Credit: Lee, FlickrIt may only be May, but Universal Orlando Resort is already looking ahead to the holiday season. In fact, the resort has officially started searching for performers for one of its biggest seasonal entertainment offerings of the year, signaling that the battle for holiday crowds in Orlando is about to ramp up once again.
For years, Disney has largely dominated the conversation when it comes to Christmas events in Central Florida. Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom and Disney Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios have become major draws during the holiday season, with Disney leaning heavily into exclusive entertainment, themed performers, specialty food offerings, and after-hours experiences.
Now, Universal appears to be continuing its push to compete more aggressively in that same space.
According to a newly posted casting call, Universal Orlando Resort is currently seeking dancers, character performers, puppeteers, and even stilt walkers for Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s. The seasonal parade is scheduled to return from November 14, 2026, through January 3, 2027, alongside the return of Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure.
And honestly, the timing says a lot.
Universal Keeps Expanding Its Holiday Identity
There was a time when Universal Orlando’s holiday season felt much smaller than Disney’s. Disney had the castle lights, the giant Christmas trees, the holiday overlays, and years of nostalgia tied to its parties and entertainment lineup.
Universal’s holiday offerings existed, but they often felt secondary in the larger Orlando vacation conversation.
That has changed dramatically over the last several years.
Universal has steadily expanded its Christmas season into something much larger, especially with the addition of Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s. The parade combines giant balloons, floats, dancers, performers, and holiday characters from franchises like Despicable Me (2010) and Shrek (2001). The Wizarding World of Harry Potter also transforms during the season, complete with holiday decor and nighttime projection shows on Hogwarts Castle.
Grinchmas has also quietly become one of the most popular seasonal offerings in Orlando, especially for families with younger kids.
Now, with Epic Universe open and Universal Orlando expanding into a true multi-park destination resort, the company appears even more determined to make the holidays a major tourism season for the brand.
That is where the comparison to Disney becomes impossible to ignore.
Disney Has Turned Holiday Entertainment Into a Major Business
Disney figured out long ago that holiday entertainment is not just about decorations. It is about exclusive experiences that convince guests to spend more money during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party has become one of Disney World’s biggest seasonal events. Guests pay premium prices for shorter-capacity nights that include exclusive parades, fireworks, cookies, entertainment, and ride access.
Then Disney added Disney Jollywood Nights in 2023 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While the event had some early struggles during its first year, Disney kept refining it with more entertainment, better crowd flow, and expanded offerings. Now, the event has become another major part of Disney’s holiday lineup.
One of the biggest things Disney emphasizes during these events is live entertainment.
That includes dancers, singers, atmosphere performers, and highly themed character interactions spread throughout the parks. Seasonal entertainment has become one of the defining features of Disney’s holiday strategy.
And now Universal appears to be leaning even harder into that same approach.
The Performer Search Is Already Underway
Universal’s casting call makes it clear that the resort is preparing early for a large-scale production. The company is searching for multiple types of performers for the holiday season, including specialty talent like puppeteers and stilt walkers.
Submissions are due by May 18, and selected performers must be available for rehearsals beginning in mid-October. Actual performances will run all the way through early January.
That is a major operational commitment.
Holiday entertainment at this scale requires months of planning, rehearsals, costuming, choreography, technical preparation, and staffing. Universal is not treating the holidays like a small seasonal overlay anymore. It is becoming a centerpiece part of the resort calendar.
Disney fans will probably recognize this strategy immediately because Disney follows a very similar timeline for holiday entertainment preparation.
Disney also starts recruiting holiday performers surprisingly early each year, especially for parade units, stage shows, atmospheric entertainment, and party-exclusive offerings.
The Orlando theme park calendar has become incredibly competitive, and both companies know the holiday season is one of the most important stretches of the entire year.
Universal Is No Longer Just Competing on Rides
For a long time, Universal’s biggest selling point was obvious: thrill rides.
Guests visited for attractions like Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Revenge of the Mummy, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, and Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
Disney, meanwhile, often leaned more heavily into atmosphere, entertainment, nostalgia, and seasonal offerings.
But the gap between the two resorts has narrowed significantly.
Universal now understands that guests are looking for complete vacation experiences, not just roller coasters. That means expanding food festivals, nighttime entertainment, holiday celebrations, character offerings, and seasonal events.
The opening of Epic Universe only increases the importance of that strategy.
With four theme parks now operating at Universal Orlando Resort, the company needs guests staying longer, spending more nights onsite, and returning throughout the year for seasonal offerings.
Christmas is a huge part of that.
The Orlando Holiday Competition Is About To Intensify
The interesting thing is that Disney and Universal are no longer targeting completely different audiences during the holidays.
Years ago, Disney often attracted families seeking traditional Christmas experiences, while Universal appealed more toward teens and thrill-seekers.
That line has blurred.
Universal’s holiday offerings now include family-friendly entertainment, classic Christmas atmosphere, live shows, character experiences, and large-scale seasonal decor. The Macy’s parade especially feels designed to compete directly with the emotional holiday energy Disney has mastered for decades.
Meanwhile, Disney continues trying to modernize and expand its own offerings with events like Disney Jollywood Nights.
The result is that Orlando’s holiday season has become far more competitive than it used to be.
Guests planning November and December vacations are increasingly splitting time between both resorts rather than treating one as the obvious holiday destination.
And honestly, that competition is probably good for fans.
Both companies continue investing more heavily into entertainment, performers, decorations, and exclusive experiences because neither wants to lose ground during one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.
Universal searching for holiday performers in May may seem early to casual guests. But in reality, it shows just how serious the company has become about turning its holiday season into something that can stand toe-to-toe with Disney’s biggest Christmas offerings.
