These are all of the big things to know if you are going to Disneyland and California Adventure in November of 2025. This list includes holidays, festivals, closures, what to expect with weather, and more. It’s good to know all of this information when planning your vacation so you know what to expect and go into it managing your expectations. It also helps you to not miss out on anything fun that you might not have known was going on during your vacation.
Holiday Season
Disneyland’s holiday season will start on November 14th and the last day of it will be January 7, 2026. The castle will be covered in snow, lights, and decor, Main Street, USA will have a huge decorated Christmas tree, garland, and wreaths, there will be characters in Christmas outfits, Chip and Dale’s Ornament Trail, seasonal holiday foods and drinks, It’s A Small World Holiday projections, a holiday fireworks show, Disney Viva Navidad, and so much more.
Weather
The weather at Disneyland in November is cooler than the previous months. The typical high is in the low 70s and the typical low is in the low 50s. The morning and evenings are usually somewhat chilly and the middle of the day is warmer. Dress in layers with a shirt and sweatshirt so you can wear the sweatshirt in the mornings and evenings, but just a shirt during the warmer hours of the day. It does not usually rain a lot in November, but a few days of rain is common.
Crowds
The crowds for the first few weeks of November are expected to be lower and not too crowded. This excludes the first day of the holiday season though, which is November 14th though because a lot of people will want to go and experience it immediately. Also, weekdays are always less crowded and busy that weekends. You can expect to see crowds increase a lot during the week of Thanksgiving since a lot of people will vacation here during that week.
Christmas Foods
Christmas seasonal foods will start on November 14th and go through January 7th. The foodie guide for the holiday season has not been released yet, but I will post about it when it is. The iconic Mickey Gingerbread Cookie is usually available at Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe and sometimes other places too. We highly suggest mobile ordering it in the morning to secure yours because they sell out fast each day. Have you ever had a Mickey gingerbread cookie?
It’s A Small World Holiday
It’s A Small World changes to It’s A Small World Holiday for the entire Christmas season at Disneyland. The Disney World version of this ride does not change and have a Christmas overlay, which makes this one so special. There are Christmas lights outside on the ride building and all throughout the inside of the ride. There’s also Christmas decor all throughout and a special Christmas version of the It’s A Small World song plays. The ride will be closed from October 31st through November 13th to make the changes to the ride.
Redwood Challenge Creek Trail Welcomes Santa
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail changes to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail Welcomes Santa for the whole Christmas season. You can meet Santa Claus here during this time. It will be closed from November 1st through November 13th, then reopen on November 14th. This area has been Villains Grove for Oogie Boogie Bash during the Halloween season, so it need to close to get ready for Christmas.
Ride Closures
Ride closures for the month on November include Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland, Storybook Land Canal Boats in Fantasyland, Casey Jr. Circus Train in Fantasyland, It’s A Small World, and Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in California Adventure. Some will be closed for the entire month and others for just part of the month. Read more info on the closures, including dates, here.
Other Closures
There are also some other closures at The Disneyland Resort in November that are not rides. The walkway that takes guests between Avengers Campus and Cars Land is currently closed. This is due to construction in Avengers Campus. Avengers Campus is doing a big expansion where it is getting two new rides. The two new rides at Avengers Infinity Defense and Stark Flight Lab.
A Christmas Fantasy Parade
A Christmas Fantasy Parade is back for the holiday season at Disneyland. This parade will start on November 14th and run daily. The times for the parade are at 3pm and 5:15pm. This parade has Santa Claus, Chip n Dale, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Buzz Lightyear, Jessie from Toy Story, and more.
Christmas In Radiator Springs
Christmas in Radiator Springs of course takes place in Cars Land in California Adventure park. The whole land is covered in holiday decor like wreaths, garland, and trees decorated with hub caps. There are two Christmas ride overlays, which are Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree. One really fun thing they do here is that Mater wears a Santa hat.
Christmas Ride Overlays
There are some Christmas ride overlays that are really fun to experience during the holiday season. Haunted Mansion has a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay and is called Haunted Mansion Holiday. This started for Halloween time and will be there until the end of the Christmas season. It’s A Small World Holiday is covered in Christmas lights and decor throughout the entire ride. Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl is in Cars Land and has a fun Christmas twist on the ride. Mater’s Jingle Jamboree has Mater singing holiday songs and there is Christmas decor put up all over the attraction.
Festival of the Holidays
Festival of the Holidays starts on November 14th in California Adventure park. This will run for the entire Christmas season going until January 7, 2026. There are special festival foods you can get, live entertainment, and much more as part of the festival.
Christmas Character Dining
Character dining is making a lot of changes in November. All Halloween themed dining is ending on October 31st. Storyteller’s Cafe will have Mickey’s Autumn Adventures Breakfast until November 16th, Donald’s Tales of Adventure Dinner Buffet from November 1st through 16th, Daisy’s Holiday Pajama Party for breakfast and brunch from November 17th through January 6th, and Mickey’s Christmas Carol Feast for dinner from November 17th through January 6th. Goofy’s Kitchen will do Goofy’s Kitchen Celebrates the Holidays from November 17, 2025, through January 6, 2026, and Good Morning Giggles and Brunch Belly Laughs November 1-16th.
Shorter Hours
With it getting darker at night, the park hours at The Disneyland Resort will be changing in November. On November 1st and 2nd, Disneyland will be open from 8am to 11pm. Starting on November 3rd, park hours will shorten a little bit. Disneyland park will begin closing at 10pm each night and California Adventure park will start closing at 9pm each night. These hours are what you can expect to see through the end of the month. Read about more changes going on at Disneyland in November here.
Paint the Night is Taking a Break
Paint the Night is a nighttime parade that happens nightly in Disneyland park. It is going to be taking a temporary break for the holiday season though. It will run from November 1st through 9th. That means November 9th will be the last day to see this beautiful parade for a while. It will be back, but not until sometime in 2026. It has been running as part of the Disneyland 70th celebration, which will continue into 2026.
Wondrous Journeys
Wondrous Journeys is a nighttime show with projections on the castle and fireworks on select nights. This show has not been running because of the Halloween season, but it is coming back for a short bit in November. It will go from November 1st through November 13th. On November 14th the Disneyland nighttime show will switch over to a Christmas themed one, called Believe…In Holiday Magic. This will run nightly for the rest of the month with projections and fireworks on select nights.
Mickey & Minnie’s Birthday
Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse share a birthday. Their birthday is on November 18th, which is a Tuesday this year. Sometimes Disneyland celebrates with special birthday foods, a birthday parade, and having the mice dress up in birthday outfits. None of this is confirmed for this year yet.
Thanksgiving Day
You can do Thanksgiving Day Brunch and Dinner only on November 27th at Storyteller’s Cafe which will feature holiday pies and desserts and dinner will have turkey on the menu. Another Thanksgiving option is A Bountiful Thanksgiving Day Meal Awaits on November 27th at Goofy’s Kitchen. If you are wanting to do either of these character dining meals, then get reservations as early as possible.
Thanksgiving Break
Thanksgiving break is the week of Thanksgiving day. You can expect to see increased crowds all week due to this. The crowds will be much heavier on Thursday and Friday, then through the weekend though. A lot of people get a few days or up to a week off of school and work this week.
Some Seasonal Foods Available
A lot of the Halloween and fall seasonal foods are ending on Halloween, which is Friday October 31st. There are some seasonal food items that are going to stay a little longer through November 13th though. After this, the holiday and Christmas eats will start on November 14th.