There are SO many ways to celebrate the holidays in Orlando!
You could head to Disney World and check out Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or Jollywood Nights, as well as a variety of free offerings in Disney Springs and at the resorts. Or maybe you want to go to Universal Orlando and check out their holiday parade and seasonal celebrations? All of those things are plenty of fun, but while you’re in the area, there’s one more holiday offering that we encourage you to check out.
Give Kids the World Village is an 89-acre nonprofit resort in Central Florida that provides weeklong cost-free vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families. The property is home to 166 villa accommodations, and they’ve hosted nearly 200,000 families since they first opened in 1986. But during the holiday season, they do something really special!
During the holidays, the village is decorated with more than a million Christmas lights, and the effect is STUNNING. This year, if you’d like to check out the beautiful display, there’s a brand-new event you can attend to enjoy the lights and support the village.
Give Kids the World Village will be hosting VIP Guided Tours this holiday season! These will take place on select nights in November and December and will feature exclusive tours with storytelling, access to select venues on the Avenue of Angels, photo ops, and decorated scenes from GKTW partners. Tickets for this experience are available online now.
Click here to get your tickets!
If you want to take your experience to the next level, you can also book one of the Balcony Dessert Parties. Groups of up to 30 guests can enjoy the lights from one of the balconies overlooking Towne Hall while enjoying a custom dessert party. This booking includes a variety of treats and a private tour of the Village.
In addition to the other two offerings, tickets are available for the Holiday Soiree, which takes place on November 11th. This event will have dinner, live entertainment, and auctions, as well as a “festival After Hours Party on The Avenue.” There will be desserts, characters, and lots of surprises throughout the night! Tickets are available online now.
Give Kids the World invited us out to experience a portion of the holiday tour, and let me just tell you that it is MAGICAL. The light displays are stunning, and it’s a great opportunity to explore the Village and learn more about this excellent organization. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a little bit extra holiday fun in the Orlando area!
We’ll keep you in the loop with more holiday news and offerings, so stay tuned to DFB for the latest.
Click Here to Get All the Details on the Festival of the Holidays in EPCOT!
DON'T MISS A MOMENT
OF HOLIDAY MAGIC

Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World.
It includes all the must-have information for navigating the holiday season at Disney World, including:
- The COMPLETE schedule of events for the Holiday Season
- How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!)
- ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM.
- And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat!
Save 20% on the Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide with code PEPPERMINT.
MORE Disney World Holiday INFO!
Learn About Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Get the Latest Information About the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Get All the Details About Disney Jollywood Nights
Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Holiday Dining and Events
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the latest holiday news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
Have you ever been to the GKTW Village? Tell us in the comments!
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Today, we were invited by Give Kids the World to attend their media preview of the VIP Guided Tours. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink. You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
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