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Visiting Orlando is so much fun during any time of the year, but it’s especially magical around Christmas time.
And if you’re planning a holiday trip to Orlando, Florida, you’re definitely going to want to include visiting Universal Studios Resort as part of your travel itinerary!
But maybe you’ve never visited Universal during the holiday season. Or perhaps you have but you’re not sure what activities you can enjoy this year.
Not to worry! We’ll go over all of the fun Christmas events at Universal Orlando for 2025 in this guide. This includes the Christmas parade, popular Grinchmas show, Holiday Tribute Store, a fabulous holiday tour, seasonal happenings at the Universal hotels and more.
Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s
This holiday parade takes place nightly at Universal Studios Florida, from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026. It’s scheduled for 5:30 PM each day (you can check the Universal Orlando app during your visit to verify the time).
And since the parade is featuring Macy’s, you’ll get to see gigantic Macy’s balloons!
Plus, there are colorful, detailed floats, featuring some familiar favorites (like the Minions from Illumination’s Despicable Me, and characters from DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar and Shrek).
And what Christmas parade would be complete without an appearance from Santa Claus?
You can see for yourself how much fun it is here:
The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular
Are you a fan of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss (the inspiration for the show)? Do you enjoy live entertainment? Are you looking for ways to get into the Christmas spirit this year? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should definitely check out the Grinchmas show.
This live show, starring (of course) the Grinch, combines humor, music, and some heartwarming moments. You can view it between November 21, 2025, and January 4, 2026.
Here are the showtimes during those dates:
- 10:15am
- 11:15am
- 12:15pm
- 1:15pm
- 3:30pm
- 4:30pm
- 5:30pm
- 6:30pm
To watch the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular, you’ll need admission to Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
Also at Islands of Adventure, you’ll get to enjoy photo opportunities with – and perhaps some listen to some singing by – residents of Whoville.
Tip: When we attended the first showing on its 2021 opening day (November 13), we had to walk quite a bit to get to the theater (the old Blue Man Group theater). Where to go is fairly clearly marked – you start off in Seuss Landing – but it takes longer to get to the theater than it initially seems. So you definitely want to get there well before showtime.
Holiday Tribute Store
This fun and charming store is located in Universal Studios Florida. And it’s themed to the holidays!
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
You can tell it’s Christmas time at Hogsmeade (in Universal’s Islands of Adventure) and Diagon Alley (in Universal Studios Florida) as well as wizarding Paris (in Epic Universe)! All three sections are full of beautiful Christmas decorations.
Enjoy the special holiday elements in the performances of Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees (at Universal Studios Florida) as well as The Frog Choir (Islands of Adventure).
And when the sun goes down until park close, Hogwarts Castle in Islands of Adventure lights up with The Magic of Christmas.
The Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast
At this holiday themed character breakfast, you’ll get to see the Grinch as well as residents of Who-ville
This special meal takes place at Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous, located in Islands of Adventure. The breakfast is a sit-down meal that includes one plated entree and one non-alcoholic beverage.
The price is $58.99 per adult (ages 10 and up) and $32.99 per child (ages 3 to 9). Please note that this price does not include tax, nor does it include park admission – you’ll need tickets to Islands of Adventure theme park.
Mannheim Steamroller
Are you a fan of the best selling holiday artist of all time, Mannheim Steamroller? Then you’ll definitely want to catch one of their live performances at Universal Studios Florida! This is a yearly tradition at Universal.
Their performances have not yet been confirmed for 2025, but check back here for the latest information including dates and times.
Universal Studios Orlando Hotels at Christmas
If you stay at a Universal Studios hotel in Orlando during the Christmas season, you can enjoy the gorgeous holiday decor throughout the resort. You can see the Christmas decorations in this video of Portofino Bay.
Universal Holiday Tour
This special walking tour includes exclusive experiences and fun entertainment. You’ll find these activities at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure parks. Here’s what you get:
- Exclusive character meet and greet with The Grinch and his dog Max
- Exclusive character meet and greet with Santa
- Reserved viewing area for the Universal Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s
- Reserved seating for the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular
- Cookie decorating, nonalcoholic beverages, and light bites (location varies)
- Priority access to one (1) pre-determined attraction at Universal Studios Florida (which they will choose)
This tour is available from November 21, 2025 through January 3, 2026. The cost starts at $79.99 per person, plus tax. Please note that you will only find those prices on dates after Christmas. Before Christmas, the tour is either $99.99 or $109.99 per person, plus tax, depending on the date.
You can purchase the tour online here. Passholders will want to reserve the tour over the phone (1-866-346-9350) so that they can take advantage of $10 off the regular price for up to 6 family members or guests.
Please note that the tour does not include park admission – you’ll need to buy that separately (and it will need to be a park-to-park admission ticket).
Universal Orlando Discount Tickets
I know reading this is going to want to make you visit the Universal Orlando Resort this holiday season!
But before you book your trip, make sure you click on this link. You can find discount tickets to the theme parks and cheaper prices for the Universal Orlando hotels. You can even save money here by booking your hotel and tickets together!