Why You Should Do Jollywood Nights
Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas party is a new event at Hollywood Studios starting in mid-November 2023. Walt Disney World has released new details since the initial announcement, so we figured it’d be worth sharing those–while incorporating them into pros & cons about the DHS upcharge offering.
If you read our initial commentary about Disney Jollywood Nights, you might’ve noticed it was not particularly positive. If you clicked a couple hours later, the perspective was much more favorable, as reflected in the ‘update’ section. If you reviewed the replies to comments, you might’ve seen those start to sour by that very same evening.
Suffice to say, my feelings about Disney Jollywood Nights are very mixed and quite conflicted. This is a Christmas party that I really want to like. On paper, it sounds tailor-made for me. However, I have a lot of trepidations about the event, based on both past precedent and some perceived ‘red flags’ in Walt Disney World’s press release. To that end, I want to lay out the potential/preliminary pros & cons of Disney Jollywood Nights, as I see it. This post covers the positives–for the other side of the argument, see Why You Should NOT Do Jollywood Nights Christmas Party at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
More Adult – Over the last decade or so, Walt Disney World’s audience has become increasingly adult to the point that, as of a few years ago, a slight majority of guests did not have children. With that in mind, we’ve been hoping that Walt Disney World would add things targeted at the non-family demo that did not revolve around alcohol. (New bars are fine, but not when they’re the only thing aimed at adults.)
Disney Jollywood Nights gets half of that right. It does involve alcohol, but that’s not the entire impetus of the event. Instead, Walt Disney World appears to be trying to do something more sophisticated. This Christmas party focuses more on live music, performers, and atmosphere than it does on animated properties and rides. Obviously, those latter two things will be present to round out the roster, but they are not the sole feature of Disney Jollywood Nights.
True to Theme – “The World you have entered was created by The Walt Disney Company and is dedicated to Hollywood—not a place on a map, but a state of mind that exists wherever people dream and wonder and imagine, a place where illusion and reality are fused by technological magic. We welcome you to a Hollywood that never was—and always will be.” ~Michael Eisner, Disney-MGM Studios Dedication.
That version of the park has vanished over the years, and the back half consisting of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land are now the emphasis. It thus comes as a surprise that Walt Disney World is debuting a new Christmas event in 2023 that focuses not on characters and franchises, but instead on the Eisner-era version of the park.
Disney Jollywood Nights embraces the spirit of old Hollywood, from its graphic style to its substance. There’s a jazz speakeasy lounge in Hollywood Brown Derby and an otherworldly soirée at the Hollywood Tower Hotel Courtyard that brings back the Tip Top Club. Two things with atmosphere befitting Hollywood high-society, rather than cartoon characters.
Over in Echo Lake, there will be a throwback bash that promises to stir up nostalgia. On Commissary Lane, there will be a lively Latin street fair full of holiday flair. All of these offerings sound ambitious, interesting, and unlike what we’ve seen Walt Disney World do in recent years in the parks.
MUPPETS! – Since the original announcement, Walt Disney World has revealed more about the Muppets’ live holiday special in Theater of the Stars during Disney Jollywood Nights. It’ll be a musical variety show hosted by Kermit the Frog and Missy Piggy, both of whom will by physical present on stage. They will welcome guest stars, including Princesses Belle & Tiana, Minnie & Mickey Mouse, and more. There will also be a live 10-piece band on stage.
Learning this and seeing the above concept art is the exact moment my outlook on Disney Jollywood Nights shifted from sour to excited. Admittedly, I am a sucker for the Muppets and am willing to (over)pay way too much to see them in the parks. There are dozens of others just like me, and all of us loved the Merriest Nites event a couple of years ago due to the Muppets Christmas Caroling Coach.
Failing all else, I’ll just watch the Muppets’ holiday special a few times and leave Disney Jollywood Nights happy and relatively satisfied, even if the rest of the event is a trainwreck.
Trust in Tom (Vazzana) – The creative face of Disney Jollywood Nights is Tom Vazzana. For those who are unfamiliar with him (which is probably most of you), Tom Vazzana is Show Director with Walt Disney World Creative Entertainment. He has been a frequent fixture of D23 events for years, and is generally beloved by attendees of those events for his infectious enthusiasm, passion, authenticity, and–for lack of a better term–chaotic energy.
Vazzana is the real deal, a rarity at a time when other entertainment creatives are more like synergy synthesizers. (It also appears that Vazzana has taken on a bigger role at Walt Disney World with Steve Davison seemingly gone.) Vazzana has a number of productions to his credit, but his most recent success is the fantastic reimagining of Fantasmic and the upcoming (untitled) EPCOT nighttime spectacular.
Honestly, I have not loved everything that Vazzana has created–but it’s always unique, interesting, and ambitious. I’ll take big swings and misses over playing it safe with paint by numbers entertainment that is thinly-veiled Disney+ marketing. At least with a big swing, there’s the chance for a home run. These ‘dueling’ posts about Disney Jollywood Nights should pretty much sum up where I’m at: it’ll either be a strikeout or a home run, with little chance for a single or something in between.
It’s Getting Better Already – One of the reasons that Oogie Boogie Bash is a must-purchase ticket every year is because we trust in Disney(land) to enhance the event even after tickets have sold out. They’ve announced compelling new characters and entertainment at a time when tickets were no longer available, which is an interesting approach. By contrast, Walt Disney World usually only “sweetens the deal” if tickets for a party are not selling well. Otherwise, what’s revealed on day one is pretty much it for the event.
Thus far, that hasn’t been the case with Disney Jollywood Nights. Since the original press release, Walt Disney World has shared that The Nightmare Before Christmas is getting a sing-along during the Jollywood Nights Christmas party, with Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie appearing on stage.
Walt Disney World has teased that more announcements are to come, so it’s likely that the full lineup for Disney Jollywood Nights has yet to be revealed. Hopefully that’s not just contingent upon ticket sales, but instead, is part of a concerted promotional push for the party.
Experimental Energy – Speaking of Oogie Boogie (and his bash), Disney Jollywood Nights already reminds us of the first year of Oogie Boogie Bash. Disneyland Resort ended the beloved Mickey’s Halloween Party and replacing it with Oogie Boogie Bash. The new party at the second gate was bolder and took risks in breaking the tried and true Halloween Party formula that had been used on both coasts.
That paid off. Although some diehards still complain that the event is at DCA instead of the iconic castle park, Oogie Boogie Bash is better than its predecessor. Building a new event from the ground up paid off, resulting in a fresh and fun new event.
Disney Jollywood Nights has a very similar experimental energy, as Walt Disney World eschews pretty much everything that has made Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party a fan-favorite. Obviously, experiments can be very bad and go disastrously wrong (spoiler alert: Frankenstein doesn’t have a happy ending), but this is a post about the potential upside of Disney Jollywood Nights. Attending the inaugural event of a potential new-classic and envelope-pushing party that itself becomes a Walt Disney World institution is (potentially) one of them!
Lots of Rare & Christmas Characters – Walt Disney World has revealed that a number of rare characters will be present, as will (presumably unique) Christmas costumes for meet & greet mainstays. In Animation Courtyard, you’ll be able to find Minnie and Mickey Mouse, Daisy and Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy. Over at Echo Lake, Max Goof as Powerline, Chip ‘n’ Dale as the Rescue Rangers, and Phineas and Ferb will appear in front of the Christmas tree. In the recently-reopened Pixar Place, Edna Mode and Frozone will meet guests.
All of this is just what we know about so far. Characters are one of the easiest things to add to increase the marketability and enthusiasm around an event, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see more announced on that front.
Short Lines for Rides – In all likelihood, guests who purchase tickets to Disney Jollywood Nights are going to be there for all of the aforementioned reasons–not rides. Although the event page has a line advertising “Attractions with Lower Wait Times,” that’s not one of the main selling points. This is not being branded as an After Hours event, and it’s likely that most guests aren’t expecting it to be one.
Given all of that and the likelihood that few families attend, our expectation is that wait times are relatively low for most attractions during Disney Jollywood Nights. Even the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a potential red herring, possibly a hedge so they don’t have to offer refunds if it breaks down and guests get “stuck” in line or even as a way to manufacture demand for that ride (a page from the old “Bonus FastPass” playbook).
The biggest risk with betting on short lines for rides is if everything else is a disaster. If lines are prohibitively long for characters, entertainment, and there isn’t enough to do…people are going to make lemonade out of lemons and do rides, even if that’s not why they bought tickets in the first place.
Impact on Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party – This one is arguably a bit of a stretch. It’s a reason why you should attend Disney Jollywood Nights in the same way you should see an independent film from a director you like in theaters: as a show of support.Â
If Disney Jollywood Nights outperforms internal expectations and guest response is positive, it could prove beneficial to other events at Walt Disney World. Arguably, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party have both become a bit tired. The company probably doesn’t want to mess with a good thing–and has no financial incentive to do so, since sales are strong.
To an extent, this is understandable. Nostalgia sells and every time Disney does change something–anything–there’s backlash. However, people are also open to change once they experience it and it’s good. Fans and the company seeing that a different approach can yield favorable results might be what’s needed to kickstart changes and investment in older events and offerings.
We’re not saying you should drop ~$750 on tickets for your family to attend Disney Jollywood Nights solely so you can “show support” to the mom & pop media empire. Rather, this might be an ancillary positive outcome should you already have decided to attend and want to feel better about that decision. Oh, and attendees will likely be helping to reduce crowds at MVMCP, which will be another positive “impact” of this, albeit in a different way.
Ultimately, that last one cuts to the chase and really reinforces a notion tiptoed around by previous points: Disney Jollywood Night needs the support of fans. Many of us bemoan how everything revolves around intellectual property, is thematically lacking, isn’t ambitious or is tired. But in a sense, we also get what we deserve by continuing to buy or do those things.
Disney Jollywood Nights probably is not going to be perfect. I have a lot of concerns about it being an incomplete event and a logistical nightmare. However, this is precisely the type of thing that I want Walt Disney World doing, and I think it’s important to “reward” good decisions so more are made in the future. If fans don’t support unique and interesting offerings like this, but a new Toy Story meal in a warehouse has sky-high demand, we’re going to get more of the latter and less of the former.
Admittedly, this is a tough needle to thread. In fact, it reminds me a bit of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, albeit on a smaller scale. We warned prior to opening that Walt Disney World would learn the wrong lessons from that crashing and burning. Others cheered for it to fail, some with a sense of schadenfreude, others with more valid concerns about it setting a precedent for more prohibitively-expensive, paywalled experiences.
Those same concerns exist here. Disney Jollywood Nights is expensive, and arguably offers insufficient value for the ticket cost. The event selling out quickly may not send the message to Walt Disney World that they should invest more energy, effort, and money to make this bigger and better next year. Instead, we may get more unambitious and expensive paywalled events that erode hours for day guests. That’s definitely a risk of this being a success.
Personally, I think hard ticket events are here to stay. It’s a question of either events like this or vanilla After Hours–it’s not this or nothing. I’d rather have Disney Jollywood Nights or Villains After Hours than the actual alternative. (This being a success also might get Walt Disney World one step closer to offering my dream of a 90s Nostalgia Nite with Wishes, Disney Afternoon, and SpectroMagic 2.0!)
The company’s only takeaway in Disney Jollywood Nights crashing and burning will be that Walt Disney World should stick to the tried and true formula and not take risks in the future. While Galactic Starcruiser is one cautionary tale, there’s also a recent success story: EPCOT’s International Festival of the Arts.
The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is another offering many fans wanted to see fail, complaining that ‘festival season’ had taken over the entire calendar and it would be another thinly-veiled excuse to sell overpriced food & drinks. Now, it’s a fan-favorite and, in our opinion, the best EPCOT event of the year by a wide margin. What if the outcome here is somehow similar? What would you rather have–a total failure or a holiday event that manages to compete with or surpass Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party?!
To each their own, but I want Walt Disney World to push the envelope, offering entertainment and events that are unique and unprecedented. To swing for the fences, even if they’re a miss. Not one of us flew in love with Walt Disney World for its ability to safely single. Here’s hoping that Disney Jollywood Nights is a massive success and is bigger and better 5 years from now.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Will you attend the Disney Jollywood Nights Christmas party at Hollywood Studios? Think the pros outweigh the cons, or vice-versa? What has you excited about the event? What has you concerned? If you’re planning to attend, will you do so instead of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or in addition to it? What do you think about Disney Jollywood Nights? Do you agree or disagree with our perspective on this? 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!
I already have tickets for that day at HWS. Will they allow us to stay in the park until closing or kick us out early like they do on Mickey’s Christmas at the MK? If so I might cancel my day tickets to HWS and just go to Animal Kingdom instead. What we like about the two MK parties (Halloween/Christmas) is that ALL the rides are open, so if you have kids (and most people that go to MK do) and don’t want to watch the shows you can get on rides (ALL of THEM) very quickly. From what I understand the Jollywood party will only have:
Confirmed Attractions Thus Far:
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, The Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog, Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance (virtual queue only).
That’s a really short list for a $159/person party. Sorry $159 for dance shows is crazy.
I really wish they would sell a discounted version of this ticket if you are already booked for that park that day so you can spend the whole day there for a reasonable price, but dropping $1,400+ dollars for both is CRAZY. But the word discount and Disney are rarely used together.
Again my biggest concern is will they kick us out early for this party or will the day park be open until 9pm like normal?
Just wish we would know more of the rides that would be open. We have 2 kids and if everything in Toy Story Land plus Star Wars Land is open, it’s worth it for the shorter lines — plus the meet and greets and Nightmare Before Christmas Sing Along!
From another site the only CONFIRMED rides that will be open (so far) are:
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, The Tower of Terror, Slinky Dog, Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance (virtual queue only).
That’s a really short list for a $159/person ticket. Who wants to pay that to watch dance parties?
I view these After Hours events the way I think you view Individual Lightning Lanes: I see why people cough up the money, I personally won’t, I prefer that it underperforms, I’m resigned to it sticking around/expanding.
Im hoping the event doesn’t have too much overlapping entry with day guests (if hard ticket holders can get in the park in late afternoon), and that the Muppets material inspires more Muppets attractions.
Same here. With only a handful of rides open this is huge ticket price for what amounts to dance shows. At least at the MK all the rides are open so if you don’t want to do shows you can do rides. But if only six rides are open imagine the wait times for them.
Thanks for walking us through the pros in this piece. While I know Tom was rooting for more 50’s Hollywood before the details started coming out, the Golden Age of Hollywood (20s-40s) is the era I was hoping for, and having Disney do it will sand off the rough edges I don’t like while leaving hints of the pre-Code party attitude. Also, Rescue Ranger Chip, who is literally cosplaying as Indiana Jones, will be in the most highly logical location for a meet-n-greet for possibly the first time ever. (Maybe he was with Rescue Ranger Dale at the Poly, which would be the best WDW location for cosplay Thomas Magnum.)
Having read both pieces, I’m still not sure, which I suppose puts me down as a “No for now, but…”
I’m good with Golden Age of Hollywood–50’s was simply my guess based on the direction they’ve gone with DHS at Christmas over the last several years. But earlier makes sense given the venues that they’re using. (Depending upon what they do at Echo Lake, we could get both!)
Lol at what you say about Chip and Dale and their rescue ranger outfits. They were actually doing a meet and greet right next to the Indiana Jones stunt show in May. It looks like that may have gotten displaced by the temporary pop-up bar they are doing for the new Indy movie. Actual meet and greet with the characters is making me lean more towards purchasing a ticket for Jollywood nights. I wonder if they will do some thing like a swing dancing club on the stunt show stage. They did that one year for New Year’s Eve, and it was very popular. Unfortunately, I think this will sell out very quickly so I need to have my mind made up before tickets go on sale.
What are your thoughts on how quickly tickets will sell? I can’t believe it’s going to be sold out the first day, but given the limited number of days and HOPEFULLY a lower attendance cap than MVMCP, I have to assume all dates will be sold out before the first event takes place. In an ideal world, I would love to see some reviews of the event before I buy tickets for Dec 4th or 6th, but I suspect I won’t have that luxury…
It’s truly impossible to say. Any event at DHS is going to have a significantly lower cap than an event at MK–and there are fewer events. Even if demand is a fraction of what it is for MVMCP, this could still sell out faster.
I suspect a lot of families have already ruled it out and many in the target demo are on the fence, but it is brand new, so who knows.
I’m pretty much going to do it because this December is likely to be the only time I ever visit WDW at Christmastime (I normally visit in September) and so I’m going to do *everything* seasonal. That’s not so much the sort of reason that a travel blog can help with, but I’ll still keep reading with interest for any expert tips that come along.
I’m definitely adding this to my list – I’ll already be down there anyway, and I’ll take any excuse to dress up. One other potentially good reason to nab tickets to this is for the crowds. If it’s not successful, it won’t return….but if it IS successful, when it returns they’ll probably sell more tickets. This year would thus be the best chance to see it in its least-packed state.
“Dress dapper” was originally its own entry on this list, but got pulled since this was already too long (and I’m skeptical of how many people will actually dress up). Still, it’s a definite selling point for at least some guests. And if guests really take the theme seriously and it develops the reputation as being an event where attendees where their holiday finery, that’ll be awesome.
I would *love* for this to be an event where a noticeable number of people dress up. I’m imagining something like a fan convention; the *majority* of people are in street wear or lightly themed outfits, but there are enough people that go all out that you can always see some of them and know that it is an Event.
I’ll be there first night and can’t wait!! More Muppets!!!
I had planned to go to HS on one of the nights now slated for a Jollywood party.., should I reschedule what park I’m at? Unsure if attendance will be nuts because of the party later that night… (the week of thanksgiving.)
Also nervous that they won’t do any Fantasmic since they usually don’t start that until 7:30pm or 8pm even though The event starts at 8:30. Do you think Disney will confirm fantasmic is still shown those days?
Disney has already confirmed Fantasmic will be shown that nights. Keep in mind that the schedule for all nighttime entertainment is later right now than in the fall and winter months–that’s out of necessity due to sunset times. Everything will shift forward gradually in the fall, just like always.
Personally, I probably would reschedule if I were you. Not because I’d be worried about crowds on the Jollywood Nights dates, but because I think there’s a strong chance that Fantasmic has 2 showtimes on other nights the week of Thanksgiving. That’ll make the end of the night much easier at DHS from a strategy perspective.