Common Orlando has introduced particulars for Christmas 2025 at Epic Universe! The brand-new third gate at UOR will function decorations in Celestial Park and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, plus a couple of different additions.
As a complete, Common Orlando Resort will rejoice Christmas from November 21, 2025 via January 4, 2026. Throughout its destination-wide vacation season, visitors will have the ability to get pleasure from a slate of festivities impressed by beloved characters and seasonal traditions.
There can be stunning Christmas décor all through everything of Common Orlando, together with choose worlds at Epic Universe, and revel within the vacation spirit as they get pleasure from thrilling experiences at Common Studios Florida and Common Islands of Journey, together with Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Grinchmas in Seuss Touchdown, Common’s Vacation Parade that includes Macy’s, and extra.
One disappointing factor of this information is that, for the second consecutive yr, Christmas is beginning late at Common Orlando. Final yr, the vacation season wasn’t formally underway till Friday, November 22, which was the most recent in current reminiscence. The Friday, November 21, 2025 begin date is in step with that, adjusted for this yr’s calendar. That means the vacation season kicking off the Friday earlier than Christmas is the “new regular” to anticipate going ahead.
Previous to the previous couple of years, Common Orlando began celebrating Christmas round Veterans Day. Our greatest guess to elucidate the change is a mixture of finances cuts to cut back prices and Christmas not being a driver of attendance the primary two weeks of November.
Final yr, Common quietly scaled again park hours and leisure throughout that very same stretch of dates. And for the report, it’s not simply Common doing this; Christmas is beginning every week later than regular at each Walt Disney World and Disneyland, too. (Albeit nonetheless every week sooner than this.)
Anyway, let’s flip to what Common Orlando has introduced for Christmas 2025 at Epic Universe…
Christmas in Wizarding World of Harry Potter
From garlands to dazzling lights and different touches of wizarding splendor, visitors can immerse themselves in festive vacation décor throughout all three wizarding world areas this season, together with Hogsmeade at Common Islands of Journey, Diagon Alley at Common Studios Florida.
For the primary time, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic at Common Epic Universe will get into the spirit of the seasons. Company also can heat up with sizzling Butterbeer and store a choice of seasonal wizarding merchandise choices to commemorate their go to.
Guests will even get pleasure from fashionable holiday-themed experiences inside The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, together with particular performances and seasonal melodies by The Frog Choir in Hogsmeade and Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees in Diagon Alley, and the awe-inspiring nighttime spectacle, “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Fort” projection and particular results present on Hogwarts Fort.
Ministry of Magic is already the best-themed world at Epic Universe, and this could cement that standing. Christmas within the Wizarding World of Paris, signal me up! I can’t wait to see what they do with these decorations and (hopefully) seasonal menus on the distinctive eating places within the land. Right here’s hoping there are additionally a bunch of bizarre winter stuffed animals within the reward store that at present has a bunch of nonseasonal bizarre animals.
Christmas in Celestial Park at Epic Universe
Along with the vacation décor in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Epic Universe will even function seasonal lighting and decorations in Celestial Park. The central hub of Epic Universe that options eating, leisure and points of interest towards a backdrop of beautiful structure impressed by astronomical and mythological parts will add a particular layer of décor for the vacations.
This sounds nice to me! I’m not almost as excessive on Celestial Park as many theme park followers, who’ve actually purchased into Common’s tagline that it “places the park again in theme park.” I like the concept of Celestial Park, but it surely’s too sparse, generic, and missing in heat and appeal.
There are flashes of greatness, to make certain, however means an excessive amount of blandness in between. It’s like a fairly good outside mall, however with bigger fountains and higher rides. Distinctive Christmas decorations may handle this, including seasonal spirit to Celestial Park, placing the theme again in theme park.
What About Tremendous Nintendo World?
It would come as a shock that Tremendous Nintendo World is absent from the announcement. In any case, the variations in Osaka and California each have enjoyable Christmas decorations packages. Since Common is coping with a 3rd get together in Nintendo, it’s potential this announcement can be made later, throughout a future Nintendo Direct or one thing.
Whereas I wouldn’t rule that out, I doubt that’s the reason. Tremendous Nintendo World in Common Studios Japan and Common Studios Hollywood weren’t embellished their opening yr–however did begin celebrating the season in yr two. Ready a yr is smart, because the land is already an enormous draw and there’s no purpose to exacerbate crowding or enhance its drawing energy.
What About Darkish Universe?
Glad you requested! I’m truly a lot extra inquisitive about what Common finally does with Christmas in Darkish Universe. This land is technically the place “legendary Common Traditional Monsters come to life like by no means earlier than,” which suggests it’s one other IP land.
Really, Darkish Universe feels like an authentic land–one primarily based largely on folklore and monster tales and a setting that’s impressed by quaint European villages. The intersection of those two issues is clearly Krampus, which is a Common movie. However even past that, there are such a lot of alternatives for Darkish Universe to function a foreboding twist on the vacations, impressed each by Common movies and conventional folklore.
Critically, a lot of the European Christmas custom appears to contain terrifying kids into being well-behaved and so they invented plenty of nice characters to attain these outcomes. It will be a grave injustice if Jólakötturinn, the Icelandic Yuletide Cat that eats individuals who don’t put on new garments at Christmas, doesn’t seem in Darkish Universe by 2027. Are you able to think about a Jólakötturinn meet and eat (your children) expertise?! It’d be catnip for character followers!
All in all, it’s not too noteworthy or stunning that Common Orlando is easing Epic Universe into the vacation spirit, with solely a few worlds embellished for 2025. That’s not atypical for main new additions, and we’ve seen Common do precisely this elsewhere, scaling up over time.
My greater concern is that Christmas 2026 will even be mild. It’s extremely unbelievable that Epic Universe will supply Annual Passes this vacation season, making 2026 the primary yr of APs (in all probability). Meaning the park will nonetheless be seeing an inflow of recent demand, and Common might need to maintain off on any seasonal attracts till they’re wanted (or crowds can accommodate them). However I do really feel just like the Jólakötturinn Yuletide Cat character eating expertise must occur ASAP; that’s simply leaving cash on the desk in the event that they don’t.
Common Orlando Resort Lodges
Company can get pleasure from vacation festivities in any respect 11 Common Orlando Resort lodges, which can be decked out with festive décor for the season. Particular menus and scrumptious vacation buffets can be provided for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New 12 months’s, and visitors can take part on vacation celebrations together with Christmas tree lightings, Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremonies, strolling carolers and extra.
New 12 months’s Eve
Company also can ring within the New 12 months with dazzling celebrations at Common Studios Florida, Common Islands of Journey, Common Epic Universe, Common CityWalk, and all 11 Common Orlando lodges. Extra particulars can be out there at a later date.
Vacation Offers
Company also can make the most of particular affords to e book an unimaginable getaway to get pleasure from all that Common Orlando has to supply this vacation season, together with saving as much as 30% when reserving a keep of 5 nights or extra at one in every of Common Orlando’s lodges (supply is legitimate for journey via March 13, 2026).
Plus, when bundled with theme park tickets to Common Studios Florida, Common Islands of Journey, Common Volcano Bay and/or Common Epic Universe, visitors can save as much as $200 extra on their whole trip bundle. As at all times, there are additionally Common Orlando Annual Passholder and Florida resident reductions out there for choose dates.
I do know plenty of readers are nonetheless on the fence about Epic Universe, in ‘wait and see’ mode for a few of the causes lined in Why You Ought to Wait to Go to Epic Universe. With every passing day, I’m barely much less assured that the park’s issues and rising pains are going to be resolved by 2026. However that’s one other matter for an additional day.
Regardless, my sturdy recommendation can be to e book your Common Orlando trip bundle or resort reservation sooner reasonably than later. This doesn’t imply you’re locked into visiting, but it surely does imply you’re locked into present pricing. And that’s large. I’ve talked about this elsewhere, but it surely bears repeating since Walt Disney World followers aren’t essentially accustomed to this: Common Orlando Resort lodges use dynamic pricing.
In principle, meaning costs go up or down primarily based on demand. In observe, that often simply implies that costs enhance as journey dates draw nearer. Outdoors of August and September, we often simply see charges rise. That is one thing I’ve been monitoring since we’re nonetheless on the fence ourselves a few household journey in early December or mid-January, and I’ve solely seen charges rise for these dates. In order for you the most effective costs, e book one thing ASAP. You may at all times cancel later if issues are nonetheless wanting dicey; you can’t time journey to e book a room at decrease costs if operations begin smoothing out.
As at all times, we advocate requesting a quote from Be Our Visitor Holidays, a no-fee Common Most popular Journey Company. They’ll help in reserving the precise resort for you, comparability procuring among the many numerous lodges, and serving to decide which packages will work finest for your loved ones. Or in my case, making fixed modifications as my plans proceed to “evolve.”
Planning for Epic Universe at Christmas…and Past!
If you happen to’re visiting Epic Universe or Common Orlando as a complete as a part of an extended journey to Central Florida that features Walt Disney World, we’d additionally advocate our Final Information to Christmas at Walt Disney World.
Usually, we advocate planning your dates round Walt Disney World, because it has extra “shifting elements.” Which means most journey events doing each ought to select your dates, when to do every park, and extra primarily based on WDW.
Epic Universe successfully overrides this recommendation. I might plan (and have already executed so myself) across the optimum dates for doing Epic Universe, after which work out the remaining. Not less than for now, whereas Epic Universe crowds are at a nearly-perpetual ‘week between Christmas and NYE’ degree, so prioritizing the brand new park is the pragmatic strategy.
To that time, the excellent news is that there’s great overlap in crowd dynamics between Common Orlando and Walt Disney World in relation to greater image developments.
For each, November and December are curler coaster months for crowds, with the weeks round holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve) seeing elevated attendance and different weeks being extra reasonable. Similar goes for Winter 2026, if you happen to’re wanting additional down the highway.
Principally, the following few months have very excessive highs and in addition low lows; your aim ought to be selecting the ‘candy spots’ in between the height weeks. Take a look at our listing of the 10 Finest and 10 Worst Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World. That features a number of weeks in November, December, and January.
Christmas is a superb time to go to Common Orlando Resort. Past Epic Universe, each Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida are extra completely embellished for the vacation season, there are many seasonal treats, and sufficient leisure to reinforce the environment and make the parks really feel festive.
Streetmosphere, leisure & parades, characters & performers, projections, and becoming decorations make a lot of the parks come alive for Christmas. That is very true in Hollywood, New York, Seuss Touchdown, Port of Entry, Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, all of which provide nice vacation ambiance.
All in all, Common Orlando is a superb place to spend the vacation season. Add in higher climate and, by extension, extra trip uptime at Epic Universe, and this November via January will hopefully be time to go to the brand new park. Not less than, throughout the off-peak dates!
Want journey planning suggestions and complete recommendation to your go to to Central Florida? Ensure that to learn our Common Orlando Planning Information for all the things about Islands of Journey and Common Studios Florida. Additionally try our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Information for all the things about these parks, resorts, eating places, and a lot extra. For normal updates, information & rumors, a heads up when reductions are launched, and way more, join our FREE e mail publication!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Excited for Epic Universe’s first Christmas? Wanting ahead to decorations in Celestial Park and WWoHP – Ministry of Magic? Hoping for the Yuletide Cat meet & eat in 2026? Have you ever been to Common Orlando Resort for Christmas? Any highlights for you? Will you be visiting Central Florida this vacation season? Any questions we might help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!