Yesterday, Disney announced a new after-hours ticketed party coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on 10 nights this holiday season between Nov. 11 and Dec. 20, 2023.
The four-hour party, which runs from 8:30 pm to 12:30 am and will include numerous entertainment areas and some new shows, promises to bring a new and unique level of immersion to an after-hours event.
Following a presentation to the media about the new event, we talked to Tom Vazzana, Creative Director with Walt Disney World Live Entertainment, to learn more about the eight main entertainment areas at Disney Jollywood Nights.
An Immersive Celebration of Hollywood’s Golden Eras
“Think of Disney’s Hollywood studios as a venue to celebrate the many golden eras of Hollywood,” Vazzana said.
Prioritizing immersive “parties” rather than endless photo ops, Disney Jollywood Nights invites guests into a variety of different themed settings throughout the park, spanning time periods from the 1920s to today.
“What if we stepped into a piano bar? What if we stepped into the Tip Top Club, we stepped into a Latin Festival?” Vazzana posited.
Disney Jollywood Nights Map (Photo Credit: Disney World)
Welcome to Tinseltown
The party kicks off on Hollywood Boulevard with a “Welcome to Tinseltown” marquee. The area will feature specialty food and beverages and DJs spinning holiday, classic and pop music.
“I call it welcome to Fa-La-La-La Land,” Vazzana said.
Recreating the Tip Top Club at the Hollywood Tower Hotel
In the courtyard of the Hollywood Tower Hotel, home to the park’s The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction, a party will recreate The Tip Top Club, which was on the thirteenth floor of the infamous Hollywood Tower Hotel.
The “other-worldly soiree” will include custom food, craft cocktails and music from the 1920s played by a “ghostly band.” “Are they there, are they not?” Vazzana teased.
“It will be so surreal you won’t know what’s going to happen — you’ll have one foot in 2023 and one foot in the Twilight Zone,” Vazzana said.
What’s This? Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-a-Long
On party nights, The Hyperion Theater will be fully transformed to bring to the stage what Vazzana calls a “slightly darkly delicious, surreal sing-a-long through TIm Burton’s mind.”
Vazzana said all of the scenery will be changed out from day to night.
“The set design is beautiful. We are going to find ourselves in this dark but delightful space and all together we’re going to be having a nightmare dream.”
The show will be led by two performers who play “Tim Burton fans.”
“They’re waking from a dream state to take you on this wild ride,” Vazzana said. “They’re inviting you to their secret basement to watch the show together in this secret cinema.”
Vazzana says that though the show bears some similarities in format to the theater’s daytime show, “For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-a-Long Celebration,” “we’re guiding it in a completely unique way.”
“No one is going to be up there saying ‘Hey everyone, welcome to “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas”.’” Vazzana said. “We’re approaching it completely differently. We’re all going to discover together the beginning and how it morphs and changes to the end. It’s very unique. It’s very immersive.”
Vazzana said the show will also include appearances by Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie and special effects including fog and snow.
The Muppets ‘Live Holiday Special’ at Theater of the Stars
The Theater of the Stars will be home to what Vazzana called “a show that will rival Radio City Music Hall.”
Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will host “an all-singing, all-dancing holiday show.” The show will include a live band, singers, dancers and specialty numbers by Mickey and Minnie, Tiana, and Belle, who will sing “As Long as There’s Christmas.”
Vazzana confirmed that Kermit and Miss Piggy will be physically present as the show’s stars and hosts. “It’s kind of like watching a television variety show,” Vazzana said.
Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will host “an all-singing, all-dancing holiday show.” (Photo Credit: Disney World)
The Hollywood Brown Derby Becomes a Piano Bar
Inspired by New York City piano bars, the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant will be turned into a sing-a-long piano bar with a piano and accompanying singer, performing songs from the ’20s, ‘30s, ‘40s, and ‘50s.
Vazzana says the space will become “a swinging speakeasy party like you’ve never seen, something you could only find in a big city.”
Normally a table-service restaurant, Vazzana said the space will be set up differently and will include multiple bars.
Vazzana says it’s expected that the Brown Derby experience will be the only “party” that will use a waitlist, and compared the planned procedure to that of Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. He did not specify whether the time and drink limits for the party would be the same as Oga’s, where guests are limited to 45 minutes and two drinks.
Animation Courtyard
In Animation Courtyard, Mickey and Minnie, Donald and Daisy, and Goofy and Pluto will appear as pop icons who have just wrapped their new holiday movie. They will appear in front of new backdrops in new costumes.
Pixar Plaza
In Pixar Plaza, a 1950s-themed “swinging event” will feature 1950s food, drinks and photo ops. Edna Mode and Frozone will meet guests, and Frozone will cool things off with his own Frozone “Snow Zone.”
Echo Lake
Around Echo Lake, it’s a throwback to the ‘90s and ‘00s, with three character appearances — Phineas and Ferb, Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Powerline Max. At their respective locations, the characters have decorated unique Christmas trees in their own signature styles.
Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers and Powerline Max both already appear at Disney’s Hollywood Studios during regular park hours, but will be dressed in holiday costumes, Vazzana said.
“The only characters who don’t have a holiday overlay [at Disney Jollywood Nights] are Frozone and Edna Mode,” Vazzana said.
Phineas and Ferb characters at Disney World (Photo Credit: Brooke McDonald)
A Latin Street Party on Commissary Lane
Commissary Lane becomes home to a Latin street festival, “Fiesta en La Calle.” Festoon lights will be strung across Commissary Lane, specialty foods and drinks will be served, and three Latin bands will perform.
Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!
The party will conclude with the return of the nighttime spectacular, “Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM!” The show features a combination of music, projections and fireworks.
Can You Do It All?
With so much offered at the party, what can a guest expect to see and do during their four hours? In theory, everything..
“They’ve geared it so that everyone can go to everything,” Vazzana said. Vazzana didn’t share specifics on capacity, but offered reassurance that it should be possible to see everything. “Because everything should be a destination, it’s been geared — there’s a cap on it so everybody can do everything.”
Practical Matters
Disney Jollywood Nights is a limited-capacity event, with ticket prices ranging from $159-179 per person. Tickets go on sale to hotel guests staying at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels, Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels, and Shades of Green on June 29. All other guests can purchase tickets July 6.
Party dates are November 11, 18, 20, 27 and 29, and December 4, 6, 16, 18 and 20.
The ticket also includes Disney PhotoPass downloads and after-hours access to rides including Slinky Dog Dash, Rock N’ Roller Coaster, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will use a virtual queue during the party.
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