EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays 2024
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays Guide 2024
The festival fun continues at EPCOT with the return of the International Festival of the Holidays! The most cookie-filled festival has returned to Walt Disney World and we have all the details.
The International Festival of the Holidays celebrates holidays around the world and includes Holiday Kitchens, a Cookie Stroll, an Olaf-themed scavenger hunt, exclusive merchandise, World Showcase Storytellers, JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season, and the holiday favorite, Candlelight Processional. In addition to the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays, EPCOT will get in the holiday spirit with holiday décor including a massive Christmas Tree, the Living with the Land annual holiday overlay, Figment in his holiday sweater, and more!
New this year, the festival will feature an 8-foot tall gingerbread display of Spaceship Earth, decorative twinkling trees in CommuniCore Hall, complimentary snowflake decorating, festive fragrance snow globes, and two new Holiday Kitchens.
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays will run from November 29th to December 30th. Admission is included with park tickets and a park pass reservation to EPCOT.
Holiday Kitchens and Cookie Stroll
No EPCOT festival is complete without food booths! With Holiday Kitchens and additional exclusive holiday offerings, returning favorites and classic holiday food and drink are available throughout EPCOT. This year, there will be over fifteen Holiday Kitchens including two new kitchens- Favorites of Festivals Past and Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow. Check out this post for menus, photos, and prices of all the Holiday Kitchens at Epcot’s International Festival of the Holidays!
Who doesn’t love cookies? The Holiday Cookie Stroll is back! First you’ll need to pick up a Festival Passport. Then purchase five cookies of your choice from the participating cookie stroll locations and receive a stamp in your passport. Once you receive five stamps, present your passport at the Holiday Sweets & Treats booth near Port of Entry to receive a prize! For more information and a list of cookie stroll locations and prizes see this post!
Entertainment
The Candlelight Processional returns for EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays! The Candlelight Processional is a retelling of the story of Christmas presented by a celebrity narrator and accompanied by The Voices of Liberty, a 50 piece orchestra, herald trumpets, and massed choirs made up of cast members and invited guest choirs from across Florida. New celebrity narrators this year include Nico Santos, Tituss Burgess, and Ralph Macchio.
This popular seasonal performance runs from November 29th to December 30th at the America Gardens Theatre in the America Pavilion in EPCOT. There are three performances per night at 5pm, 6:45pm, and 8:15pm (subject to change). The Candlelight Processional is a very popular event, especially closer to the holidays in December. Seating is limited for each performance so be sure to show up early for the show you’re hoping to attend- or see below for more information on Candlelight Processional Dining Packages, which guarantee a seat to a performance that evening. Advanced reservations are highly recommended for dining packages and will be on sale beginning on October 29th, 2024.
Holiday Storytellers are one of the festival highlights for me! Holiday entertainment streetmosphere performers, bands, and ensembles will be throughout the World Showcase as storytellers sharing holiday traditions and culture from around the world. Performances will be throughout the day- I suggest looking in the My Disney Experience app or at the daily times guide for performance times as they are subject to change. Times will be added to this post once they are available in the app.
Holiday Storytellers to look for include:
Santa Claus – Visit with Santa Claus as he gets ready for Christmas (The Odyssey Pavilion) (Available until December 24th)
After December 24th, Santa Goofy usually meets in The Odyssey Pavilion until the end of the festival on December 30th
Las Posadas Celebration – Las Posadas dancers, piñatas, and the music of Mariachi Cobre celebrating the holidays in Mexico (Mexico Pavilion)
A Mischievous Barn Santa – Mischievous Barn Santa visits an unsuspecting Christmas storyteller named Sigrid in this humorous performance (Norway Pavilion)
Si-Zhu Trio – Traditional Chinese folk music celebrating Lunar New Year (China Pavilion)
Chinese Lion Dance – Lion Dance performance that brings good fortune and happiness in the Lunar New Year (China Pavilion)
La Befana – Listen to the tale of La Befana, a kind witch who visits sleeping children on the Eve of the Epiphany (Italy Pavilion)
Daruma Storyteller – The fascinating story of the Daruma doll and Japanese New Year customs (Japan Pavilion)
Hanukkah Storyteller – A storyteller recounts traveling the world to explore the diverse music and traditions of Hanukkah (Between the Morocco and France Pavilions)
Père Noël – Visit Père Noël and rediscover the magic of Christmas through a child’s letter (France Pavilion)
Father Christmas – Father Christmas shares the holiday traditions of the United Kingdom and spreads good cheer (United Kingdom Pavilion)
Canadian Holiday Voyageurs – Explore holiday customs with a musical tour of Canada (Canada Pavilion)
JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season
JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Season returns in 2024 in a new location at CommuniCore Plaza. The JOYFUL! ensemble will be performing gospel, R&B, and holiday songs celebrating Christmas and Kwanzaa four times a day at times to be announced.
Voices of Liberty - Dickens Carolers
The Voices of Liberty will be singing holiday favorites as Dickens Carolers for the EPCOT Festival of the Holidays. They will be performing in their usual location at the American Adventure pavilion rotunda at times to be announced.
Spaceship Earth: Beacons of Magic
Spaceship Earth: Beacons of Magic holiday lighting package will rotate through three nighttime shows with “I’m a Star” from Disney’s Wish, “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Pinocchio, and the Festival of the Holidays show to “When We’re Together” from Frozen 2 featuring the Northern Lights and holiday scenes.
Shows are from 2023 - we will update here with any changes for 2024.
Additional performers and bands are located around World Showcase with special holiday sets. Sometimes meet and greet characters also have special holiday outfits or holiday additions to their outfits during the festival.
CommuniCore Hall and More
New this year, CommuniCore Hall will feature an 8-foot tall gingerbread display of Spaceship Earth with handcrafted gingerbread triangles and a dancing lights performance. The sphere was created in collaboration with the EPCOT Festival Team and Walt Disney Imagineering and includes hundreds of handcrafted gingerbread triangles. You’ll be able to purchase your own Spaceship Earth Tile Gingerbread Triangle like the tiles used to craft the gingerbread Spaceship Earth, and the gingerbread triangle will be included in the Holiday Cookie Stroll. Additionally, the countdown to each light performance is hosted by Celebration Countdown presented by CITIZEN.
The Spaceship Earth gingerbread display took over 160 hours to create and is made up of almost a thousands gingerbread triangles. To create the iconic display, cast members used 240 pounds of honey dough, 100 eggs, 100 ounces of lebkuchen spice, 55 pounds of dark chocolate, and 100 pounds of royal icing. There are 11 hidden Mickeys on the display to represent the 11 countries of World Showcase.
CommuniCore Hall will also feature new seasonal décor with Glittering Grove presented by Balsam Hill, an enchanted forest with twinkling trees. Outside of CommuniCore Hall in CommuniCore Plaza, in addition to performances of JOYFUL! A Celebration of the Seasons, there will be a new complimentary activity for all ages - Snowflake Decorating!
Festive Fragrances presented by Scentsy is also new this year. On the walkway between the Imagination! Pavilion and World Showcase, there will be a new snow globe garden display featuring seasonal aromas. Some of the featured Scentsy holiday fragrances will be available to purchase in CommuniCore Hall.
At this time, I do not believe The American Adventure rotunda gingerbread display will be returning. In previous years, the gingerbread recreation featured classic monuments and EPCOT icons including the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, The American Adventure building with Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue, and a Festival Marketplace. We will update here after the first day of the festival with more information.
Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt
Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition Scavenger Hunt is back at the festival. Search for Olaf statues throughout World Showcase to get a prize!
To participate, purchase a map for $9.99 from Festival merchandise locations including Creations Shop, Disney Traders, and World Traveler at International Gateway. Travel around the World Showcase and find the Olaf statues- once you find them, use the stickers provided with your map to mark the holiday tradition Olaf found. Whether you complete your map or not, you can bring it to Creations Shop or World Traveler to redeem it for a prize! In 2023, the prize was Frozen-themed cookie cutters.
The scavenger hunt map will be valid through December 30th, while supplies last. You can also pick up your prize when you purchase your map.
Ride Overlays
Living with the Land - Glimmering Greenhouses
Living with the Land has a wonderful holiday season ride overlay with the greenhouse lit up with holiday lights and decor. New this year, the behind-the-scenes tour of Living with the Land will have holiday tours with Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses.
Behind the Seeds: Glimmering Greenhouses is a one hour walking tour of The Land Pavilion exploring the Glimmering Greenhouses of Living with the Land during the holiday season. The educational tour focuses on the crops and hydroponic greenhouses and showcases how the plants bring festive flavors to holiday traditions and flavors. The tour also showcases the holiday light displays. It’s available at 6pm and 7pm during the holiday season while traditional Behind the Seeds tours run during the day. The tour is $45 per person per tax and advanced reservations are highly recommended.
It’s suggested to ride Living with the Land prior to your tour so you know what you expect. Check in is 15 minutes prior to the start of your tour at the lower level of The Land Pavilion near the attraction exit. Comfortable shoes are suggested as you'll be on your feet for the whole hour of the walking tour. There is a 24-hour cancellation policy and guests must be 3 or older to participate in the tour. Guests under 18 must be accompanied by a paying adult.
Journey Into Imagination with Figment
Figment will be wearing his holiday sweater on Journey Into Imagination with Figment!
Exclusive Merchandise
The EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays merchandise collection includes apparel, accessories, collectibles, and more. This collection is currently only available at EPCOT in Walt Disney World but we will update if any items arrive online at DisneyStore.com.
Mini Festival Gift Cards will be available for purchase at most shopping locations in EPCOT including festival kiosks, Port of Entry, Creations Shop, World Traveler at International Gateway, and Gateway Gifts. The mini festival cards can be used at any location where gift cards are accepted including Holiday Kitchens. These gift cards can be a great budgeting strategy for the festival and feature a cute Mickey Mouse holiday design.
More Holiday Fun in 2024
EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Video Guide to EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays 2024
Holiday Kitchens - Menus, Photos, and Prices
Holiday Cookie Stroll
Candlelight Processional
More Holiday Fun at Walt Disney World
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2024 at Magic Kingdom
Video Guide to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2024
Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party 2024 Food Guide
Jollywood Nights 2024 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Video Guide to Jollywood Nights 2024
Jollywood Nights 2024 Food Guide
Holidays at Walt Disney World
Holiday Food Guide at Walt Disney World
Disney Holiday Merchandise Collections
Holiday Hub
If you are attending the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays I hope this information enhances your experience- and that you have a holly jolly good time!
Thanks for spending a few extra magical minutes with me! Let me know if you have any questions about Festival of the Holidays in the comments.