle, which caused congestion. That stage is still used to some degree, but not nearly to the extent it used to be, when there were several consecutive hours of high-profile performers (like Mariah Carey) who drew crowds. With Walt Disney World attendance increasing, recording for the holiday specials is more spread out to diffuse crowds.
In actuality, only stage performances and interviews will be recorded at Walt Disney World, and not the traditional parade segments. The traditional parade segments will likely be recorded at Disneyland once again. Dates for Disneyland are always less certain. Again, Disney uses this footage for Thanksgiving specials in addition to the popular ABC’s Disney Christmas Day Parade, so the timelines will be similar–but typically not overlapping–between the two coasts.
Nowadays, ‘parade’ is probably a misnomer for what’s broadcast on ABC Christmas Day, because what airs is so broken up and more like a synergy fest to promote upcoming movie releases, television shows, Disney Parks, up and coming artists under Disney labels, and more. It’s basically a thinly-veiled infomercial for all things Disney…but a fun one, nonetheless!
In terms of who is allowed to watch, tickets for the performance/reserved viewing areas at Walt Disney World are distributed to Cast Members and their families. The general public is allowed to watch from farther back, but crowd control often necessitates people not being able to stand in certain areas.
We’ve also heard reports that guests have been randomly selected to receive tickets to these viewing areas, but that’s very much luck of the draw. It’s probably dependent upon how much Disney-branded Christmas garb you’re sporting or how photogenic your kids look.
These segments used to be filmed in early December, and we’re not totally sure why they’ve moved to November, but we have a couple of guesses. The most likely scenario is because ABC has been airing multiple holiday specials each year during its “25 Days of Christmas” and the longer lead time allows for footage from the filmings at Disneyland and Walt Disney World to be used prior to Christmas day.
On Thanksgiving, ABC airs “The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” which featured an identical lineup of performers, and was filmed simultaneous to the Christmas Day Parade. This special kicked off the holiday season with a star-studded celebration showcasing musical performances, special appearances, and Disney magical moments including the castle lighting from Disney Parks around the world: Florida, Anaheim, California, Paris, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
Even if ABC were to stop doing this special, which necessitates filming early in November, growing crowds in December make the parade filming a nightmare for Magic Kingdom operations. Typically, early November crowds are much lighter. We can’t say for certain if the filming would occur in November irrespective of the Thanksgiving special filming, but we think it’s pretty likely.
We’ve been at Walt Disney World a few times in the past when the parade segments were filmed there, and it was a miserable experience. Banish whatever notions you have of it being fun, and getting up close to celebrities. It’s long, drawn out, and what you’ll witness does not resemble the finished product.
Normally, we actually recommend avoiding the parks where the Disney Christmas Day Parade is being recorded, as it’s boring to watch in person and it creates congestion in the parks. What you’re seeing on television now might look really fun to see in person, but we promise you that’s the result of meticulous work in shooting, re-shooting, and careful editing.
This really goes for the parade segments more than the stage show performances, which are more enjoyable to watch, and typically involve less arbitrary stopping, pausing, and restarting. Still, it’s worth noting that the songs are not like a traditional concert with the performer singing a variety of different holiday hits. It’s the same song several times, and then the next performer moving on to their song…also performed several times.
Of course, reasonable minds can vary on this. We have friends who go every year to linger in the areas where the performances are filmed, and they generally enjoy the ‘behind the scenes’ nature of the experience, and getting to see some of their favorite celebrities ‘up close’ (err…from about 100+ yards away).
There’s definitely something to be said about the inside look at how the parade is shot, but it’s not something around which you’ll want to plan a trip to Walt Disney World or Disneyland. If you want to see a celebrity in the parks, we think the better experience (by far) is Candlelight Processional at Epcot or Disneyland, which is presented as a finished product.
It’s also worth noting that in early November when the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade is filmed, Walt Disney World is not yet totally celebrating Christmas. Magic Kingdom is totally decked out for the holidays due to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but the same can’t be said for Epcot or the resort hotels.
While early November is one of the lowest crowd times of the holiday season, we personally favor the couple of weeks after Thanksgiving. We detail everything you need to know about visiting during the holiday seasons in our Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World and Ultimate Guide to Christmas at Disneyland.
Overall, we enjoy the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, and it’s nice to see it returning to some semblance of a “parade” format after being simply a “celebration” for a few years. Yes, it boils down to being an extended commercial for the parks and other Disney stuff, but it’s fun. However, it’s best enjoyed as a finished product from the comfort of your home on Christmas morning. If you’re planning a Disney vacation in 2024, you can subscribe to our free email newsletter for regular updates, planning tips, and everything else you need to know before you go!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of ABC’s Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade? Have you been in the parks during a filming? What was your experience like? Would you like to attend? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Do we know who will host for 2019
I’m taking my daughter and her friend for the weekend. I’m hoping they get to see some of their favorite stars!! My daughter has wanted to go every year, this is her gift for her 16th birthday.
We were there last year in the Magic Kingdom the evening they were filming and it was great! No more crowded than usual and fun to watch the performers.
Definitely something to keep an update on when I go this year. I love watching this show every Christmas and wanna go to a live taping so bad.
We are taking our young children to Disney for the first time during these dates. (11/6-11/10) and have already booked our fast passes (and I’m very happy with what we got) so I don’t want to change our already planned days at specific parks. I don’t see us returning to Disney for at least a couple years so this is our only shot for now! Does anyone have any advice on how we can avoid any extra crowds during filming? Our focus is rides!
I have been to the taping twice before. In my experience, while it is very crazy on Main Street and at the castle hub, the rest of the park is a ghost town. The bypass from Tony’s Town Square to Tomorrowland should be open for you to bypass the congestion.
Thank you!!
We were at WDW in Nov 2017 when they did some filming. We had a BBBoutique reservation and they wouldn’t let us near the castle during their filming of the fireworks. They don’t want you to see all the people hanging out around the castle, I guess. Thankfully we were not penalized for not making our time slot for the boutique. We did get to see some performers (5th Harmony) from a distance. All in all, I don’t remember it being a horrible experience. We had, and always do, a great time at MK. We had great pictures and beautiful memories. Sometimes you just have to expect the unexpected and roll with it.
We were at the filming of the Christmas parade in 1998, early in December. It was a really low attendance day, and since this was before the Internet, we had no idea they would be filming the parade that day. We were leaving the Magic Kingdom to go swimming at the resort, and the CM’s asked us to stay because they needed spectators for the parade. Both of my children got to dance and walk along a portion of the parade. They still remember how much fun that was!
Too bad it is not like that any longer!
Yuck! That’s when we’ll be there! After our awful experience at an extremely crowded (but not sold out). MNSSHP I am seriously thinking this will be the last year we’re annual pass holders. I’m tired of going to a park and not being able to walk down the streets let alone get one any rides. I’m glad my kids have grown up going twice a year but I’ve seen the crowd levels go up and the quality go down over the past 2-3 years. I’m beginning to realize there are better places to spend $7,000…
I should also mention that we’ve had e misfortune to schedule a Trip during filming in the past. Magic Kingdom was AWFUL. We literally couldn’t walk down Main Street it get near the Castle. We had to cut through the Emporium to get anywhere. We left after 4 hours and vowed never again. I really want to know what parks they’ll be filming at each day so we can avoid that park. Or maybe we write off the tickets and go to Universal. Yes, out experience was that bad that I would rather lose thousands of dollars than go through it again
Ugh! I have been there in early December when they were filming and vowed never again. We could not get near the castle and one day we were routed threw a parking lot because Main Street was closed. Now unfortunately it seems I will be there AGAIN during filming! I will be watching for updates to see which parks are being filmed which days 🙁
Where do you find the updates on where the filming will be?
I don’t tend to watch these “commercial” parade events, even though they are Disney. I don’t enjoy the people who perform and, frankly, I’ve never heard of most of them.
We did end up at WDW on Easter many years ago when our children were small, and didn’t realize that they were filming. We had gone to the MK but it was so crazy that we left, had lunch, and went to Hollywood Studios (which was still MGM at the time). It was quiet and very enjoyable away from the frey.
No one should feel bad that they missed the madhouse surrounding the filming of the parades.
This is very disappointing to hear, I am spending Christmas in Orlando for the first time ever with my immediate family, and my nieces and nephews who are 7 yrs old and 8 yrs old and even us the adults was looking forward to this, wow! This is truly a debbie downer!! How deceptive!!
It’s been that way for many years. I can remember them filming the Christmas parade in early December as long ago as 1998, 21 years ago. If you want to see the “parade”, just tape it and watch it when you get home from the parks. Or don’t go to the parks and watch it on television.
Well it sure would have been nice to know that beforehand it’s not like Disney actually freely says that, only someone who goes there consistently would know that which I am not, it’s deceptive if you ask me! But whatever now I know and “NO” I will not be watching in on TV or not go to the park, I will be on vacation, I can watch it next year when I am back home!
I’m really try to go when they are filming for christmas
Carmen, a simple google search would have cleared this up. However, don’t fret, there will still be a parade on Christmas, as they do a parade every day, it just won’t be shown on TV. Also, reading Tom’s other post about what’s going on around Christmastime, it sounds like the parade they do at night for Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas runs in the daytime after Dec 22, so you can see it without paying extra money for the nighttime party. Have fun and enjoy your trip!
it’s really not that deep. chill out
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I went years ago when they still filmed the parade live on Xmas day. We got in 4 hrs early to get a spot to wait for parade it took the whole 2 hrs for it to complete that is normally 20 mins. The stopped the parade for every commercial break and each time they cut to Disneyland. The crowds were twice as big as summer time. Kids were crying because they had characters standing in front of them and security wouldn’t let the go to characters. As soon as parade was done the crowds hit the rides and space mountain was 4 hr wait and everything was a huge wait, rides shows places to eat restrooms. We just went back to hotel and relaxed. Christmas Eve thru New Years Day is not fun at Disney World.
I too had a bad experience in the parks during filming. I was in Disneyland in 2017 and we encountered lots of blocked off areas, lack of photographers in key areas like the castle, and the classic rides area of Fantasyland closed for the night at 5pm. Park felt extra congested all day. Bummed to hear the predictions for WDW’s dates next year as that’s the window for my next trip! Tom, do the other parks tend to be emptier while the MK filming happens, or does it have minimal effect on where people go?
Since most people have zero idea it’s happening until they arrive at the park that day, it has minimal effect on where people go.
I watch this parade yearly and I feel its getting worse every year with the awful manufactured sounding Pop musicians butcher Christmas classic, obnoxious celebrity appearances, constant infomercial-like content from Disney on non-Park items, the constant plugging of ABC & ESPN programming, and less showing of the my favorite part of the show: A Christmas Fantasy parade. When they show the parade, the hosts blabbed through the whole parade you can barely hear the wonderful soundtrack. The bright spot of the program is I enjoy the heartwarming family stories.
Thisis like a double slap in the face. Paying exhorbitant prices to get in just to be a commercial for the most overjoyed brand in history. That is if youre wearing enough disney content to show you don’t mind being soaked even after admission. Just give Disney unfettered access to your debit card and get it over with. If u like that try amazon next and then…
Actually, we thought this year’s show was one of the best in the last several years! I enjoy the music – when it’s holiday music, which is something that’s been lacking the last couple of years. This year – everything performed was holiday – and almost all of it was good! Two of the three hosts were great (hey, I’ll take it!).
I’d agree that this was the best ‘parade’ in a few years…but it’s a relatively low bar.
If you watch the older parades from the 1980s and 1990s on YouTube, there’s really no comparison–at least, for me.
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I leave here in central FL and the dis film for both Christmas specials at EPCOT. There was also a Christmas special the day after thanksgiving.
The “parade” has been a huge disappointment for years and we no longer watch. It used to be our fix between visits to see MK and just enjoy seeing attractions and new projects in the works
Now it’s musical acts that I could care less about
“Now it’s musical acts that I could care less about.”
My thoughts here are more or less the same, but as someone who favors classic rock and rap over contemporary pop music, I’m not sure if it’s just a matter of taste. (I recognize fewer than half the names on that list.)
In general, I wish all things Disney were less about synergy. I don’t need a segment about Star Wars while watching ESPN, nor does every other segment on Good Morning America need to find a way to weave other Disney properties into it.
I dunno, maybe I’m just getting older and grumpier… 😉
I agree. It’s not really a parade any more. Who doesn’t love a parade with the floats, marching bands, etc? This parade is just a commercial for Disney with their artists, their shows, their movies. The Macy’s Thanksgiving parade is doing a lot of the same as Disney with the musical acts. Just show me the bands, the balloons, the people in the parade.
In March of 2008 our Beloved Mom passed away and had told my sister and I that she wanted us to take a trip to Disney World because she knew how sad we would be without her at Christmas. With our Angel’s help and Disney Pixie Dust my sister and I were chosen to be in the taping of one of the artist’s performances and the parade. We we extremely close and got to see American Idol winner David Cook, artist Sara Brightman and the Space Buddies Puppies. We weren’t sure if we would make the cut to be on television and would have to wait til Christmas morning to find out. Seeing ourselves on television Christmas morning during the Disney World special was unforgettable. I would do it again if I was there during that time because it was such an awesome experience.