Christmas Time At Universal Orlando
Between Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Universal Holiday Parade, and Grinchmas, there will be plenty of holiday entertainment to keep you busy.
Throughout the parks you will notice seasonal holiday decor, characters such as the beloved Minions in Christmas hats and festive outfits, and a variety of Christmas treats and souvenirs.
Since this time of year tends to be crowded, we have some additional tips and tricks to keep in mind for this holiday season as you enjoy your Universal Orlando Christmas:
The Harry Potter Shop At Platform 9
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- The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾
Welcome to The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾, an online destination that offers you a spellbinding shopping experience. Our products are expertly designed, developed, and produced through our in-house studio and are packed with exclusive designs, one-of-a-kind personalisation, and unique fan-favourites.
The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾ welcomes and serves over 2 million visitors a year with a potential catchment of 90 million travelling passengers. Whether they are Muggles or first time Hogwarts students getting their photo taken at our famous trolley, The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾ has become a must-see destination for fans of the books and films.
Our Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾ was the first ever Harry Potter Shop to open anywhere in the world outside of a themed visitor attraction and opened its doors by none other than Warwick Davis, who played Professor Flitwick and Griphook in the film series, on December 14th, 2012. Since opening the store in Kings Cross Station, we have opened an additional Harry Potter Shop in Heathrow Terminal 5.
If youre interested in joining the team at Platform 9 ¾, please .
The Harry Potter Shop at Platform 9¾, Kings Cross Station,
Join or log into the Harry Potter Fan Club for the best experience.Unlock exclusive access and special offers on your Harry Potter favourites and products from around the Wizarding World through the Harry Potter Fan Club.
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About Lindsay Brookshier
Lindsay is a college English instructor and has years of writing experience through various nonprofits, charities, newspapers, and online magazines. As the editor of Mickey Visit, she oversees article content and leads our fantastic team of writers to meet guest vacation needs. You can still find her writing weekly content to help make your Disney Parks trip fantastic here on Mickey Visit and writing Disney culture pieces on DisneyDose.com- you can also view her recently featured posts on Disney Parks travel on Nerd Wallet and SFGate. Lindsay comes from a dedicated Disney family and enjoys taking her son to the Disney parks as often as possible.
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Universal Studios Christmas Seasonal Food
In the Harry Potter books, Harry and his friends enjoy a grand holiday feast at Hogwarts with all the fixings,
Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys mountains of roast and boiled potatoes platters of chipolatas tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table
The Three Broomsticks offers a full holiday feast as a nod towards the Christmas dinner feast held at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. The Holiday Feasts usually include a few courses such as butternut squash soup, beef wellington, oven roast turkey, sweet potato, dried cherries, and winter vegetables. We expect this season’s offering of a traditional English dinner to be just as delicious!
You can also find a variety of holiday sweets and seasonal drinks, such as warm butterbeer, around the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Christmas time.
Enchanting Holiday Dates In The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter
Written by Beth Bell
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando is magical at any time of year. But it is especially enchanting during the holiday season. Dressed in twinkling lights and festive themed garland, the Wizarding World is a dream date night spot for anyone who wants to create a little holiday magic. Enjoy dazzling holiday shows, cozy beverages, thrilling rides, and plenty of opportunities to snuggle up to your date with these fun ideas for a winter date night in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Note: In order to experience the entire Wizarding World of Harry Potter you’ll need a Park-to-Park ticket. This grants you access to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure .
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Christmas In The Wizarding World Live Entertainment
The yuletide season also hosts special holiday versions of both the Celestina Warbeck and Hogwarts Frog Choir shows.
Celestina Warbeck, the Singing Sorceress, serenades guests with the greatest hits from her chart-topping Christmas album, Nothin Like a Holiday Spell: the titular Nothing Like a Holiday Spell,A Witch and Wizards Wintry Wondrous Land,My Baby Gave Me a Hippogriff for Christmas, and Accio Christmas .
Be sure to read our in-depth impressions of Celestinas and the Frog Choirs holiday spins in our review.
Whoville Entertainment During Universal Studios Christmas
See a festive performance from throughout the day which is sure to get you into the holiday Whoville spirit.
You can also listen to Cindy Lou Who read the story How the Grinch Stole Christmas and meet her afterwards during this Universal Studios Christmas celebration.
And wandering around the Whoville tree you can find other Whoville citizens singing, dancing, and greeting guests.
Check the Universal Studios app to see the current entertainment times for the day during your visit.
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Two Amazing Lands At Two Theme Parks
Please note that youll need admission to Universal Studios Florida and Universals Islands of Adventure to experience all of the wonders of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. A Park-to-Park admission ticket or an Annual Pass will grant you access to both parks, as well as the Hogwarts Express.
Travel Tip: Staying at one of Universal Orlando Resorts official hotels will allow you to enter The Wizarding World of Harry Potter up to one hour before the parks open with Early Park Admission.
New Years Eve In Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida has live music, party zones, character meet and greets, pyrotechnics, confetti, and party favors.
New Years Eve at the Music Plaza Stage
- Holiday Parade Character Dance Party
- Live Band and DJ
- Pyrotechnics and Confetti Midnight Moment
New Years Eve in Central Park
- Universal Orlandos Cinematic Celebration
- Character Dance Party
- Pyrotechnics, Fountain and Light Midnight Moment
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Universal Orlando At Christmas 202: Dates Harry Potter Tips Decorations And More
The holidays at Universal Orlando offers plenty to see and do in terms of entertainment, activities, and seasonal decor. Experience an Universal Orlando Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, meet the Grinch during the celebration in Whoville, and enjoy the Universal Holiday parade.
Universal Orlando focuses their Christmas time festivities in two main themes: the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Grinchmas. Along with these two main themes, you can also see holiday decor throughout the park from the festive decorations to characters wearing Santa hats! Seasonal food is also in abundance, especially in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This year’s holiday celebration takes place from
Need a refresher on everything Universal Orlando has to offer? Make sure to check out our full guide with tips on how to get discount Universal Orlando tickets, what rides are offered, and a complete touring strategy.
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Universal Orlando Christmas Seasonal Food
In the Harry Potter books, Harry and his friends enjoy a grand holiday feast at Hogwarts with all the fixings,
Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. A hundred fat, roast turkeys mountains of roast and boiled potatoes platters of chipolatas tureens of buttered peas, silver boats of thick, rich gravy and cranberry sauce and stacks of wizard crackers every few feet along the table
The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade at Universal’s Islands of Adventure offers a full holiday feast as a nod towards the Christmas dinner feast held at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series. The Holiday Feast includes a few courses such as butternut squash soup, beef wellington, oven roast turkey, sweet potato, dried cherries, and winter vegetables.
You can also find a variety of holiday sweets and seasonal drinks, such as warm butterbeer, around the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Christmas time.
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Universal Orlando Christmas 2022
Get into the holiday spirit this year by celebrating at Universal Studios. Universal Orlando holidays are ones to be remembered, and youll be sure to enjoy all the parks have to offer this year, including spectacular decorations, Christmas lights at Universal Studios, and festive food! With Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter,Universals Holiday Parade Featuring Macys and the return of Grinchmas, youll find holiday cheer nearly everywhere.
Universal Studios Hollywood Christmas Staff Reviews And Photos
Most of us here at Mickey Visit have enjoyed Universal Studios Hollywood during the holidays! Here’s all our favorite videos and photos from our visits. Hands down, you cannot miss The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!
Universal Studios: The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle Video
Live from Wizarding World of Harry Potter Christmas and Universal Studios from 2018!
Here’s some of our favorite photos from the holiday decorations and meet and greets you can enjoy at Universal Studios Hollywood for the holidays!
Don’t miss the Who-ville tree!
You can also meet Max!
Come back at night to see Who-Ville lit up!
You can also meet other Who-Ville characters besides the Grinch.
During the day the area is beautiful.
I appreciated that the treat stand was right next to the Grinch line which was consistently long throughout the day.
Yum!
Meet the Grinch! Be prepared to devote time for this as his line was long all day.
At night you can see shows and entertainment from popular Who characters.
The Grinchmas tree is massive!
Small touches of holiday decor are in nearly every corner of the park.
You’ll see holiday touches throughout the whole park.
Find some holiday photo ops by the Despicable Me ride.
Some of the window displays feature holiday themes.
Holiday centered photo ops are featured in the park too.
Our favorite minions get some nice Santa hats!
At night the park lights up with holiday lights and projections.
Be sure to look up to see everything.
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New Year’s Eve At Universal Orlando Resort
If you’re looking for something to do when the clock strikes midnight, Universal Orlando usually offers several different ways to ring in the new year.
Over at Universal Studios Florida, we danced the last night of 2019 away at the Music Plaza Stage at the Holiday Parade Character dance party. There was a live band and DJ, along with confetti and pyrotechnics at midnight. We also watched Universal Orlandos Cinematic Celebration in Central Park, where there was a second character dance party location. At midnight, fireworks, along with a fountain and light special effects, lit up the sky.
In the past, Universal CityWalk hosted its annual EVE event for adult frogs 21 and older. From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., Leap and I dined, drank and danced as we celebrated the new year. This separately ticketed event included unlimited cuisine, access to five clubs and an outdoor dance floor, one drink ticket and one glass of champagne at midnight.
Discount Universal Orlando Tickets
Our favorite Disney-approved re-seller, Get Away Today,offers the best Universal Orlando discount tickets around. In addition to great discount prices, their customer service and easy support is absolutely fantastic. They have an entire department dedicated to making sure every order has a wonderful experience and they are on-call to help you during your vacation if you need them.
Buying tickets from Get Away Today is easy and convenient since all their tickets are sent electronically. You can take their vouchers and head straight to the gate without needing to wait in any ticket booth lines. They also offer layaway plans so you can pay off your vacation over time.
If you are just visiting Universal Orlando, you can . If you are also visiting Walt Disney World during Christmas, you should consider booking a combination package as this will give you the greatest savings.
Our travel partner offers incredible VIP service, help with dining recommendations, and transportation offerings between both resorts.
Buy two days, get two FREE at Universal Orlando. Book here> > >
This is the best way to save and guarantee the best experience during your visit to Universal Orlando during Christmas! Read our full guide to Christmas at Walt Disney World here.
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Holidays At Universal Orlando Resort Hotels
Any time of year, we absolutely love staying on-site at Universal’s fabulous resort hotels, but especially during the holidays. Expect all of the Universal Orlando hotels to be decked out for the holidays, and look out for tree and menorah lightings. Plus enjoy all the trimmings at Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve. The hotels even offer specially ticketed buffets. Some of the hotel holiday celebrations include holiday crafts, parties with face painters and balloon artists and even bowling.
If you want to experience the Universal Christmas events during the busiest times, we highly recommend purchasing Universal Express Passes no matter where you stay. You can save money when you purchase this add-on to theme park admission for regular Universal Express or Universal Express Unlimited. If you stay on-site at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel or Loews Royal Pacific Resort, you’ll receive the Unlimited Express benefit for all of your party for your entire length of stay. Watch out for the expected busiest days using our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar. We recommend purchasing Universal Express the week of Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and on weekends. We cannot underestimate this benefit!
Universal Studios Christmas Food And Drinks
Along with the beautiful decorations and festive events, Universal Studios celebrates with fun seasonal foods and drinks.
In past years there has been the Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast. This special ticketed buffet lets you meet the Grinch and all of our Whoville favorites. Its a fun time for the whole family and a great way to have your own personal The Grinch Show at Universal Studios.
The menu for 2019 looked delicious. It offered Christmas tree eclairs, Grinchmas chocolate cupcakes, and even had a traditional holidays meal. This array consisted of salad, turkey, cornbread stuffing, roasted potatoes, vegetables, and apple pie.
As far as drinks go, unique seasonal ones like Apple Pie on the Rocks, Frozen Eggnog, and the Mistletoe Cocktail were hits at the park. We can only hope this makes a comeback for Universal Studios Orlando holidays 2022.
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Halloween In The Wizarding World
Lastly , the Halloween season also makes for a magical visit to the Wizarding World. Although the Harry Potter parks dont go through much of a spooky transformation, Universals main Halloween event, Halloween Horror Nights, yields a special Harry Potter-related opportunity.
Guests can enjoy smaller daytime crowds during their September or October visit to begin with, but they can also find a quiet haven in Diagon Alley during the nighttime festivities.
While most guests are wrapped up in the late-night Halloween Horror festivities at the Universal Studios park, Diagon Alley remains open to visitors much later than usual.
True Potter fans will relish the chance to walk the streets of this wizarding marketplace in peace and quiet.
Whats On The Menu For Harry Potter Christmas
Please note: The info below is from previous years, well update for 2021 as soon as we can!
Holiday Feast: Both The Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade Village and Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley usually offer a two course Holiday Feast with traditional British favorites. The platter serves four and costs $64.99. Additional portions can be added at $15.99 per person. The appetizer is Winter Harvest Salad with mustard ale vinaigrette dressing. Main course includes oven roast turkey with a wild mushroom and sage stuffing. Sides include brown-butter and walnut Brussels sprouts, root vegetables, roast potatoes and English chipolata sausages. The platter is served with traditional gravy and spiced cranberry sauce.
- Pudding: Also available at both locations for the holidays is a traditional Christmas Pudding with hot brandy butter and orange glaze.
- Soup: Over in The Leaky Cauldron, theres a butternut squash soup drizzled with sour cream and topped with chives.
- Butterbeer: This delicious sweet offering comes in a variety of ways, including chilled and frozen, but Hot Butterbeer amongst the Christmas decor makes it even more delicious! You can also get Butterbeer ice-cream, Butterbeer fudge and Potted Butterbeer Cream.
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