The Candlelight Processional is one of Walt Disney World‘s popular Christmas traditions. Included with EPCOT park admission, the Candlelight Processional features a celebrity narrator reading the Christmas story backed by a full choir and orchestra. Disney shared more celebrities added to this year’s roster. This follows more holiday season news just revealed.
Disney World announced more celebrities appearing at EPCOT as part of 2026’s Candlelight Processional dates, and shared a previously announced celebrity who is no longer in the lineup. We have the list of celebrity narrators announced so far, when they’re appearing, and which dates still remain TBA. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including food coming to Disney World’s future Monsters, Inc. land and Disney ticket price increases.
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Candlelight Processional Celebrity Narrators 2026
The Candlelight Processional takes place at the outdoor American Gardens Theatre three times nightly during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. This park-wide event also includes performers in each World Showcase pavilion sharing holiday cultural traditions and specialty holiday menus across the park.
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Different celebrities narrate the Candlelight Processional throughout the festival, as they read the traditional Nativity story of Jesus’s birth in between songs performed by a live choir and a 60-piece orchestra.
This year’s festival dates are November 27 through December 30, 2026. The Candlelight Processional is presented at 4:45 PM, 6:30 PM, and 8:00 PM.
Disney previously revealed a partial list of 2026 celebrity narrators, and has now shared more. Here is the list of EPCOT Candlelight Processional 2026 celebrity narrators revealed so far:
- Just Announced – November 27 & 28: TBA
- November 29 & 30 and December 1: Gary Sinise
- Just Announced – December 2 & 3: Benjamin Bratt (New for 2026)
- December 4 & 5: Whoopi Goldberg
- December 6 & 7: Robin Roberts (New for 2026)
- December 8 & 9: Jason Kelce (New for 2026)
- December 10, 11, & 12: Neil Patrick Harris
- Just Announced – December 13 & 14: Josh Groban (New for 2026)
- December 15 & 16: Lauren Daigle
- December 17, 18, & 19: Ralph Macchio
- December 20 & 21: Henry Winkler
- December 22 & 23: Lacey Chabert (New for 2026)
- December 24 & 25: Jodi Benson
- December 26 & 27: Simu Liu
- December 28, 29, & 30: Eva Longoria
Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Moana, was originally announced as the narrator for November 27 and 28, but is no longer on the list. This places November 27 and 28 as the only dates with a narrator not announced yet.
Both of the newly announced narrators, Benjamin Bratt and Josh Groban, are making their Candlelight Processional debut this year and both have Disney connections.
Benjamin Bratt played Javier Delgado, Manny’s dad, on Modern Family. He also voiced Ernesto de la Cruz in Coco and appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Jonathan Pangborn in Doctor Strange.
Josh Groban’s résumé includes various stints with the Muppets, including portraying a prisoner in Muppets Most Wanted. Later, he played Miss Piggy’s rebound boyfriend after she and Kermit broke up in the Muppets’ ABC sitcom. Groban also portrayed Beast in 2022’s Beauty and the Beast 30th anniversary special.
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Many EPCOT restaurants are eligible for the Candlelight Processional Dining Package, which pairs a meal with guaranteed seating for one of that evening’s Candlelight performances. Booking a Dining Package is the only way to secure seating for the Candlelight Processional. Other guests must wait in the standby line.
See all the restaurants participating in this year’s Candlelight Processional Dining Package, along with pricing. Reservations will launch on October 14.
Elsewhere in EPCOT, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Holiday Remix will add a festive soundtrack to the crowd-favorite roller coaster. See the list of songs just announced.
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