Needless to say, 2020 at Walt Disney World hasn't exactly been the year that we all thought it would be. The resort spent several months closed and while it has since reopened, it's just not the same place right now. A number of the most popular events in the parks, like parades and fireworks, are canceled until further notice in order to prevent crowds from gathering. The same decision-making led to the official cancellation of the resort's traditional Halloween event, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, and now the same thing has happened for the winter holidays.
Walt Disney World has officially announced its plans for the holiday season at the resort, beginning November 6, and what's most interesting about the announcement is what's not included. Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, a hard ticket event that usually takes place on multiple nights throughout November and December, is not happening, and neither is Epcot's Candlelight Processional, which traditionally brings in celebrity guests to read the traditional story of Christmas.
While the canceling of these events are not entirely unexpected, it is certainly unfortunate. However, Walt Disney World will still be celebrating the holiday season in ways the resort calls "reimagined." This includes the cavalcades, which are like miniature parades where a few characters will come out and wave at guests, which will be given holiday theming, and also include appearances by Santa Claus and elves. The traditional Castle Dream Lights, which gives Cinderella's Castle a special holiday look will also be replaced by a rotating series of projection effects that will take over the castle in the evening.
One area where Walt Disney World will still be able to provide the same sort of holiday cheer it was always planning will be when it comes to the menu. Hollywood and Vine, which is a currently closed table service restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios, will reopen September 25 and then November 6 it will begin hosting a holiday-themed character dining experience hosted by Minnie Most that will include an appearance from Santa Goofy. November 27 will see the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays beginning, which means the return of several locations serving delicious food and drink to celebrate the season all over the world.
A lot of people probably made holiday plans at Walt Disney World months ago, perhaps even before any of this pandemic insanity hit. On the one hand, they haven't had trips canceled like so many others did, but at the same time, visiting Walt Disney World now just isn't the same thing. Of course, it will be less crowded, and maybe that's enough. Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more theme park-related updates.
