The Happiest Place on Earth gets merrier once again as Holidays at the Disneyland Resort returns from Nov. 10, 2017-Jan. 7, 2018. From a 60-foot-tall Christmas tree on Main Street, U.S.A., to more than 400,000 lights adding sparkle to “it’s a small world” Holiday, the Disneyland Resort offers dozens of returning traditions and new experiences. Here are 12 “must-dos” to begin your holiday adventure.

For the 59 days of Holidays, Disneyland Resort gave to me:

• 12 toy soldiers: “A Christmas Fantasy” Parade in Disneyland Park features a daily procession complete with tin soldiers, roller-blading snowflakes, floats and holiday cheer. Mickey, Minnie, Disney Princesses and Santa Claus are just a few of the merry makers who share the joy of the holidays in this merry Disneyland tradition.
• 11 festive food offerings: With an abundance of seasonal flavors, resort guests will want to try these 11 and more: roasted turkey slider with cranberry sauce, macaroni & cheese with cornbread crumbles, gingerbread crispy treats, beef corn tamale a la plancha with spicy rojo sauce, braised pork belly adobo, peppermint marshmallow wands, beef brisket & brown sugar glazed carrots, peppermint bark, snowman cake pops, caramel apples and horchata fudge.
• 10-foot-wide snowflake: Dazzling decorations dress up “it’s a small world” Holiday with spectacular icicles, a snowman, a giant snowflake and dolls depicting children of the world dressed in seasonal costumes. For the first time, guests will enjoy FastPass on this festive, yuletide version of the classic Disneyland attraction.
• 9 special performances at Festival of Holidays: Guests will be immersed in the universal language of music and dance with exciting performances at Festival of Holidays, in Disney California Adventure Park: “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” street party, the Disney ¡Viva Navidad! bands, Mariachi Divas, Princess Elena’s Musical Grand Arrival, Holiday Toy Drummers, Blue13 Dance Company and the music of Mostly Kosher, The Sound and Phat Cat Swinger.
• 8 Christmas-themed challenges: Mischievous elves invite younger guests to play some interactive games at Santa’s Holiday Visit at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Guests will complete puzzles, cross a jingle bridge and more on a journey to visit Santa Claus in Disney California Adventure.
• 7-foot-tall Oogie Boogie: In Disneyland, Christmas and Halloween collide at Haunted Mansion Holiday. This year, Haunted Mansion Holiday marks the 17th season of its traditional gingerbread house with a giant, 7-foot-tall gingerbread Oogie Boogie; he’s caught feasting on an infestation of gingerbread bugs.
• 6 laser projectors: Half a dozen laser projectors combine with nearly 20 high-definition projectors in “World of Color – Season of Light” to illuminate Paradise Bay at Disney California Adventure. This sparkling winter fantasy blends classic holiday songs with memorable moments from treasured Disney and Disney•Pixar animated films.
• 5 diverse cultural celebrations: Festival of Holidays brings Christmas/Navidad, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Diwali and Three Kings Day to Disney California Adventure with 12 marketplace kiosks in the Festive Foods Marketplace. Guests will get into the holiday spirit and discover delicious foods inspired by different cuisines and traditions.
• 4 Dapper Dans: This iconic Disneyland quartet sings a scintillating selection of a capella holiday tunes as they play the chimes, tap dance and regale audiences with vaudeville humor on Main Street, U.S.A.
• 3 feathered friends: Donald Duck, Panchito from Mexico and José Carioca from Brazil host the “Disney ¡Viva Navidad!” street party at Disney California. Guests who want to get up and dance to the infectious sound of Mariachi and Samba musicians will come alongside 12-foot-tall mojiganga puppets and authentic folklórico dancers.
• 2 new Cars Land experiences: The magic is put into overdrive as two attractions transform for the first time this holiday season, adding to the car-themed décor throughout Cars Land. Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters becomes Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree becomes Mater’s Jingle Jamboree.
• 1 more spectacular sight: Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle is illuminated each night with 50,000 twinkling LED lights and the “Believe…in Holiday Magic” fireworks spectacular. It all culminates with the grandest of grand finales as “snow” falls lightly over the three viewing locations: in front of “it’s a small world” Holiday, portions of Main Street, U.S.A., and near the Rivers of America.

For many guests at the Disneyland Resort, a visit during the holidays means a must-do voyage through the heartwarming “it’s a small world” Holiday. Now in its 21st season, “it’s a small world” Holiday is transformed from the classic attraction into one that depicts children of the world dressed in seasonal costumes and happily singing a mix of holiday songs, along with the “it’s a small world” theme. The story of the attraction changes from a charming party with dolls, toys and decorations representing children of many nations, all joining in a song of unity, to the winter wonderland of “it’s a small world” Holiday. As a special treat this holiday season, FastPass will be available for this attraction.

Fun Facts:

• Jolly decorators use 50,000 lights on the façade of “it’s a small world” Holiday, and an additional 350,000 mini-lights in the trees, hedges and animal topiaries surrounding the attraction in whimsical Fantasyland. Thousands of additional lights decorate the shops and food kiosks around the attraction, bringing the total to more than 400,000 lights adding sparkle and wintry ambiance to the plaza area around “it’s a small ”
• The warm holiday atmosphere of the plaza area is further enhanced with colorful garland, festive poinsettias and beautiful, international holiday
• After dark, the smiling clock at the front of “it’s a small world,” decked out in a Santa hat, reveals a sparkling projection On every quarter hour, the brightly light façade of the attraction is transformed into an enormous clockwork mechanism with advanced 3D- projectiontechnology. The gears and springs pull back to reveal a world of holiday wonders hidden behind the whimsical clock.
• Guests on “The Merriest Attraction on Earth” sail through 10 scenes inspired by places around the world, such as Europe, Asia and Africa, each representing unique cultural holiday traditions celebrated in these
• Among the holiday special effects inside the attraction are scents of fresh pine from a glistening winter forest and peppermint from tantalizing candy canes in the European In the South Seas scene, hundreds of iridescent bubbles float through the air.

• Nearly 150 giant candles decorate the Christmas Tree in the European Once a common tradition in Western European countries, the lighting of candles has inspired the string lights seen on modern Christmas trees today.
• The attractions’ finale features a 14-foot snowman made of glimmering crystal snowflakes that shine with thousands of luminous The snowman stands atop a 10-foot-wide snowflake and holds a beautiful “icicle” sign that spells out “Happy Holidays” in colors that change as guests drift along. The snowman joined this festive attraction in 2011, bringing an extra sprinkle of holiday pixie dust with him.
• The iconic music of “it’s a small world,” written by the legendary Sherman Brothers, is one of the attraction’s signature elements throughout the regular During “it’s a small world” Holiday, guests may still hear this classic tune weaved in between the joyous caroling of holiday favorites “Jingle Bells” and “Deck the Halls.”
• Many languages of the world can be heard serenading guests, with cheerful tunes in English, French, Italian, Spanish and Scandinavian Festive signs and banners throughout the attraction spread holiday greetings in such dialects as French Canadian, Dutch, Asante and Hawaiian.
• The Disneyland Resort has its own team of holiday “elves” who help create the magic of “it’s a small world” Holiday each It takes a talented and dedicated team of nearly three dozen cast members 35 days to install the glittering façade, and nearly 18 days to decorate the holiday attraction’s dazzling interior.
• Throughout the regular year, 100 percent of the holiday props and scenic elements are actually stored inside the A merry reminder: Do not open until the holiday season begins!