Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party is right around the corner, and the first 2025 date for the Magic Kingdom special event has officially sold out. This trend is likely to accelerate in the weeks to come, so this post basically exists as a heads up to buy MVMCP tickets if you want to attend but forgot and also give you insight into when subsequent dates usually sell out.
It may seem way too early to even start thinking about this. After all, Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween just started (actually, it’s been almost a month) and most regular people aren’t even celebrating spook season yet (zero decorations up in our neighborhood thus far). Fair points, but the concept of “seasons” works differently at Walt Disney World, and vacation planners have already turned their attention to Christmas.
If you’re new to the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party scene, the hard ticket event has sold out every single night for each of the last 3 years. This is the ‘new normal’ for Walt Disney World events, even after revenge travel and elevated pent-up demand spending have run their course. It’s not unique to MVMCP, either. Special events and other upcharges sell better now despite most also suffering from staleness and higher prices.
Let’s look at sold out dates thus far for the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party:
Pretty easy to identify what’s gone–only the first party of November 2025 has sold out thus far.
This is consistent with past precedent for as long as I can remember, dating back to pre-closure. Walt Disney World has gradually increased the price of the first party so that it has a +$30 premium over the dates that follow, but it’s still higher demand thanks to people of the internet, locals, and tourists who lack other options.
A lot of fans assume the “people of the internet” is the biggest demo for opening night, but we’re simply the most visible. Someone shouting “smash like and subscribe” into a camera while chowing down at Cosmic Ray’s stands out a lot more than a family quietly enjoying MVMCP. And since this is both Veteran’s Day weekend and Jersey Week, it’s a popular travel time for families.
Our expectation is that the November 10 and 11 parties, the only dates priced at $169, will be next to sell out. If this is consistent with past precedent, it’ll occur in mid to late October. Around that same time, November 13 and 14 will also sell out.
I wouldn’t be surprised if any of the $169 or $179 sells out earlier–potentially much faster–than last year. There are fewer of these dates and many guests are becoming more budget-conscious consumers, seeking out dates that offer better value for money. This is especially true of locals with flexibility.
While historical precedent suggests that the November 16, 2025 event and all dates thereafter won’t sell out until that month (November) rolls around, I would bet against that. I think it’ll happen sometime in October. And as we saw with MNSSHP, the first date that sells out after the $169 nights could be totally random. Maybe it’ll happen on-trend with November 13th selling out, but perhaps it’ll be November 20th (which should sell out in mid-November based on last year’s trends!).
No dates have sold out yet in December 2025.
This is not shocking. The cheapest dates are also the earlier ones, and there’s less time between today and those dates. So of course it would make sense that they sell out sooner.
As for when December dates will start selling out, expect that to occur once content from the first night of the event floods social media, there’s usually a “run” on tickets for subsequent events–and several more parties sell out around then. Several December (and November!) dates sold out on November 11th of last year.
The second and fourth December party dates sold out on November 5th, and the next two nights sold out on November 18th.
There are a couple other dates we want to flag. The first is the December 4, 2025 party. This is the last discounted date for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club Members and, as a result, it’s usually one of the faster parties to sell out. Last year, the corresponding date sold out on October 25th.
The other quick seller is the last MVMCP of the year, December 21, 2025. This is a similar dynamic as the first party, with tourists arriving for Christmas week having this night as their lone option. So they’ll buy it despite it being $229. Last year, the corresponding date also sold out on October 25th.
Interestingly, the two parties before that night were the final parties to sell out last year, going unavailable on November 29th. That’s still a few weeks in advance of those dates, so not hugely noteworthy. (The dates that came the closest to not selling out were November 19th and 21st, both of which sold out one night in advance.)
So there you have it. One date is already sold out, with the next dates to sell out likely being the cheapest parties, last DVC/AP discount date in early December, and final night of the event. If past precedent is any indication, all of that is likely to happen in mid to late October. My bet, though, is that we get a surprise sellout towards the tail end of this month or in early October.
Given that, if you only have one date that you can attend MVMCP, we would recommend purchasing tickets sooner rather than later. Especially if it’s one of the aforementioned dates. If it’s some other night, you’re probably safe to wait until late October.
If you have a few dates from which to choose (and at least one of them isn’t listed above), you’re okay waiting until early November–ideally a few days before the first event. So if you’re on the fence and want more details, clarity about your trip, etc., waiting should be fine.
One thing that’s worth noting is that the first 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party actually sold out later this year (September 11th) than it did last year (September 3rd). This is actually consistent with MNSSHP, which has been–as a broad trend–selling out slightly slower than last year.
Still, there’s no reason to believe the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party will sell out slower across the board. Last year’s trends were consistent with the previous year, which were similar to the year before that. Some specific nights will sell out slightly earlier or later, but the overarching trend is pretty well established. Not only that, but occupancy is already high for the final three months of 2025, and is actually up year-over-year.
At the risk of stating the obvious, all of the above concerns past precedent. If you really want to attend any specific date, don’t assume you have X amount of time to buy tickets. Historical patterns are good predictors, but they’re not conclusive. Also keep in mind that once the November “run” on tickets starts, most dates typically sell out within the span of approximately two weeks. We’d be (pleasantly!) surprised if any dates are still available for purchase by the time December 1, 2025 arrives–that didn’t happen last year!
No conclusions about daytime crowds or overarching attendance trends should be drawn from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party dates selling out–or not selling out.
As we’ve explained elsewhere, there are a lot of reasons for MVMCP selling out faster than before. It’s fairly well-established that the popularity of the party is divorced from overall crowd levels, just as is hotel occupancy. Sold out MVMCP or hotels does not equal crowded parks.
The only concrete conclusion that can be drawn from sold out MVMCP nights is that the mix-in window from 4 pm to 6 pm will be busier. It is utterly meaningless for attendance before 4 pm. See Best & Worst 2025 Dates in Magic Kingdom for more insight.
On a positive note, crowds for the last few years have been more manageable.
Along with significantly higher prices, Walt Disney World has very obviously lowered the attendance cap. This is part of the reason more dates sell out. (See Is Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Less Crowded?!)
Point being, crowds are not nearly as bad as they were in 2018-2019. If you last experienced MVMCP when this problem peaked back in 2019, you should notice the difference. That was the year that sold out dates intensified, Disney increased the capacity cap, and also engaged in price discrimination to pack the parties with both regular tourists and CP attendees. They’ve dramatically scaled back all of that since.
Of course, there’s no guarantee that Walt Disney World will stick with the lower attendance cap for the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. They could determine that, on balance, guest satisfaction is higher if the events don’t sell out as easily. (Obviously, guest satisfaction is higher among attendees with a lower cap, but that doesn’t account for guests who get shut out.)
We suspect that’s not the case. For one thing, Walt Disney World has hit the goldilocks zone for crowds–not too light or too heavy–at both MNSSHP and MVMCP. This doesn’t mean there’s zero congestion or lines–you’ll still encounter both, especially for rare characters and in front of Cinderella Castle between the parade and fireworks, but there’s no solving for that.
For another, we’ve already done MNSSHP this year, and that was not materially different than last in terms of crowds. If Walt Disney World were going to increase caps, they’d do it for both events.
Ultimately, if you’re thinking about attending the 2025 Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and haven’t already bought tickets, we’d encourage you to make a decision within the next month. There’s really no reason to wait at this point. Although Walt Disney World hasn’t revealed what’s new for 2025, there probably isn’t going to be much. New information probably won’t be released that should influence your choice. Every party will almost certainly sell out–it’s a matter of when, not if.
If you’re leaning towards going, we’d encourage buying sooner rather than later. Although we hate paying these ever-increasing prices and also think the events have gotten a bit stale and offer less bang for buck than a decade ago, there’s a reason we continue to attend Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party on an annual basis. Despite all of that, they’re still excellent and “worth it.” Clearly, enough guests agree with us and are voting with their wallets accordingly, given the 3+ year stretch of sold out dates for both MNSSHP and MVMCP!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you attended Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Walt Disney World in the last few years? What did you think of the ‘sold out’ crowds? Think it was worth the high ticket price? Thoughts on the entertainment, wait times for rides, character meet & greets, or anything else? Any other tips, likes or dislikes? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!