EPCOT Candlelight Processional 2025: Dates, Narrators, Tips, Dining Packages

The EPCOT Candlelight Processional is a long-standing Disney tradition featuring a celebrity narrator, a 50-piece orchestra, and a massed choir. This tradition originally began at Disneyland in 1958 but has now been a part of Walt Disney World since 1994. This is an extremely popular performance that takes place during Christmas at Walt Disney World.

The EPCOT Candlelight Processional is a part of the International Festival of Holidays celebration at Walt Disney World that runs from the end of November through December. Walt Disney World offers dining packages for the EPCOT Candlelight Processional in order to reserve your seat for this popular show. Depending on the celebrity narrator, the anticipated crowds can get high as people line up for a spot.

Keep reading for our full overview of the EPCOT Candlelight Processional including details about the show, dining packages, and how to get the best seat. This article has been updated with the information we have now about the EPCOT Candlelight Processional in 2025. This event is very popular so be sure to join the Mickey Visit newsletter so you don't miss out on information about the EPCOT Candlelight Processional when it is announced.

EPCOT Candlelight Processional Details

The Candlelight Processional has been a Disney Parks tradition dating back to 1958 at Disneyland. The Disneyland Candlelight Processional is still held for one weekend every year. The Candlelight Processional at EPCOT takes place at the America Gardens Theatre featuring the Voices of Liberty and a choir of Disney cast members, a live orchestra, and a celebrity narrator retelling the traditional Christmas story.

During each performance, a celebrity narrator tells the story of Christmas, recounting the biblical tale of a savior born in Bethlehem. The narration is accompanied by well-known Christmas songs performed by the orchestra and massed choir. Some of the songs you can expect to see performed include O Holy Night, Silent Night, Joy to the World, and Shout for Joy.

The entire performance lasts about 40 minutes and is one of the highlights of the holiday season at Walt Disney World. This is one of the most popular events at the parks and it brings large crowds especially when a popular celebrity is narrating the performance.

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How do you get tickets to the Candlelight Processional at Epcot? 

You do not require a separate ticket or reservation to see the Candlelight Processional at EPCOT as it is included in your EPCOT park admission. The seating in the America Gardens Theatre is on a first come, first served basis so plan on reserving a spot early in the day.

If you don’t want to worry about having to devote part of your park day to reserving a spot, you can also purchase a dining package for the Candlelight Processional.

Since this is such a popular tradition at EPCOT, I recommend either booking a dining package or being committed to reserving your seat at least 90 minutes prior to showtime. For some popular narrators, Neil Patrick Harris being among them, you will see people start lining up hours in advance so keep in mind that without a dining package, you might need to devote a long amount of park time to grabbing a spot.

2025 EPCOT Candlelight Processional Celebrity Narrators

Each year the Candlelight Processional features a variety of celebrity narrators that tell the story for 2-3 nights before switching to the next one. This performance has seen many famous celebrities over the years like Josh Gad, Gloria Estefan, Neil Patrick Harris, Simu Liu, Whoopi Goldberg, and more.

The more popular a celebrity is with the Disney fanbase, the bigger turnout you can expect for the Candlelight Processional. This is a situation where booking a dining package (more on this below) might be a good idea to ensure your spot to the show.

The 2025 EPCOT Candlelight Processional narrators have not yet been announced at this time. You can see the variety of performers who have previously hosted the processional in the list below from last year.

Celebrity Narrators From Last Year

As you can see from the list above, EPCOT invites many popular celebrities to be the narrators for the EPCOT Candlelight Processional including well-known Disney stars. I am especially excited to see new popular names added to this list like Nico Santos, Tituss Burgess, and Ralph Macchio along with returning favorites like Neil Patrick Harris, Josh Gad, and Jodi Benson!

We look forward to seeing the 2025 celebrity narrators.

What Time is the EPCOT Candlelight Processional?

Showtimes during last year have adjusted to 5:00 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. The EPCOT Candlelight Processional is part of the International Festival of Holidays at EPCOT which usually begins right after Thanksgiving and runs through December.

The show lasts about 40 minutes, not counting the time lining up to get your seat. If you have small children that might have a problem sitting still, keep in mind that most people in the crowd will be extremely understanding. Try picking a spot at the end of an aisle so if you need to, you can give little ones a break and come back in.

EPCOT Candlelight Processional Dining Packages

A dining package at Walt Disney World includes dinner at a popular restaurant and reserved seating for a performance. The EPCOT Candlelight Processional dining packages will guarantee you a seat for the show which can be a huge time saver.

Some nights will fill up fast, like holidays or nights with more popular celebrity narrators, so do not hesitate to book one of these packages. Keep an eye out for when the dining packages go on sale. We will keep this article updated with the key information on booking your reserved viewing.

Same Day Reservations

There is one quick-service restaurant that offers same-day reservations, which means you do not have to book an advance reservation, and still get guaranteed seats to the show. You can do this at Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue. The same-day reservations do not offer unlimited spots though so make sure you dine early in the day if you want to guaranteed seating.

• Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue-American Adventure Pavilion

Table Service Reservations

The table service reservations for the EPCOT Candlelight Processional include:

• At Spice Road Table: 2 small plates, a shared tagine, a shared dessert platter and a nonalcoholic beverage (or alcoholic beverage for Guests 21 and older)
• At Other Participating Restaurants: An entrée and dessert, or a full buffet (where applicable)—as well as a nonalcoholic beverage (or alcoholic beverage for Guests 21 and older)

Plus, you’ll get one (1) guaranteed seat per person to one Candlelight Processional performance on the same day.

Here is the list and prices of all the participating restaurants:

• Biergarten Restaurant-Germany Pavilion
• Chefs de France- France Pavilion
• Coral Reef Restaurant-The Living Seas
• La Crêperie de Paris– France Pavilion
• Garden Grill Restaurant/Dinner-The Land Pavilion
• Le Cellier Steakhouse-Canada Pavilion
• Rose & Crown Dining Room-United Kingdom Pavilion
• La Hacienda de San Angel– Mexico Pavilion
• Nine Dragons Restaurant– China Pavilion
• Shiki-Sai: Sushi Izakaya– Japan Pavilion
• Spice Road Table– Morocco Pavilion
• Teppan Edo–Japan Pavilion
• Tutto Italia Ristorante– Italy Pavilion
• Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria- Italy Pavilion

If you already had plans to eat at one of these restaurants then this is a great way to bundle that experience with a guaranteed spot to see the Candlelight Processional at Epcot! After your meal, you will receive Candlelight Seating badges to hand to the cast members when you arrive at the America Gardens Theatre. There will be a separate queue for guests with dining packages and seating is guaranteed.

However, seating is still first-come, first-served basis so if you want the best possible view then you should plan on arriving early. If you do not mind where you sit and just want to know your spot is guaranteed, then you don't need to worry so much!

You can read our full review of the Biergarten Candlelight Processional dining package to see why this experience was such a time saver. I would absolutely recommend it. Biergarten is a great choice for a holiday dinner as the buffet options will feature holiday favorites and plenty of options for all food tastes. This restaurant, located in the Germany pavilion, also features holiday themed musical performances while you eat.

Candlelight Processional Seating Tips

The EPCOT Candlelight Processional takes place at the America Gardens Theatre in the America pavilion. The theater has tiered seating going up so even if you sit in the back you will not have your view blocked by those in front of you. The performance uses the entire stage and you will see part of the orchestra (the trumpets!) come out past the stage itself during select songs.

The best view of the stage is in the direct middle of the theater, at least five rows back from the stage. Many guests will dash to the first 1-3 rows but in fact, you will have your view blocked by some of the orchestra as you are looking straight up to the stage. So if you are looking for the perfect spot, grab your seat in the middle of the theater! Sitting towards the back is not a bad seat either, it's a great view as you will see the entire performance.

Guests that have reserved a Candlelight Processional dining package will be allowed into the theater first, in the order that they lined up. Once all the dining package guests are seated, then cast members will open up seating to those in the regular standby line which is on a first-come, first-served basis. Seating is based on availability and once the dining packages are all seated, there are usually only about half or even fewer seats left. So if you want guaranteed seating, a dining package is the best way to go. This is easily one of the most popular events at Walt Disney World, hands down.

If you do not want to commit hours of park time to wait for a spot or spend money on a dining package, you can actually view the performance from outside of the theater. You will not be able to stand in the walkway as it's going on because cast members are controlling the crowd flow, but there is space to see it from the American pavilion. We happened to be on that side of EPCOT during one of the performances and we saw plenty of people watching from afar and you could still hear the entire performance while having a bird's eye view. So if this is something you want to experience more casually, it is possible! But if you prefer a dedicated seat during the show, your only other option is a dining package or lining up in advance.

EPCOT Candlelight Processional Review

The celebrity narrator for our performance on Christmas Eve was Marie Osmond and we were seated close enough to get a good view of her as she spoke. We were seated in row three which did give us a bit of an obstructed view since the orchestra blocked part of the stage but it was a good way to see Marie Osmond up close. In the future, I will pick a row further back in the center to get a wider and more elevated view of the stage. I did purchase a dining package for our experience which did take the stress out of the experience especially since we were seeing it on Christmas Eve. I would highly recommend the investment if the Candlelight Processional is on your list. You can read more about my thoughts on the Candlelight Processional dining packages in my review. 

The way the performance is organized is lively enough to keep most kids entertained although smaller children may get a bit restless. If you need to get up and leave, just tell a cast member and they will let you back in. We noticed a few unhappy babies (after all, it was probably a long day at Disney for them!) that had to step out and the parents had no issues. My estimation of the crowd is that everyone was extremely understanding of this and parents were considerate to take a quick walk with their kiddo if their noise level increased. Reminded me of that same understanding you would have at church or at traditional holiday performances like The Nutcracker. This is a performance for everyone- not just adults. An easier path to encouraging children to appreciate the arts and theater is to give them the space to feel welcome in these spaces. I think this general understanding is present in performances like this. As a frequent theater buff, this has been my overall experience with the atmosphere at performances that are meant for all ages. So if you're worried about bringing your kids, don't. Bring them! They will enjoy it and if they let everyone know they need a break, people will be kind.

This was my first time experiencing the EPCOT Candlelight Processional and it was a beautiful performance. It was especially perfect seeing it on Christmas Eve and it was a magical way to spend the evening. The narrator, in our case Marie Osmond, will read the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The story is broken up with traditional Christmas songs that correspond with the story. Some of the songs that were performed included Silent Night, Joy to the World, O Holy Night, and others. A crowd favorite for this performance was clearly Rejoice with Exceeding Joy and the ending chorus of Hallelujah Everyone on that stage was immensely talented and as someone who enjoys theater, this was the highlight of my Christmas Eve.

Many guests may wonder if seeing the EPCOT Candlelight Processional is a good fit for them if they are not religious. I think if you enjoy the theater, choir singing, and seeing a full orchestra play traditional Christmas music then it does not matter if you identify as a Christian. This is an absolutely beautiful performance and I think people with all belief systems will feel comfortable. The bigger concern would be for people that are not overly fond of the symphony or choir singing, they might find themselves feeling a bit antsy or bored. But I would even challenge folks that fall into that category to give the performance a try. It's truly spectacular.

I highly recommend it, this is a not-miss experience if you visit Walt Disney World during the International Festival of Holidays at EPCOT.

There is a bit of time and investment (if you opt for a dining package) to see this performance so for many guests this might be a “one and done” experience while others find this a central part of their traditional holiday experience at Walt Disney World. For my family, this will be a repeat tradition for us when we visit Walt Disney World during Christmas.

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