The set is built and the sign is up. Disneyland is taping the Disney Parks Holiday Special for ABC on the night of Monday, October 26, and the stage is sitting right in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The Christmas special is taping tonight at Disneyland!
— Matt Desmond (@DisneyScoopGuy) October 26, 2026
We found the finished stage Monday morning. A sign posted beside it reads “Please pardon our pixie dust! As we set the stage for our Disney Parks Holiday Special,” with “To air on ABC” printed at the bottom, so there’s no mystery about what’s being filmed. Neither Disney nor ABC has said who will perform.
What The Set Looks Like
The raised stage is dressed in silver. Oversized glittery gift boxes with white bows sit across the platform, Christmas trees hung with silver ornaments line both sides, and a red riser trimmed like a toy drum sits in the middle, with a drum kit already set up. Garland with more silver ornaments runs along the front edge, and lighting rigs stand at the edges.
Behind it all, the castle is already in its winter look, with the snow and icicles that crews have been adding to the turrets and walls over the past few weeks. Disney says Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle shines with 80,000 lights every night of the holiday season, which officially begins at the Disneyland Resort on November 13.
The stage is the payoff for the setup we’ve been watching for days. Production lights first went up in the same spot in front of the castle last week.
Jon Favreau Was Filming Too
Later on Monday, we spotted Jon Favreau filming at Disneyland. Our photo shows him outdoors in a dark button-up shirt, talking with the people around him, with trees and water behind him. What he was shooting isn’t clear yet, and Disney hasn’t said whether it has anything to do with the holiday special. Favreau directed The Mandalorian and Grogu, which reached theaters earlier this year.
Jon Favreau is filming at Disneyland!
— Matt Desmond (@DisneyScoopGuy) October 26, 2026
When You Can Watch
ABC hasn’t announced an air date or hosts for this year’s special. Last year the network aired The Wonderful World of Disney: Holiday Spectacular on December 1, with performances from Walt Disney World, Disneyland and Aulani, followed by the Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade on Christmas morning. Over in Florida, Magic Kingdom has scheduled daytime runs of Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade on November 10 and 11, dates that line up with the annual taping there, though Disney hasn’t announced its taping dates.
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