Thanksgiving 
Crowds take a bump-up for this All-American holiday. Disney’s holiday decorations are already up, and a number of the full-service restaurants at the parks, almost all of the Disney hotels, and many Downtown Disney eateries host special holiday dinners.

Christmas
Christmas is a special time, with delightful decorations, holiday entertainment, and countless ways to enjoy the season. Decorations go up in mid-November, so there’s more than a month of merriment. Visit during the first two weeks of December when the crowds are (slightly) thinner, the party is in full swing, and the resort is decked with holiday cheer. The 2018 celebrations, which will run from November 7, 2018 through Jan. 6, 2019, include A Christmas Fantasy Parade, “Believe … in Holiday Magic” fireworks, "it's a small world" Holiday, and the Sleeping Beauty’s Winter Castle projection show. The Haunted Mansion Holiday, which opens in September for Halloween Time, also runs through the end of Holiday Time. Luigi’s Joy to the Whirl and Mater’s Jingle Jamboree return to Disney California Adventure this year, part of the popular Cars Land holiday overlay. Santa Claus takes up residence again inside the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. What's not available? Jingle Cruise, which hasn't been available in 2016. Also World of Color is absent, and it seems unlikely it will return from its extended refurbishment in time this year.. The traditional Candlelight Processional has been running since 1958 and features a celebrity narrator, chorus, and orchestra presenting the Christmas tale. The show is performed inside Disneyland Park the first weekend of December and requires no extra admission (beyond regular park admission). Since it is only shown one weekend, crowds tend to be massive. The Candlelight Ceremony and Processional will be 12/1 and 12/2.

New Year’s Eve 
Both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure host big New Year celebrations. The theme parks overflow during the Christmas-New Year’s week, and reservations at hotels are hard to get. Disney charges regular admission to the parks on New Year’s Eve, but it is very crowded and the park is likely to impose admission restrictions due to large crowds.

Lunar New Year 
This special event at Disney California Adventure runs January 18–February 18, 2018.

Other Holidays and Observances

The Unofficial Gay Days group has a “Mini Gay Day” in the spring and a longer event on the first weekend in October (for dates and more information, visit the Gay Days website). The Unofficial Gay Days event drew about 30,000 attendees in 2016 (most of them wearing red shirts).

D23 Expo
Every other year the Disneyland area plays host to the big D23 Expo—in 2017, it started on Friday, July 14. In 2019, the D23 Expo will be held August 23-25, 2019. Tickets for the Expo will be available at the D23 website. General admission tickets in 2017 started at $72 for D23 members. In 2017, nine new Disney Legends were honored, including Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Oprah Winfrey, and Stan Lee.