One of Walt Disney World’s most popular holiday season events is the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT. This Christmas pageant is included with park admission and features a live orchestra, vocalists, and a celebrity narrator reading the Nativity story. Disney has now shared who will be part of this year’s event.
Disney World announced the list of celebrity narrators for EPCOT’s Candlelight Processional 2026, including first-time narrators and returning favorites. Among this year’s lineup are two Disney Princess voices, a star of Avengers: Doomsday, three Disney Legends, and one of the most popular podcast hosts on the planet. See everyone announced so far and their dates below. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including the permanent closure of a Disney Springs food spot and our pick for Disney World’s best quick service breakfast.
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EPCOT Candlelight Processional Narrators 2026
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays returns from November 27 through December 30, 2026. The park-wide celebration includes food booths serving specialty cuisine, a Christmas lights overlay to the Living with the Land attraction, live storytellers sharing cultural traditions in each World Showcase pavilion, and the annual Candlelight Processional pageant.
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The Candlelight Processional is performed in the outdoor American Gardens Theatre three times each night of the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. Showtimes are 4:45 PM, 6:30 PM, and 8:00 PM. The production is led by a celebrity narrator reading the traditional Christmas story of Jesus’s birth, accompanied by performances of Christmas songs by EPCOT’s Voices of Liberty, dozens of Disney cast members from all over the parks’ operations, and a 50-piece orchestra.
Disney just announced a partial list of the Candlelight Processional narrators for 2026:
- November 27 & 28: Auli’i Cravalho
- November 29 & 30 and December 1: Gary Sinise
- December 2 & 3: TBA
- December 4 & 5: Whoopi Goldberg
- December 6 & 7: Robin Roberts (NEW)
- December 8 & 9: Jason Kelce (NEW)
- December 10, 11, & 12: Neil Patrick Harris
- December 13 & 14: TBA
- December 15 & 16: Lauren Daigle
- December 17, 18, & 19: Ralph Macchio
- December 20 & 21: Henry Winkler
- December 22 & 23: Lacey Chabert (NEW)
- December 24 & 25: Jodi Benson
- December 26 & 27: Simu Liu
- December 28, 29, & 30: Eva Longoria
Many of the narrators have special Disney connections. Auli’i Cravalho is the voice of Moana, and Jodi Benson is the voice of Ariel. Simu Liu stars as Shang-Chi in Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters December 18. Lacey Chabert is the lead in the first Hallmark Christmas movie to take place at Disney World, airing November 28. There are three Disney Legends among the bunch: Benson, Robin Roberts, and Whoopi Goldberg, all with decades of work with Disney on their résumés. Gary Sinise has a fun link to EPCOT history, as the star of a now-defunct version of the preshow for Mission: SPACE.
Disney will announce the narrators for December 2, 3, 13, and 14 later. We will share those celebrity announcements when they’re revealed. Make sure you’re subscribed to the free Mickey Visit newsletter to not miss the update.
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There are no tickets sold for the Candlelight Processional. Seating is first-come, first-served via a standby line. The only way to guarantee a seat is by purchasing a dining package. Reservations will open for 2026 dining packages on October 14. See our firsthand review of using a Candlelight Processional dining package.
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays kicks off on November 27. In the meantime, the park is hosting the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival now through November 21. See the full Food & Wine Festival menus and the lineup of Eat to the Beat Concert Series musicians.
In addition to the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, other Disney World holiday season events include Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at Magic Kingdom and Disney Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
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