Disney’s holiday food guide has delivered the first full look at the menu for Santa’s Holiday Grove, the new seasonal location serving as Santa Claus’s base at Disney’s Animal Kingdom this year. The guide also settles a question left open since the Grove was announced.
Menu Dates Now Confirmed
According to the guide, food and beverages at Santa’s Holiday Grove will be available from November 13 through January 3. That start date lines up with the opening day of Walt Disney World’s holiday season, which runs from November 13, 2026, through January 6, 2027. The menu, however, closes out three days before the season does.
Disney first revealed the Grove on October 6 as part of its broader holiday announcement, without an opening date. That announcement also covered seasonal offerings across the resort’s parks, along with the separately ticketed Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Disney Jollywood Nights.
The Full Menu
All but one item is new for 2026. Here is the complete lineup:
- Pan de Jamón – Bread roll filled with smoked ham, olives, and orange raisins (NEW)
- Jalapeño-Cheddar Pretzel (NEW)
- Santa Hat Croissant – Red-and-white croissant filled with hazelnut spread and dipped in white chocolate (NEW)
- Chocolate Tree Croissant – Christmas tree-shaped croissant filled with hazelnut spread and dipped in white chocolate (NEW)
- Mixed Berry Focaccia – Blackberry, blueberry, and raspberry compote with lemon icing (NEW)
- Pistachio Cookie – White chocolate chips, Sicilian pistachios, dried cranberries, and candied orange (NEW)
- Festive Chocolate Chip Cookie – Finished with holiday sprinkles (NEW)
- Chocolate-dipped Mickey Gingerbread – Mickey-shaped gingerbread cookie dipped in chocolate
- Peppermint-Chocolate Cookie Dough Brownie Ice Cream Sandwich – Double-chocolate peppermint cookie dough, vanilla ice cream, and fudgy brownie (NEW)
- Cookie Butter Milkshake – Topped with whipped cream, caramel, and a chocolate-dipped cookie (NEW)
- Chilled Mulled Wine – Cabernet Sauvignon mulled with fresh orange, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves (NEW)
The Pan de Jamón is a Christmas staple in Venezuela, making it a well-matched pick for a park preparing to open a land inspired by Central and South America. The ice cream sandwich marks another seasonal spin on the viral dessert, while the Chocolate-dipped Mickey Gingerbread is the menu’s lone returning item. The Chilled Mulled Wine is a sensible choice for Central Florida, where afternoons in November and December can still feel warm.
Why Santa Relocated
During the 2025 holiday season, Santa greeted guests at Restaurantosaurus in DinoLand U.S.A. as part of the Dino Institute Holiday Party. That setup ended when Restaurantosaurus and the rest of DinoLand U.S.A. closed permanently in February 2026.
The area is being transformed into Tropical Americas, a new land celebrating the wildlife, landscapes, and culture of Central and South America. Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent, Antonio’s Fiesta de Encanto, and El Carrusel de los Animalitos are slated for the land, which is expected to open in 2027. With construction walls now standing where Santa once posed for photos, he needed a new home.
A Festive Trail Near Theater in the Wild
Santa’s Holiday Grove is located near Theater in the Wild, across from Finding Nemo: The Big Blue… and Beyond! Rather than bringing back the party format from Restaurantosaurus, Disney is staging a festive trail complete with intermittent snow flurries and a holiday soundtrack. Santa will be on hand to hear guests’ wish lists.
The Grove joins returning favorites such as the Merry Menagerie, with its winter animal puppets, and the holiday version of Tree of Life Awakenings. Animal Kingdom has long folded the season into existing spaces rather than staging a park-wide celebration, and the Grove is the latest adjustment following DinoLand U.S.A.’s closure, which has reshaped dining, attractions, and seasonal entertainment in that corner of the park.
Disney has not said what happens at the Grove from January 4 to January 6, so it may be closed or operating differently then. It is also unclear whether Santa will appear for the full run. He typically ends his Walt Disney World appearances around Christmas Eve, sometimes handing off to characters like Santa Goofy, but Disney has not confirmed a similar arrangement here.
Will you be stopping by Santa’s Holiday Grove this season? Let us know in the comments below!
