DISNEYLAND UPDATE: Blocked Out, Rained On & What Comes Next

There’s something fitting about ending 2025 at Disneyland with rain in the air, holiday lights still glowing, and the resort in a brief pause before the next big push. Most Magic Key holders are blocked out until the new year, and with another storm expected later this week, guests who don’t mind a little weather may find some surprisingly manageable crowd conditions.

On the construction front, it’s quiet right now (by Disneyland standards), but that calm won’t last long. Once the holiday season wraps up, the resort will shift quickly into its next phase, with more walls, refurbishments, and long-range projects stepping forward.

For now, here’s what we saw this week as Disneyland heads into the final days of the year.

And The Rain Rain Rain Came Down Down Down

Last week brought a huge storm that caused the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day closures of Knott’s Berry Farm and Magic Mountain (both were open December 26), and while Disneyland did not close, park hours were shortened by one hour on the 24th.

Guests who braved the wet weather on Christmas Eve were rewarded with blissfully short wait times.

On Christmas Day, the rain stayed away… But Dusty didn’t. He used the services of Get Away Today (our ticket and travel partners) to buy tickets to Disneyland on a week that Magic Keys were blocked out… which made for a very different sort of visit. 

While the parks were busy in places, they felt like a different kind of crowd than we’re accustomed to. Most guests seemed to be using Lightning Lane and prioritizing the big rides, with smaller ones like the Tiki Room much less busy than normal. 

But the parks felt different than a normal Christmas in other ways as well. While Disneyland would be filled with extra holiday entertainment, like carolers and bell ringers, in previous Christmas weeks, the entertainment was the same cutback mix of holiday fare found throughout the season this year. Festive, but less than expected for a $307 one day ticket with park hopper. 

…And with so many non-passholder guests leaning on Lightning Lane, standby waits have ballooned.

Heads Up: There’s another storm expected to roll in at the end of this week, so be sure to check park websites so you can plan accordingly. If you don’t mind getting wet, it can also be a great opportunity to avoid the waits and enjoy some beautifully reflective views. 

Last Week of 2025

Even though most Disneyland Magic Keys are blocked out until after January 3rd (except Inspire Key, which is blocked out through December 31st), Disney still expects New Year’s Eve to be one of the busiest days of the year.

If you’re planning to ring in the new year in the parks, here are the park hours on December 31, 2025:

• Disneyland – 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
• California Adventure – 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. (early park entry 7:30-8 a.m.)

As always, park hopping begins at 11 a.m.

Disneyland’s special New Year’s Eve Fantasy in the Sky Fireworks Spectacular will have two performances at 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. (weather permitting). Yes, you read that correctly… fireworks at 9 p.m. (midnight on the East Coast) and at midnight Pacific time. We love this. There have been many years when it was too cold or too wet to stay until midnight, but you can still ring in the new year early… at the same time they do at Walt Disney World. 

No park ticket (or blocked out)? There are a few places around the resort where you can see the fireworks.  The rooftop pool deck at Pixar Place Hotel is a great spot, they even broadcast the music and dialogue from the show.  You can also watch from the Esplanade between the parks, and from a couple of spots in Downtown Disney. The open areas near Splitsville and the new Parkside Market stage can be fun spots to watch as well. 

NOTE: Magic Key holders who are blocked still have to pay to park in the structure, so keep that in mind if you’re considering watching fireworks from the esplanade or Pixar Place.

Also keep in mind that Santa has returned to the North Pole, so even though the resort is celebrating the holidays until Jan. 7th, the Santa meet-and-greets are closed for business. In years past, Santa Goofy would take over for the jolly old elf starting on Christmas Day, but that role was cut this year. Just one of the many cuts to the holiday roster in 2025. 

You will still be able to spot Santa in the daily Christmas Fantasy Parade.

Look Ahead: 2026 Event Guide

Hard to believe that we are at the end of 2025. And as sad as it is to see the holidays come to an end, there’s a lot planned for the Disneyland Resort in 2026. The first thing you’ll notice is the return of 70th-anniversary entertainment that took a break during Halloween and the holiday season.

January:

• Jan. 22, 25 & 27 – Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite
• Jan 8 – Wondrous Journeys returns (through August 9)
• Jan 9 – Celebrate Happy Cavalcade returns (through August 9)
• Jan. 16 – Disneyland Railroad tour returns

The next big festival returns in late January as the Disneyland Resort celebrates Lunar New Year and the Year of the Horse. 

• Jan. 23 – Lunar New Year (through February 22)
• Jan. 30 – Paint the Night parade returns (through August 9)

Popular Disneyland After Dark events pop up in February. 

February:

• Feb. 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 & 17 – Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite
• Feb. 20 & 21 and Feb. 27 & 28 – Celebrate Gospel in Downtown Disney

March:

An entirely new After Dark event celebrating seven decades of Disneyland will debut in March. With homages to A Bugs Land, Carousel of Progress, and attractions and characters of yesteryear. 

• March 3 & 5 – Disneyland After Dark: 70 Years of Favorites
• March 6 – Disney California Adventure Food and Wine Festival (through April 27)
• March 22 – Bluey’s Best Day Ever debuts in Fantasyland Theatre

April:

• April 12, 14 & 16 – Disneyland After Dark: Disney Channel Nite
• April 28 & 30 – Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite
• April 28 – Hyperspace Mountain returns

May:

• May 4 & 6 – Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nite
• May 22 – New Mandalorian and Grogu-themed mission on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

June:

• June 16 & 18 – Disneyland After Dark: Pride Nite
• June 19 – Disney On the Yard in Downtown Disney

July:

• July 2 – Soarin’ Across America overlay debuts

August:

• Aug. 9 – Last day of 70th-Anniversary celebration
• Aug. 13 – D23 Day
• Aug. 13-16 – Disney Junior Let’s Play Party in California Adventure/Downtown Disney

Get ready for two and a half months of Halloween…

• Aug. 18, 20, 23, 25, 27, 30 – Oogie Boogie Bash
• Aug. 21 – Halloween Time (through Oct. 31)
• Aug. 21 – Plaza de la Familia in California Adventure (through Nov. 2)

September:

• Sept. 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 13, 15, 17, 20, 22, 24, 27 & 29 – Oogie Boogie Bash

October:

• Oct. 1, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, 29 & 31 – Oogie Boogie Bash

November:

• Nov. 18 – Holidays at the Disneyland Resort (through Jan. 2027)

Check out our guide for a detailed spin around the 2026 calendar:

UPDATED! Disneyland 2026 Events Guide: What’s Coming, When to Visit & Key Dates to Know

Save The Date: MiceChat Gumball Rally 2026

Join us on February 7th for our own fun-filled day at Disneyland,  the 20th anniversary of the MiceChat Gumball Rally.

What is Gumball Rally, you ask? It’s a race to see how many attractions you can ride in a single day. Sound easy? It isn’t. But we’re told over and over again that it’s the most fun you can have in the theme parks.

For all the details (including how to buy tickets), check out our Gumball Rally guide:

Gumball Rally

Constructionland

The only major in-park construction project at the moment is the Avengers Campus expansion (we found Loki supervising).  

But nearby, the Hyperion Theater remains empty, even during the busy holiday season. It’s such a shame that Disneyland has given up on big stage productions. With major construction soon to close the Monster Inc ride nearby while a new Avatar land is built over the course of several years, the reopening of this theater would help provide some much-needed capacity to this struggling park. It’s not too late for Disney to mount a production here. If they don’t have the time or budget to create an entirely new production, the Disney cruise ships have some great shows which could be easily adapted to either the Hyperion and Fantasyland Theaters. In particular, the new Hercules show on the Disney Destiny and the Moana show for the Disney Treasure are fantastic and would be even better on a larger stage with a slightly higher budget. 

Disneyland Refurbishment Calendar 

As we wrap up 2025, the December refurbishment calendar remains clear, but get ready for a wave of attraction closures right after the new year, including the return of non-holiday Haunted Mansion, which we haven’t seen since August!

Upcoming Refurbishments

• Grizzly River Run: January 5 – TBA
• Incredicoaster: January 5 – February 5
• Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind: January 5 – 22
• Mark Twain Riverboat: January 12 – 15
• Lamplight Lounge: January 12 – 15
• Haunted Mansion (holiday overlay removal): January 12 – 22
• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: January 20 – TBA

• it’s a small world (holiday overlay removal): January 26 – TBA
• Sailing Ship Columbia: January 26 -29

This & That

There’s still a bit more. Let’s see what else is happening in Disneyland. 

Disneyland Live @ 5

3-2-1-Christmas! Join Dusty for a Christmas Day stroll through the parks. Dusty worked through the holidays this year to bring a little Christmas joy to all those who weren’t otherwise occupied by family obligations… and it was magical. 

Do you follow the MiceChat Facebook and YouTube pages? Be sure to like and subscribe for the first look at all of our content. 

Disneyland After Dark Ticket Tracker

As of Sunday night, there are still three dates available for Disneyland After Dark: Sweethearts’ Nite (January 22, January 27, and February 10). Tickets range from $159 per person to $185 per person, depending on the date.

Tickets are also still available for both dates of the all-new 70th-anniversary-themed Disneyland After Dark: 70 Years of Favorites (March 3 and March 5). Tickets are $159 per person for both dates.

Tickets for the other Disneyland After Dark after-hours parties (Pride Nite, Star Wars Nite, 90s Nite, and Disney Channel Nite) are not available for purchase yet.

Did You Know?

Each week, Dusty recaps all the news from the Monday Disneyland Update in a “Disneyland Minute” video. Be sure to subscribe to MiceChat’s YouTube channel and TikTok so you don’t miss it!

Here’s the video from last week:

🎄Step Inside Walt’s Storybook Mansion This Holiday Season🎄

Special Holiday History Tours are available on January 3 and January 10 at Walt Disney’s 1930s Hollywood Hills home — fully decorated for the season, including a towering 12-foot tree that sets the backdrop for a charming story from the Disney family’s own Christmas traditions. Your guide for this very special tour is our own Dusty Sage, who curates the mansion and shares incredible stories of the Golden Age of Disney. 

🔴 Reserve a Spot for Walt Disney Storybook Mansion Tours HERE 🔴

MiceShots

Let’s wrap up with some fun photos from our visit this week…

The Santa and Friends experience has wrapped up in Fantasyland… but we were still able to wander through the area on Christmas Day. Some construction will soon start to redress the theater for a Bluey meet and greet and dance party.  

There’s a little over a week left of the holiday celebration at the resort. But we may see some of the details start disappearing sooner. 

While escaping the rain, we spent some time with the gingerbread house in the lobby of the Grand Californian.  

The front features Scrooge MacDuck… and the back has Goofy as Marley…

But what’s really fun about this massive confection is trying to find the 25 hidden Mickeys. 

We also spotted a really fun tree in the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel Adventure Tower. It looks like something out of the Jungle Cruise.  

I just love the details on and around the Christmas tree at Disney California Adventure. 

Although Adventureland doesn’t really decorate for the season, they do have one very clever tree atop the Jungle Cruise queue. 

Decorated with bananas, coconuts, and fish bones, the tree evokes the sort of whimsy that we always appreciate.  

The Little Man of Disneyland is celebrating the holidays as well!

You can find his little home tucked away in the roots of a tree in a planter near the entry to Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Forbidden Eye. 

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Discount Disney Tickets and Travel

With Monsters, Inc. expected to close soon and Disney California Adventure already feeling a bit light on capacity, should the park prioritize reopening the Hyperion Theater to help make up for the loss?

And if the Hyperion returned… what kind of show would you actually want to see there? Share your thoughts in the comments. We’re genuinely curious what you’d put on that stage.

And what are you most looking forward to at Disneyland in 2026… or what would you most like to see them add (or fix)?

As we wrap up 2025, we also want to wish all of you a safe and happy New Year. Thank you for reading, commenting, sharing, and engaging with MiceChat throughout the year. Your support truly helps keep MiceChat online and independent, and we’re grateful for every like, share, and thoughtful conversation.

We’re looking forward to bringing you another year of Disney news, views, and reviews in 2026. Here’s to what comes next.