Over the last few years, guests may have seen Kris Kringle waving to park-goers as he sailed around the waterways of Disney’s Animal Kingdom during the holiday cavalcades. This year, guests can meet Santa Claus at the 75th Annual Dino Institute Holiday Party on the patio at Restaurantosaurus. As the guest of honor himself, Santa’s checked his list twice and invited everyone to join him in this festive new location as the students and faculty of the Dino Institute celebrate the season in (pre)-historic fashion from November 12-December 24. Guests should bring the whole family, because a Santa sighting is perfect for the little ones!

After stopping by Restaurantosaurus to say “ho ho ho” to Santa, guests should be sure to hoof it back to Discovery Island for the return of the happiest little animal herd around – the Merry Menagerie. These enchanting puppets feature winter animals of all sorts … and we need to boop each creature gently on the nose to start our holidays off right.

Guests can also meet the holiday hosts with the most, Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, dressed in their festive finest together at Adventurers Outpost.

And, after a full day of shopping for their gift list (Merry Menagerie merch, anyone?) and sampling delicious goodies (stay tuned for a holiday Foodie Guide coming soon!), guests can stop by after dark for sensational, seasonal Tree of Life Awakenings that bring the spirits of winter animals to life.

We all know Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a festive place to be with the cutest retro holiday decorations – and this year, there are three new entertainment acts to fill the whole family with joy, all starting November 12!