Candlelight Processional dates, narrators announced for 2018 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays

in Disney, Entertainment, Theme Parks

Christmas Tree

The holidays will soon be underway at Walt Disney World, and the Candlelight Processional returns once again for the 2018 Epcot International Festival of the Holidays.

The Candlelight Processional, one of the most popular experiences during the seasonal event at Walt Disney World, welcomes a lineup of celebrity narrators to read the biblical Christmas story with a 50-piece orchestra and massed choir. The dates and celebrity narrators for this year’s event are listed below. New additions to this year’s lineup are noted in bold.

  • November 22 -23  – Chita Rivera
  • November 24 – 25  – Helen Hunt 
  • November 26 – 27 — Alfonso Ribeiro
  • November 28 – 30 — Robby Benson
  • December 1 – 2 — John Stamos
  • December 3 – 6  – Neil Patrick Harris
  • December 7 – 9 – Whoopi Goldberg
  • December 10 – 12 – Bart Millard
  • December 13 – 14 – Blair Underwood
  • December 15 – 17 – Gary Sinise
  • December 18 – 20 – Pat Sajak
  • December 21 – 23 – Auli’I Cravalho
  • December 24 – 25 – Joey Fatone
  • December 26 – 27 – Jodi Benson
  • December 28 – 30 – Cal Ripken Jr.
Candlelight Processional
Helen Hunt
Alfonso Ribeiro
Bart Millard
Auli’I Cravalho

For those looking to make their Candlelight Processional experience even more magical, special dining packages are available that grant priority seating at the popular Christmas event. Lunch and dinner packages are available at some of the most popular restaurants at and around Epcot, including:

  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Norway pavilion)
  • Biergarten Restaurant (Germany pavilion)
  • Ale & Compass (Disney’s Yacht Club Resort)
  • Chefs de France (France pavilion)
  • Coral Reef Restaurant (The Living Seas)
  • The Garden Grill Restaurant (The Land pavilion)
  • La Hacienda de San Angel (dinner only) and San Angel Inn Restaurante (Mexico pavilion)
  • Nine Dragons Restaurant (China pavilion)
  • Restaurant Marrakesh and Spice Road Table (Morocco pavilion)
  • Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room (United Kingdom pavilion)
  • Teppan Edo and Tokyo Dining (Japan pavilion)
  • Tutto Italia Ristorante and Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria (Italy pavilion)
  • Trattoria al Forno (Disney’s BoardWalk)

The following restaurants also offer breakfast options:

  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Norway pavilion)
  • Ale & Compass (Disney’s Yacht Club Resort)
  • The Garden Grill (The Land pavilion)
  • Trattoria al Forno (Disney’s BoardWalk)

Each Candlelight Processional Dining Package includes one appetizer, one entrée, one dessert and your choice of non-alcoholic beverage at select full-service restaurants (or 1 full buffet where applicable). All dining packages include guaranteed seating for the Candlelight Processional.

For pricing information and to make reservations for a Candlelight Processional Dining Package, visit the Walt Disney World website.

There’s also an all-new menu at the Feast of the Three Kings marketplace this year featuring sofrito-marinated beef with sweet plantains and olives, a queso fresco-stuffed arepa topped with shrimp, crushed avocado aji and tomato sauce, and arepas topped with melted queso fresco.

Other new mouth-watering items this year include:

  • Black forest roulade with cherry whipped cream (Bavaria Holiday Kitchen, Germany)
  • Hand-carved smoked ham with green beans and sweet potato casserole (American Holiday Table, The American Adventure)
  • Three variations of croissant doughnuts at the Taste Track marketplace

For those with a sweet tooth, there’s a fun new event this year. Use your Festival Passport to track your purchase of five select holiday cookies by collecting a unique stamp for each one. When you’re done, visit Holiday Sweets and Treats to receive a free “completer” cookie and glass of milk.

There will also be a new marketplace this year, and more details are expected soon.

Several adorable souvenirs are available this year, including a new Festival of the Holidays t-shirt and hoodie featuring Chip and Dale and a cozy new Festival of the Holidays throw. This merchandise will be available inside Mouse Gear and throughout World Showcase.

Other fan-favorite events returning to the festival include Chip & Dale’s Christmas Tree Spree Scavenger Hunt and the holiday-themed finale for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. This is the final holiday season for IllumiNations, which is scheduled to close in Summer 2019, so be sure to catch the holiday finale one last time.

Source: Disney

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