{"id":366015,"date":"2026-08-08T07:10:19","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/366015\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T07:10:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T07:10:19","slug":"everything-coming-to-universal-orlandos-2026-holiday-celebration-and-whats-free-with-admission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/366015\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything Coming to Universal Orlando\u2019s 2026 Holiday Celebration\u2014And What\u2019s Free With Admission"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a flurry of fun as Universal Orlando Resort has unwrapped its destination-wide holiday programming. Returning are beloved traditions (Hello, Harry Potter<\/a>) alongside new additions, like the highly anticipated addition of decor to lands at Universal’s newest park, Epic Universe. The merriment kicks off Nov. 14, 2026 and will run through Jan. 3, 2027, with most of the celebrations included in regular theme park admission.<\/p>\n

Related: Universal’s Wizarding World Celebrates Back-To-School<\/a><\/p>\n

The beloved Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter returns across all three Wizarding World locations, Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, Hogsmeade at Universal Islands of Adventure and Ministry of Magic at Universal Epic Universe. “Each land will dazzle with festive lights and d\u00e9cor, offering up holiday-themed entertainment at select locations” Universal shared in a press release. In Hogsmeade, the fan favorite “The Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle” is back. The nighttime spectacle combines projection and special effects bringing to life beloved holiday moments and characters from the “Harry Potter” films set to the jaw dropping backdrop of the Hogwarts Castle.<\/p>\n

Related: A New Attraction Is Coming to Magic Kingdom<\/a><\/p>\n

At Universal Studios Florida, the beloved Holiday Parade Featuring Macy’s returns, bringing the spirit of the New York City tradition with elaborate floats and larger-than-life balloons inspired by characters from Universal staples, like “Shrek” and “Madagascar.” It all culminates with a Christmas tree<\/a> lighting ceremony led by Santa Claus.<\/p>\n

And at Universal Islands of Adventure, the whimsical Grinchmas takes over Seuss Landing. Guests can meet the green guy himself, The Grinch, as well as the quirky citizens of Who-ville. Traditions abound, like the return of the captivating “Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular,” a dazzling live stage musical based on the Dr. Seuss<\/a> classic “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.”<\/p>\n

For the first time ever, holiday d\u00e9cor will debut at two Epic Universe lands, How To Train Your Dragon\u2014Isle of Berk and SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. And in the park’s hub, Celestial Park, the cosmic winter wonderland returns with twinkling trees and holiday fountain displays.<\/p>\n

And for the ultimate way to experience the festivities, the Universal Holiday Tour is available on select dates from Nov. 14 through Jan 2. The over 2-hour guided tour includes exclusive access to select holiday offerings, including a meet-and-greet with The Grinch and his faithful dog Max, reserved viewing for the parade and reserved seating for “The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular.”<\/p>\n

Related: Marriott’s Giant Holiday Ice World Brings ‘Harry Potter’<\/a><\/p>\n

The merriment extends beyond the parks and to Universal CityWalk, with the return of the Green and Red Coconut Club, a festive overlay transforming the Red Coconut Club into a holiday headquarters with d\u00e9cor, specialty cocktails and live entertainment. And each of Universal Orlando’s 11 hotels join the fun with uniquely themed d\u00e9cor, Christmas tree lightings, carolers, menorah lighting ceremonies, specialty menus and more. Additionally, guests stay at Universal Orlando Resort collection hotels can enjoy a slew of perks, including Early Park Admission and complimentary theme park transportation.<\/p>\n

Universal Orlando Resort is offering a number of deals this holiday season<\/a>, including discounts on hotel stays and vacation packages. Ticket offers, on sale now, include five days of theme park access for the price of three with the “Get 2-Days Free with a 3-Day Ticket.” Florida residents can enjoy savings too, including up to 25% off Universal Orlando hotel stays and ticket offers.<\/p>\n

Related: Marriott’s Giant Holiday Ice World Brings ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Home Alone’ to Life for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Parade<\/a> on Aug 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It’s a flurry of fun as Universal Orlando Resort has unwrapped its destination-wide holiday programming. Returning are beloved…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":366016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[6113,18577,148500,139,141,140,3440,2749,6114],"class_list":["post-366015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-epic-universe","tag-harry-potter","tag-holiday-programming","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news","tag-universal-islands-of-adventure","tag-universal-orlando-resort","tag-universal-studios-florida"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/366016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}