Is watching the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade part of your holiday tradition? Ever since I was a child I have enjoyed watching the parade on Thanksgiving morning while the delicious aromas of Thanksgiving dinner cooking wafted through the house and I have shared that tradition with my kids.
When I moved to Orlando, I remember being so excited when I had the opportunity to experience Universal’s version of the Macy’s parade. Now, years later, that parade at Universal has evolved as well as the festivities throughout both parks, bringing plenty of holiday magic and fun.
Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s at Universal Studios Florida
This year, Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s showcases beloved characters from Minions, Madagascar and Shrek. Oh, of course just like the Macy’s parade, Santa is there too!
As passholders, we enjoyed the exclusive viewing area in front of Mel’s Diner for the parade. This location is at both the beginning and end of the parade route. One thing we have noticed is that this viewing area is always super crowded at the beginning but once the last parade float exits the big gates, most people leave. It was within a few minutes that we were watching the parade for a second time with even better viewing and fewer crowds. The total time we spent to watch the parade twice was 40 minutes and we loved every second of it.
If you are not an annual passholder, that is okay, there are plenty of viewing areas, just be sure to arrive early to grab a good spot, especially if you go on the weekend.
Here is the schedule for Universal’s Holiday Parade for this season:
Nov. 19 and Dec. 4: 5:15 pm
Nov. 16 – 18, Nov. 20 – Dec. 3, Dec. 5 – Dec. 24; Dec 31 – Jan 5: 5:30 pm
Dec. 25 – Dec. 30: 8:00 pm
Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
I hate to admit it, we are not huge Harry Potter fans, but Christmas in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter can not be missed. I am super glad we made the extra effort to experience it.
In Universal Studios, Diagon Alley and London are adorned with lights and holiday decor. We headed there after watching the parade, with the intention of catching the train to Islands of Adventure. Even from across the water the London lights were absolutely beautiful!
Once we explored Diagon Alley and saw a special holiday performance by Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees, we hopped on the train and headed to Hogsmeade.
Hogsmeade was equally breathtaking with the shops being decorated with garland and lights. We missed the Frog Choir singing holiday melodies with the students of Hogwarts as through December 7th, the last daily show is at 4 pm. The best part of this experience here was the light show, well other than the Butterbeer, but I will get to that.
Ongoing from dusk until the park closes, you can view the Magic of Christmas at Hogwarts Castle. This light projection and firework show is reminiscent of another park favorite. We all enjoyed watching the story unfold in lights on the castle.
Hot Butterbeer
Everyone always raves about Butterbeer and how much they love it. Honestly, I have never been a fan, but I am not really into sweet drinks. However, knowing that for a limited time during the holiday season, hot Butterbeer is available, well, you bet we tried it and guess what? Everyone in the family was raving fans. It was like a creamy, warm buttery milk and with the cooler temperatures, we couldn’t have picked a better time to try it.
One thing to note, the warm version of Butterbeer is only available in the restaurants. We picked up our cup at Three Broomsticks at Islands of Adventure. It’s a hot item, pun intended, so plan to wait a little bit, but, trust us, it is worth the wait.
Grinchmas at Universal’s Islands of Adventure
If you know anything about us, you know we are BIG Seuss fans so of course we are super excited about Grinchmas at Islands of Adventure. Unfortunately, on our first visit of the season, we did not make it to the festivities as it was an evening only visit and we started at Universal for the parade.
But you can believe we will return another day just for this because during the holiday season, Seuss Landing is transformed into Who-ville with who-worthy decorations and charm.
While there, you can join in the classic live retelling of The Grinch story at the Who-liday Spectacular and even meet the Grinch himself! Don’t forget your camera and autograph book!
Here is the schedule for Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular:
Nov 16: 10:45am, 11:45am (ASL), 12:45pm, 1:45pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm (ASL), 6:30pm
Nov 17 – Nov 22: 11:30am (ASL), 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 3:45pm, 4:45pm, 5:45pm (ASL)
Nov 23 – Nov 30: 10:45am, 11:45am (ASL), 12:45pm, 1:45pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm, 5:30pm (ASL), 6:30pm
Dec 1 – Dec 7: 11:30am (ASL), 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 3:45pm, 4:45pm, 5:45pm (ASL)
Mannheim Steamroller at Universal Studios Florida
We love holiday music and we love concerts so to find out that the best-selling holiday artist of all time, Mannheim Steamroller, will be performing live at Universal Studios on select nights this holiday season is super exciting! The awesome thing about this is that the concert is included with your park ticket.
Here are the concert dates for Mannheim Steamroller:
Nov. 16, 17, 23, 24, 30
Dec. 1, 7, 8, 14, 15
Tips for your Visit
I can’t end without sharing a few tips to help with your visit to Universal this holiday season.
- Plan your visit. This is one of those times that you really need to look at the schedule, especially if you only have one day to do it all. If we did not have our annual passes and the chance to return again this season, we would’ve had to start at Islands of Adventure, hop over to Universal Studios, and then back to Islands to fit in all of the different festivities. So be sure to opt for the 2 park p
- Arrive early to the parade. I mentioned this before but if you want prime viewing then be sure to arrive early, especially on the weekends. Also, if you are a passholder be sure to take advantage of the exclusive viewing area near Mel’s Diner.
- Take advantage of the special kids viewing area. Do you have tiny tikes that perhaps will have an obstructed view? I know how exhausting it is to do the shoulder ride for kids so they can see and then you are potentially blocking other’s views. This exclusive roped off area just for the small fries is on Hollywood Blvd and is a great consideration to create the best viewing experience for the little ones.
- Plan for crowds. This is a busy time of year at the parks and everything takes a little longer. Even with our Express pass on the train which we are normally on in 5-10 minutes was over a 30-minute wait. Once again though, we did go on a weekend night.
- Be sure to have warm clothes. We have bizarre weather. It may be 75 degrees at noon but it could very well be 50 degrees in the evening. Be sure to plan for varying temperatures. Maybe at least carry in sweaters if you are going to be there once the sun goes down.
So now that you know all about Universal Orlando’s Holiday Celebration and what to expect, grab your family and head out for a magical visit this holiday season!