Disney Merriest Nights [2021]
The Halloween season has only just begun at the Disneyland Resort, and Disneyland decided to announce something huge in regards to the upcoming Holiday season at the Disneyland Resort. A brand new special ticket event called Disney Merriest Nights.
Note: This post has since been updated to reflect the experience that I had attending the event. I will still keep all the announcement information in this post, but check the table of contents below to see the type of experience it was.
Everything in the Table of Contents below that has [2021] is the updated information. I tried to keep most of it toward the end of the blog. So you can read through, or just skip to the details of the event.
Breaking News
Announced on September 10, 2021, just before 11 am Disney announced on all of its platforms about a new special ticketed event, limited-capacity, for limited nights.
This is an exciting brand new event that is supposed to be one for the books. Filled with various characters all bringing their own holiday magic.
What makes this event announcement so incredible, is that it shows that the Disney parks are starting to get back to a ‘normal’ functioning level despite the pandemic still lingering overhead.
What Is It?
The event is called Disney Merriest Nights. It is the first-ever Holiday After Hours event to happen at Disneyland. It is a special ticketed event at Disneyland, for a select few nights in November and December.
There has been a similar themed party in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, but never at Disneyland. Make this event a thing you don’t want to miss!
So let’s break it down. What exactly is Disney Merriest Nites?
According to Disney Parks Blog, there will be 6 themed parties that are hosted by various characters around Disneyland. Allowing guests to explore the holiday magic around the park while seeing and interacting with our favorite characters.
There will be a few areas that are going to be off-limits for guests during the party hours. These areas are Batuu or Galaxy’s Edge and Critter County. The rest of Disneyland park will be open for guests to enjoy.
Additionally, there will be access to the holiday overlay for “It’s A Small World”, and Haunted Mansion Holiday, along with a new holiday-themed parade.
The Themed Parties [2021]
As stated earlier, there are supposed to be 6 different themed parties throughout Disneyland for guests to enjoy. The hosts of the party are supposed to be Mickey Mouse, Miguel, Princess Tiana, Buzz Lightyear, and Elsa.
Mickey Mouse himself will be hosting one of the parties on Main St. What makes this party a little extra special is that Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and other Muppet friends are going to make a special guest appearance.
Be sure to be on Main St. at the start of the event to truly kick off the holiday night right with the Muppets singing carols, and some special Disney magic.
The other five themed parties are supposed to be held throughout the park. Be sure to plan ahead of the event in order to make the most out of the night, as time will fly by fast!
The other parties held throughout the park include Miguel in Frontierland, with a CoCo inspired holiday fiesta.
New Orleans Square party will be hosted by none other than Princess Tiana, with a southern bayou theme.
In Tomorrowland, guests can find Buzz Lightyear hosting a futuristic-style party. There is also a live DJ there to help mix up the beats.
Adventureland will have a Hawaiian-themed party hosted by Lilo and Stitch.
And Fantasyland will have an icy yet heartwarming themed party hosted by none other than Elsa.
As you can tell, the parties are well spaced throughout the park giving guests a chance to enjoy various Christmas and Holiday celebrations with our favorite Disney Characters.
Disney has also announced that Galaxy’s Edge, Critter County, and Toon Town will not be available for guests to enjoy during the event. This is a little bit of a bummer, as a Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Holiday themed event would have really been out of this world (pun intended).
Costumes
Disney strongly encourages guests of the event to come dressed in their favorite holiday attire. Like always there are rules and guidelines for the costumes that guests can wear. Disney also states that any guests who are found breaking the costume rules can be asked to leave or denied entrance into the event.
For full costume, requirements check out Disneyland’s requirements here.
Dates
Disney Merriest Nights are currently scheduled for only 5 nights at Disneyland.
The November dates are Thursday, the 11th, Tuesday the 16th, and Tuesday the 30th.
The December dates are Tuesday the 7th and Thursday the 9th.
That is it, just those 5 nights only.
Cost
Unlike Oogie Boogie Tickets, which vary in cost by date. The tickets are locked in at a fixed rate. The cost of the ticket is $165 per person, with the first night being $175 per person.
Now, this does seem like a lot, but there are a few things that are needed to be taken into consideration. The tickets get you into the park at 5 pm, allowing you to attend all of the themed parties, as well as holiday-themed attractions, and access to DisneyPhoto Pass.
When Do Tickets Go On Sale?
Tickets for this event go on sale on September 14, 2021. Disney did state that tickets would go on sale no earlier than 9 am PT.
Tickets can be purchased either online through Disneyland’s website, or with the Disneyland app.
Since this does seem to be such an exclusive event, tickets are probably going to sell out quickly. If you plan on attending this event, I recommend setting alarms and buying tickets.
Tickets for all special events that Disney does are always first come, first serve, non-transferable tickets.
What It Was Like [2021 update]
I was fortunate enough to get tickets to the new exclusive event! I waited within their virtual queue area for about an hour before I was able to shop and get tickets. Which honestly wasn’t that bad, but there are some stories that a lot of others had to wait a lot longer.
I attended the Merriest Night party that took place on November 30, 2021, and I had a blast!
If this was an event you weren’t able to go to in 2021, I highly recommend going to Disney Merreist Nights in 2022!
The next little bit I am going to go through everything that happened throughout the party night. To give as much information as possible, so you know what to expect for the event.
Getting Into The Party [2021]
The Merriest Nights Party allows you access to the parks 3 hours prior to the party starting. Which is fabulous if you don’t have a general admission ticket or park reservations for Disneyland. It is a good way to get there ahead of time.
However, the lines to get in for the event at that 3-hour mark before the event was insane! Some guests were waiting about an hour to get in!
Pro-Tip: If you have the means (time and money), then I would buy tickets and a park reservation for the park that the party is being held in. In this case, it’s Disneyland. That way you can avoid that lineup and not worry about being late or showing up on time.
How To Arrive To The Party [2021]
Arriving from Front Gates:
When you enter from the front gates, after your ticket is scanned, you will receive a bracelet or wristband with the name of the event and the date that you are attending.
This wristband is important as it will be checked often as the cast members clear out those without tickets.
Additionally, you will be given a holiday light necklace with a decal at the bottom with details of the event. The necklace does have a few different light settings for enjoyment.
Once you have your wristband and necklace you are free to enjoy the parks!
Arriving from Within Park:
If you already are in the parks for the day, then the check-in area is at the Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrow land. There you will show a cast member your ticket to get access. Once inside the Launch Bay, you are able to spend a few minutes getting any special Merriest Nights merchandise.
If you aren’t interested in purchasing any merchandise, then you can move along to the line, where they scan your ticket, give you the wristband, and then the lighted necklace.
The line moves pretty quickly, so be sure to have your tickets linked to your Disneyland App and ready to go. It makes the whole process a lot smoother and faster for everyone.
Attraction Wait Times [2021]
Almost all of the attractions are available to ride during the event. With no virtual queues or lightning lane access required.
Because there is a limited number of tickets that are sold for the event, this usually means that wait times are a lot shorter than they are during the day.
In fact, my best friend and I went on Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters 5 times in a row! We were able to just walk right on each and every time!
It was a very cool experience, especially when the cast members started to recognize us getting on the ride again! It truly was magical!
Photo Pass [2021]
One of the wonderful things that are included in the cost of admission to the event is the PhotoPass. Any and all photos that are taken by Disney Photographers will be available for you to download when you link the tickets.
To learn how to link PhotoPass photos to your Disneyland App, check out my blog on the Disneyland App here. I go into great detail on how to link tickets and other information that you will need for the app.
Now you might not think that having the PhotoPass included in the admission ticket cost is really worth it. But believe me, it is!
The PhotoPass allows you to get photos on any of the attraction ride photos you take for the night. As well as any photos you might take at the special photo areas during the event.
At each of the parties, there are special locations where you can take themed photos!
Pro Tip: When the PhotoPass unlocks after your event ticket has been scanned, it doesn’t just make the event photos available to you. It unlocks any PhotoPass photos that you have taken that day! This is a great way to save a few bucks and not double buy the PhotoPass! Keep this in mind if you are planning your trip on a budget!
Exclusive Shopping [2021]
The only place that exclusive Disney Merriest Nights merchandise was sold was in the Star Wars Launch Bay in Tomorrowland. This was also the area for event guests that were already in the parks to go and check in.
During the night of the event I went to, the special ornaments and stars sold out within 10 minutes of the shop opening up!
So if there is something particular that you are after, be sure to get there early. But know that this is the only area where you can get special merchandise for the event.
This means that if you aren’t ready to line up to enter the Launch Bay right when it opens for event guests, you could be missing out! Another reason to try and have admission tickets to the park the day of the event.
Special Event Menu [2021]
Like most Disney events, there is a special menu with food items that can only be purchased during the event.
Now, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, both already have special items added to a lot of the menus due to the Holiday season. I’m not talking about those items, I am talking about additional holiday specialty food items!
There were some things on the list that looked incredible. Well who am I kidding, everything on the menu sounded incredible! But because I stuffed my face with too many churros during the day, I was unable to try all of the new food items for the event.
There were specialty Churros, drinks, popcorn, and deserts. The items could be found throughout the different parties around the park. With each item being themed after the party they were at.
For example, one of the items was a Frozen Flurry beverage that could be purchased at Red Rose Tavern in Fantasyland, where Elsa was hosting the party.
You really could spend all night just eating all of the various treats that were available!
Wrapping It Up
Disney announced a brand new special ticketed event called Disney Merriest Nights. The event will only be available for 5 nights, tickets go on sale on September 14th.
Disney Merriest Nights will take place in Disneyland, stretched across Main St., Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Tomorrowland, and Fantasyland.
All of the favorite Disney characters will be hosting different themed holiday parties throughout the park, giving a lot of different things to see and do around the park.
The event is a limited capacity, so tickets will sell out fast! Mark the calendars and set the alarms so that you are able to hop on when tickets go on sale!
Tickets to the event allow you to enter the park 3 hours prior to the event starting, and also include any photos through Disney PhotoPass.
There are tons of tasty new treats to try during the event that you aren’t going to want to miss!
