Full list of performers announced for annual Disney holiday specials
It’s almost that time of year once again! This year’s performers for the annual ABC and Disney Channel holiday specials have been announced!
“The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration” will air on Thursday, Nov. 28 from 8-10 p.m. EST on ABC, hosted by Matthew Morrison and Emma Bunton alongside co-host Jesse Palmer. The celebration will feature musical performances at both Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort in California.
This holiday special will offer viewers sneak peeks at upcoming Disney Parks projects, including a look at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Musical performances for this special include:
- Sting and Shaggy performing duets and solo numbers at Walt Disney World Resort, including a new reggae version of “Silent Night (Christmas is Coming).”
- Rock band Portugal. The Man performing “Happy Christmas” and “Merry Christmas Everybody” at Disneyland Resort.
- Pentatonix singing a cappella versions of “Deck the Halls” and “Here Comes Santa Claus” at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Singers Ingrid Michaelson and Andy Grammer performing an all-new original holiday song from Disneyland Resort.
- International pop star Ally Brooke singing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Singer-songwriter and TV host Emma Bunton (‘Baby Spice’) performing “Santa Baby” at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Tony, Emmy, and two-time Golden Globe-nominee Matthew Morrison performing a medley of “When You Wish Upon A Star” and “Let it Snow” from Walt Disney World.
- Electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling playing “Carol of the Bells” at Walt Disney World Resort.
“Disney Channel Holiday Party @ Walt Disney World” will air on Friday, Dec. 13 from 8-8:30 p.m. EST on Disney Channel. Meg Donnelly and Milo Manheim, stars of Disney Channel’s “ZOMBIES 2” will host the special, which will feature performances from Disney Channel stars at Walt Disney World in Florida and aboard Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Fantasy.
During the special, viewers will get a look at Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, coming to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in spring 2020 and Disneyland park sometime in the future.
Musical performances for this special include:
- Disney Channel’s “ZOMBIES 2” star Meg Donnelly singing “Home for the Holidays” at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Disney Channel stars Issac Ryan Brown (“Raven’s Home”) and Ruby Rose Turner (“Coop & Cami Ask the World”) performing “12 Days of Christmas” at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Disney Channel’s “Gabby Duran & The Unsittables” star Kylie Cantrall performing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” aboard the Disney Fantasy.
- Pentatonix performing an a cappella rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus” from Walt Disney World Resort.
- Shaggy singing “Jamaican Drummer Boy” from Walt Disney World Resort.
The “Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day Parade” will air on ABC on Wednesday, Dec. 25, from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. EST, though check your local listings as airtimes will vary. This annual holiday tradition will air on Christmas morning, hosted by Matthew Morrison, Emma Bunton, and Jesse Palmer. Joining in as co-hosts are ABC’s “black-ish” star Marsai Martin and Disney’s “The Lion King” star JD McCrary, who voiced young Simba in the live-action film.
The special will feature both Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort, as the Christmas Day Parade travels down Main Street U.S.A. Of course, this wouldn’t be a Disney special with out Disney Parks sneak peeks – this special will feature a look at Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, as well as Avengers Campus, coming to Disney California Adventure park in 2020.
Musical performances for this special include:
- Sting performing “Soul Cake” from his album “If On A Winter’s Night…” from Walt Disney World Resort.
- Shaggy singing his new original song “Christmas with Friends” from Walt Disney World Resort.
- Pentatonix performing “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” from Walt Disney World Resort.
- Singers Ingrid Michaelson and Grace VanderWaal singing “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” from Disneyland Resort.
- Rock band Portugal. The Man performing “White Christmas” and “Feel it Still” from Disneyland Resort.
- Pop star Ally Brooke performing “Christmas Through Your Eyes” at Walt Disney World Resort.
- Cast of the new Disney+ original “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” performing a medley at the Disneyland Resort.
These annual Disney holiday specials begin filming today, Nov. 7 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. There’s no word on when the Disneyland portions will be filmed.
Take a look at our YouTube playlist below to see some of our behind-the-scenes videos from over the years of covering the holiday specials:
