How Jewish Guests Can Celebrate Hanukkah at Walt Disney World in 2025. For Jewish families and guests visiting Walt Disney World during the winter holidays, Hanukkah offers a meaningful and increasingly visible way to celebrate tradition while enjoying the magic of Disney. Hanukkah in 2025 starts at sundown on Sunday, December 14, 2025, and concludes at nightfall on Monday, December 22, 2025.
While Christmas remains the dominant seasonal theme across the resort, Walt Disney World, especially EPCOT, provides thoughtful, welcoming opportunities to honor the Festival of Lights through storytelling, food, music, and shared cultural experiences.
What Hanukkah Celebrates and Why It Matters
Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of a small amount of oil that burned for eight days. Traditionally, families light a menorah each night, enjoy foods fried in oil such as latkes, play games like dreidel, exchange gifts, and spend time together.
At its heart, Hanukkah is about resilience, identity, faith, and bringing light into dark times; values that naturally align with Disney’s emphasis on hope, storytelling, and togetherness.
Disney and Hanukkah: A Growing Tradition
For much of Disney’s history, winter celebrations at Walt Disney World focused almost entirely on Christmas. Over time, however, Disney began expanding its holiday programming to better reflect the diversity of its guests. Today, Hanukkah has its strongest and most intentional presence at EPCOT, where the park’s mission of global culture and education provides a natural home for sharing Jewish traditions in a respectful and accessible way.
Celebrating Hanukkah at EPCOT in 2025
Hanukkah Storyteller at EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
The centerpiece of Hanukkah celebration at Walt Disney World is the Hanukkah Storyteller, part of EPCOT’s International Festival of the Holidays.
A GREAT MIRACLE HAPPENED THERE:
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day celebration honoring the trials and tribulations faced by the Maccabees in Israel between 160 and 166 B.C.E. Named for their leader, Judah Maccabee, this small band of Jews stood up against a large army to reclaim the Second Temple from the Seleucid Empire.
Following the battle, Judah led the Maccabees in cleansing the temple. They rebuilt the altar and lit the menorah, a seven-branched candelabra. However, they found only enough oil to last one night. Miraculously, the central light of the menorah remained lit for 8 days, allowing the Maccabees to cleanse the temple and find more oil.
Today, Jews around the world celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah with family, food, and fun. At sundown on each night of Hanukkah, families and communities light the Hanukkiah, a nine-branched menorah that represents the 8 days of light, with a central branch, called the shamash, that is used to light the others. People share a feast of foods cooked in oil, such as fried potato latkes, and exchange presents.
They also play games with the dreidel, a four-sided top with Hebrew letters on it that come together to represent the phrase “a great miracle happened there.”
Chag Sameach! Happy Hanukkah!
Throughout the festival season, a storyteller shares the history, meaning, and traditions of Hanukkah through engaging narration designed for guests of all ages. The presentation often includes explanations of the menorah, the miracle of the oil, and the cultural significance of the holiday, offering both Jewish guests and curious visitors a moment of reflection and learning.
For Jewish families, this experience provides a rare opportunity to see their holiday acknowledged and explained within a major theme park environment.
L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen
Food is central to Hanukkah celebrations, and EPCOT honors that tradition with L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen during the Festival of the Holidays.
Festival of the Holidays Food Offerings
- Pastrami on Rye with House-made Pickles and Deli Mustard $6.00
- Smoked Salmon Potato Latke* $6.25
- Potato Latkes (Plant-based) $4.75
- Rugelach Pastry with Raspberry Jam, Walnuts, and Cinnamon $4.25
- Mickey-shaped Almond Black and White Cookie – Holiday Cookie Stroll $4.00
Sampling these dishes while strolling World Showcase allows guests to connect with familiar flavors, or introduce friends and family to them, within a festive Disney setting.
Music, Atmosphere, and Seasonal Details
During the holiday season, EPCOT’s entertainment lineup may include vocal performances and musical selections that feature Hanukkah songs alongside other seasonal music. While subtle, these moments contribute to an atmosphere of inclusion and celebration.
Guests may also spot seasonal décor elements, such as menorah imagery used in storytelling spaces or holiday merchandise that reflects Jewish themes.
Celebrating Hanukkah Beyond EPCOT
While EPCOT is the hub, Hanukkah can still be meaningfully observed throughout Walt Disney World:
- Resort Hotels: Guests staying at Disney resort hotels can bring a travel menorah and celebrate nightly candle lighting in their rooms or designated quiet areas.
- Family Traditions: Many families choose to light candles before heading to the parks or after returning from a day of attractions, blending Disney vacation memories with personal tradition.
- PhotoPass Opportunities: Seasonal PhotoPass offerings sometimes include Hanukkah-inspired props or overlays during the holiday period.
Disney’s welcoming environment allows guests to honor their traditions comfortably and openly
Hanukkah Merchandise Available Around Walt Disney World
In the past, we have seen Ears, Loungefly bags, mugs, blankets, sweatshirts, tee shirts, pins, and more. Most stores around Walt Disney World, Parks and Resorts, along with Disney Springs, will have stuff for sale.
A Meaningful Holiday at Walt Disney World
Celebrating Hanukkah at Walt Disney World in 2025 offers Jewish guests a unique blend of tradition and theme park magic. Through storytelling, food, and shared cultural experiences, especially at EPCOT, Disney provides space for Jewish families to feel seen, welcomed, and included during the holiday season.
In a place built on imagination and hope, Hanukkah’s message of light enduring through darkness feels right at home.
How Jewish Guests Can Celebrate Hanukkah at Walt Disney World in 2025
Finally, if you would like to visit a local synagogue during the Shabbat that falls during Hanukkah on Saturday, December 20, 2025, visit Chabad of South Orlando or the Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation (SWOJC). Both are located close to Walt Disney World Resort.
