Holidays at Universal Orlando

From Christmas at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter to Grinchmas, this guide to the Holidays at Universal Orlando will help you plan your Christmas trip to Universal.

Christmas at Universal Orlando is a special time of year to visit the parks. With holiday themed shows, treats and activities, Christmas at Universal is one of the best times to visit.

There is a such a special feeling when you walk through the theme parks lit up with holiday lights and festivities. I remember our first Universal parade and when the snow started to fall at the end of the show we were all smiling from ear to ear. We are used to snow but “snow” falling in Florida hits differently.

Throughout the parks you will find holiday décor and special events to enjoy together. They feature some of your favorite Universal Orlando characters, as well as special holiday themed shows and treats at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Holidays at Universal Orlando Resort

The Holidays are celebrated at the theme parks and the hotels across the Universal Orlando Resort. A few of my favorite can’t miss things are:

• Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal Studios Florida
• Christmas at Hogwarts at Universal Islands of Adventure
• Grinchmas at Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure

There are also specialty treats available at the theme parks, resorts, and CityWalk.

2025 Dates for Universal Holidays

Holidays at Universal will run from November 21st-December 31st 2025.

Cost of Holidays at Universal

Universal Holidays are included with your park admission with a few add on experiences. The cost will depend on date of visit and starts around $109.00 a day for a one park/one day ticket.

Dining with The Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast or booking the Universal Holiday Tour will be an extra cost in addition to your ticket.

Overview of Things to Do

• Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s (Universal Studios)
• Grinchmas (Universal’s Islands of Adventure)
• Grinch Who-liday Spectacular: The story of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Islands of Adventure)
• Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle (Projection show at Islands of Adventure)
• Holiday Tribute Store: Holiday themed rooms and gift shop. (Universal Studios)
• Holiday Tree Hunt (Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Universal’s CityWalk)
• Mannheim Steamroller Performances (Universal Studios)
• Festive Décor throughout the park and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
• Mistletoe Pines Village -Treat and Merchandise area in CityWalk. The roasted nuts were delicious!
• Meet Earl the Squirrel. The Official Mascot of Holidays at Universal.
• Celestial Park at Epic Universe will be decorated for the holidays as well as a seasonal themed fountain show.

Universal Studios has added holiday touches all through the park. The streets are lined with lights and wreaths, the parade is a must see, and the gigantic Christmas tree offers a great place to take a holiday family photo.

It is important to note that the parade and holiday areas are typically the most crowded. Attractions will have lower wait times during the parade.

Harry Potter World at Christmas

Harry Potter Christmas is celebrated in Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. No information as of yet on Epic Universe for the Holidays.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade receive the holiday treatment with the lands decorated for the season.

At Universal Studios, London and Diagon Alley are decorated for the season. You can enjoy a hot Butterbeer while enjoying a seasonal show from Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees.

At Islands of Adventure enjoy Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter with a seasonal Frog Choir show and decorations throughout. At dusk the Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts will be shown nightly on the castle until park close.

Epic Universe will be joining in on the Holiday spirit with decor and seasonal touches throughout The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Ministry of Magic.

Grinchmas at Universal

Seuss Landing is one of my favorite areas at Islands of Adventure. It is themed to Dr. Seuss and it is wonderful to visit any time of the year, but the holidays are really special.

Seuss Landing is transformed into Who-Ville! The lights are bright and festive and everyone is wishing you a Merry Christmas. I highly suggest visiting during the day and at night.

If you can only do it once try to visit at night. You will find it much busier with crowds, but it is glowing with lights and makes it feel like Christmas.

All the Grinchmas activities and shows are located at Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure. The Grinch and The Who’s will be walking around entertaining guests and providing opportunities for photo ops.

Holidays at Universal is the only time of year to meet the “live-action” Grinch. This meet and greet has crazy long line that saw 5 hours when it first debut. Be sure to prioritize this if it is something you plan to do.

Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular gets incredibly busy as well. I suggest arriving at least 20 minutes before the show to get a seat.

We saw the first show of the day and I was happy we did because it only got busier. The show is worth it with songs and an outstanding Grinch who made us laugh and have so much fun.

Admission to Grinch Who-liday Spectacular is included with your daily admission.

Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s

The Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s is back for the 2025 season. On our first visit to Universal Studios for the holidays I was really looking forward to the Macy’s Balloon parade.

The Universal Studios Holiday parade features Macy’s themed larger-than-life balloons just like the Thanksgiving parade. We have never seen the NYC parade, other than on TV, so this was a special treat.

You can see your favorite characters as giant holiday balloons and can’t help but smile. They have the Minions, Madagascar characters, traditional Macy’s balloons, and Santa.

Christmas at the Universal Orlando Hotels

Guests staying on-site at the Universal Orlando resorts will find the lobby decorated and special activities for the holidays. At the Hard Rock Hotel guests will have special holiday meals and Christmas tree and Menorah Lighting.

Cabana Bay Beach Resort decorates the lobby with festive lights and ornaments. Walking into the lobby is so pretty and really gets you in the holiday mood.

Holiday Tree Hunt at Universal Orlando

The Holiday Tree Hunt at the Universal Orlando resort was a fun surprise when we arrived at the park. It is a holiday tree scavenger hunt located through out Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and Universal CityWalk. It is really fun for kids. When we last did it the cost was $9.99 and guests receive an ornament once they complete the scavenger hunt. I am waiting for confirmation if it will return in 2025.

As you explore the parks you will stop in multiple shop locations searching for the Christmas trees. Once you find it you take your card up to the counter and receive a stamp.

When all stamps have been collected you visit the Park Plaza Holiday Shop at Universal Studios or the Port of Entry Christmas Shoppe at Islands of Adventure to collect your festive holiday gift.

I really loved doing this! It was easy to include the stops into our visit around the park and was so much fun! You do not have to complete the entire scavenger hunt to pick up your ornament.

Universal’s Holiday Tribute Store

Universal had great success with a Halloween store and they are doing it again with a Holiday Tribute store. This will include special teats and holiday themed merchandise.

There will be immersive holiday themed rooms. Each year it changes but some years included a Dr. Seuss The Grinch room and a Yule Ball holiday room to explore. Walking through these rooms were so much fun. It really gets you in the holiday spirit.

My Final Thoughts

If you can visit Universal Orlando during the holidays I highly recommend it. First of all it is a great value. With no extra admission ticket you get a enhanced visit with all the holiday entertainement.

Plus it is a really fun way to start getting excited for the holiday season. It is so much fun to be at the parks when it is all decorated. Universal Holidays is so well done and totally worth it.

A quick word about Epic Universe. Epic Universe opened in May of 2025 and there has not been any announcements on if they will join the holiday festivities for the year. I will update if an announcement is made.

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