Thank you Megan Guinnup for this great information on one of the many holiday events at Walt Disney World Resort!
Not long after Thanksgiving, Epcot theme park at Walt Disney World Resort in
Florida will begin its International Festival of the Holidays event. The festival
centers around cultural holiday celebrations and highlights how each country
represented in the World Showcase Pavilion celebrates in their own unique way.
America Gardens Theater includes the Candlelight Processional as part of the
celebration. The first Candlelight Processional was first performed in Disneyland
in 1958 and was brought to Epcot at Walt Disney World in 1971. The show
includes an orchestra and massed choir that perform traditional holiday songs
while a guest celebrity retells the biblical story of Christmas. The highlight of
these performances (offered three times a night) are the hosts who bring their
own style to the reading of the Christmas story.
Due to the popularity of this seasonal event there are ways that you can
guarantee your spot at the show by making a Candlelight Dining Processional
Package advanced dining reservation. This includes a meal at your choice of 16
restaurants with reserved seating at one of the three performances on the same day.
Dining packages include an appetizer, entrée and dessert—or one (1) full
buffet, where applicable—along with a non-alcoholic beverage (if you are using
the Disney Dining Plan, an alcoholic beverage for guests 21+ up to a $13 value is
also an option). There is a small up-charge per person when paying for your
meal at time of service or uses two table service dining plan credits when using a
Disney Dining Plan. Many of the reservations offer reservations for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner options that qualify for the dining packages. Availability is
limited and reservations do fill up fast.
The standby line to enter the theater usually starts to fill up about two hours
before the first performance of the night, but with priority seating for the
performance, you can show up 15 minutes before and have a seat in a
designated section for guests with Dining Packages. This is an amazing value
since those two hours waiting standby can better be used to enjoy the theme
park. Please not the last dinner reservation time is typically around 5:30 pm with
seating for the last performance at 8:15 pm to give you enough time to finish
your meal before the performance.
Ask your Marvelous Mouse Travels agent about securing this reservation for your holiday visit to Walt Disney World Resort.
Current list of 2019 celebrity narrators:
Ming-Na Wen - November 29 through December 1
Neil Patrick Harris - December 2 through December 5
Whoopi Goldberg - December 6 and 7
TBD - December 8 through 12
Gary Sinise - December 13 through 15
Pat Sajak - December 16 through 18
TBD - December 19 through 21
Steven Curtis Chapman - December 22 through 24
Edward James Olmos - December 25 and 26
TBD - December 27 and 28
Lisa Ling - December 29 and 30
Please note: celebrity narrators, dates and other entertainment are subject to
change or cancelation without notice. Separate Epcot admission is required.
