Grinchmas 2026: Universal Dates, Grinch Breakfast & Tips

Grinchmas 2026 at Universal Orlando runs November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027 and is included with park admission, while Universal Studios Hollywood’s 2026 dates and the Grinch breakfast details are still unannounced. This guide covers both coasts, what is confirmed, what is still coming, the show, the food and how a family plans around it.

By Favorite Grampy | Last Updated: September 21, 2026 | Dates checked against Universal’s own announcements and holiday guides | Updated the day Universal announces Hollywood’s 2026 dates and breakfast reservations

When Is Grinchmas 2026 at Universal?

Grinchmas 2026 at Universal Orlando runs November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027. It is held in Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure and is included with any park ticket. Universal Studios Hollywood has not announced its 2026 dates. In 2025 Hollywood ran November 24 through January 4, announced on October 14, 2025.

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Put simply, Grinchmas is Universal’s Dr. Seuss holiday celebration, with the Grinch, the Whos, a 65-foot tree lighting in Hollywood and a live stage show in Orlando. That is 51 days of Who-ville in Florida and, if 2026 follows 2025, about 42 days in California. Our full guide to Christmas at Universal Orlando covers the parade, the castle show and the hotels; this page is the Grinch.

Do You Need Separate Grinchmas Tickets?

No, Grinchmas does not need a separate ticket. Universal Orlando includes it with any park ticket or annual pass. Universal Studios Hollywood has included it with regular admission in every recent season. So the cost to see the Grinch at Universal is the price of a regular park ticket, at either park; current Hollywood ticket prices and the Buy a Day, Get a 2nd Day Free deal are in our Universal Studios Hollywood ticket guide. In other words, nobody in your party needs a second ticket to see the show, meet the Grinch, mail a letter at the Who-ville Post Office or walk through the Who-Ville Tree Lot.

That said, two Orlando experiences do carry a separate charge. The Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast is a paid reservation on top of park admission, and the Universal Holiday Tour runs from $69.99 plus tax on select dates. Everything else in this guide is part of the day you already paid for.

Here is why the ticket type still matters. Grinchmas lives at Islands of Adventure, the holiday parade is at Universal Studios Florida, and the new Epic Universe decor is at a third park. A multi-day park-to-park ticket lets your family see all three without buying twice. Our Universal Express Pass guide explains when the Express add-on earns its keep in December.

What Is Grinchmas at Universal Orlando Like?

Grinchmas at Universal Orlando turns Seuss Landing into Who-ville from November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Oversized candy canes, snow-capped rooftops and thousands of lights go up across the whole land, and Who residents wander the streets in their upturned noses and striped costumes.

In addition, the decorations are built to be touched. Best of all, kids pose with giant ornaments, walk through garland archways and browse the Who-Ville Tree Lot, a decorated tree lot lifted straight from the book. Every lamp post and doorway gets the treatment while the land keeps its Seussian curves.

For example, my grandkids spent 20 minutes one December afternoon just following a Who around the lot. Still, the performers are patient, they stay in character, and they are used to toddlers who forget their own names. Plan on an hour in Seuss Landing before you even reach the show.

What Is the Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular?

The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular is a live stage retelling of How the Grinch Stole Christmas at Islands of Adventure, included with admission and performed several times a day. The music is recorded by Mannheim Steamroller, and in past seasons the show has run about 25 minutes, a good length for young attention spans. The band’s live holiday concerts are a separate Universal Orlando event on the Music Plaza Stage, covered in our holiday guide.

Meanwhile, the show is the part of Grinchmas families talk about on the drive home. In fact, Cindy-Lou Who carries the songs, the Grinch brings the mischief, and the ending keeps the book’s message intact. Showtimes for 2026 will post in the Universal Orlando app once the season opens, so check the day’s schedule when you arrive.

Where Do You Meet the Grinch at Universal?

The Grinch meets families at Honk Honkers in Seuss Landing at Universal Orlando. At Universal Studios Hollywood he meets them in Universal Plaza, with Max the dog alongside. Even better, both spots run throughout the day during the season, the exact hours appear in each park’s app, and neither meet costs anything beyond park admission.

The Grinch is not a Disney character and does not appear at Walt Disney World or Disneyland. Dr. Seuss characters live at Universal, which is why his meets are at Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood, and why a December Disney trip has no Grinch in it.

And this is not a rushed meet-and-greet. The Grinch takes his time with each family, steals a hat or two, and pretends to be miserable about all the cheer. In 2025 Hollywood added Cindy-Lou Who story time every day, in English and Spanish, with a reading of the book for families sitting cross-legged on the plaza.

What Does Universal Studios Hollywood Do for Grinchmas?

Universal Studios Hollywood has not announced its 2026 Grinchmas dates. In 2025 it ran November 24 through January 4 in Universal Plaza. Universal published those dates on October 14, 2025, so expect the 2026 announcement in the same mid-October window. We will update this guide the day it lands.

Here is why families make the trip. In 2025, Hollywood’s Grinchmas centered on a 65-foot topsy-turvy tree decorated with hundreds of ornaments and thousands of LED lights. According to Universal Studios Hollywood’s own holiday guide, the tree lighting ran several times every night with the Grinch and the Whos and ended with snow falling over Universal Plaza. The Who-Bee Doo-Wops, a holiday quartet, sang classics during the day on select dates.

In addition, the 2025 program included the Grinch and Max photo op all day and Cindy-Lou Who story time in English and Spanish. Kids mailed the Grinch a note listing three good deeds at the Who-ville Post Office. Hollywood’s version is compact, all of it inside one plaza, which makes it easier with small children than Orlando’s spread-out Seuss Landing.

Is Grinchmas at Universal Studios Hollywood Worth a Trip?

Yes for Southern California families, and for anyone already planning a Los Angeles trip in December. The park has more to offer that month than Grinchmas alone. In 2025 the same ticket covered Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the Hogwarts Castle projection show and holiday decor in Super Nintendo World. It also covered EVE, the New Year’s Eve party included with a December 31 ticket.

Even so, plan the day around the tree lighting. It is the most popular moment of the holiday season at the park, and the first ceremony after dark draws the biggest crowd. Naturally, our advisors book Universal Studios Hollywood trips too. If your family is choosing between coasts, ask for the complimentary consultation at the end of this guide and we will map both against your dates.

What Is New for Grinchmas 2026 at Universal Orlando?

Universal Epic Universe joins the holiday season for the first time in 2026. Holiday decor arrives in Super Nintendo World and How to Train Your Dragon: Isle of Berk. Celestial Park becomes a cosmic winter wonderland with lit trees and holiday fountain shows. All of it is included with admission from November 14 through January 3.

On top of that, Christmas in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter now spans three lands, with the Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe joining Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Even so, Grinchmas itself stays in Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure, so seeing the Grinch and Mario in one trip means two parks and a park-to-park ticket. Better still, we have both parks covered. Our Epic Universe guide walks through the third park before you go. The parade, the castle show and the hotels are in the full holiday guide linked at the top of this page.

Is There a Grinch Character Breakfast in 2026?

Universal has not published 2026 dates, prices or reservation details for the Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast. The breakfast is held on select mornings inside Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous in Seuss Landing. It requires park admission plus an advance paid reservation, and it is the one Grinchmas item families ask us about most.

For planning purposes, last season the breakfast ran on select mornings from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026. Prices started at $58.99 for adults ages 10 and up and $32.99 for kids ages 3 to 9, plus tax. The Whos from the show circulate among the tables, and every family gets a photo moment with the Grinch, who cares more about the bacon than the camera. Universal Orlando’s breakfast page is where the 2026 details will appear first.

As a result, the smart move is to decide now whether the breakfast matters to your crew. Popular mornings have sold out within days of reservations opening in past seasons, and the opening date is not announced in advance.

What Grinchmas Food and Treats Are There?

Universal Studios Hollywood has not released its 2026 Grinchmas menu, and in 2025 the Grinchmas menu at Hollywood & Dine ran from $10 to $19 a plate. As the Orange County Register reported, the lineup included Who Hash, loaded tater tots with brisket, for $19. It also had the Who-bilation Funnel Cake for $14, the Who Pudding strawberry mousse dome for $10, and the Grinch’s Heart Lemonade with a light-up cube for $11.

Meanwhile, Universal Orlando spreads its Grinchmas treats across Seuss Landing. Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous serves the seasonal items, and the Grinch sugar cookie sandwich in the photo above is the one my grandkids demand every visit. Across the resort at Universal Studios Florida, last season’s holiday menu added a Chocolate Yule Log at San Francisco Pastry Company and peppermint chocolate chip gelato at Louie’s. Both appear in Universal Orlando’s holiday guide.

What Grinchmas Merchandise Can You Buy?

Both parks sell Grinchmas merchandise you will not find anywhere else, from Grinch and Max plush to ornaments and apparel. On top of that, Universal Orlando’s seasonal items run through Seuss Landing and the big park stores, and Hollywood stocks its own line, with some California-only pieces, in the Universal Studio Store.

For example, the ornaments and the small pins are the sweet spot for grandparents buying for a crowd. They pack flat, they cost a fraction of a plush, and the kids still get to pick their own. My rule is one item per grandchild plus one ornament for the family tree, which keeps a party of six under a two-figure budget per person.

Set a budget before you walk in and shop on the way out, so nobody carries bags through the parade. Anything you buy in the park at Hollywood can be picked up at the Universal Studio Store near the exit, and Orlando’s Islands of Adventure Trading Company at the front of the park carries the seasonal line if Seuss Landing sells out of a size.

When Is the Best Time to See Grinchmas?

The quietest Grinchmas days at Universal Orlando are Wednesdays and Thursdays in the first two weeks of December, when our crowd calendar rates the parks a 5 to 7. Thanksgiving week jumps to 8 or 9 and December 20 through January 1 sits at 9 or 10, the busiest stretch of the year. Our Universal Orlando Crowd Calendar rates every day of the season.

In fact, the calendar shapes the whole Grinchmas plan. On a quiet weekday you can see the show, meet the Grinch and eat the cookie by lunch. During Christmas week, the same three things take most of the day, and that is when the Holiday Tour’s reserved seating and private meet-and-greet start to earn their $69.99.

Even better, the first hour after opening is the best hour at both parks. Characters are most active then and around show times, the Honk Honkers line is short, and December mornings are cool enough for layers. Pack a jacket for Orlando evenings in the 50s and a real coat for Hollywood in December.

How Do You Plan a Grinchmas Trip to Universal?

Plan a Grinchmas trip to Universal Orlando around a park-to-park ticket, an on-site hotel and the first two weeks of December if your dates are flexible. Staying on site brings hotel perks such as resort transportation. At the three signature hotels it also brings Unlimited Express for every guest in the room, which matters most in Christmas week lines.

By contrast, for a Universal Studios Hollywood trip, Grinchmas pairs with the Studio Tour and a Los Angeles stay, and one day covers it. The park is a single-day experience in December, so build the tree lighting into the evening and the Studio Tour into the morning.

That said, if guaranteed Grinch time matters, look at the Universal Holiday Tour at Orlando. It runs on select dates from November 14, 2026 to January 2, 2027, from $69.99 plus tax, with $10 off for annual passholders. The tour runs about two and a half hours and bundles reserved seating for the Who-liday Spectacular, exclusive meet-and-greets with the Grinch and with Max, a meeting with Santa and optional reserved viewing for the holiday parade. It requires a park-to-park ticket because it crosses between the two original parks.

What Questions Do Families Ask About Grinchmas?

Families ask eight questions before a Grinchmas trip more than any others: the 2026 dates, whether it is worth it, the breakfast price, the Hollywood days, tickets, whether the Grinch is there all year, showtimes and the end date. Each one below gets the short answer first and my two cents second, with the numbers behind it.

What Are the Grinchmas 2026 Dates?

Grinchmas 2026 at Universal Orlando runs November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027, a 51-day season in Seuss Landing at Islands of Adventure. Universal Studios Hollywood has not announced its 2026 dates; the 2025 celebration ran November 24 through January 4 in Universal Plaza.

My family aims for the first two weeks of December, when both coasts are fully decorated and the crowd calendar still reads a 5 to 7. I will add the Hollywood dates to this answer the day Universal publishes them.

Is Grinchmas at Universal Worth It?

Grinchmas is worth it for any family that already holds park admission, because it costs nothing extra and adds a live stage show, a Grinch and Max meet and a fully decorated Who-ville to the park day. It is not worth a separate trip on its own.

Pair it with the holiday parade and the Hogwarts Castle show at Orlando, or with the Studio Tour and the Wizarding World at Hollywood, and a December trip earns its price. My grandkids rate the Who-liday Spectacular above most rides, and it is included.

How Much Is Breakfast with the Grinch at Universal Orlando?

Universal has not published 2026 prices for the Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast. Last season it started at $58.99 for adults ages 10 and up and $32.99 for kids ages 3 to 9, plus tax, at Circus McGurkus Cafe Stoo-pendous in Seuss Landing, with park admission and an advance paid reservation required.

In fact, this is the reservation I get asked about most every fall. Popular mornings have sold out within days of opening in past seasons, so decide now whether it is on your list and let your advisor watch the reservation page for you.

What Days Are Grinchmas at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2026?

Universal has not announced the 2026 Grinchmas days at Universal Studios Hollywood. In 2025 the celebration ran daily from November 24, 2025 through January 4, 2026, 42 days, and Universal announced those dates on October 14, 2025, so the 2026 announcement is expected in mid October.

Plan around the same window. Hollywood’s holiday season has opened the Monday before Thanksgiving in recent years and run daily through the first Sunday of January. Book a Los Angeles trip for the first two weeks of December and the dates will almost certainly fall inside it, and I will update this page the day the 2026 dates are published.

Do You Need Tickets for Grinchmas?

No separate ticket is needed for Grinchmas. Universal Orlando includes it with any park ticket or annual pass, and Universal Studios Hollywood has included it with regular admission in every recent season. The Grinch character breakfast and the $69.99 Universal Holiday Tour at Orlando are the only two paid extras.

Even so, the ticket you buy still matters. Grinchmas is at Islands of Adventure and the holiday parade is at Universal Studios Florida, so a park-to-park ticket is the one that covers both in one day.

Is the Grinch at Universal Studios All Year?

No. The Grinch appears at Universal only during Grinchmas, November 14, 2026 through January 3, 2027 at Universal Orlando and typically late November through early January at Universal Studios Hollywood. Seuss Landing is open year-round, but the Grinch, the Whos and the show are seasonal.

That matters for planning. A trip in early November or mid January gets the Seuss rides and none of the Grinch, and I have talked more than one family off a January booking for exactly that reason.

What Time Is the Grinchmas Show?

The Grinchmas Who-liday Spectacular runs several times a day at Islands of Adventure, and the exact 2026 showtimes will appear in the Universal Orlando app once the season opens November 14. In past seasons each performance has run about 25 minutes.

Also, the first show of the day has had the shortest line by a wide margin. I send families to that one, then back to Seuss Landing after dark for the lights and a second look at the Who-Ville Tree Lot.

When Does Grinchmas End?

Grinchmas 2026 at Universal Orlando ends January 3, 2027, the last day of the resort’s holiday season. Universal Studios Hollywood has not announced its 2026 dates; its 2025 celebration ended January 4, 2026.

Best of all, the final week is quieter than Christmas week. The crowd calendar drops from a 9 or 10 on New Year’s Day to a 6 or 7 by January 3, and the decorations, the show and the Grinch meet all run through the last night. Families with a flexible school break get the full celebration with half the line by booking January 2 and 3.

How Can a Travel Advisor Help You Plan Grinchmas?

A travel advisor turns Grinchmas into one plan instead of three separate reservations. The breakfast opens without warning and sells out fast. The Holiday Tour runs select dates only, and the crowd calendar swings from a 5 to a 10 inside six weeks. A Favorite Grampy Travels advisor tracks all of it for your family, on either coast.

Of course, we are a Universal U-Preferred Platinum agency, and our advisors book Universal Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. Start with a complimentary consultation or call (866) 846-3141, and meet our advisors to find the one who knows your park best. Our Universal Orlando vacation planning service covers the tickets, the hotel and the Grinch.

Full-service custom planning carries a planning fee based on the length and complexity of your trip, quoted during that first 15-minute conversation. A planning fee is normal for concierge travel and not a red flag. Let us handle the moving parts so your family can watch the grandkids meet the Grinch, and maybe lose a hat.

Get on the Grinch Breakfast List

Tell us your dates and we will contact you the morning Universal opens 2026 Grinch and Friends Character Breakfast reservations, before the popular mornings sell out. If you still need a hotel or tickets, say so in the planning question and a Favorite Grampy Travels advisor builds the rest of the Grinchmas trip around those dates. The first 15 minutes are a complimentary consultation.