It’s Christmastime in Tinseltown, where Universal Studios Hollywood is blending a bit of Hogwarts magic with Grinchy mischief to create a holiday experience like no other. This year’s celebration brings back beloved traditions with a few surprises to keep things fresh. We joined the festivities on opening day, November 29th, and found ourselves enchanted, amused, and ready for more. Christmastime at Universal Studios Hollywood runs through January 6th, 2025—so there’s plenty of time to revel in the holiday cheer.
Get ready for a yuletide adventure filled with wizards, Whos, and a dash of Super Nintendo too.
The park features two distinct Christmas celebrations: the refined elegance of Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the zany, heartwarming fun of Grinchmas in the Central Plaza. Whether you’re sipping Butterbeer under the sparkling lights of Hogsmeade or laughing at the Grinch’s antics, there’s something here for everyone. While Super Nintendo World joins the festivities this year, Mario and friends are keeping it simple with a few understated nods to the season.
We’ll also explore the festive food, dazzling decorations, and exclusive holiday merchandise that make Universal Studios Hollywood a must-visit destination this holiday season.
Universal Studios Hollywood Christmas in Hogsmeade
There’s Christmas magic in Hogsmeade — the wizarding kind. The village is decked out in its holiday finest.
The various garland are themed to the individual shops.
The true magic happens in the evening, just as the sun goes down. Snow falls on Hogwarts castle and soon, a spell is cast– a Christmas spell!
The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle projection show delights and enchants guests with the wizardry of Harry Potter and the sentimentality of Christmases past.
The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle is a delightfully whimsical projection show that utilizes the castle itself in all kinds of fun and clever ways.
Through the magic of projection mapping, the castle appears to change shape, opening up for ballroom dancing, a flying car, and even turns into a firecracker show, courtesy of Weasleys’ Wizarding Wheezes.
This all culminates in a wonderful classic-meets-wizardry feel-good finale.
The castle projection show is well worth your time… but space is limited. If you find the area full, note the schedule, the show happens multiple times every night. Note that the stage across from the castle makes a wonderful viewing location… get your head ABOVE the crowd!
And our video of the show:
And speaking of that stage across from Hogwarts Castle, that’s where you can watch the charming holiday Frog Choir. Whether you watch the whole thing or just catch a few minutes, it truly does add a bit of holiday magic.
And what’s a stop in Hogsmeade without a Butterbeer?
How about three Butterbeers? The Three Broomsticks and Hogshead offers hot Butterbeer for the chilly season, along with the usual cold, frozen, and ice cream Butter Beer at Honeydukes. We’re always a fan of Butterbeer, no matter how it’s served to us!
Do you have a Butterbeer favorite?
Universal Studios Hollywood Grinchmas
The Whos down in Whoville take over the central plaza and fill it with their wacky brand of Christmas cheer. At the center, of course, is the Grinch! The plaza has loads of decorations and even props from the film.
This is the place to meet the Grinch himself, who will most certainly proceed to tease you and make the holiday all about himself… to the delight of theme park tourists.
Currently, there’s a passholder-only meet and greet on the Lower Lot above the Jurassic World shop as well (so, if you have a pass, check for dates and times). Meeting the Grinch was nothing short of pure holiday drama:
After he was done showboating, the Grinch grabbed us and we took this great photo. Going into the scrapbook for sure.
Keep an eye on the schedule. There are several little shows that happen in the central plaza throughout the day.
We spotted Story Time with Cindy-Lou Who.
And there’s the Who-Bee-Doo-Whops singing mid-century holiday classics.
In between the shows, the characters walk around and interact with guests.
You can even meet the Grinch’s absolutely adorable dog, Max.
A tree lot is filled with handmade paper ornaments decorated by guests. Check out the table to make your own.
Arguably, the area looks best when it’s lit up at night, but with short park hours, you may wish to priortize the attractions during the day and then enjoy the holiday lights and shows at night.
Speaking of, there’s a Wholiday Tree Lighting ceremony and “wintery snowfall.” Times are posted on a board as you enter the plaza. Curiously, only the tree lighting was posted in the app.
The show features Cindy-Lou, the Mayor and his wife, and… of course… the Grinch! But will they be able to successfully light the tree?
This is a cute musical show that tells an abbreviated story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas in just a few minutes, followed by the tree lighting and snowfall!
That’s right, he stole Christmas! Took it all the way to Mt. Crumpit to dump it!
Yet, he realized that Christmas isn’t about the gifts…
The Grinch’s heart grew 3 sizes that day…
And after a bit of a mishap, the tree is eventually lit and the snow falls…
Uni Studios Holiday Video
MiceChat’s Trevor in the Park visited in 2019 and we wanted to share this with you again as he did such a great job showing off all the fun character interaction. The event is largely the same in 2024.
Universal Studios Hollywood Christmas 2024 Decor
Throughout the park you’ll find all sorts of clever decorations… but mostly on the upper lot. Universal made special mention of Super Nintendo World joining the Christmas celebration this year, though it wasn’t heavily decorated. The entrance to the land received the most extensive additions.
Inside the land, the holiday decor is minimal, with some garland around Peach’s castle and a small tree.
Does the King of the Koopas not celebrate any winter holiday? Hopefully, we’ll see more decor around the land in the future, especially items that more closely match the sculpted aesthetic of Super Nintendo World.
The rest of the Lower Lot is also bringing Christmas cheer, including this beautiful tropical-styled tree next to the tiki bar.
Nothing says “winter holiday” like a ride on Jurassic World. Really! The ride is currently in “Winter Mode,” which means the splashes have been minimized.
The Upper Lot has received majority of the decorations for the holidays.
The characters above the New York sets were out wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. They were just making their naughty and nice list when we wandered by.
The bagel stand below is even dressed up with a quintessential New York deli tree, complete with a pigeon in a hat and scarf.
Nearby, Donkey is looking quite festive in his reindeer attire.
Heading towards the Illumination corner of the Upper Lot is quite jubilant.
You’re missing out if you haven’t ridden the Secret Life of Pets ride. It’s so cute and filled with adorable animatronics.
If you make your way into the Despicable Me attraction, the queue is in the holiday spirit.
Super Silly Fun Land lives up to its name…
We love the Minion tree with all the yellow pranksters crawling out of it.
And this one triumphantly stuck to the top.
The park is absolutely magical in the evening when all the lights twinkle to life.
CityWalk is also well-dressed for the season.
Even Kong is celebrating!
Universal Studios Hollywood Christmas Merchandise
Shopping is a Christmas tradition and Universal has really stepped up the merchandise to choose from, including Grinch, Harry Potter, Minions, Nintendo, Hello Kitty, and many of the park franchises.
If green is your color, the Grinch has you covered.
For the Potter fans, there’s an eclectic mix of Christmas items.
While much of this can be purchased inside of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, if you wander into the shop near the front of the park it snows inside. A window display even had constant snowfall. It was quite magical when we happened upon this shopping surprise. We sure do wish they were also doing inside of Hogsmeade…
The theme seems to be snowman Mario for the Nintendo holiday merch.
It’s that time of the year for the Minons, who even have a cute popcorn bucket.
Finally, Hello Kitty has an extensive collection of holiday items, including several adorable bags.
Universal Studios Hollywood Christmas Food
One of our favorite parts of the holidays is the food, especially the sweets. Here are some festive food options you can find throughout the park:
Who-Bilicious Treats
There are some delicious treats this year. The snack cart near the whimsical Who-tree is serving Who Pudding, Whoville Presents Cookies, Cocoa Cookie, giant Grinch Donut, 2 Sizes Too Small Cupcake, Who-bilicious Cinnamon Roll, Heart Grew 3 Sizes Sugar Cookie, and The Grinch Heart Lemonade.
We tried the Snowflake Gingerbread Cookie:
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
It’s a British Christmas in Hogsmead with the hearty English Holiday Meal at the Three Broomsticks, Pumpkin Pasty at Honeydukes, and Hot, Cold, or Frozen Butterbeer at a variety of places (we suggest the Hogshead tavern).
Three Broomsticks is serving an incredible English Holiday Dinner, complete with roasted turkey breast, turkey gravy, stuffing, honey glazed carrots, roasted Brussel sprouts, bacon wrapped sausage and cranberry glaze. Not only is it a lot of food, it’s delicious!
Toadstool Cafe
Super Nintendo World joins the fun this year. You can find new holiday treats at the Toadstool Cafe… though they didn’t have any of the holiday items on the day we visited. We’ll have photos for you soon.
And throughout the park you’ll find: Butternut Squash Soup, Clam Chowder in Bread Bowl, Turkey Quesadilla, Smoked Brisket Sandwich, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Spiral Croissant, Pumpkin Spice Spiral Croissant, Sleigh Bells Irish Sour, Rudolph’s Red RitaHot Apple Toddy, Hot Espresso Martini, Make it Snappy Santa, and Mrs. Claus’ Cinnamon Delight.
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Let’s Hear From You
The holidays at Universal Studios Hollywood will run November 29th through January 6th this year. And don’t miss CityWalk’s celebration as well. CityWalk has a 40-foot-tall Christmas tree with dazzling lights. We always enjoy Universal Hollywood’s whimsical take on the holidays. Are you ready for a Who-tacular celebration and an extra enchanted Hogsmeade? Let us know in the comment below.
More Universal Studios Hollywood News
It’s not just the holidays that Universal is celebrating… we have all the info on how the park is marking Hello Kitty’s 50th anniversary and the successful release of Wicked with new merchandise and special food inside the park and in CityWalk:
Universal Hollywood is Feeling Wicked with Special Food, Merch & More!
Looking For More Theme Park Holiday Fun?
We have a special landing page with all sorts of theme park holiday goodness: