From cheerfully curated Christmas trees and festive wreaths to glittering garland and gingerbread structures with an aroma of sugar and spice, holiday festivities are in full swing at Walt Disney World Resort during the 50th Anniversary celebration, which runs through March 31, 2023.
Here’s a fun behind-the-scenes look at how theme parks, resorts and Disney Springs are transformed for this magical season.
And here are eight things you need to know about seasonal décor found across Walt Disney World Resort:
1. There are 29 “Icon Trees” that are between 15 and 70 feet tall. Another 596 trees range from two to 14 feet tall. Stars and toppers for trees can be up to seven feet wide and weigh more than 200 pounds.
2. The largest tree is 70 feet tall. Located at Disney’s Contemporary Resort it weighs more than 33,000 pounds and has 1,200 individual branches. The tree is decorated with 16,000 lights and more than 200 custom light-up ornaments.
3. The life-sized gingerbread house at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is made with more than 10,000 individual pieces of gingerbread. This year’s house has 23 hidden Mickeys – one for each year it’s been on display.
4. In total, Christmas trees throughout the resort feature more than 12,000 branches and are made from more than 110 tons of steel. Decorating all those trees takes more than 15,000 oversized ornaments and 260,000 lights.
5. Disney Springs is the location with the most décor – nearly 2,000 individual pieces including trees, garlands, ornaments and other festive details.
6. Nearly 5,000 garlands are hung throughout Walt Disney World Resort. Together they cover a distance of nearly nine miles. On top of that, 1,700 wreaths are installed each year.
7. The Holiday Services Team maintains, installs and removes more than 40,000 individual pieces of décor each year across 780 locations at 41 properties. Those include Walt Disney World Theme Parks and Resort hotels, Disney Cruise Line ships and more.
8. Holiday-décor installation begins Halloween night and is complete by Thanksgiving. The Holiday Services Team that makes this magic happen consists of 50 year-round cast members and up to 90 seasonal cast members that join the team each year.