Walt Disney World will add a new holiday stop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the 2026 season. Called Santa’s Holiday Grove, the walk-through dining and character experience is scheduled to operate from November 13, 2026, through January 3, 2027.
Disney describes the offering as a trail with intermittent snow flurries and Santa available to hear guests’ holiday wish lists. The company says the location will be across from the Theater in the Wild, home to Finding Nemo: The Big Blue … and Beyond!
The Grove will serve desserts and drinks, including a peppermint-chocolate cookie dough brownie ice cream sandwich made with double-chocolate peppermint cookie dough, vanilla ice cream and fudgy brownie. Other listed items include a jalapeño-cheddar pretzel, cookie butter milkshake, pistachio cookie, pan de jamon, mixed berry focaccia, chocolate-dipped Mickey gingerbread and chilled mulled Cabernet Sauvignon.
Santa’s availability after Christmas Eve was not specified. Disney says the Grove will remain open as a dining location through January 3, even if Santa’s meet-and-greet schedule changes after December 24.
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The new offering follows the closure of DinoLand, U.S.A., where Santa previously met Animal Kingdom guests. Elsewhere in the park, the Merry Menagerie of puppeteers and musicians is set to return November 13 near the Tree of Life on Discovery Island.
A separate festive cookie dough ice cream sandwich, featuring holiday sprinkles, will be available at Terra Treats on Discovery Island from November 6 through January 3.
