EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 2026: Dates and Candlelight Processional

EPCOT's International Festival of the Holidays runs from November 27 through December 30, 2026, and comes with regular EPCOT admission. It's the most grown-up Christmas event at Disney World: holiday food around the world, storytellers and the Candlelight Processional, a choir show at 4:45, 6:30 and 8 PM.

EPCOT Festival of the Holidays 2026 dates

November 27 through December 30, 2026.

The Candlelight Processional

This is the highlight: the Christmas story, told by a celebrity narrator, with a mass choir and a 50-piece orchestra.

• Where: America Gardens Theatre in World Showcase.
• Showtimes: 4:45, 6:30 and 8 PM.
• Narrators in 2026: The lineup includes Jordan Fisher (November 27 and 28), Whoopi Goldberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Groban, Henry Winkler, Jason Kelce and others. Disney says narrators can change, so check its site for your date.

Getting in: The show is popular and standby lines can be long. Disney sells Candlelight Processional dining packages that include reserved seating, and they've been releasing on a rolling basis since October 14. If you go standby, line up early.

Holiday food and storytellers

Holiday Kitchen booths around World Showcase sell small plates and seasonal drinks, and storytellers share holiday traditions from around the world. These are included with admission, but the food isn't, so budget for it. Disney posts the current menus closer to the start.

How to plan a day at Festival of the Holidays

• Go on a weekday in early December for smaller crowds.
• Start with food in the afternoon, then the 6:30 or 8 PM show.
• Bring a jacket. World Showcase can feel cool after dark.

More at Disney this Christmas

• Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios
• Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom
• Christmas in Orlando

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Getting to EPCOT and where to park

Disney's parking page lists standard theme park parking at $35 per day for a car or motorcycle in November 2026, with preferred parking at $50, $55 or $60 depending on the date. One fee covers all four theme parks for the day, but Disney says paying does not guarantee a space if you leave and come back. Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel get standard parking included.

Courtesy trams run from the lot to the main entrance. If someone in your group has a valid disability parking permit, Disney says there are mobility-disability lots near each park entrance, at standard rates.

You can also arrive by Disney Skyliner, which connects Disney's Hollywood Studios and four resort hotels to EPCOT's International Gateway. One catch from Disney's own page: Skyliner riders cannot reach the EPCOT parking lot after the park closes, so do not park at EPCOT and plan to ride the Skyliner back to your car late.

What needs a ticket, a reservation or a booking

The festival itself needs nothing beyond park entry. Disney's dining package page notes that valid theme park admission is required and that a theme park reservation may also be required, depending on your ticket. Check your ticket type before you go.

These parts cost extra or need a booking:

• Candlelight dining packages. Listed at $43 to $109 per adult, before tax and gratuity, in November 2026, depending on the restaurant. You get a seating badge after your meal and use a separate line at the theatre. Seating inside the reserved section is still first come, first served.
• Same-day packages. Disney lists these at Regal Eagle Smokehouse only, with no reservation needed, subject to availability.
• Glimmering Greenhouses. A limited-time walking tour of The Land's greenhouses that you book ahead, per the Disney Parks Blog.
• Olaf's scavenger hunt and the Holiday Cookie Stroll. Both require purchases.

Candlelight seating without a package

Without a package, seating is first come, first served, and Disney's narrator announcement says it often fills quickly. That page lists every narrator by date, so check it before you pick a night.

Disney posts changes on its festival pages and in the My Disney Experience app. Look there on the morning of your visit.

For a holiday night with no ticket and free parking, pair the festival with Disney Springs at Christmas on another evening. Disney Springs says there is no bus service to it from the theme parks, so plan to drive between the two.