Credit: DisneyThe Christmas season at Walt Disney World is a magical time, featuring beautiful decorations, special entertainment, and themed food offerings. Main Street, U.S.A., in Magic Kingdom becomes a winter wonderland with lights and a grand Christmas tree. EPCOT hosts the Festival of the Holidays, showcasing global traditions and the Candlelight Processional. Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom also add festive touches, creating a resort-wide celebration.
As the calendar moves beyond Christmas, Walt Disney World begins transitioning back to normal operations, removing holiday decorations and ending special entertainment. Officially wrapping up the Christmas season as 2026 begins brings sadness for guests who cherish the festive atmosphere, as beloved decorations are taken down and seasonal food and character appearances disappear until next year.
The Christmas season is winding down, with Disney World preparing to remove its holiday decorations in about a week. Main Street, U.S.A., will return to its regular look, while EPCOT will shift to the International Festival of the Arts starting January 16. Disney typically keeps some Christmas decorations up through Marathon Weekend to enhance the festive atmosphere for runDisney participants, but all holiday theming will be removed afterward.
Santa’s Departure From Disney World
With the season ending, Santa has officially returned to the North Pole after spending the Christmas season meeting guests throughout Walt Disney World. Santa’s presence at the parks represents a major draw during the holidays as families queue for photos with the jolly figure whose appearance at Disney World adds authentic Christmas magic that children particularly treasure.
Meeting Santa at Disney creates a special memory that combines the wonder of believing in Santa with the magic of Disney, resulting in a powerful experience that families cherish for years.
After Christmas Day concluded, Santa Stitch and Santa Goofy took over Santa duties, allowing the traditional Santa Claus to return home. At the same time, these beloved Disney characters donned Santa outfits to continue providing holiday character meet-and-greets for guests still celebrating at the parks during the period between Christmas and New Year’s.
Santa Stitch appeared at Magic Kingdom, while Santa Goofy rotated through the other three parks, ensuring all Disney World guests had the opportunity to meet a Santa character regardless of which park they visited.
Santa Stitch and Santa Goofy performed admirably in their temporary Santa roles, bringing their own unique personalities to the position while maintaining the Christmas spirit for guests whose vacations extended beyond Christmas Day itself.
However, their time as Santa stand-ins has now concluded, as the holiday season officially ended with the arrival of 2026. These characters have returned to their normal appearance schedules without the special Santa costumes that defined their recent meet-and-greet offerings.
The Physical Changes
The My Disney Experience app no longer lists meet-and-greets with Santa Goofy, Santa Stitch, or any other Santa character at the parks, confirming that these holiday-specific character appearances have officially ended for the season. This represents a definitive signal that Christmas has concluded from an operational perspective, as Disney updates its systems to reflect current rather than holiday programming.
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the sign for Walt Disney Presents no longer advertises “Meet Friends for the Holidays.” This means the Santa Claus meet-and-greet inside the venue has closed. The location still shows holiday shorts and has Christmas movie displays for now, but the area where Santa met families is no longer open.
The Taylor Swift costume display will remain on display until later this month, allowing guests to view the elaborate costumes from her Eras Tour.
The marquee at Walt Disney Presents displayed “Meet Friends for the Holidays” messaging for several weeks during the Christmas season, directing guests to the Santa meet-and-greet opportunity inside. Now that the verbiage has disappeared from the sign, it has been replaced with messaging reflecting current rather than holiday offerings. This visible change serves as a public acknowledgment that the holiday season has come to a close and the venue has transitioned into its next phase of operation.
The Decoration Removal Timeline for Walt Disney World
Christmas decorations will be removed throughout Walt Disney World over the next several days and weeks as crews systematically dismantle the elaborate holiday displays that transformed the parks. This process occurs gradually, rather than all at once, with some decorations disappearing quickly while others remain in place for a slightly longer period before being removed.
EPCOT’s transition happens in conjunction with the Festival of the Holidays ending and the Festival of the Arts beginning January 16. The holiday kitchens, decorations specific to Christmas celebrations, and seasonal theming will be replaced by art-focused displays, artist booths, and festival elements that define the International Festival of the Arts experience.
Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom will similarly undergo a gradual removal of decorations, with the timeline dependent on operational priorities and crew availability to handle the substantial work required to dismantle and properly store all the seasonal elements.
Looking Ahead at Walt Disney World
After the Christmas season ends, guests often feel sad about leaving the holiday spirit at Disney World. However, the resort quickly transitions to new seasonal celebrations and events that provide visitors with fresh reasons to return. The EPCOT International Festival of the Arts starts on January 16. This festival features tasty food, art displays, live performances, and unique experiences, attracting guests who want a different celebration than Christmas.
runDisney Marathon Weekend, January 7-11, brings thousands of runners and their supporters to the resort for races through the parks and post-race celebrations. Valentine’s Day approaches in February with romantic dining opportunities and special merchandise. Spring eventually arrives with the Flower & Garden Festival, transforming EPCOT into a botanical showcase.
Santa Claus has officially left Walt Disney World for the season and won’t return until next holiday season, when Christmas celebrations resume later in 2026. However, the magic continues year-round through constantly evolving seasonal events and festivals, ensuring there’s always something special happening at the Most Magical Place on Earth.