It’s that time of year again. Snow on the ground, Christmas songs on the radio, and the annual Epcot Candlelight Processional are all running like clockwork. Every Christmas, Disney World hosts an infamous candlelight processional that takes place the weeks leading up to the holiday until the new year.
The volunteer choir is made up of around 1,500 of the companies most talented cast members and a full 50-piece orchestra, taking place in Epcot’s World Showcase in the American Gardens Theater on World Showcase Lagoon across from the American Adventure pavilion. The event has been a part of Disney history and tradition since its 1958 debut in Disnelyland, three years after the park’s grand opening, and was moved to Walt Disney World in 1971.
The show runs three times a night, every night until December 30th with a special celebrity host each night. Notable past hosts include Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Fraser, and Whoopi Goldberg to name a few. This year’s event kicked off a couple days ago, with the first two nights hosted by Josh Gad (Olaf from Frozen).
This year’s narrator line up is as follows (via WDWMagic):
- 11/29 – 11/30 Josh Gad
- 12/1 – 12/2 Nico Santos (NEW)
- 12/3-12/5 Chrissy Metz
- 12/6 – 12/7 Whoopi Goldberg
- 12/8 – 12/10 Tituss Burgess (NEW)
- 12/11 – 12/12 Brendan Fraser
- 12/13 – 12/14 Ralph Macchio (NEW)
- 12/15 – 12/16 Gary Sinise
- 12/17 – 12/18 Neil Patrick Harris
- 12/19 – 12/21 Pat Sajak
- 12/22 – 12/23 Gloria Estefan
- 12/24 – 12/26 Edward James Olmos
- 12/27 – 12/28 Sterling K Brown
- 12/29 – 12/30 Jodi Benson
The event is a staple of the International Festival of the Holidays, sponsored by AdventHealth, and has become a beloved tradition for Disney fans. For an event that only started with about 300 cast members in the 50’s, the tradition has grown into something more of a mandatory part of the holidays. It started as a single processional, and has now grown into a full orchestra concert that involves five times as many cast members and caters to tens of thousands of park guests (possibly more) each year.
The show is included with park admission, but because of that stand by lines can be massive each night. Make sure to get there very early if you plan on getting a seat. You can also check out the dining packages here that you can reserve to guarantee your spot. The shows air three times a night at 5:00pm, 6:45pm, and 8:15pm.
Source: DisneyParksBlog