Animal Kingdom might not be your top holiday park at Disney World, but once you meet the Merry Menagerie, you’ll head back every year. These friendly, winter-themed puppets hang out at the front of the park and bring holiday cheer, but Animal Kingdom also has beautiful Christmas decorations you won’t want to miss.

While Disney World doesn’t put up all the decorations overnight, you can still enjoy plenty of Christmas magic, from Christmas trees and wreaths to lights and more. Animal Kingdom even has more holiday decor than you might think, and we just got our first look at this year’s trimmings!

It’s tiiiiiiime! This year, the holiday season officially runs from November 13th to January 6th, but Disney has slowly started installing holiday decorations throughout the park. On Discovery Island, you’ll find these gorgeous animal lanterns that we look forward to seeing every year.

Animal Kingdom is the only park without an after-hours Christmas event or a massive festival, but you shouldn’t skip it. The Merry Menagerie is worth a visit on its own, and you will get the cutest photos ever. All the puppets have names and personalities, and a few different animals rotate through. It’s one of our favorite parks at the holidays for a reason!

While there aren’t a ton of decorations around Animal Kingdom just yet, this marks the first sign that the rest of the decor is on its way. If you look at the top of Island Mercantile and Discovery Island Trading Company, you’ll see all of the animal lanterns in all their glory. They’re super pretty at night when the sun goes down, too!

And, this year, something new is coming to Animal Kingdom for the holidays! Santa’s Holiday Grove is the new Santa Claus meet-and-greet location at Animal Kingdom for 2026. Located across from Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond!’s Theater in the Wild, this new trail features intermittent snow flurries, specialty food and beverage items, a seasonal soundtrack, and a meeting with Santa Claus himself! Stay tuned for our full coverage of this new holiday experience.

The usual Mickey and Minnie meet-and-greet at Adventurer’s Outpost will feature a holiday overlay as well, with the duo decked out in holiday attire. Of course, a Disney PhotoPass photographer will be on hand to capture holiday memories.

We’re sharing everything for the holidays at Disney World, so make sure you keep following along. Even if you can’t make it to the parks this year, we’re sharing all the magic to keep the Disney feeling alive all season long!

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Are you going to Animal Kingdom this holiday season? Tell us what you’re looking forward to in the comments.