Where Can We See Santa at Disneyland This Year?

July 8, 2017

Let’s call it Christmas in July. As we reach mid-Summer, many families start to set their sights on a Christmas visit to Disneyland and an all important question that typically gets asked around this time is “What types of Christmas activities will be happening at Disneyland later this year?”

Christmas at Disneyland usually starts to kick off in the first half of November (last year the festivities started the 10th of November) and consists of a lot of wonderful seasonal activities from special festive versions of World of Color and the evening fireworks to Christmas-themed overlays of much loved attractions including Haunted Mansion Holiday, Jingle Cruise and “its a small world” Holiday. However, if there’s one thing that captures the imagination and hearts of Christmas visitors to Disneyland each year, its the opportunity to see Father Christmas.

Santa Claus will be making several appearances around Disneyland Resort in the lead-in to Christmas but to help you get a jump-start on your Christmas plans, here’s a few places where you’ll be sure to catch the “Big Guy.”

1. Breakfast with Santa at Catal Restaurant Downtown Disney – This popular Christmas offering will be back in 2017 and is currently open for pre-sale. So for guests wanting to combine some Santa-time with a delicious breakfast. Its time to make those reservations now!

Starting in December, guests lucky enough to secure a coveted breakfast reservation will get to join Santa and his elves for a fun-filled family breakfast featuring carolers, a hot cocoa cart, personalized stockings for the kids, pictures with Santa and even a Build-A-Bear Workshop™ teddy bear given to each child from Santa. There’s even free bottomless Mimosas for the grown-ups.

The event will run December 9, 10, 16, 17, 21, 22 & 23 from 8am – 12pm. The cost to attend is $75 per adult, $30 per child (3-10 years old) with free admission for children 2 and under. Reservations fill up fast so those interested should make their bookings as early as possible. Early birds (those making their bookings before July 31, 2017) will also receive a $30 Preferred Gift Card valid at all four Patina Restaurant Group locations (Catal, Uva Bar & Café, Naples Ristorante and Tortilla Jo’s) through November 1, 2017. For more information visit Catal Restaurant’s website.

2. Santa’s Holiday Visit at Redwood Creek Challenge Trail – It looks like Disney Festival of Holidays will be back at Disney California Adventure park in 2017 and with it the fantastic opportunity for visitors to meet Santa at the Redwood Creek Challenge trail. This area of California Adventure gets a complete Christmas makeover offering guests a handful of fun-filled holiday-themed activities along the route. During this time, Santa is in residence at his special Ahwahnee Camp Circle location near the entrance of Redwood Creek Challenge. Here guests can get their picture taken with Santa and let him know whether you’ve been naughty or nice.

3. Christmas Fantasy Parade – No Christmas visit to Disneyland would be complete without checking out this amazing Christmas-themed parade. Visitors will get to watch Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Disney Princesses and Santa Claus himself ring in the holiday season. Highlights from last year’s parade included visits by Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Woody, Buzz Lightyear, prancing reindeer and the much-loved marching toy soldiers. The event usually ends with Santa riding high atop his sleigh filled with the presents he will soon be delivering to children around the world. Be on the lookout for updates regarding start and ending dates as well as new additions to the 2017 parade line-up.

4. Meet Santa in Critter Country – Those hoping to meet Santa will also want to be on the lookout for Critter Country appearances. Disneyland hasn’t released 2017 details as of yet but in years past, Father Christmas has been in residence at this location. The meet and greet is usually held within a cozy little shack between the exiting areas for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and Splash Mountain. The wooden shack is usually adorned with pictures of Santa with Winnie the Pooh and friends and there’s even been cute little Winnie the Pooh and Piglet snowmen adorning the front lawn making it the perfect place for tiny tots to stop by for a visit.

We hope this wintry post managed to cool you off a bit, help you with your Christmas travel plans and put you in the holiday spirit. Please keep checking back with DisneyAddicts and our sister site Chip and Co for the latest Disneyland Christmas news and updates.

Thinking about a holiday visit to Disneyland? There are still great 2017 packages to be had. Fill out our form below to receive your FREE quote.

Find articles like this helpful? Then why not consider working with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? As an agent with MickeyTravels, I’ll be on hand to help you with everything from picking your perfect package to nabbing those hard-to-get dining reservations and sharing tips and trick to ensure that you get the most out of your time at the parks. Best of all, my services are absolutely FREE. Get in touch at 1.800.801.4025, via email at mroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook.

Images copyright Disney.

Where Can We See Santa at Disneyland This Year? 1

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