Jollywood Nights was famously lambasted at its inception. I attended for my own first time this year, and I can tell you without reservation that I ADORED it. Yes, I would love to tell you why!
Below is my overview of what Jollywood Nights is, followed by my experience when I attended to party. All of this is subject to my personal opinion. For the official word from Disney about everything you can expect at the event, click here.
WHAT IS JOLLYWOOD NIGHTS IN THEORY?
Jollywood Nights, a hard ticket Christmas party held inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios, might be best described as counter programming for the infinitely more famous and long-running Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party over at the Magic Kingdom. I have attended the latter party a couple times over the years, and of course it’s great! However, Mickey’s shindig is rather crowded. It’s also more family-oriented, which make perfect sense for the audience.
By contrast, Jollywood Nights – at least ostensibly – is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party’s more sophisticated, more adult-oriented cousin. Now, when I say adult-oriented, I do NOT mean it’s inappropriate for kids. All shows, events, and other aspects of Jollywood are safe for youngsters. Okay, Jollywood Nights does offer alcoholic drinks. Just don’t give the kids any. Problem solved.
What I do mean is that Jollywood Nights is themed to old Hollywood glamour, with a light overlay of Golden Age of Hollywood music and decor. Think jazz and swing music, Art Deco design, mid-century variety shows, and a red carpet dress code. Well, you can ignore the dress code and wear anything really. Plenty of people did. But dressing up is part of the fun! You’ll field tons of compliments if you do!
WHAT IS JOLLYWOOD NIGHTS IN PRACTICE?
Anyway, that was how the event was conceived and described when it was first introduced in 2023. Yet Disney quickly noticed that many Jollywood Nights guests were families who hadn’t been able to get tickets to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. This may have contributed to the tepid reviews at the beginning.
By consequence, Jollywood Nights is now a little less focused, with more offerings that appeal specifically to kids. While that does water down the theme just a bit, I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. More to do for some of us is ultimately more to do for all of us, you know? Cuts down on crowding.
Even with that said, I do think much of Jollywood Nights’ programming is rather more urbane than many kids would enjoy. That’s just me, though, a childless millennial. What do I know?
Here’s what I know:
ENTRY & MIX-IN PERIOD
While our party itself began at 7:30pm, Disney advertised that guests without park tickets or passes could enter as early as 5:30pm. Disney strictly adhered to this time; we arrived a bit early and were held in a line that didn’t begin moving until 5:30pm on the dot.
Once in, we were free to explore the Studios unfettered, as any normal guest might – subject, of course, to the lines and availability of the evening. We chose to take in a show and grab a couple non-party photo ops, but you could readily hop in line for a ride or something. Keep in mind, though, that attractions can take a while. You may want to prioritize starting the party on time. Or not. Up to you!
If I recall correctly, we were also able to look at the official party merchandise before the party started. Unfortunately I found most of it uninspiring, with the primary focus being on Ollie the gingerbread man. I would’ve been all over some Twilight Soiree merch or something similarly retro. Maybe next year?
Oh, disclaimer: different dates or years may have different operation times, so make sure you check with Disney to confirm all this when you go.
Once the party began, we jumped right in with
JOLLYWOOD NIGHTS EXCLUSIVE PHOTO OPS
One major perk of a Jollywood Nights ticket is the inclusion of PhotoPass for the entirety of the party. That’s right, all your party pictures are free! (Well, included in the price.) And that’s great, because photo opportunities are a billed attraction at Jollywood Nights.
Not just character meets either, although there are plenty of those. Disney has also set up all sorts of interesting photo spots, with bespoke backdrops and even props.
Do keep in mind that not all characters or even photo ops are available the entire night. Some pack it in early, so be sure to prioritize your favorites earlier in the evening.
TWILIGHT SOIREE AT THE TIP TOP CLUB
The Twilight Soiree at the Tip Top Club is, to me, the beating heart of Jollywood Nights. It encapsulates the conceit behind the party: it’s the late ’30s/early ’40s. You’ve got old Hollywood glam, big band jazz, the kind of Christmas carols Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald would sing you.
Disney does much to set the scene. Central to the Twilight Soiree is Rachel and the Alley Cats. Rachel is our singer, and she does a spectacular job replicating the song styles and minor choreography of the era. Joining her are a trio of jazz musicians, including a saxophonist, bassist, and drummer.
But wait, there’s more – more backstory, that is. Dressed in white tie, furs, top hat, and tails included, are “movie star” hoofers Chip and Cookie. These accomplished ballroom dancers are there, as Rachel says, “to dance for you and also dance with you.” They are both a form of entertainment and party hosts, engaging the audience and even sweeping them up in a ballroom step or two.
As if that weren’t enough, we discovered – wait for it, old school Studios fans – Streetmosphere between sets! While Rachel, Chip, Cookie, and the band take their break, a Hollywood Tower maid and “Bill Hop” bellhop emerge from the Tower of Terror lobby. In grand Streetmosphere tradition, they are hilarious and talented improv actors. Becky and I had an entire conversation with them about our imagined Hollywood Tower hotel stay that felt completely organic. If I were optimistic I would hope this was the beginning of a Streetmosphere return….?
WHAT’S THIS? THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS SING-ALONG
What’s This? is a The Nightmare Before Christmas sing-along show that takes place in the same theater as the Frozen sing-along, but it is a very different type of performance. I’m a big fan of Nightmare and its soundtrack in particular; otherwise, I went into this one blind. And I can tell you: it was NOT what I expected. I don’t know if I would call it better per se, but I walked away impressed.
While disappointed by the number of songs the show doesn’t cover, I understand the limitations of time when the original film is probably 60% sung. We might as well watch the whole movie if we ran through every number front to back. I’ll allow it, even if we did pass over some of my favorites.
I’m especially inclined to roll with it when the performance itself is so artistically ambitious. You may have already heard about the giant Jack Skellington puppet. Yes, he is extremely nifty.
I found the unique staging held the show’s charm. Rather than a retelling of the Nightmare story, the framework is that of a sort of holiday fever dream, with two actors experiencing surreal encounters with Tim Burton’s characters in total pantomime. They never said a word, communicating all of their emotions through physicality, expression, and the clever use of props. It might be a bit esoteric for kids? But I didn’t have any with me and didn’t ask anyone else’s.
Then again, I myself am a large kid and I LOVED it. Next Jollywood Nights I’d be down to hit the 12:30am showing that fires up just as the party itself ends, assuming that’s still the schedule. I bet the energy is killer.
FIESTA EN LA CALLE
Although I understand it has had other placements in the past, Fiesta en la Calle was located in the courtyard in front of the entrance to Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. We happened to swing by later in the night, and we found it to be fairly quiet.
This was the fault of the locale, not the performers. Since there’s no through traffic, the Fiesta was primarily attended by those heading to or from a ride on RnRC or one of two character meet and greets. That’s not nobody, but it was not as large an audience as the performers deserved.
And deserve an audience they did, as the dancers and musicians here were bringing it. When we first arrived, a band was cranking out rhythms while several pairs of dedicated Latin dancers tore it up, sometimes with each other and sometimes with the small group of party guests that had gathered. The dancers were immediately followed by a Latin music ensemble, so there was no downtime between sets.
Perhaps next year Disney can move them to a more central location? Maybe a larger share of characters could set up in the RnRC spot; people would still come by for that.
HOLIDAYS IN HOLLYWOOD
Holidays in Hollywood is a show that takes place in the amphitheater that normally houses the Beauty and the Beast musical. It’s something of a traditional Christmas variety show. You’ve got a couple princesses, a jazz octet, a bunch of dancers, and some singing emcees. But who cares? What matters is that KERMIT THE FROG and MISS PIGGY host the interstitials.
And boy do they deliver. No matter how talented the performers, these Muppet interludes are the highlight of the show – because of course they are. My primary complaint is that there should be more of them. More Muppet characters, you ask, or more time? Yes.
My one note would be that I’m not sure how any of this would play with kids. Once again, I neither brought any nor interviewed any. There’s nothing inherently adult about the show in the sense that everything is rated pretty G. Still, it gives me more grown up vibes as far as content is concerned. I’m just not sure kids get jokes about merch opportunities followed by a lento ballad from Belle, you know? But what do I know about what kids like.
JOLLYWOOD NIGHTS FEATURES I MISSED
It would be borderline impossible to do everything at Jollywood Nights. We certainly didn’t. For starters, we didn’t ride a single ride. All your major headliners were open and basically walk-ons, including Rise of the Resistance and the Tower of Terror itself. By our way of thinking, though, why waste time on regular experiences you could have on a regular park day?
Jollywood Nights has a stacked list of rare and/or holiday-specific character meet and greets, but the lines tended to be pretty long so we skipped most of them. Our sole exception was Bing Bong at Becky’s behest. Fun fact: we saw Richard Kind himself in our resort lounge the very next day!
Glisten is an ice skating performance newer to the Jollywood lineup. We wandered past as it happened and saw a minute or two without catching the entirety. The skaters were very talented, but nothing about it compelled us to stop and watch more. I don’t think there was a plot or anything.
An official Pixar Disco dance party as well as a pop-up dance party with Goofy near… I want to say Echo Lake rounded out the lineup. As non-dance party people we merely observed as we walked by.
I didn’t feel particularly compelled to spend time on the Jingle Bell Jingle BAM fireworks and projection show. Becky didn’t consider it anything to write home about, and I trust her judgment. We happened to walk past the Chinese Theater during a showing and it looked perfectly fine. Instead we used the fireworks lull in crowds to get our Bing Bong picture while the line was reasonable.
Finally, while I did not miss food and drink specific to the party, I’ll be tackling them in an separate post. Yup, that includes Jazzy Holidays at the Brown Derby. Keep an eye out!
IS JOLLYWOOD NIGHTS WORTH IT?
We stayed until the very end of the party, receiving our “free” (read: included) holiday tree ornament as we exited the park. I felt just as you ideally should feel after a Disney hard ticket event: satisfied, but not sated. With another hour or two I could’ve really knocked everything out. As it was, I felt good about the value of the night.
Before I shout GO!!! in your ear, though, I do want to provide some context. I am a Turner Classic Movies girl and a lowkey retro enthusiast. Some of my favorite moments of the night were centered around offerings with less kid appeal. Could you describe Jollywood Nights as family-friendly? I guess. Family-FINE, definitely. No reason why you can’t bring your family. There’s no nudity, no swearing, nothing like that.
But if you’re thinking of bringing kids, consider what those kids are into. Do they like jazzy carols? How about the Muppets if their quick sections are in between, uh, more jazz? Do they love Danny Elfman and Tim Burton so much they’re willing to ride with mimes? Would they be excited to meet a bunch of characters, or ride a lot of rides with no lines, or try a bunch of holiday food booths? Enough to make the additional cost of the ticket worth it?
Heck, forget kids. Would YOU like any of those things?
As is so often the case, the true value of Jollywood Nights is subjective. But I do think that value is there for those who enjoy the sorts of things it offers. There’s no shame in preferring Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas party, which is a much more straightforward approach to Disney holiday cheer. Jollywood Nights doesn’t even have free cookies!
Still, what it does have, I really, really liked. I hope I get to go again in Christmases future!
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