EPCOT Festival of Holidays Complete Guide

If we lived in Florida, the Walt Disney World Festival of Holidays at Epcot would definitely be a holiday tradition for us. With holiday kitchens, holiday stories across the World Showcase, decorations, merchandise, and the Candlelight Processional, there truly is something for everyone. If you haven’t gotten a chance to attend this holiday festival at Walt Disney World, let us give you the details. Disney’s EPCOT International Festival of Holidays runs November 28- December 30, 2025. Here’s our Beginner’s Guide to the EPCOT International Festival of Holidays at Walt Disney World.

Ok, so let us just share that Christmas at Walt Disney World is amazing. There truly is nothing else like it! When we visited Disney during the holidays for the first time last year we were floored by how extra-magical everything was. Add the fact that we are holiday crazy in general and you can just imagine how excited we were the whole trip.

Of course, you’ll have to deal with the Disney holiday crowds, and have a Christmas at Disney World Checklist, but it’s so important to make sure that you make time for Epcot during the holidays. The festival truly does showcase the meaning of Christmas in all its glory and you will leave feeling uplifted, hopeful, and ready for the New Year.

Festival of Holidays Overview

The International Festival of Holidays takes place in the Epcot World Showcase. Unlike the other Christmas Party over at Magic Kingdom and Jollywood Nights at Hollywood Studios, you don’t need an extra ticket to enjoy the festival. It’s included with your Epcot admission.

What is the EPCOT International Festival of Holidays?

The Festival of Holidays at EPCOT Park is a celebration of holiday cultures. Featuring foods, musical celebrations, and a retelling of the nativity story, you can also try a variety of holiday foods from around the world as part of the season. This festival lasts from mid-November through December. 

The Festival of Holidays includes the following:

• Holiday Storytellers share stories from each culture in each World Showcase country.
• Holiday Kitchens, or food booths, are added throughout the park featuring holiday foods from each country.
• Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt Game
• The Candlelight Processional with a celebrity narrator
• Joyful! A Celebration of the Season musicians
• Voices of Liberty
• Las Posadas with Mariachi Cobre
• JAMMitors Percussion Players
• Festival of Holidays Cookie Stroll
• Special Festival of Holidays Merchandise

When is the EPCOT International Festival of Holidays?

Disney’s EPCOT International Festival of Holidays runs November 28- December 30, 2025, featuring outdoor kitchens, the Candlelight Processional, Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition and more. Visiting for Christmas at EPCOT is always a treat. Combining all our favorite cultural traditions and amazing holiday treats EPCOT brings together food and fun throughout all four neighborhoods. 

Festival of Holidays Entertainment

As part of the Festival of Holidays you can experience a variety of activities as part of the holiday fun for the holiday season. 

JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season at World Showcase Plaza

To fill your cup up even more, sing along with the exuberant voices of JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season in World Showcase Plaza. With uplifting Gospel and R&B songs celebrating Christmas and Kwanzaa.

Voices of Liberty

Throughout the festival, you can visit the singers in the American Adventure for holiday songs. They offer several performances a day, and don their best classic Christmas costumes as Dickens Carolers. 

Holiday Lights on Spaceship Earth

Starting at dusk, Spaceship Earth lights up with holiday colors to the sounds of holiday music. This show takes place all throughout the year, with a variety of themes, but during Christmastime, it’s extra magical. Be sure to see it on your way out of the park. 

Festival of Holidays Storytellers Times and Locations

The storytellers at the World Showcase are, in classic Disney fashion, perfectly themed characters that truly transport you to their time and place to share the most meaningful holiday stories. These performances happen throughout the day, so check the time guide when you arrive if you’re hoping to see a certain storyteller. This information is also sometimes found in the My Disney Experience App.

We loved loved loved La Befana in Italy and wished we would have had more time to visit every country’s storytellers. Be sure to build in the time when you can stroll through the showcase and listen to these stories, it really does make the season feel extra special.

Where are the Holiday Storytellers in World Showcase?

Each country gets a storyteller, so be sure to check them out. If you’re toting kids, this experience is so educational we think it could definitely count as school. You can gather around and listen to Christmas and Holiday stories from cultures all over the world. It’s a  wonderful experience, shared by professional performers across the park, and we highly recommend it! 

Las Posadas Celebration – Mexico Pavilion

¡Feliz Navidad! Join the fun and pageantry of Las Posadas with dancers, piñatas and the music of Mariachi Cobre.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Thursdays
• 11:05 AM, 12:05 PM, 1:05 PM, 3:05 PM, 4:10 PM and 5:15 PM
• 25-minute performances

A Mischievous Magical Barn Santa – Norway Pavilion

Celebrate the season with laughter as a mischievous Barn Santa visits Sigrid, an unsuspecting Christmas storyteller.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 11:35 AM, 12:35 PM, 1:35 PM, 2:35PM, 4:35PM, 5:35 PM, 6:35 PM and 7:10 PM
• 15-minute performances

Chinese Lion Dancer – China Pavilion

Catch a glimpse of this colorful performance that brings good fortune and happiness in the Lunar New Year.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• Noon, 1:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM
• 15-minute performances

La Befana – Italy Pavilion

Come hear the tale of La Befana, the kind-hearted witch who visits sleeping young children on the Eve of the Epiphany.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 11:30 AM, 12:15 PM, 1:00 PM, 2:40 PM, 3:35 PM, 4:20 PM, 5:05 PM and 5:45 PM
• 15-minute performances

Voices of Liberty – Voices of the Season – America Pavilion

Typically found inside the American Adventure pavilion, this a cappella holiday music sets the tone for the season. Dressed as Dicken’s Carolers this is a great way to get into the classic feeling of Christmas.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 11:15 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:45 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:15 PM, 3:00 PM, 3:45 PM
• 15-minute performances

Santa Claus – The Odyssey Pavilion

Get ready for Christmas with Santa Claus now through December 24. Whether you know him as St. Nick, Père Noël or Father Christmas, a visit with jolly Santa Claus brings good cheer to the season.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM
• 60-minute performances

Daruma Storyteller – Japan Pavilion

Hear the fascinating story of the Daruma doll and the Japanese customs of the New Year!

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 11:20 AM, 12:40 PM, 1:40 PM, 3:20 PM, 4:20 PM, 5:05 PM, 5:50 PM and 6:35 PM
• 15-minute performances

Hanukkah Storyteller – Between Morocco and France Pavilions

Guests will discover an entertaining celebration of Hanukkah along World Showcase promenade, where a storyteller recounts traveling abroad to explore the diverse music and traditions of Hanukkah around the world. 

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 10:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:40 PM, 1:15 PM, 2:45 PM, 3:45 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM
• 15-minute performances

Père Noël – France Pavilion

Visit with Père Noël and rediscover the magic of Christmas through the letter of a delightful child.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:10 PM, 12:50 PM, 2:15 PM, 3:15 PM, 4:30 PM and 5:15 PM
• 15-minute performances

Father Christmas – United Kingdom Pavilion

Join Father Christmas as he rings in the season, sharing the traditions of the United Kingdom and good cheer.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 10:30 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:40 PM, 1:30 PM, 3:00 PM, 4:00 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM
• 15-minute performances

Canadian Holiday Voyageurs – Canada Pavilion

Explore holiday customs from the various regions of Canada on a musical tour of the Great White North with the Canadian Holiday Voyageurs.

Performance Details:

• Sundays through Saturdays
• 11:45 AM, 12:45 PM, 1:45 PM, 3:25 PM, 4:30 PM and 6:35 PM
• 20-minute performances

Festival of Holidays Candlelight Processional

Ok, so we were absolutely blown away by the Candlelight Processional at Epcot. Blown. Away. The Candlelight Processional is the reading of the Nativity story, by a celebrity reader, but it’s so much more! There are choirs, an orchestra, and a light show. You really do have to be in the theater, sitting down, to experience how amazing everything feels and sounds. They even have an interpreter for the deaf community. The whole experience is so emotionally overwhelming, when you’re there you just want everyone you love in your life to be there with you. It really is worth it. 

• Location: America Gardens Theatre at EPCOT
• Dates: November 28- December 30, 2025
• Showtimes:  5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. 

This retelling of the Nativity Story takes place at the America Garden’s Theater throughout the festival and features new celebrity speakers throughout the festival.  Check out the lineup of celebrity readers for Disney’s Candlelight Processional

2025 Candlelight Processional Celebrity Narrators

• Nov. 28-29 – Constance Wu (NEW)
• Nov. 30-Dec. 2 – Jordan Fisher
• Dec. 3-4 – Jennifer Garner (NEW)
• Dec. 5-6 – Ashley Eckstein
• Dec. 7-8 – Ralph Macchio
• Dec. 9-10 – Leslie Uggams (NEW)
• Dec. 11-13 – Marlee Matlin
• Dec. 14-15 – Henry Winkler (NEW)
• Dec. 16-17 – Lauren Daigle (NEW)
• Dec. 18-19 – Gary Sinise
• Dec. 20-22 – Brendan Fraser
• Dec. 23-24 – Luis Fonsi
• Dec. 25-26 – Joel David Smallbone (NEW)
• Dec. 27-28 – Brie Larson (NEW)
• Dec. 29-30 – Sheryl Lee Ralph (NEW)

Candlelight Processional Dining Package Restaurants

A Candlelight Processional Dining Package is available for lunch, or dinner at select restaurants across Epcot. The benefit of this package is that it gets you reserved seating at the Candlelight Processional and can make the most of your time at Epcot during the Festival of Holidays. With a range of pricing for all three meals check out the dining package page for details. Candlelight Processional Dining Packages are available to be booked in late October. Choose from seven distinctive eateries, offering everything from character dining at Chip ‘N’ Dale’s Harvest Feast at Garden Grill Restaurant in The Land pavilion to signature dining at Le Cellier Steakhouse in the Canada pavilion.

Candlelight Processional Same-Day Dining Package

You can also dine without reservations at Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue that day and enjoy guaranteed seats to a Candlelight Processional performance later in the evening. 

Festival of Holidays Food Kitchens

Ahhhh, holiday food. They don’t call this the most wonderful time of year for nothing. And we have definitely become addicted to all of Disney’s foodie events. If you haven’t guessed, much like the storytellers, each Holiday Kitchen is themed to its respective country. In America you’ll get a Christmas dinner, in Italy you’ll get fruitcakes, and there’s a whole kitchen booth just for cookies. There are 15 Holiday Kitchens at the festival, so plenty of holiday foods to try! Just like with the Food and Wine Festival, you’ll get a little passport book with all the menus and can check out all the Festival of Holiday Menus ahead of time for better planning! Check out the Festival of Holidays Christmas Menus to figure out what to eat next! 

Festival of Holidays Cookie Stroll

The Festival of Holidays Cookie Stroll offers you the opportunity to take on a cookie-eating challenge. You visit all 5 official cookie stroll locations, collect a stamp in your passport at each, and head to a specialty Holiday Kitchen to receive a FREE Cookie.  In past years, there is usually a cookie jar that can be purchased for all of your cookies too!

Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Game

This newest game at EPCOT is all about Olaf. Our favorite little snowman, has a festive quest around World Showcase hunting for holiday traditions that Frozen’s most loveable snowman has gathered—and lost—along the way! One of our absolute favorite things to do at any Disney festival is to play the scavenger hunt game. At the Flower and Garden Festival they have Spike the Bee, at Food and Wine they have Remy’s Ratatouille game, and at Festival of Holidays you can play Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition. 

How does the Festival of Holidays Olaf’s Tradition Expedition Game Work?

For this game, players can buy a map ( with stickers), usually less than 10 dollars, from the gift shop or kiosk to get started. With your map in tow, you can search for everything Olaf has gathered and lost along the way. Throughout the World Showcase! They are sometimes hard to find. We’ve had to ask for clues before, so be on the lookout! Once found, you can just add the sticker to the map. When the map is filled in you can return it to the gift shop for a prize. Disney has been changing up their prizes lately, but usually, you get a chip and dale inspired pin. We’ve also seen them offer key chains, patches, and cups for the other games, so it could be different each year.

Know that you’ve already paid for the prize technically with the purchase of the map, so even if you don’t find all the Olaf clues you can still collect your prize at the end. And the map is a “free” Disney Souvenir, so treat it well!

Festival of Holidays Merchandise

Haul out the holly for all the NEW Christmas merchandise at the EPCOT International Festival of Holidays. New Christmas decorations, apparel, and home decor are in the marketplaces and gift shops for this special event.  Be sure to check out the Holiday Shop at the Disney Store for all the merch you can get outside of the parks. 

Meet Santa Claus at the Odyssey Pavilion

Returning to the Odyssey Building, you can visit Santa Claus and get your photo from Nov. 24 through Dec. 24. Get ready for lots of festive, merry, and bright. 

Location: The Odyssey Pavilion
Show Times: 11:00 AM, 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 3:30 PM, 5:00 PM and 6:30 PM
Dates: Daily – November 24 through December 24, 2025

Living with the Land Merry and Bright Nights

Another amazing thing to add to your EPCOT Christmas Trip is the Living with the Land ride! Decorated special for the holiday season you can see twinkling lights and decorations inside the ride! Perfect for getting out of the crowds and enjoying the light displays!

Gingerbread Houses and Displays at American Adventure

Another one of our favorite things to do at the Festival of Holidays, is browse through the American Adventure pavilion to see the Gingerbread Displays! While you can see many gingerbread houses at Disney’s Deluxe Resorts, the ones at EPCOT Park are specially made to celebrate American monuments. The Lincoln monument, Capital building and more can be seen in glass cases throughout the pavilion. Check out all the places you can see Gingerbread Houses at Disney World. 

Disney Characters in Christmas Outfits

During the holiday season, you can see certain characters in Christmas costumes. In fact, you’d be surprised just how many are at EPCOT Park during the season. Sometimes, even Princess Aurora herself wears her fur stole over her pink dress. In EPCOT you can see Belle in her red velvet Christmas dress, from The Enchanted Christmas. 

EPCOT Festival of Holidays Guide

Hopefully, this has helped you get ready for your Festival of Holidays EPCOT trip this holiday season. With so many things to see, do and eat, there is no shortage of ways to fill your days at EPCOT for Christmas. Be sure to check out all the special event times and locations in the My Disney Experience App.